While they’re still available, I’m making sure to be conscious of and listen to the sounds of summer that I love. I love to hear the sound of a nearby neighbor’s lawn mower (as long as it isn’t before 8am!); the sound of a fan in my bedroom window whirring me to a nice cool sleep; the refreshing sound of sprinklers watering my lawns; the happy noises my dogs make when they race around playing in a sunny backyard. Soon these noises will disappear, as the weather grows colder, I swap out room heaters for fans, windows get closed for the season, the lawnmower and sprinklers get put away, and my dogs are kept indoors to race around playing throughout the house instead!
What are your favorite summertime sounds? What will you miss hearing when we’re in the dead of winter?
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Launder sheets and towels if this is part of your Sunday ritual (it is for me!)
- Need to do any laundry so you and your family members have clean clothes for work and school for the week ahead?
- Clean one shelf, one drawer, or two door pockets in both your fridge and freezer today. Doing this faithfully each week means your entire fridge gets cleaned out every month!
- Make meal plans and create grocery list for the week ahead.
- Need to make lunches or direct your children to do so, for tomorrow?
- Do you do any ahead-of-the-workweek cooking on Sundays? I do. I’m making a baked pasta dish, a cold pasta salad, and I’m roasting some potatoes and veggies to use as sides in the week’s meals.
- Look over your week and weekend ahead. Any appointments, parties, or events coming up you need to remember? Made your plans for next weekend yet?
- While it’s still nice weather, let’s take advantage of the ability to go on a nice evening walk, without snow, rain or cold getting in the way of our enjoyment!
- Budget some time tonight for yourself, if possible, to just sit and do nothing, or read, or have some quiet time over a cup of tea. Ask for help from your partner, a neighbor, or your older children, if need be, to create a quiet twenty minutes for yourself.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Overall Tidying
I’ve been out of town again (I went to San Diego to help a friend celebrate her birthday) My housesitter took good care of the house while she was here, of course. Now that I’m back, I want to take care of some neglected chores. I always have lots of dusting to do (mostly because I leave my doors and windows open as often as possible). I have my regular laundry to do so I keep on my self-appointed schedule, plus the laundry from my suitcase. I want to unpack, store the suitcase away, and then make my home pleasant for the workweek ahead. I’ll empty trash cans, water houseplants, tend to my patio herb garden, sweep the front patio and back deck, mop the kitchen floor after I’m done cooking and baking today, and remove some clutter I have deposited on my mail table and coffee table.
I work at home and want a clean and tidy environment to work in – plus I don’t want to come home to a messy house when I go out to dinner or a movie and come back too late at night and tired to do anything about it!
What is your housecleaning project for today?
LOVELY BLOGS: Thoughts From Alice
“Finding beauty in imperfection.” Alice shares her thoughts on DIY, home decor, and life with her little ones. While you’re visiting her blog, you can take a tour of her 1930s fixer-upper home, visit her DIY crafts tutorials area, and visit the link parties she participates in.
Recent posts I’ve enjoyed include The End of Summer and New Beginnings; her Dollhouse Princess Girl’s Room reveal (part of a Dollhouse Therapy challenge she’s taking part in); and her recipe for Pesto Asiago Flatbread Panini.
http://www.thoughtsfromalice.com/
LOVELY BOOKS: Dainty and Artistic Desserts
This charming 1915 book has been scanned in and put online at the Internet Archive for all to read and enjoy. I really like how simple the recipes are. There are things here I wouldn’t have thought to try making, such as Syrian Parfait, milk sherbets, and some of the vintage candies. This little cookbook booklet was written to encourage people to use Burnett’s colored pastes for cooking and baking, but that doesn’t spoil this vintage book nor make the recipes less appealing.
https://archive.org/details/daintyartisticde00jose
LOVELY BOOKS: Mind Your Manors
Perhaps I just miss watching the servants in Downton Abbey tend to a beautiful home, but I’m really excited to read this book on British housecleaning tips. Chapters include The Household Cupboard; Dust; Laundry; The Kitchen Sink; Bringing Up a Shine; Pets (boy do I need some tips here!); and The Water Closet. This book recommends tried-and-true cleaning techniques using natural cleaning products like lemon instead of harsh chemicals like we tend to use today. However, peeping through the book a bit, I refuse to use “Bullock’s gall” to clean anything!
LOVELY SHOPS: The Painted Cottage
Here’s a charming furniture shop based in Collingswood, New Jersey. They specialize in white French cottage-style or “shabby chic” furniture. They sell cabinets, bookcases, night stands, dressers, and lots and lots of different styles of beds. There are, of course, other colors offered besides white – and I find their black furniture stunning! Browsing this shop makes me wish I had a little cottage to buy their furniture for!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintedcottages
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Almond Butter Zucchini Muffins (Family Food on the Table)
Baked Zucchini with Spicy Tomatoes (Sunday Supper Movement)
Baked Zucchini Rounds (Apples for CJ)
Caramel Apple Slab Pie (A Spicy Perspective)
Cheesy Baked Tomato, Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi (Crafty Cooking Mama)
Cheesy Baked Turkey Meatballs in Marinara (Joyful Healthy Eats)
Easy Cheesy Baked Oregano Omelette (I Knead to Eat)
How to Have Cheesy Baked Pasta on the Table in Under and Hour for Busy Weeknights (Food Network)
A 1960s Housewife’s Cleaning Routine (The Modern Day 50s Housewife)
Parmesan Baked Zucchini (Flavor Quotient)
Slow Cooker Apple Spice Cake (Canadian Living)
Swabian Potato Salad (Andrea’s Recipes)
Whole Wheat Apple Pecan Spice Doughnuts (Dishing Out Health)
-Copyright 2016 Lovely Living
