This week I’m packing for the sunny Spring Break vacation I’m taking with my three nephews. I’ve been squirrelling away new T-shirts and shorts for them, and confiscating their unused (We live in Seattle, and it’s April..) swimsuits to pack for them.
I’m almost done packing, but panicking about the condition my house is in for our inbound kindly petsitter. I feel like I keep my house clean and ready-to-go most of the time, but as I look around, I don’t feel like this is a luxurious retreat for her. I want her to be comfortable here and enjoy her stay in my home and with my pets. So I’m going to do a few projects before I leave on Saturday to make sure everything here is lovely for her.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Need to make a pitcher of sun tea/iced tea to get you through the next couple of days?
- Is there a mid-week load of laundry you should wash (or an already-clean laundry basket you should fold and put away?)
- Need to tidy your home office desk? (I do! Too many pieces of paperwork are cluttering it up).
- Have you planned out what you’re packing for your kids’ lunches for tomorrow and Friday (if applicable?)
- Time to wash your pets’ beds or bedding?
LOVELY BLOGS: Four Pounds Flour
“Historic gastronomy.” I’m always intrigued by food history blogs, and have enjoyed this blog’s recent posts on the development of grocery stores, ancient hot chocolate, and the origins of Brooklyn blackout cake. Don’t miss the MSG podcasts. The blog’s author, Sarah, is currently writing a book for Simon & Schuster.
LOVELY BOOKS: The Baby’s Opera
This charming book features “old rhymes with new dresses.” It’s illustrated by Walter Crane. You can read it online at the Internet Archive, for free. The illustrations are charming and beautiful. My favorite is “The Mulberry Bush.”
The Baby’s Opera, at Archive.org
LOVELY BOOKS: Grandma’s Wartime Baking Book
Last fall I went through a real thrifty don’t-waste-food phase. (Thrift is highly unlike me!) I became obsessed with World War 2 cooking, ways to re-use leftovers, and the idea of a Victory garden. (The idea is nice, but I’m a terrible gardener). I really enjoyed this wartime baking book, though I didn’t attempt any of the recipes in it – I think I more enjoy reading about cooking than actually cooking?
Chapters include Victory Cakes; Small Cakes, Frostings & Fillings; Precious Pastries; By Hand or By Sea; No Time for Failures: Quick Breads; Rising to the Occasion: Yeast Breads; Custards and Puddings; and Patriotic Sweets: Cobblers and Other Fruit Desserts.
LOVELY FRAGRANCE: Bath & Body Works New French-Themed Scents
For my birthday, my best friend gave me the most fabulous boxed set of mini French and Provence themed candles from Bath & Body Works. I can’t find the boxed set online to show you, but I wanted to rave about it. The new scents include Lemon Verbena, Springtime in Provence, French Lavender & Honey, Provence Garden, Citron Cedarwood, French Lavender, Sundrenched Vineyard, Lavender Blossom, and Wild Poppies. This is exactly the kind of pick-me-up I need this Spring (obsessing about how much my house smells like dogs!)
http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/
LOVELY FOOD: Amelia Rope’s Dark Cube Collection
I haven’t tried or tasted these chocolates yet, but I’m enamored of the way they look. I’d love to gift them to someone for an Easter surprise or Springtime birthday. The Pale collection also looks gorgeous!
Dark Cube Collection at Amelia Rope.com
LOVELY PETS: Chatham Dog House
This luxe outdoor dog bed makes me smile. My wriggly, wrestly retrievers would never stay put in that house, and I’d never spend that kind of money on it. I like looking at the picture though, and imagining someone’s small dog snoozing happily away on this up at a lake house or a cabin.
Chatham Dog House, from Pottery Barn
LOVELY SHOPS: American Duchess
I must have stumbled onto this site during a Jane-Austen inspired browsing spree. This shop sells beautiful shoes based on modern designs. They specialize in 18th century shoes, Edwardian era shoes, and 1920s shoes. They also offer some enchanting Renaissance shoes. I’m not a cosplayer, but this shoe store makes me want to attend more fancy balls! Beware browsing here with your credit card too easily accessible!
http://www.american-duchess.com/
LOVELY WEBSITES: The Early Office Museum
I’m fairly certain I’m not the only typewriter and office-supplies obsessed geek here. This website has amassed a large collection of photographs of vintage office machines, including pencil sharpeners, adding machines, copying and tabulating machines, vintage desks, filing machines, dictating machines, and, swoon, pens and pencils. It’s stimulated me to remember being eight or nine years old and visiting my father’s office, bugging his secretary to death begging to “help” with her tasks.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Master Bedroom Tidying
Since I currently have no operational guest rooms, my petsitter will be sleeping in my own bed. She’s done this before, and swears my bed is comfortable for her. Still, it puts me into a panic, thinking my sheets aren’t fancy or soft enough, wondering exactly how old my pillows are, and wishing I had time to move my home office desk out of the bedroom to make it more of a retreat for her.
Right before I leave for my trip, I’ll swap out the sheets and duvet cover for clean ones (I keep a spare set to enable swapping out). I’ll also have to vacuum up dog hair right before we leave. Meanwhile, I can scrub the bathroom counter and set out lovely hand towels and candles; dust my bedroom bookcases and night stands; wash the windows; Febreze the curtains; and remove the books-and-papers clutter from my bedside. I also want to tidy up the closet – she’ll be hanging a week’s worth of business clothing in my closet and using it to get dressed.
While I think I have a perfectly lovely bedroom, looking at it through someone else’s eyes (especially the eyes of someone doing me a massive favor for a week) makes me look at it a different way. I’m noticing some things that are shabby, more clutter than I had expected to see, and remembering that it’s about time to order a new mattress and box spring to replace my decades old bed.
THURSDAY’S PROJECT: Kitchen Tidyup
Today I’ll overhaul my kitchen really quickly so my petsitter can cook meals for herself easily. Time to toss out the wilting lettuce I won’t have time to eat, the molding mushrooms I never made into soup, and clear out random half-drunk beverages. I want her to have lots of room in my fridge to store her food, but I also want to stock some new tasty treats for her week long visit.
Does your kitchen need (as mine does) a sink scrubbing, counter spraying, stovetop cleaning, floor mopping, fresh towels replaced, kitchen curtains Febrezed, throw rug laundered or shaken out?
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Asparagus, Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Bruschetta (Rhubarb and Honey)
Couple Buys Abandoned French Chateau, Start Blog to Share Their Journey (Messy Nessy Chic)
In Bars and in Books, American Whiskey is On the Rise (Publishers Weekly)
Rhubarb Recipes Both Savory and Sweet (CHOW)
Risotto Primavera (A Beautiful Mess)
