One of my dogs enjoying playing “King of the Hill” on the dog park’s newly delivered autumn bark pile

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

• It’s mid-month. Need to pay any bills? Make any doctor, dentist or vet appointments? Anybody in your house need a trim on their haircut?
• Drop off any Netflix or Redbox DVDs and pick up your weekend’s movie entertainment as applicable. (Or are you streaming everything nowadays?)
• Drop off any library books, dry cleaning, and plastic bags to be recycled.
• Fill up car with gas for the weekend; stop by an ATM for cash if you need some.
• Tidy house for the weekend. Vacuum living room if needed; empty or fill dishwasher; wipe kitchen and bathroom counters; empty trash cans from each room; dust off coffee table and declutter as needed; swap out a new tablecloth on your dining table.
• Finalize weekend socialization plans. Which friends are you going to see this weekend?

TODAY’S PROJECT: More Closet Sorting

The Alfani dress I’m thinking of trying on and buying for this year’s Christmas and holiday cocktail parties I’m likely to attend. I’ll make myself give away two dresses I’m not wearing in order to “earn” the closet space to put this.

I’m doing about an hour of closet sorting before I go out to dinner and a movie tonight. It’s not like I’m setting a timer and sorting constantly until the hour is up. I just sort of know after all these years how long it takes to get out my fall skirts, shirts and pants, inspect them, try them on, sort and hang up the keepers. I went through my skirts pretty well recently, but need to figure out how many shirts I don’t use and how many pants I need to buy. I suspect I need another two pairs to get me through fall. I’m mostly a dress wearer, but on really cold days you can’t beat a pair of velvet pants!

LOVELY BLOGS: Tartelette

I’ll bet you’ve seen this gorgeous food blog before, or that you’re a regular reader. But just in case, I wanted to revisit this site to enjoy her recipes, stunning food photography, and the inspiring food styling.

http://www.tarteletteblog.com/

LOVELY BOOKS: The 1950s Kitchen

Since I’m such a dork for retro living and nostalgic for old fashioned homemaking, I adore this book on the kitchens of the 1950s. I can’t fathom putting a 1950s style kitchen into my 1980s English style home, but I can at least look at the pictures and drool.

The 1950s Kitchen, on Amazon

LOVELY HOME: Marimekko Tablecloths for Autumn

You probably either really love, or really don’t care for, the Finnish design company Marimekko’s designs. They’re modern, colorful, and often floral or nature-based.

Marimekko “Kumina” in Brown

Marimekko “Kumina” Orange Tablecloth

I’m intrigued by their fall tablecloth (and matching napkins) offerings at Crate and Barrel. They’re too modern for my existing style of home and decor, so I can only admire them from afar. They’d go great in a contemporary condo – I’d use them for Thanksgiving dinner.

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

Back-to-School Weeknight Dinners (Food Network)

Braised Fennel (The Bitten Word)

Buttermilk Ice Cream (Stylish Cuisine)

Favorite Fall Soups (Fine Cooking)

Five Things You Spend On, Then Never Use (The Street)

Food Detective: The Power of Pastel de Choclo (Chicago Sun-Times)

Sweetcorn Fritters with Homemade Ketchup (BBC Food)