Tidying Our Powder Rooms

Freshening up my bathroom with fresh freesia

My two guest bathrooms really got a lot of use over the holidays, with extra guests and visitors and houseguests. Time to freshen them up – not only cleaning and sanitizing, but making them look pretty and part of a welcoming home.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

Are you the member of a book club? If so, are you caught up on your reading for this month?
Any leftovers you should eat up (or throw out) so you’re going into the weekend with a clean fridge and room for new groceries?
How are your manicure and pedicure doing? Do you need to touch anything up ahead of the weekend?
I keep forgetting to take my vitamins – how about you?
Tidy your home for the weekend – wipe down kitchen sink and counters, empty or fill dishwasher; declutter coffee and dining tables if needed; sweep front porch, patio or entryway; wipe down bathroom mirrors and counters; swap out bathroom hand towels for fresh ones; throw out any dead flowers; get rid of burned down candle stubs as needed; take out trash.

TODAY’S PROJECT: Tidying Up Bathrooms

Today I’m making sure my bathrooms are nice enough for guests. I’ll save the shower and bathtub scrubbing for another day (I’m going out to dinner tonight so need a quick project). But I have time to swish around the toilets, scrub the sinks, wipe mirrors, clean counters, mop the floors quickly, launder and replace bathroom mats and hand towels.

I’ll check to be sure my bathrooms have beautiful accessories (but aren’t cluttered) and see if anything needs to be done maintenance wise. Do all the faucets and spigots work? Does the toilet do anything wonky when it flushes? Is there a plunger nearby for the hapless guest who needs one? What kind of shape is the medicine cabinet in? Does the bathroom smell fresh and clean? What might a guest see if they peek behind the closed bathroom door or into a cupboard or drawer?

Peek into your guest bathroom and see if you’d be comfy having a guest drop in and use your bathroom tonight during a visit.

LOVELY BEVERAGES: Warming Joy, by Tea Forte

There are a few people I erm, forgot to get Christmas gifts for. It happens! So in a couple cases, I will send out this lovely boxed set of tea infusers from Tea Forte, as a sort of winter “thinking of you” gift. This “Warming Joy” set includes Rum Raisin Biscotti, Sweet Orange Spice, Winter Chai, and Spiced Ginger Plum. I’m allergic to ginger and cinnamon so haven’t tried any of those flavors, but they seem perfect for a cold winter’s morning.

Warming Joy, on Amazon

LOVELY BLOGS: Kelli’s Kitchen

Kelli blogs from Oklahoma. You’ll find canning tips, food and DIY tutorials, and lots of recipes. Recent posts include maple and caramel brown sugar blondies, Aunt Pat’s Classic Devil Food, a recipe for creamy crockpot chicken and rice amandine soup, and Ham and scalloped potatoes.

http://kelliskitchen.org/

Kelli’s Kitchen on Facebook

LOVELY HOME: Zuma Trays

I’m hoping to make time this weekend to go to Crate and Barrel and check out these trays. I like to use trays instead of coffee tables in my family room – they hold mugs of tea, lotion, reading glasses, magazines, remote controls, and Kleenex boxes. I suspect I’ll have trouble picking a color, but I’m leaning towards red!

Zuma Trays, at Crate and Barrel

LOVELY SHOPS: Smile Mercantile

I think many of you will enjoy browsing this shop full of rustic home decor. The shop also sells craft supplies – buttons and notions, millinery supplies, and papier mache shapes.