Monday Morning

Monday mornings can be a total blur of activity mixed with multiple interruptions. If the phone rings one more time, I am going to scream. I implore you, if you know anybody who works full time at home, please, please don’t phone them up “just to say hi” and don’t text them during work hours unless it’s an emergency. And there shouldn’t be a “but” at the end of your sentence beginning “I know you’re working right now..”

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

Make menu plans for the week and create grocery list. Think about the lunchboxes you might be packing this week, too.
Visualize what you and your children (if any) will be wearing to work and school this week. Need to do any laundry, enforce some hang-up-your-clothes rules, set out anything for tomorrow, drop off or pick up any dry cleaning?
Upcoming holidays: Rosh Hashanah on September 28; Yom Kippur on October 7.
Pull out some fabulous jewelry (even if it’s costume and inexpensive) to spice up your fall wardrobe this week. It’s easier to decide to put on nice things in the morning if you’ve handled them recently.

TODAY’S PROJECT: General Homekeeping

Basil Blue Sage Countertop Cleanser, from Caldrea

I’m planning to throw a Pan Am TV show themed dinner next Monday night. I want to make sure my house is in beautiful condition before inviting friends over. While there are some things that will get dirty in the next week (the carpets will need to be vacuumed, furniture dusted and floors swept right before the party), I can get my house “mostly ready” today. Then I don’t have to freak out the rest of the week, and I can concentrate on my themed menu.

Today I’ll be swapping out the white summery curtains in my downstairs living room. We’ll be watching the show in here, so I’m relying on my burgundy velvet lined curtains to keep the light out and the warmth in next Monday night.

I’ll dust some cobwebs off my walls and ceilings; wipe hand prints off of light switches; wash dog nose marks off the lower parts of my windows (a task I’ll have to do again next Monday); remove some clutter from the mail table; and sweep out my fireplace.

LOVELY BLOGS: Domestically Speaking

This woman blogs about making her home beautiful and efficient, raising her kids, and being careful with her finances. You have to unfortunately scroll past a lot of huge “giveaway” type posts to get to the really fantastic content here, but it’s worth it. You’ll see her informative posts on updating her bathroom, printing on burlap, and the adorable crafts she’s made.

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/

LOVELY FRAGRANCE: Jo Malone’s Wild Bluebell

My favorite fragrance maker, Jo Malone, just came out with a new line meant to evoke England’s wild bluebells. There’s a body cream, a cologne, body wash, hand wash, and home fragrance candle. I have more perfume than I can wear, and enough body lotions, but I might treat myself to the candle. I can’t resist any opportunity to make my 3 dog, 2 cat home smell lovelier.

Wild Bluebell, at Jo Malone

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

Bacon, Cheddar and Pear Panini (Alexandra Cooks)

Chickpea and Roasted Cauliflower Stew (Rachael Ray)

Cinnamon Caramel Apple “Pumpkins” (Bakingdom)

DIY Autumn Bloom Belt (Withywindle)

DIY Autumn Leaf Headband (Fine and Feathered)

Easy Chili Recipe (Cooking for Kids/About.com)

Fluffy Baked Eggs with Roasted Vegetable Hash (Everyday Dutch Oven)

Focus on Flowers, But Don’t Forget the Lawn (Flowers/About.com)

How Will Today’s Texting Teenagers Compete? (The Daily Beast)

Making and Buying Bagels for Yom Kippur (Epicurious)