What I’m enjoying burning in my kitchen this week: Verbena Summer Secret candle, from L’Occitane My house, like so many in Seattle, doesn’t have air conditioning. We only need it a couple weeks a year, usually in late August when we finally hit the high 90s or even 100s for a few days. The rest …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Have you been enjoying your summer so far? Have you picniced in a park, gone to the beach or a lake (if you have one nearby), had a barbecue, eaten at an outdoor cafe, indulged in a fudgesicle, drank an Orange Crush, gone for long walks, stargazed, napped in a hammock, gardened, swung, and run …
I just had the most delightful morning. My teenagers are out of town, I slept in late, drank iced tea on the porch, and read two Martha Stewart Living magazines with my feet up. I lazily made myself scrambled eggs and ate them slowly. After I’m done with my chores today, and before I leave …
Somehow cleaning on a nice sunny day makes me happy. You’d think I’d be bitter about my wasted time indoors – I should be outside enjoying the sun, not indoors bending over my vacuum. But with my doors and windows open to the fresh air, a candle burning, summery music playing, my freshly mopped floors …