Another Beautiful Summer Weekend

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Pick out something fun to wear tonight when you get back from work or if you plan to go out. Something colorful and summery! Lay out shoes, jewelry and the perfume you’ll wear, if you have time before you leave the house today. Then you can enjoy anticipating how lovely …

Failing to Live a Lovely Life in Moderation

What I’m serving at my next outdoor party: Belvedere Pink Grapefruit, ice cold, probably in a Cosmo. Today I’m utterly exhausted, a bit dizzy, and I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow. I simply did far, far too much work today. On a Saturday! I try to balance my life so that I have enough work …

Getting Ready for a Summer Weekend

A lovely bouquet of freesia from Trader Joe’s. It’s now adorning my kitchen. It’s summertime! Give yourself time (and permission) to lounge about a bit, enjoying sunshine and warm weather. QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Are you going out tonight? Lay out the outfit you plan to wear. Don’t forget colorful, fun summery earrings and …

Tricking Myself Into Cleaning

A potted pink dahlia that I embellished with sequins as a birthday gift for a friend. She pronounced it very Bollywood! Sometimes I use little tricks to inspire myself to keep my home clean and well maintained. For example, I imagine I suddenly have to move and sell the house in a month. While this …

Taking Care of the Little Things

I treated myself to two inexpensive, colorful bouquets of zinnias from Trader Joe’s today. Now one is on my coffee table, and the other is in a vase in the kitchen. QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Make menu plans for the week; create grocery list Need to wash your car this week? Mine is looking …

A Day for Gardening

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Refresh your home: Open doors and windows to let in sunshine and fresh air. If you have air conditioning or central air, do this later tonight when it’s cooler anyway. Even if you have a ventilation system, there’s nothing like an open (preferably screened) window to let in a breeze …

First of July

The second month of summer begins! Let’s take a few moments to look back through our month of June. Did you get your housecleaning projects done, appointments kept, spend time with family, time with friends, time for yourself? Summery activities enjoyed? What things did you miss out on, what do you want to schedule for …