Inspired by one of my favorite blogs Brocante Home (who was in turn inspired by a feature in Harper’s Bazaar written by Diana Vreeland), Why Don’t You is a week’s worth of ideas for adding a little something special to your life. Simple ideas for lovely days!
Pick and choose what sparks your interest and fits into your schedule. Or use these simple ideas for special days as inspiration for coming up with your own ideas.
WHY DON’T YOU? – SIMPLE IDEAS FOR LOVELY DAYS
Kick the first week of March off with some spring plans.
Think ahead to those lovely, sunny days when you can shed all the winter wear and get outside enjoying the fresh spring air. What would you most like to be doing? Brainstorm some ideas and then actually start adding them to your calendar!
Look for local garden shows, spring hikes, and other seasonal events. Pencil in a leisurely afternoon sipping your a refreshing beverage on the patio of your favorite restaurant. Plan time browsing at your local garden center. Set aside a weekend for planting your spring and summer gardens. Whatever it is that brings spring joy to you, be sure to make plans for it now!
Indulge in your favorite pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)!
Here are two of my favorites:
Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese and Butter Pecan Maple Syrup
Don’t feel like cooking? Many churches will be offering pancake suppers for Shrove Tuesday. Bonus: they are usually quite reasonably priced (often a goodwill offering) and the money goes to a good cause.
Even if you don’t participate in Lent, you can still pick something to add or delete from your life.
If you are celebrating Lent, I’ve got 99 Creative Ideas of What to Give Up or Take Up for Lent here. But even if you don’t, there’s no time like the present to prune away things from your life that are causing you distress. Or to add something that will enrich you. Think of it as spring cleaning for your life!
Use your dishwasher for more than just dishes.
My mom is notorious for this. I’d open up my dishwasher and goodness knows what I might find in there. But you know, I think she was on to something. Your dishwasher is a great way to clean numerous items quickly and easily.
Many children’s toys (obviously, none with electrical or electronic components) made or rubber of plastic can be safely washed in the dishwasher. How about hairbrushes, makeup brushes, and combs? Vases, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, and other home decor items can go in as well.
Recently, I learned that you can even place baseball caps on the top rack of your dishwasher to safely wash them too! Hold them in place with clothespins, be sure to use a bleach-free detergent, and turn off the heated drying cycle. Hats should be air-dried instead.
Now’s a good time to give your dishwasher a thorough cleaning too! I clean out the filter/trap in the bottom of my dishwasher and give it a good rinsing before putting it back in. Look at your owner’s manual to find out how to do that with your machine. Be warned though- mine is always really gross every time I go to clean it! I follow up with some Affresh dishwasher cleaner.
Plan to have at least one meatless dinner each week.
I always observe meat-free Fridays all through Lent but often, I try to keep this tradition throughout the year. Incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet can be so good for you and it can help save some money too.
Here are some of my favorite meat-free meal ideas to get you started.
Keep your brain sharp and active.
I’m sure you use your mind for many tasks throughout the week but how many times do you find yourself actually challenged mentally? For me, I find that I start getting really tired and my brain starts feeling dull if I’m not finding something new to learn or something to solve.
Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, even online games like Words with Friends can give your mind the stimulation it needs to stay sharp. I find it a great way to keep myself energized and alert partway through my work day too.
Of course, I’m a crazy person who goes looking for Algebra problems to solve or a new language to learn just for kicks. Find what works for you!
Clean out your purse.
And your wallet. A friend of mine swears that doing so will attract money to come your way. I don’t know about that but I do know that it makes me feel calmer and less stressed when my purse and wallet are in order. And frankly, it’s such a small space that it’s a tiny, easily managed task that doesn’t take much time. It’s a great way to cross something off your To Do list and feel like you’ve accomplished something!
What will you do this week to make your days lovely? Find more Why Don’t You? posts here.
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