It’s chilly in the mornings and evenings now. I’ve taken down the fans in our bedroom windows, and added extra throws to the ends of our beds. Soon it will be time to put “emergency coats” in the trunk of our car, and greet my sleepy teenager with hot cocoa every morning.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Tidy up your home for the weekend. You can do this in 5 minutes in the morning before you leave or right when you get home from work, before going out for the evening. Sweep entryway and kitchen; wipe down kitchen counters; empty or fill dishwasher as needed; declutter mail table or dining table; empty bedroom and bathroom trash cans; swap out hand towels in bathrooms for clean ones; replace toilet paper rolls as needed; wipe bathroom mirrors.
- Make socialization plans for the rest of the weekend if you haven’t already
- Lay out something fun and pretty to wear tonight.
- Give yourself permission to stay home and have downtime tonight and several times this weekend if you need the quiet time.
- Fill up with gas; stop by an ATM for cash; and return Netflix or Redbox movie rentals as needed.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Fall Blankets
If it’s getting chilly in your area, then today it’s time to swap out your summer bed linens for your fall and winter ones. Here in Seattle, it was cold enough last night to remind me it’s time to get out my faux down duvet. Away go my cream colored summer sheets with flowery embroidery trim. Out come my cranberry flannel sheets and warmer bedding.
Launder your outgoing sheets and blankets before folding them away for storage. Smell your replacements to see if they smell fresh. Mine are a bit dusty smelling from the closet, so I want to wash them before putting them on the bed. Use linen spray, if you like, to help freshen the bed too. See how your accent pillows smell, also (do you use accent pillows?) My cranberry velvet pillows need to be Febrezed or linen sprayed a little bit.
Repeat the process for your children’s rooms or guest room, if applicable.
I’m getting out a couple quilts for at the foot of everyone’s beds. Also, it might be time to get out your throws to toss around your couches and living rooms. Freshen them too, if needed.
There’s nothing like snuggling up in front of a deliciously mindnumbing TV show with a soft throw on a chilly fall evening.
LOVELY BEVERAGES: PG Tips’ Green Tea
Lately I am enjoying drinking the new green tea from Britain’s PG Tips. Normally I drink Earl Grey from Twinings, but I seem to be craving green tea this week. This is one of their newer tea blends.
LOVELY BLOGS: What’s Good at Trader Joe’s
I love stopping by this blog to check out what’s new at Trader Joe’s and discover new ways to cook using Trader Joe’s products. I especially enjoy this very useful blog because the Trader Joe’s official site is so lacking in product info and photos. The blog posts here are really well written and you can tell how time consuming they were to be so thoughtfully and carefully produced.
I’m headed to my neighborhood Trader Joe’s today to pick up the Indian foods mentioned in yesterday’s post.
http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/
LOVELY BOOKS: The Heroine’s Bookshelf
The Heroine’s Bookshelf, on Amazon
“Life lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder.” I just discovered this at my library and have enjoyed snuggling up with it every night at bedtime.
The author explores the topic of simplicity by revisiting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “The Long Winter.” (I remember my fourth grade teacher reading a chapter to us every day after lunch – those blizzards seemed so far removed from our sunny San Diego existence).
The idea of Happiness is discussed in a chapter featuring Anne of Green Gables; Lizzy Bennett in Pride and Prejudice shows us Self; steadfastness is examined in Jane Eyre; dignity is expressed by Celie in The Color Purple.
My favorite chapter is “Magic,” which showcases Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden, even though cranky Mary is “one of literature’s least appealing heroines.”
I’m finding this book a very empowering read, and I’m being inspired to read books I haven’t gotten around to yet (such as “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Barbie and Ken Wedding Album – No Really, It’s Phenomenal (Glamour)
Campari, Aperol, Fernet: The Pleasures of Bitters (Slate)
Cool and Crazy Hot Dog Toppings (CHOW)
Donna Karan: Health, Wellness and Keeping Cool (Hemispheres Magazine)
Fresh New Office Space (Design Fabulous)
Here’s Eating Lunch With You, Kid (NY Times)
National Bourbon Heritage Month (Cocktails/About.com)
Our 10 Favorite Blogger Pasta Salad Recipes (Bon Appetit)
Standing Desks are On the Rise (Wall Street Journal)
Joy to the World
I NEED that book! It sounds completely delicious 🙂