Naturally, this meant that I made the list on a random envelope with a random red marker…the two closest things I could find.  (Don’t ask why I didn’t just type it up!)

The list ended up being such a hodgepodge of things.  It included everything from washing the curtains and baseboards to vacuuming the cars and getting rain gutters added to our house.  The result was a nice mix of items that Chris and I can divvy up, with chores like power-washing the house and painting the deck heading his way.

Once I made my core list, I searched for checklists online to make sure I wasn’t missing anything crucial.  Naturally, Martha had a beautiful checklist awaiting me, which you can find here.

I’m not sure when our cleaning extravaganza will begin, or if it will wrap up before summer comes, but we’re excited to open the windows and clean house!

Do you have spring cleaning plans?  Or, are you really on top of things and have your spring cleaning completed?

First up we have the Domino: The Book of Decorating.  I know I’m not the first blogger to rave about this book, or the very missed Domino Magazine, but this book really is the best.  It’s chock full of decorating ideas for all kinds of rooms and spaces, plus it has a great section called “The Decorators’ Handbook,” which goes into all kinds of fun details about the different options for window treatments, furniture, headboards, bed skirts and throw pillows.

It also has a whole resource section in the back, listing some of the best places to shop for different home decorating needs.  Oh, and did I mention that the layout is gorgeous?

Then we have the Food Lover’s Companion which is a dictionary-style book that provides definitions for basically every food, drink or culinary term that you can think of.  For a semi-wordie/foodie like me, this is a dream come true.  Now when I’m not sure what creme fraiche is, I can look it up!  And it even has the phonetic spellings! (Be still my heart.)

Do you see how thick that book is?  Love it.  Now I’ll never have to ask my husband which cut of meat is best, or search the world wide internets for a description of leeks.  And even better, I’ll be able to share all of my new knowledge with you as I go.

Do you have either of these books or any other resources you use regularly?  I highly recommend both!

P.S. Extra special public thanks go out to my dad and my friend Suzan, who were the bearers of these gifts!