Poinsettia Stocking, from Pier 1 Imports Here come the holidays! Today I’m spending my last vacation day decorating my home for the Christmas season. Besides decorating, I’ll be making my home clean and cozy for my house guests, and preparing it for the holiday entertaining I’m planning to do. QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Small…
Mondays are a busy workday and errand day for me. By the time we get home from my teenager’s tutoring session, we’re starving and eat dinner right away. We’re not left with a whole bunch of time in the evening for projects, so I’m keeping tonight’s Spring Cleaning project very simple. Mostly I’ll just be…
Mrs. Meyers “Radish” Scented Cleaning Products I normally begin my Spring Cleaning on March 1st or as close to that as I can get. But this year, I had a houseguest visiting to attend Emerald City Comic Con with me. I did have to (choose to) do a lot of cleaning before she arrived. I…
The cheerful, colorful primroses that greet me at my front door each day Today I’ve picked out several small sorting projects that I can do while watching the Academy Awards. I don’t want to just veg out in front of the TV for a few hours and not have anything productive to do. I’ll be…
The first snow drops have arrived in my yard! Spring is surely arriving soon – these snow drops give me hope. Meanwhile, I’m greeting spring in my own home. I’m putting away the red-and-white decorations (candles, tablecloths, placemats, fluffy throws, decor, pillows) I had up for Valentine’s Day. I’ll replace them with my pastel pink,…
The heart-shaped wreath on my front door welcomes us home February teases a hint of spring. Here in Seattle we enjoyed a beautifully sunny, relatively warm day yesterday. I took advantage of it and brought my dogs to the dog park for an hour of play in the fields and river. I paid the price…
Four plastic devices for microwaving eggs Last year I created “Use it or Lose It” week in my house in order to de-clutter and really prioritize space in the house for items we actually use. I’m instituting this again for 2013. I’ll go through my house a room or two at a time, looking for…
Le Creuset Soleil Whistling Teakettle, from Sur la Table To make this rainy Sunday cozier, we’ve lit a fire in the fireplace, made a big pot of Earl Grey tea, and gathered in the living room to read our library books together in companionable silence. We’re still continuing to shut the Internet off at 3pm…
Last week, for the first time ever, I had to ground my foster teenager. Her grades are slipping rapidly, and on Sunday night at 9:30 pm her three simple weekend chores and her homework had not yet been completed. Yet she had plenty of time to goof around on the Internet all weekend. Her punishment…
I actually regret making “Out with the old, In with the new” the title of this post. It smacks of America’s habit of devaluing old people and prioritizing youthfulness; I’d rather we act more like Asian cultures and respect our elders immensely. “Out with the old” summarizes what I’ll be working towards in the next…