- In the garden it is time to pull out all the sad and lonely veggies from the summer and rematch and reseed for a fall bounty. Right now you should plant new tomatoes, Plant long-term, frost-tolerant vegetables together. Frost-tolerant vegetables include beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, chard, collard, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onion, parsley, spinach and turnip.
- In the herb garden you should snip oregano, dill, thyme, rosemary, basil and sage and freeze in little cubed containers for use all winter long. The mint will make it through any frost so that can stay hearty in the garden and the same can be said of lemon balm.
- Reading is a very important skill that should be maintained and the best way to do that is to always keep a book our two on your nightside table. Your children are watching what you do and for the to see you reading will encourage them to pick up that habit! On my nightside table now is “Z” A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler and “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller.
- Pick a room … any room will do and go through the closets and drawers to begin again boxing up items you don’t need to give away. Plan for a date near the holidays to go drop off stuff at Goodwill. Many needy families will shop for items for the holidays there and finding treasures is what they have to do to create their holiday magic. As we are more fortunate we should always try to give back and share things that we no longer need.
- If you have not done it yet you should ask for a CMA and find out what your home is worth. Keeping abreast of the values of your home can help you decide if you should sell and make a profit and also let you know the current market of your investments. I am a lic. realtor and if you want a complimentary estimate feel free to email me at alisamurray@kw.com.
- Planning for the holidays in September is a very smart thing indeed. Take a moment and write a list of everyone on your list and begin asking them about what things they would like. Having several months to search for deals and run across the perfect gifts is way less stressful than trying to rush and throw your holiday together at the last moment.
- Ask the children what they would like to do for Thanksgiving to give back to the community. There’s plenty of opportunity to volunteer in a kitchen, create art and goody bags for veterans or just spend time helping organize a shut in’s home. Ask your local church for a family that they know is in need and you could even work towards giving them their Thanksgiving meal. These things take time to organize which is why September gets you going so that by November it’s a breeze to pull off.
8. Now that it’s not as hot it’s time to paint the exterior of your home or fix any repairs that have been hanging in the balance. I usually replace doorknobs, touch up baseboard paint and give the once over outside to make sure anything that can be improved is addressed. It’s so hot where we live and sitting in the sun can be quote dangerous so painting is best done in the fall.
9. Creating a menu that can be turned to and depended on rotation is vital to save money and teach children how to cook. Starting at around 11 I began showing the children how to make certain dishes. Now they are able to create own their own dishes that they love without any stress. The Chicken and sun dried tomato dish over linguine has been staple in my house for years and in the fall it’s delightfully paired with a spot of spinach and mushrooms. It is heavy enough for a supper entree and also warm up nicely as a leftover for a lunchbox during the school days. (see recipe below)
10. As always spend time with the children, spend time with each other without those devices and listen to things such as the birds and music. Just the other day I was floating in my pool and heard the bees buzzing in the garden and then much to my surprise one decided to rest in my hand and drink the water pooled there. I have missed the bees… those men sprayed for mosquitos and killed them, but now thankfully they are back and my yard is a healthier place under heaven because of them!
