Love Your Home Days 15-21: Refreshing

Melissa Micheals, of the blog The Inspired Room is posting little Love Your Home assignments every week. I quite enjoyed the first week I did them, so I thought I'd do the second.

Day 15 – Making Memories: Gone are the days when we send all of our photos to be printed. While there are some good things about the technology shift to digital, the not so good thing is many of our favorite photos live on our phone or computer. Today take a quick look through your phone or computer images. Pick a few candid moments or special memories and send them online to a photo printer (or print them out at home right from your phone! Here is a phone printer that looks really cool). Update your frames and send a few through snail mail to family! You’ll make everyone feel loved.

Wow. I don't think I have any recent photos of the kids. Not even from Christmas. (My daughter got quite upset when I tried to take a few shots Christmas morning, so I put the camera away. Then I got busy.) I should take some.

Day 16 – A Place of Your Own: Do you have a special spot in your home, a comfy chair or a desk? Today treat yourself to a little love by improving or designing that place of your own. Add a spring pillow on a special chair, declutter your desktop and add a vase of flowers, find a special cup for your morning coffee or afternoon tea, or gather a new stack of books and magazines by your reading spot. Treat yourself to an inspiring place of your own.

I finally found some daffodils! I decided to put them on my bedside table. I don't often put flowers there since it is so small, but I've been enjoying them enormously. I also stacked all my current library books neatly on my shelf.

oops, typos.

Day 17 – Lovely Linens: Today we are going to streamline and refresh our linens. Pare down excess sheets and pillowcases and only keep to what you actually use.  Tidy up the shelf or closet where you keep bedding! Now, make a fresh linen spray to keep your room and linens smelling divine! Here’s my current favorite blend: mix drops of lavender and lemon essential oil with water in a small glass spray bottle.

I have tidied the linen closet many times: I do not have anything we don't use....except for my yellow duvet cover. I haven't used that in along time. So, I re-dressed that and the bed. I didn't make a linen spry. I wouldn't know how to use it--and I probably wouldn't remember, anyway.

Day 18 – A Gracious Giver: Where do you keep your gift wrap? Is it hard to find, wrinkled and crinkled? Do you have pretty ribbons, gift tags or embellishments for gifts? Today gather what you need to set up a newly organized space. What will inspire you to give each gift your own special touch? Make or print a few gift tags, visit a pretty paper store to pick out something new, or just organize what you already have.

Am I strange? I just don't give gifts all that often....

My gift wrapping supplies are still here in the drawers in the basement where I keep them.

Day 19 – Make it Sparkle: Today let’s make the bathroom sparkly! Clean the whole room if you are motivated, or focus on one part that could use a little TLC. Clean the mirrors, polish the faucets or reorganize a drawer. Make it shine and step back to admire your progress!

I am definitely willing to make the whole room sparkly--but it will take more energy --and time--than I currently have. All of the grout needs a scrub.

I started.

 I also cleaned the fan--which is way more difficult than it should be.

Day 20 – Music to Your Soul: Music moves us, improves our mood and inspires us! Today get your home soundtrack organized and ready. Set up a house cleaning soundtrack, put together a fun dinner playlist or round up inspirational songs that speak to your soul. You can set up music with an online service or app for your computer or phone (Amazon Music, Spotify and Pandora are all great options).

Hmmm. Two things.

1) When I was cleaning out my old files in the basement, I came across lists of composers and their works to study from when we were homeschooling. So, I made some requests at the library.

2) I also listened to my favourite music playing radio station while I was at the computer and wrote down the artists and song titles of tunes I thought would be great to clean with. However, without a phone, an ipod, or mp3 player, I don't actually have any way to listen to songs as I clean and move from room to room.

Day 21 – A Cleaning Frenzy: Today we are going to clean as much as we can for 15 minutes. Before you begin, grab your phone and snap a quick BEFORE pic of the area you intend to tidy or clean. Now, crank up your cleaning playlist and set a timer for 15 minutes. Ready, set, GO! When your timer goes off, grab the camera and take an after pic! Amazing, right?

I chose my desk.

I am not doing every one and I'm not doing them every day, but here and there, as much as I can. I'm afraid I am a bit behind! (The week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday--this is last week!)

The flowers have wilted, the desk is messy again and the playlist hasn't progressed much beyond that first burst of enthusiasm, but it's still good.