Preparing for Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning Sponges, from Ocelo, on Amazon QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Look over your list of upcoming birthdays this month. Write cards some evening this week, and mail them ahead of time to anybody with a birthday in the upcoming week. For further-out birthdays, order flowers, and prepare to send gifts if you’re planning …

Getting and Staying Ready for Guests

Happy Easter Eggs Pillow, from Pier 1 Imports I just had a houseguest stay for two nights over the weekend; I have a guest staying one night this weekend; and a guest staying over the first weekend in March. I’m delighted to finally have guest bedrooms (two of them!) to offer guests instead of a …

The Last Week of February

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Let’s start off our day by finding two things to throw away. Recycle magazines that have sat unread on your coffee table for more than a couple weeks? Old cosmetics? A mismatched sock you despair of ever finding the mate to? A pair of pantyhose you’ve been hanging onto despite …

Shoe-Sorting Sunday

Drop-Front Shoe Box, from The Container Store Today I plan to spend a couple hours (preferably after darkness falls, so I’m not wasting our rare February Seattle sunshine) sorting the shoes in my closet. I do this every year, but need to be firmer with myself this year. I plainly have too many shoes. QUICK …

Making Our Homes Cozy as Winter Continues

My cat, snoozing happily away in our kitchen What makes you feel like your home is cozy? I keep thinking about my friends back East suffering through multiple snowstorms in a row. How they must look forward to returning to their homes after venturing out into the cold and snow! Besides the obvious (shelter, warmth, …

Working On Our Lovely Winter Projects

Paper Peony Crafting Kit, at Paper Source Did you decide to do a few projects this winter? Something you enjoy, something crafty, something creative, or just a project (such as sorting boxes of photographs or cleaning the garage) that you need to get done? Let’s take stock and see how far we’ve progressed in our …

Beautifying with Color in Winter

These $1.50 primroses are an inexpensive, long-lasting way to add color to my front porch during dreary, rainy wintertime QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: I was really lazy this weekend and let my kitchen slip into messiness. Then I cooked up a big batch of spaetzle last night and didn’t do a good job of …

Keeping Things Fresh in Mid-Winter

Fresh pastel pink flowers that freshen up my living room Before I go out to dinner and a movie this evening, I’m doing a few quick tasks to make sure my home is fresh, smells nice, and is welcoming to return to later tonight. What quick tasks might you be able to do to keep …

Tidying Our Powder Rooms

Freshening up my bathroom with fresh freesia My two guest bathrooms really got a lot of use over the holidays, with extra guests and visitors and houseguests. Time to freshen them up – not only cleaning and sanitizing, but making them look pretty and part of a welcoming home. QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY: Are …