It’s still very warm in the afternoons here in Seattle. But now in the evenings I need a light cardigan or sweater if I go outdoors. I can still get away with wearing a sundress every day, but it’s almost time to start putting them away.
Soon I’ll need to get out my warm pants, long sleeve shirts, and sweaters to wear this fall.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Need to do any laundry?
- How are your bathroom hand towels looking, and the hand towels you use in your kitchen? Need to wash them and replace them with fresh ones in the meantime?
- How does your house smell today? Do you need to open windows to air out the house, light candles, vacuum carpet with freshener, boil cinnamon in a pot of water on the stove? Or does your house smell nice and fresh as is?
- How are your houseplants doing? Need to fertilize them, water them, or adjust them for more light?
- Need to set any sprinklers tonight? We’re still not getting quite enough rain to keep my lawns green naturally.
- Can you declutter your mail table (if needed) when you get home from work tonight? Process the mail, not just move it around.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Closet Sorting – Dresses
Before I leave for dinner with a friend tonight, I’ll spend an hour sorting just one part of my closet: the dresses.
I need to put away my summer sundresses, and make sure I can easily locate the warmer dresses I wear in fall.
I’ll also get out my lightest sweaters, inspecting them for wear, missing buttons, dust and dirt, and scent. I put them away clean at the start of summer, but if they smell musty when I take them out of their storage box, I’ll have to get them clean again. I’ll hang the sweaters and dresses up in the place my sundresses used to hang.
I expect this project to take about an hour, as I’ll be removing things, inspecting them, trying them on, putting other things away, and hanging clothing back up.
Every year in the fall I tend to do a massive all-day-Sunday closet reorganization. This year, I’m not so sure I want to spend an entire autumn Sunday doing that.
I think I’d rather sort my clothes in a couple evenings here and a couple evenings there – preferably when there’s something I want to watch on TV anyways. That way I’m not wasting time watching TV, but I’m also doing a useful project, not just make-work.
LOVELY BLOGS: A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
Brenda blogs from the Midwest (South Dakota I believe) and describes herself as a “kitchen mess maker.” I’m really enjoying her blog, with recipes such as homemade pumpkin spice latte, apple oatmeal bars, homemade Magic Shell and Fried Pickles. The food photography here is mouthwateringly beautiful and well-lit. This blog definitely inspires me to get into the kitchen, dabble around, experiment and make a cheerful mess.
http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/
LOVELY PARTIES: Fairy Berries
I saw these on a wedding planning blog recently, and I got really excited to try some for my fall and winter parties. I like that they slowly glow on and off (not blinking obnoxiously like some Christmas lights do) and I especially like that you can swap out the batteries in them so you can re use them for years.
They sell for around $22 for 10 of them though, so to have enough Fairy Berries to recreate some of the promotional photos, you’d have to spend hundreds of dollars, sigh.
I’m going to pick up a box of ten of the purple ones for $16.31 and free shipping thanks to my Amazon Prime membership. I don’t think ten berries will make much of an impact at a party, but maybe I can float them in a bowl of water on the table and see how it goes. If I like them, I might invest in a few white sets for my Christmas and wintertime parties.
Fairy Berries, at Fortune Products
White Fairy Berries, on Amazon
Fairy Berries at Save On Crafts
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Apple Pear Ginger Saketinis (Fitnessista)
Apple Spice Whoopie Pies (King Arthur Flour)
Cute and Colorful Lunch Sacks from SugarBooger (Auction Shopaholic)
Heirloom Tomato Grilled Cheese (A Duck’s Oven)
Make a Stand with Pedestal Dishes (Martha Stewart)
Mast-O-Khiar Iranian Yogurt Dip (101 Cookbooks)
Pear Ginger Chutney (Koko’s Corner)
Pumpkin Doughnuts: Baked to Perfection (King Arthur Flour)
A Sweet New Year: Guide to the High Holy Days (Epicurious)
