Mid-March, Springtime

The cherry tree in my front yard. I do my work in the upstairs living room in the morning so I can enjoy the view.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Make menu plans and create grocery list for the week

- It's the middle of the month. Have you called your mom/dad/grandmother/etc yet this month?

- Any appointments you need to make in the next 2 weeks? Any birthday gifts you need to send out, or cards to mail?

- Laundry done, folded and put away?

- Kitchen clean and ready to go for breakfast tomorrow?

- Pet food bowls clean, and pet bedding laundered? How's your inventory of pet food?

TODAY'S PROJECT: Spring Cleaning - Kitchen

Today I'm doing a thorough cleaning on my kitchen. Rather than my daily "buff and puff," I'm doing a very complete all over cleaning and reorganizing. It shouldn't be too bad since I was careful to do a good job back in October when I prepared for fall entertaining.

I will be scrubbing the refrigerator and stove/oven, and moving them to clean behind them. This is something I only do twice a year. The refrigerator is on wheels so I can move it myself, but the oven I'll need help with.

Next I'll mop the floors. I'll take a lunch break in another room while the floors dry. I'll launder the blue floor mat I keep by the back door.

I will remove every dish from every cupboard, clean the inside of the cupboards, dust the outside of the cupboards, wash any dusty dishes, and replace the dishes in an organized fashion. I'll be removing silverware and utensils from their drawers, and wiping down the drawers.

I've already cleaned out the junk I keep under the sink (trash bags, empty plastic bags that need to be recycled, cleaning products, old gloves). I just need to scrub and sanitize the kitchen trash can.

I will be removing every item from the counters, then scrubbing and sanitizing the counters. I will really be putting thought into what I'm putting back onto the counters. I'd much rather have things out of sight, hidden away in a cupboard. Do I use my rice cooker every day ? No, but maybe every other day. So it can stay, but my panini grill we use just once a week needs to be removed and put into a cupboard.

As I'm putting things back in cupboards, I'll be seriously evaluating if I need to keep each item. Clutter removal is always a high priority. On the other hand, I'm not trying to live a simplistic life either. I'm a hostess and enjoy frequent entertaining, so I do need all those wineglasses and serving pieces. Still, as you go to put things away, ask yourself when is the last time you used that particular dish, utensil or appliance. Are you really going to use it in the next six months? In the next year? If not, sell it, recycle it, give it away, or toss it out.

I'll also be looking to see if I need anything new for the kitchen. What should I be saving up for in the next few months? I'll be checking out how my kitchen curtains, towels and other linens are holding up. I'm pretty sure I don't need any more new kitchen gadgets, appliances or tools, however.

Making sure my work environment is pleasant, I'll turn on the Food Network on the little television I put into the kitchen last month. I'll burn incense, and enjoy a big hot steaming mug of English Breakfast tea while I work. The door will be open to the patio - it's a bit chilly, but I'll be moving around a lot and I'll love the fresh air.

I'll finish by lighting a lemon scented candle. Tonight I'll be cooking dinner in a sparkling clean kitchen!

LOVELY FRAGRANCES: Escada's "Marine Groove"

Every summer I treat myself to a bottle of Escada's limited edition seasonal fragrance. I've loved all of them but one (Moon Sparkle). They make me feel young, pretty and summery. So I'm excited to check out this season's "Marine Groove." It's scented with passionfruit, red currant berry, grapefruit, peony, jasmine, and white cedarwood. I will allow myself to purchase this (assuming I enjoy the scent) because I haven't bought myself perfume in many months, and I've been remembering to wear and enjoy a perfume almost every day.

http://www.escada-fragrances.com/marinegroove

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

St. Patrick's Day Recipes (Martha Stewart)

Spring Cleaning Delays

Victor, one of the two puppies I recently adopted

Spring came early this year. Snowdrops and my cherry trees are blooming in my yard. Sunlight is streaming through my office window.

This week I'll be putting away my heavier blanket throws, changing out my red pillows in the living room for pink and purple ones, and using freesia body wash instead of cranberry spice.

Although I'm pretty much sick of winter and looking forward to spring, I do want to make sure I'm fully enjoying winter while it's still here. I'll be burning fires in my fireplace a lot this week while it's still cool enough to do so, drinking lots of hot chocolate, and maybe having a fondue party.

And with sunnier, warmer weather on the way, I'm concerned about all my winter projects I haven't finished yet. Do you have crafts projects, journals, writing projects, letters to write, recipes to try, photos to sort or scrapbook, or other indoor activities you should get done before warm weather tempts you outdoors?

It's time to begin Spring Cleaning. I'd much rather Spring Clean now while it's still generally rainy, cold and foggy outside. In about a month when it's sunny enough to sit out on the porch with a book or magazine, I can relax knowing my big yearly chore is already done.

I generally start my spring cleaning a lot sooner. Here it's already almost the middle of the month. My new puppies have been very distracting with their cuteness and their begging to play. But also they've majorly increased the time I spend cleaning the carpet, vacuuming, and doing laundry. That's slowing me down from my planned Spring Cleaning schedule.

Over the next two weeks, I'll share my struggles and challenges with you as I finish my Spring Cleaning.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Daylight Saving Time was last night. Have you updated all your clocks, computers, and the clock in your car?

- We generally use Daylight Saving Time to remind ourselves to change batteries in our smoke detectors and flip our mattresses.

- Take inventory of your cleaning supplies. Do you have window/glass cleaner, kitchen and bathroom sanitizers, Febreze (if you use that kind of thing), sanitizing wipes, floor wash, mopping supplies, dusting spray/wood oil, sink scrub, paper towels, clean rags, bleach, stainless steel polish, silver polish, trash bags, bathroom mildew removers? Any products you have TOO much of that you can get rid of or use up? Anything you need to add to your shopping list?

- Allergy season will soon be in full swing. Do you need to make an appointment with your allergist, refill a prescription, or stock up on any over-the-counter allergy meds?

- Treat yourself to a $3 bouquet of tulips for your kitchen, or a 99 cent potted primrose or two, for your porch or deck.

TODAY'S PROJECT: Spring Cleaning Part 1: Windows/Blinds/Curtains

Let's make sure our windows are able to let in as much spring sunlight as possible. Remove and launder or dry clean all curtains in the house; wash windows; then replace. While you're there, might as well dust any wood frames and windowsills you might have around your windows.

If it helps, count your windows and break the task up with rewards (not food rewards, but things like TV time, longer bath time, a quick magazine read). I have only fourteen windows, but three of them are huge sizes that cover one entire wall.

If you have blinds or miniblinds, wash as many as you can today. These often chat can be a huge task. Make a note, if you have broken or missing levers in your blinds, to replace that blind with a new one sometime in this next year. (Or call your apartment management if you live in a well-run complex; they may replace them for you).

If you are unable to remove your curtains, at least Febreze them and whack them with a broom to dust them (if you and your guests don't have allergies).

LOVELY FOOD: Tea Forte's Tea Truffles

I think these Tea Truffles, new from Tea Forte, are the perfect gift for a man. Masculine looking, and not too sweet. I'm sending some as a thank-you to someone I owe gratitude to.

LOVELY BLOGS: Gardening by Trial and Error

A blogger from the Pacific Northwest shares her gardening efforts. There are always lovely pictures to see here, whether of flowers, her garden, or animals. Check out her beautiful azalea!

http://gardeningbytrialanderror.blogspot.com/

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

"Honey, Don't Bother Mommy, I'm Too Busy Building My Brand" (NY Times)

How to Cook Up a Food Celebrity (NY Times)

How Vacations Affect Your Happiness (NY Times)

Jalapeno Popper Recipes (CHOW)

Lemon Desserts (Martha Stewart)

Make Your Own Girl Scout Cookies (CHOW)

First of March

What I'm burning for Spring: Nectarine Mint candle from Bath & Body Works

It's a new month!

Look back over February. Did you accomplish things you meant to do? Were you able to make and keep important appointments (doctors, veterinarians, etc?) Paid mindful attention to any New Year's resolutions you made, and tried to work towards those goals? Stayed within your budget?

Did you make time for yourself to relax, or did you fill your life with dramas, unnecessary projects, over-scheduled events and things you allowed yourself to be volunteered for? Did you have time for yourself, time for family, and time for your friends?

Have you been taking your vitamins and exercising like you should? Are you making time to write in your journals, create your crafts, paint your paintings, putter with your houseplants, or create other things you enjoy?

We're not beating ourselves up over missed opportunities and unaccomplished goals. We're just staying conscious of how we're spending our time. I'll just promise myself I'll do better next month - or pat myself on the back if I've been doing well.

Look for ways to meet your personal goals in March, while still giving yourself time and room to relax and be with friends and family. What fun things do you want to do this month? Throwing any parties (Easter, tea parties, St. Patrick's Day?) Can you throw them without stressing yourself out?

Taking your kids somewhere for Spring Break? If not, how are you going to entertain them for that week or two?

For me, I'm back from months of family stress and drama. Four funerals and a wedding. Two new puppies join me as I return. My store's been closed for 2 months out of the last 3. I've missed my friends, and several Family Nights in a row have gone uncelebrated.

It's time to get back to work maintaining my home and rebuilding my life.

LOVELY HOLIDAYS:

March is National Women's History Month

March 17: St. Patrick's Day

March 20: First Day of Spring/Vernal Equinox

March 30: Passover

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Make menu plans for the week; create or add to your grocery list.

- Breeze through the house picking up any spare utensils and drinking glasses, return to kitchen.

- Look over the next month - any upcoming birthdays or events you need to send gifts or cards for? Budget your time, see what appointments you need to make for the upcoming month, and talk to family members about anything that needs to be put on your family calendar.

- Any items waiting on the stairs to be carried up or down and put away? Anything left by the front door that needs to go out? (Dry cleaning, rental DVDs, mail, items to return to friends?) If applicable, put things in the car so you'll remember to drop them off tomorrow on your way to or from work, or during your regular errands.

- Give yourself a manicure if needed, before the week starts. Don't wear polish? Just work on cleaning up your nails and making them look healthy, clean and pretty.

- Sniff your family members' current winter jackets. Any jackets need to be laundered or dry cleaned? What coat will you or your family wear while their main coat is being cleaned?

TODAY'S PROJECT: Walls

I'm going to start my Spring Cleaning off gently, since I'm just now returning home with a lot of loose ends to catch up on.

Today I'll begin by washing down all the walls in my house. I'm not going to cover absolutely every painted surface with my little wet washcloths: I'll concentrate on problem areas. Walls near my light switches are very dirty and fingerprinty, as are walls next to where someone sleeps in their bed. A few high-up corners need to be dusted with a dry mop for spiderwebs. All three of my bathrooms need every surface wiped down and probably sanitized too.

There's also a living room wall that has grimy footprints where my cat, Tyler, jumps on it to climb onto the bookcase every day. Looking at this closely, I think it's time to repaint that wall - which likely means a repaint of the entire living room so it matches. I've lived here six years, so it's time for a repaint anyways. I'll probably wait a month until I can have the doors and windows open to get rid of the strong paint smells. Hopefully I can interest my teenagers in earning extra money to get this chore done for me!

I also need to work on some candle smudge marks above both mantels, underneath the paintings which hang over each mantel. Also, there are grubby marks on most of the walls where my door handles hit them when the door is opened.

I expect this project to take three to four hours today. I'll put on music to listen to as I work, and when I'm in a room with a television, I'll entertain myself with Season 2 of "Party of Five."

My cleaning supplies are as simple as a washcloth, some orange spray for tough spots, and a fresh Mr. Eraser.

LOVELY MUSIC: Peter Gabriel

I'm really curious to hear Peter Gabriel's new album: Scratch My Back. I'd describe it as an album of cover tunes, but the official idea is to "reinterpret" songs by other artists. The album is performed only with Peter Gabriel's voice and orchestral instruments. I need something nice and low key to listen to around the house, and I'm thinking this just may fit the bill.

The songs covered include Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today," Regina Spektor's "Apres Moi," "The Boy in the Bubble" by Paul Simon, and David Bowie's "Heroes."

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

Eight Ingenious Travel Innovations (Conde Nast Traveler)

Jean-Georges' Traditional Fondue (Today Show)

Latest Spring Makeup Trends (Handbag)

The Luxury of Roughing It (Time)

Quick and Easy Organizing Tips (Good Housekeeping)

San Francisco: Decoding Shabu Shabu (Newsweek)

Soups to Warm Up Your World (Early Show)

Spring Break With Kids (CNN Travel)

10 Fast Snacks for Drop-In Guests (Seattle Times)

Thank Yourself Today

Sometimes a girl needs to treat herself to a new lipstick - so I did! This is "Calypso Glaze," from Bobbi Brown's "Metallic" lip shade collection.

Let's face it. Most of the time, mothering and homemaking is pretty much a thankless job. Even if you have the world's most unselfish children, and a tender, communicative, appreciative husband, you just aren't going to hear "thank you" as often as you deserve it.

After you serve them a particularly delicious meal, you might hear kind words about your cooking, or a thank you for the tasty food. Once or twice in your marriage your husband might let you know how much he appreciates coming home to a clean house, or always having clean laundry to wear. Or if you're lucky someday you might overhear him telling someone how lucky he is to come home to a comfortable, well appointed house he can be proud of.

But there are so many little things you do every day that nobody but you probably notices. The windows are always clean, because well, you clean them every month. The bathrooms never look dirty - did little magical elves come in last night and scrub the toilets? Wow, there's always lots of good things to eat in the pantry - some invisible person must have gone to the store and made thoughtful selections. And do you think anybody but you will notice that recently all the lightswitches in the house were defingerprinted, and if you run your hand along the top of the wood trim over your doorway, it won't come away dusty?

Go ahead today and give yourself some mental pats on the back for your hard work. (Quietly, no muttering under your breath!) Walk through a room you've worked on lately that you're proud of. Sit in one of your cozy, restful rooms. Open your linen cupboard and look at your carefully arranged stacks; peek in your well-organized pantry and admire your food stocks. Peep into your children's rooms (only if they're clean though) to see the safe haven you're providing for them. Put your feet up for a few moments, relax with tea and a magazine or catalog, and honor yourself and your home efforts.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Empty or fill dishwasher if needed

- Sock sorting day! Grab a sock drawer that needs it and start sorting. If the drawer belongs to someone else other than an infant, give that drawer to that person and race them with your own. Resign and give up any mismatched socks to the rag bin; your family likely has more than enough matching pairs to get you all through the next couple years.

- Fridge and freezer maintenance: Clean one drawer, one shelf or two door shelves thoroughly.

- Are you hosting an Oscars party next weekend? If so, have you sent out invites, done your cleaning and planning, made your lists?

TODAY'S PROJECT: Guest Room Checkup

Remember how hard we worked back in November to get our guest rooms ready for the holidays? Well that was over three months ago, and my guest room is a bit dirty and messy again.

I have an overnight guest coming next week, so tonight I'm busy tidying the guest room. I'm washing windows, laundering the curtains, dusting the nightstand, dusting the lamp (and bulb), making sure there is a coaster for a glass of water, putting out a fresh box of Kleenex, dusting the baseboards, vacuuming, laundering the sheets and bedding (they're dusty from sitting out for over a month unused), removing two stacks of books that "wandered" in here and cluttered up the floor, and removing my folded-up porta-Crib to a closet where it belongs.

I'm finishing by spraying a citrus scented room spray to freshen the room.

LOVELY BLOGS: Peacock Feathers

This is a home decor/fashion finds blog with lots of inspirational eye candy to look at. Currently it features a post on decorating with "Crazy Color," an Anthropologie circus-themed fashion shoot, and some lovely wallpaper from Nina Campbell.

http://peacockfeatherevents.blogspot.com/

LOVELY HOMEKEEPING: Refrigerator Cleaning

I just wanted to point out this very fascinating Wall Street Journal article called "Why Won't Anyone Clean the Refrigerator?"

Besides an interesting look at the steps refrigerator manufacturers take to improve cleanliness and air flow, the article points out that most Americans only clean their fridges twice a year. Here at Lovely Living, we clean our refrigerators every month. We accomplish this easily, by taking just a few minutes each Sunday to tidy one shelf or one drawer.

Check out the article and see what you think. I'd love to hear your comments in the comment section below!

LOVELY POETRY: Vagabond's House

Today I'm enjoying the poem " Vagabond's House, by Don Blanding.

When I have a house . . . as I sometime may . . .
I'll suit my fancy in every way.
I'll fill it with things that have caught my eye
In drifting from Iceland to Molokai.
It won't be correct or in period style,
But . . . oh, I've thought for a long, long while
Of all the corners and all the nooks,
Of all the bookshelves and all the books,
The great big table, the deep soft chairs,
And the Chinese rug at the foot of the stairs...

If you enjoy poetry, take a look at the rest of the poem. It's a long description of the author's dream house. How does yours differ, and what homemaking touches from the poem really speak to you?

LOVELY TV: Cyndi Lauper on Celebrity Apprentice

I don't have a lot of time to sit around watching reality TV shows, but in this case I'm going to be tempted to make some time. I can't resist the idea of watching Cyndi Lauper and Sharon Osbourne face off in the boardroom. Plus I just want to see what Cyndi is going to be wearing every episode! Perhaps I can do my laundry, manicures, vacuuming and bill paying during episodes so I'm not just wasting time sitting there gawking uselessly.

http://www.nbc.com/the-apprentice

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

Academy Awards Cocktail Party (CHOW)

Fig Mustard Recipe (CHOW)

Hot, Spicy Dishes for Cold Days (Martha Stewart)

The Key to Cooking for Vegetarians (Oprah.com)

Oscar-Inspired Movie Menus (Epicurious)

Warm Up With Chili (Rachael Ray)

First Day of February

Starting off the new month with a new lovely, fresh-smelling hand soap for the bathrooms: Method Home's Water Flower

LOVELY HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS:

Imbolc - February 1

Candlemas/Brigid's Day - February 2

Superbowl Sunday - February 7

Chinese New Year - February 14

Valentine's Day - February 14

President's Day - February 15

Mardi Gras - February 16

Easter - April 4

Which holidays and celebrations are you looking forward to taking part in? Are you hosting any parties or events?

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Look over upcoming birthdays in the next month. Write cards, arrange to have gifts or flowers sent.

- Pay bills, mortgage/rent, etc.

- Make upcoming dentist, doctor, veterinarian, and salon appointments for the month for yourself and family members.

- Make menu plans for the week, and create grocery list.

- Laundry done so you're going into the workweek with clean clothes, empty laundry baskets and a clean, tidy laundry room? Sleeping on fresh clean sheets tonight?

Burgundy pillar candles, at Cost Plus World Market

TODAY'S PROJECT: Fireplace

As it's winter, I'm using my fireplace quite often. Not to heat my home, but to make it cozy and cheerful. Especially when my college student comes home on the bus from a long 7am-8pm day. I like to have a warm fire lit and candles burning when she arrives home in the dark.

So today my project is to clean out the ashes, vacuum the carpet around the fireplace, and wash the glass fireplace windows. The windows is the most time consuming part, as they get quite smoky. When I'm done washing them, I'll load wood into the fire ready to light later tonight. Next I'll replenish the wood, kindling and matches I keep next to the fireplace, from their storage place in the garage.
I will replace the burned out candle on the mantel with a fresh new one (a deep burgundy red, for the upcoming Valentine's Day) waiting to light when it gets dark tonight.

LOVELY BLOGS: Chocablog

Watching a TV show about chocolate last night made me start craving it, and this blog I'm exploring only makes it worse! Currently featuring reviews of Singaporean nut and rice crisps, Romany Creams from South Africa, the Soma Chocolatemaker Exploration Box, and Ballantyne Exotics Luscious Berries. My morning oatmeal is suddenly seeming quite inadequate and boring!

http://www.chocablog.com/

LOVELY TELEVISION: Little Chocolatiers

I just checked this show out last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm fascinated by chocolate making anyways, and the "little people" who run this chocolate shop are fun, nice people. Upcoming shows will feature them creating a life-size pool table made of chocolate, a chocolate flower garden, a game of Russian Roulette featuring chocolate chili peppers, a log cabin made of chocolate, and other creations.

Little Chocolatiers, at TLC

The Little Chocolatiers, on Facebook

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

In Uncertain Times, Growing Your Own Food is Fashionable Again (Seattle Times)

Mix & Mingle: A Valentine's Party for Singles (Epicurious)

New Orleans Sweets (Epicurious)

Snacks: A Whole New World of Treats (Boston Globe)

Super Bowl Snacks (CHOW)

January Flowers

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Grocery stores in many areas now have tulips and daffodils available. If you like spring flowers, pick yourself up some. You can generally get a bouquet of several tulips for less than $7 and daffodils for less than $4. It will bring a little early feeling of spring to your home.

- Can you find primroses for your garden? I don't generally plant mine in January, but I put several containers of them on my front porch for a colorful welcome home.

- Fridge/freezer maintenance - Clean one shelf, one drawer, or two door shelves.

- Check your supply of liquor, wine and beer if you keep those sorts of beverages around. Did your supplies get depleted during your holiday parties? Add to your grocery shopping list if needed.

- Take inventory of your paper and plastic products. Do you need more Kleenex, paper towels, toilet tissue, garbage bags, sandwich bags? Add anything you need to your shopping list for the week.

- Do you have any library books due to be returned this week? Any movies you rented this weekend at the video store that need to be returned today?

- It's a new year - does your child need their allowance adjusted for cost of living increases and their age? If this isn't something you review around their birthday, this might be a good time to discuss it. Also, it may be time to adjust chores around your child's older age, new skills they've acquired, or new schedules they've taken on at school.

TODAY'S PROJECT: Bathroom

Thoroughly clean a bathroom (or two!), paying special attention to the shower and/or bathtub. Change and launder towels and rugs if necessary, refresh vases or houseplants if applicable. Replenish toilet paper, hand soap, and toiletries as needed. Sort any and all medicine cabinets, under-sink cupboards or cabinets, throwing away items you don't need. Declutter and prioritize. Can you remove three or more items from your bathroom counter as needed?

TODAY'S SECONDARY PROJECT: Quiet Winter Evening

Spend some time tonight with your family of course, but also give yourself time to work on your crafts, writing, classes, book reading, fun cooking projects, sewing, photo sorting, and other activities. Enjoy tea, coffee or wine, and treat yourself to a fire if you have a fireplace. Enjoy some quiet time without rushing around from errand to errand.

LOVELY BLOGS: Outblush

This is a shopping blog for women. I like seeing these fun finds. The blog covers fashion, home, beauty, and lifestyle.

http://www.outblush.com/

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

Billionaire-Owned Hotels (MSNBC Travel)

Homemade Bouillon (101 Cookbooks)

How to Eat Less Meat (CHOW)

When Pasta Met Sauce (CHOW)

White Hot and Icy Cool Cocktails (In The Spirit)

Winter Weekend on the Way

Strawberry Chocolate Tea: what I'm serving my guests at a Valentine card-making party

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Fill car with gas, visit an ATM for cash for the weekend

- After all the holiday cooking last month, do your knives need sharpening? Do your scissors need to be sharpened after all the gift wrapping you did? This is an excellent chore to pass off on a man - they actually like sharpening knives!

- If you are a blood donor, have you made an appointment for this next quarter's draw?

- Empty wastebaskets in bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms and kitchen if needed.

- Declutter living room/family room, empty off dining table or breakfast nook table if needed

- Spray some home fragrance if you like that sort of thing.

- Put out fresh flowers

- Rent movies for the weekend, or update Netflix order for the next couple weeks.

SUGGESTED PROJECT FOR TODAY: Photo Album Sorting

Do you have several messy, disorganized boxes of old family photos that desperately need to be sorted, documented, and put in nice acid-free albums? I do!

Is your laptop full of new pictures you've offloaded from your digital camera, but never sorted, labeled, or backed up onto another computer and onto CDs or memory sticks? Are your relatives anxiously waiting for pictures of your children because they haven't gotten any in several months?

Winter is an excellent time to get your photograph albums in order. There isn't any beautiful sunny weather outside to distract you, and long dark winter nights lend themselves to creative projects. You can even sort photographs while you watch TV and movies, listen to music or visit with friends.

Your photograph albums are a gift to your future family members (even ones you haven't met yet), and to current family members who are very young right now. When you're long gone, your nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and cousins will be able to document their family history in part because of your albums. It's especially important to label photos with names, dates and locations, because someday you'll forget, or you won't be around to tell people that important info.

This newsletter is certainly not the place to go into all the technical aspects of photo preservation (Acid-free paper, not using magnetic photo albums, acid-free inks, not writing on the back of photos with ballpoint pens, etc), but the Internet has a wealth of information on that topic.

Damask Photo Storage Box, at Amazon

For my fellow shopaholics on this newsletter, try to avoid using photo storage and preservation as an excuse to buy more stuff. You probably already have a few archival quality photo albums and photo storage boxes around the house as it is. Wait until those are filled before buying others. Don't fall into the trap of wanting all your photo storage boxes and photo albums to match, either. If you're buying one or two boxes at a time, even if you go back to the same store next year, you might not be able to find the same exact kind of box. So what. Let it go, and spend your time worrying about actually sorting your photos.

I personally do not scrapbook my photos. I think scrapbooks have a very low ratio of photos-to-pages. If I'm going to have several big, bulky albums taking up room on my bookshelves, I want them to hold lots and lots of photos, not two or three on a page, surrounded by a bunch of cute stickers. I'm thinking that scrapbooking should be done with duplicate pictures, not single originals.

I'd personally rather have a well put together album with typed documentation next to each photo. Who is the person in it, when and where was the photo taken, what was the occasion? Any other pertinent information could be on a small typed white card. Although purists scream at the thought of writing on the backs of photos, even with archival inks, I tend to want to do that on every one in case they ever in the future fall out of their albums or get separated from their card. Already, my grandmother is forgetting names and faces on many of her older photos. I need to sit down with her and ask her who all the people in those black-and-white pictures from the 1940s are. We'll write them on the back (with the correct kind of archival pen!) and add a documentation card to the album too.

Come up with a sorting system that makes sense for you. For me, I can't throw a bunch of photos all over a room and sort them over the next few weeks. My cats would ruin the pictures, they'd get stepped on, and I'd miss the use of my living room. So I'm sorting photos first into individual boxes by person or by era (1940s, 1950s, etc) and then will move them into albums in the coming weeks. That way I can keep everything, including the smaller photo boxes, in a couple large Sterilite boxes. That way they're all together, and I can haul them out every time I can grab a couple uninterrupted hours to sort. Which isn't very often!

Probably people younger than me don't have a bunch of photo albums laying around. Lately all the pictures I take are digital, so I'm archiving them on multiple computers and in CD folders. But I do tend to print out a lot of pictures so I can frame them and look at them around the house. I also prefer looking at photos together with family sitting on the couch flipping through albums, rather than huddled around a laptop to stare at the screen.

LOVELY BLOGS: Blondie and Brownie

This is a nice cooking/foodie blog by two contributors. Currently they are celebrating National Pie Day, blogging about eating healthy, sharing their experience at an Ethiopian restaurant, and showing off a red velvet doughnut they baked.

Blondie and Brownie