10 Favorite Springtime Rituals

Let the record show that this week in Frederick, Maryland the temperature reached the high 70's. Last I checked, the high actually tipped out at 77 degrees. In March. In Maryland. I could get used to this. Oh, I could get very used to this!
With the arrival of this spectacular weather, I have come down with a substantial case of spring-fever. When I say substantial, I mean wearing bright colors all the time, busting out the flats, stalking the flower department at my local nursery. As soon as the first trays of pansies appear, you'll find me roving the nursery aisles, greedily collecting trays of blooming pansies left and right. 
Here are a few of my favorite rituals for welcoming the spring season. 

1. Open the windows As soon as the temperature gets into the high 50's, I try to open my windows. I immediately start to shiver and regret it. You can bet with these beautiful 60 and 70 degree days, I've had the windows wide open, ceiling fans whirring overhead. I love feeling the gentle spring breeze and watching the currents gently rise and fall. And nothing beats the smell of fresh air in your home after a long, stuffy winter.
2. Bring home fresh flowers. Nothing makes a home feel fresh and airy like fresh flowers. I love bringing home a bunch of hot pink carnations and arranging them in my favorite vase for the front window. Plus, carnations seem to last forever. Another spring favorite: hyacinths only bloom for a little while but they will fill the room with their sweet fragrance! 
3. Start wearing flats. With the warm weather comes freedom from boots and socks. And I love it! It's just liberating to slip into a pair of flats with jeans after months of trudging through snow in thick-soled boots. 
4. Eat outside.  My absolute favorite thing about spring is eating outside on our patio. Sometimes on Sundays, we'll grab takeout and toss a tablecloth over our patio table. Somehow food just tastes better when eaten outside, doesn't it? 

5. Get my hands in the dirt. The one house chore that never gets old to me is garden work. Grubby fingers and dirt under my nails is not a bad way to spend a day. Holding myself back and not planting flowers too soon is always the hardest part about spring. The nice weather allows lulls me into thinking that there will be no frost ever again-- but we know that's not true! This time of year you can plant leafy vegetables, lavender, and pansies. 
6. De-clutter the house and clean out the closets. Around this time of year, I find myself wanting to clean out all my dresser drawers and closets. Bulky winter sweaters and coats take up so much room don't they? At the end of each season, I go through my clothing to determine what I wore and what I didn't wear. Inevitably there are always a few items I purchased and somehow never wore, convinced that some change overcame them between the store and home. What I don't need I always donate or sell. 
7. Deep clean the entire house. Inviting all the natural spring light into the house illuminates the dust and grime that winter leaves behind. A good deep clean is not the most enjoyable spring ritual, but it always pays off. Not just the carpets and hardwoods... but the baseboards, ceiling fans, windows... all those places the get neglected in the regular cleaning cycle. 
8. Create a summer-y playlist on Spotify. An excess of streaming sunshine puts me in the mood for all my summertime favorites: Simplified, Jack Johnson, Dirty Heads, Sublime, etc. Together they create a perfect playlist that puts me in the mood for sunshine, pool-side livin', and something fruity in a tall glass. 
9.  Wear bright colors. In winter, I tend to gravitate toward neutral or dark colors: greys, blacks, navy blues. Yet my springtime closet explodes with pinks and blues and greens-- the bright Lily Pulitzer-esque, spritzy colors indigenous to every Southern girl's wardrobe. 
10. Add some bright fabrics to decor. Swapping out my thick throw blankets for bright floral print pillows is another favorite ritual for welcoming spring into my home decor. Other spring decor favorites: citrus-y candles, boxwood wreaths, and fresh hyacinths from the grocery store. 
What's your favorite thing about spring??
Art pictured: aptly named "Spring Fever," 24x36 available at my Etsy