The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Squeezing the Last Drops out of August

 

It's going to be HOT this coming week.  But we had the most awesome Autumn preview, much cooler than we're accustomed to having, this past week.  And the truth is that for the most part, we've had one of the most pleasant August's we've had in years.  In fact, the whole summer has been rather nice.  A little stressful here and there but for the most part, an easy relaxed summer.  I've enjoyed it very much.

But here we are with the last week of August upon us.  And though Autumn is a few weeks away, just as Memorial Day is sort of the unofficial start to summer, Labor Day brings the unofficial end of summer...Everyone gets back to business as usual and forgoes that easy relaxed vacation mode of mind.  In my youth, it marked the start of the school year.  In some of your communities it still does.  People start to think hard about the approaching winter and the need to tuck away their harvests and to plan for the holidays ahead.  We all get a bit frantic and busy...

BUT we've one more week here to truly enjoy summer days, hot as heck though they may be.  You'll find me outdoors soaking in a few rays, because in the cooler months I'll miss the deep penetrating warmth.  I've savored all the summer fruits and vegetables, but this week perhaps I can find a few more to enjoy, before I start looking for apples, and winter squash and pumpkins and citrus fruits and nuts.

Work:  

It might be summer, but I am in the midst of Fall cleaning.  I can't even deny it.  I realized as I went over the kitchen earlier this month that I was in Fall cleaning mode, and in it quite early.  Well, I've moved on to the main living area of our home.  Last week I finished the week in the dining room.  This week I'll tackle the living room.

This week I hope to wash the curtains and pillow cover used in the room.  I want to dust deeply and vacuum deeply and yes, I'll declutter too.  There are the three bookcases, and two cabinets that we seldom open.  And then there are the wood boxes.  Two of them the children like to shove toys into and a bigger one that holds my throws, fall pillow covers and such. I probably should go through all three of those as well.  The children sometimes toss in broken toys or put away toys they no longer want to play with there.  The throws and Fall/Winter pillow covers were all tucked away clean after the cooler days of Spring had passed.  Which was quite early this year! But I'm not sure what all else might be in that trunk.   

I also noticed a deep stain on one of the grey chairs.  I'll test that carpet cleaner product on it and see how it does at removing that stain. 

And while I'm at it, I'd like to freshen the look of the room with fresh arrangements of my old accessories.  

Outdoors, if I can stand it for more than five minutes, I'll try to work on weeding the flower beds, which thankfully are not in too bad a shape.  I want to clean off the patio and get soil and compost in the planters for fall gardening.

I don't know if I'll get it all done this week but I'm going to try to do something every day this week to meet that goal.

I'll have to go to the grocery store.  I know we need lettuce and eggs.  I'll probably go to the discount store and see what they have there.  

Work out September Goals.

Kitchen:

I'd like to start baking but alas the heat is returning this week and returning with a vengeance.  I'll be back to planning hot weather meals.  So, no big kitchen plans this week.  I'd like to do a fast inventory of the freezer items and the expired items shelf in the pantry just to get my lists up to date.

Personal/Leisure:

Read...I just finished The Fortune Sisters by Anna Lee Huber.  I confess, I skimmed parts of the first four chapters but then I got caught in the story and couldn't put the book down.  Well worth the time to read.  It's an account of the Titanic voyage and the characters in the book were truly passengers on the voyage.  It's a nice mix of facts and fiction.

Currently I have four more books from the library.  One is a small batch canning book I'd actually put on my wish list.  I'm happy to find it in the local library.  Another is a Phyllis Whitney novel; one is a Larry McMurty novel and the other is by a new to me author.  The title of that book is Where the Crickets Cry.

Continue with the Gratitude Journal.

Do something special with Josh on Friday. This has had to be postponed to September 13...That's come of having 3 calendars to coordinate...

Skim through my few cookbooks for canning/preserving recipes. And here I've brought home a book on canning.

Follow my self-care routine. 

I promised myself a new plant this past week. I didn't go anywhere near a store selling plants.  I don't want a plant for outdoors.  I want one to replace a fussy fern that has seen much better days.  

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