Welcoming Spring and Preparing for Spring Cleaning

Let's gear up and get our Spring Cleaning underway, and over with!

A cherry tree bestows my front yard with Spring blossoms.

I usually like to begin my Spring Cleaning on the first of a month (March 1st, if the weather is nice earlier in the year, or April 1st). I like to do a small project every weeknight, and two big projects on the weekend, tackling bigger jobs like the kitchen and the garage on Sundays. This year, I was traveling for Spring Break and my birthday week on April 1st. Perhaps it’s a little anal retentive of me, but I’m a little annoyed that my Spring Cleaning will be semi-rushed into a two week time frame. Let’s see what my plan is going forward..!

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

Make meal plans for the week ahead; create grocery shopping list
How are your door mats doing? Wind and rain are blowing cherry blossoms down and we’re tracking them into the house. I need to sweep my front porch, sweep the front door mat, and launder the muddy indoor Jellybean mats I keep inside each doorway.
Look ahead at your calendar for this week – Any birthdays to celebrate? Doctor, dentist, vet or salon appointments?
Can you carve out some personal time tonight, for a little self care? (Hot bath, staring into the fire, reading a magazine uninterrupted perhaps?)

TODAY’S PROJECT: Assembling Spring Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning Caddy, from Storables.com

Today is a busy workday, so the only home chores I can imagine getting done are putting away laundry, laundering my throw rugs, and a quick run over the house with my new Shark vacuum. Someone is coming over today to give me an estimate on painting my kitchen, and I feel they don’t deserve to be stepping on dog hair the minute they walk into my house!

To get ready for my Spring Cleaning jaunt this weekend, I’ll spend some time tonight gathering up my cleaning supplies and taking inventory. I know I’m down to about one mirror’s worth of Windex; I have way too much Lemon Pledge; I’m low on white vinegar; and other than that I need to dig around and see what I have.

I’ll put together my bucket of cleaning supplies I drag to every room – I’ll want some kind of bathroom sanitizer, counter spray, dusting spray (the aforementioned overstocked Pledge), electronics cleaning spray, stovetop and oven cleaners, Febreze for curtains and furniture, window cleaner, and scrubbing solutions for the bathrooms.

Are you all set up to do your Spring Cleaning (if you haven’t already?) What products (or natural cleaners like vinegar, salt and lemon) might you want to stock up on this week?

LOVELY BLOGS: The Creek Line House

I’m enjoying this blog about farmhouse decorating and homekeeping. I live in the suburbs, not on a farm, but I’m so far out in the countryside (gigantic back yard with garden, no cell phone service out here, neighbors have a sheep, other neighbors have horses) that I often think of my home as being quite farmlike. (When I’m not referring to my house as “Chateau Campbell” I catch myself saying “Let’s go back to the farm for dinner.” So I’m finding this blog full of gardening, homekeeping, DIY and decorating tips super interesting right now.

The blogger, Courtenay, lives in a turn-of-the-century farmhouse. You’ll probably want to check out her holiday and seasonal posts, too. Recent posts I’ve enjoyed here are The Lemon in the Jar Trick, Clean Home Hacks, How to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer, and her Easter Peekaboo Sandwich Cookies recipe. I also might try her recipe for Mexican Fiesta Pasta Salad this week, too.

I’m simply amazed at how often she blogs – and her posts aren’t rushed or skimpy on info, either. It’s hard work updating your blog nearly every day, so I commend her!

https://www.creeklinehouse.com/

LOVELY BOOKS: The Inviting Life

This book, “The Inviting Life: An Inspirational Guide to Homemaking, Hosting and Opening the Door to Happiness” really tempts me to buy it right now, since my local library currently has nine people waiting in line for it in the holds system! I’m thinking it might be a perfect pick for next month’s book club choice over at the Lovely Living Book Club.

I love hosting and entertaining, so the premise of this book, “how to live each day with a desire and determination to turn the ordinary into something lovely” really resonates with me.

Chapters include: