Hi, everyone!
Mark your calendars—there’s a You’re Home with Jill on tomorrow at 7pm ET! That’s a much better time slot, isn’t it? Now you don’t have to watch while you're at work! :)
We’ve been organizing one room at a time this month and now we’re up to the living room, the family room, or the den—whatever you call that special gathering space. That room in my house is our living room and I feel like I tidy it up at the end of every day. Now, I fold blankets and take dishes to the kitchen. When the kids were smaller, I was forever vacuuming and stashing toys into the corners of the room so they were as “away” as they could be.
But how do you do a spring cleaning of your family room? Is there a better way to stash those toys? I’m a huge fan of the storage ottomans by Valerie Parr Hill. I have some of these in virtually every room, but several in our family room for storing the blankets, toys, magazines, dog toys, and random odds and ends. Depending on the size of your room, you can group a few ottomans together and make a coffee table. Or, you can set them underneath windows to create quick, functional window seats. In the springtime, I always clean out my ottomans because they end up accumulating some pretty strange things. And, regardless of when I last washed the afghans, all of them go in the wash for a spring cleaning. When you put them back in your ottomans, add a dryer sheet or two to keep them smelling fresh.
The whole living room should be thoroughly dusted and vacuumed. (Again, remember our 15-minute rule. If you don’t have time for both now, just tackle the dusting now and vacuum later.) And, yes, you need to be brave and remove the couch cushions to see what’s lurking in those crevices. I pray your couch contains nothing more than stale Cheetos and pocket change.
My grandmother also was an avid furniture rearranger, which is something I now do, too. If you have the space for a new layout, it’s a nice way to freshen up your room without necessarily changing a thing. You can also clean under all that furniture!
Lastly, make sure you incorporate some seasonal touches into your decorating. Here’s my new favorite craft project for your front door…thank you, Pinterest, for the inspiration!
Isn’t that the cutest? Here’s how you make this:
What You’ll Need:
- 1 small, old fashioned-style umbrella with a curved handle
- 1 large faux tulip bush & 1 small faux tulip bush
- 2 small bushes of faux greenery
- 1 bird’s nest with faux eggs
- 1 15" piece of colored ribbon
- thin floral wire and wire cutters
To Assemble:
- Arrange the faux tulips in a naturally-drooping way in one side of the umbrella. Attach the flowers to the umbrella tips with the floral wire, so that the flowers don’t fall to the bottom.
- Add the bird’s nest to the opposite side and secure with the wire. Fill in the leftover empty spaces with the greenery and spread out for a natural look. Wire the greenery to the umbrella tips to secure.
- Tie the ribbon into a decorative bow near the bottom of the umbrella. You can either hang this on your front door or arrange it on an entryway table.
After all that cleaning and crafting, you deserve a little comfort food. Here’s my favorite recipe for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes. DIG IN!
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, skin on & sliced 1/8” thick
- 1-1/2 cups white Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1-1/2 cups Fontina cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter with the olive oil in large Dutch oven. Add in the onion and sauté until golden brown. Sprinkle the onion with the flour and stir until combined. Add the milk, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, Cheddar, and Fontina and stir until the cheeses are melted. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15–20 minutes over low heat.
- Pour the potato mixture into a 9” x 13” baking dish. Top with the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and bake for 20–25 minutes, until thick, bubbly, and golden brown.
- Garnish with the sprigs of fresh thyme.
This item is prepared with the Temp-tations® Tara's Garden 9" X 13" Baker with Lid-It & Wire Rack (K37853).
Don’t forget to join me tomorrow at 7pm ET for You’re Home with Jill.
From my home to yours,
—Jill