-
Life Lately
Edit and note. Don’t write posts on days when you are feeling a bit blue. Rather warps perception you know? Actually I knew this was rather whiney then, but the next day? Wow, I’m embarrassed. So let’s try some rephrasing/reformatting.
Wins:
- I’ve been doing a local web development course which is more helpful than I expected (and it’s free!).
- I’ve been running (I’m on my 3rd week) with the C25k program. And I’ve been getting up early to accomplish this.
- I’ve been adding a walk in on most of my non-run days this last week, so out of the last 8 days, I’ve hit at least 10,000 steps.
- I’m working with my doctor on some elimination diets to see if I have food allergies, so I’ve been eating better and have lost 3 pounds in the last two weeks.
- I’ve not read much this year, so I got the Jeeves and Wooster books to try to get me out of the slump. I also started The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea for Darling Desi’s June Buddy Read. I’ve not got far but its got perfectly mystical summer vibes.
- I’ve not killed any plants I bought, and it looks like I’m going to be getting some tomatoes to eat very soon (I’ve already been using my herbs).
Fun Stuff
- I went strawberry picking with my mom (and ate all the strawberries within the week, yum!).
- I made this carrot cake for memorial day, definitely a winner. I, of course, forgot to take a photo.
- My sisters and sister-in-law bought tickets for the travelling broadway Anastasia that is coming back to town this August. Remember the one I was trying to go to for my 30th and covid cancellation? That one. I think its going to be way more fun this way. Especially since I can get a ride with someone.
- Looking forward to blackberry and peach season!
Things to Work On
- I’m rather burned out/overwhelmed a bit/underneath it all. This usually shows up on the weekends. And I’m going to crash and burn if I don’t start matching an earlier bed time with my early rise time. I also feel like I need to figure out how to get more energy and time management because my life is easy, so I feel like I should feel like I have more time and energy.
- Time management/information overload. I think this should help the above some. I have about 60 tabs on my main browser and many on my two(!) secondary browsers. And yeah, my mind might be kind of like that. I don’t need to keep up with all the influencers, channels, etc. I don’t need to research every single topic to the nth degree.
- My cholesterol is high so I got put on cholesterol medication. This is the major motivation for my exercise and a motivation to work on my diet more. My goal is to get off the medication as soon as I can.
-
Summer Aesthetic, Themes, and All Things Summer ☀️
I’m having SO much fun planning and filling out my season Evernotes based on the categories I made. I think I’ll modify each and put them as a page during each season. The movies are a list of movies from other bloggers’ summer suggestions plus anything else summery that I think I might like, so these are movies I haven’t watched and can’t vouch for, just possibilities. I need to do this for new to me books next year. I welcome any Summery suggestions for any category as well!
Holidays
- 4th of July
- Family birthdays (mine and 5 others thus far)
- Midsummer
- Labor Day
Themes
- Sunshine
- Beach
- Island
- Adventure
- Safari
- Tropical
- Jungle
-
Animals, Zoology, Oceanography
- Nautical/Navy
- Pirates
- Westerns
- Summer sports movies
- Vibrant, vivid
- Bold, brave
- Happy
- Picnics
- Island
- Farming
- Country
Rereads
- A Tangled Web 2021
- Blue Castle 2021
- Abby books 2021
- Eight Cousins duology 2021
- Ivanhoe 2021
- Katherine Paterson books 2021
- Key to Extraordinary 2021
- Mother 2021
- Much Ado About Nothing 2021
- Snicker of Magic 2021
- Tangled Web 2021
- The Borrowers 2021
- To Kill a Mockingbird 2021
- Ashtown Burials 2021
- Leepike Ridge 2021
- Annie Henry 2022
- Little House books 2022
- Boys of Blur 2022
- Dianna Wynne Jones Books 2023
- Mo and Dale Mysteries 2023
- Witch of Blackbird Pond 2023
- 100 Cupboards 2023
- Stratton-Porter Books 2023
- The Hunger Games 2024
- MM Kaye 2024
- Jane of Lantern HIll 2025
- Magic for Marigold 2025
- Corfu Trilogy 2025
Movies/TV
- Summer-y sports movies
- Baseball
- The Natural
- Moneyball
- Angels in the Outfield
- 42
- The Sandlot
- A League of Their Own
- Field of Dreams
- Football
- We are Marshall
- Remember the Titans
- Rudy
- The Blind Side
- Friday Night Lights
- Tennis
- Wimbledon
- Golf
- The Greatest Game Ever Played
- Caddyshack
- Soccer
- Bend it Like Beckham
- Baseball
- Westerns
- Destry Rides Again (1939)
- Along Came Jones (1945)
- Texas Across the River (1966)
- Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
- North to Alaska (1960)
- Angel and the Badman (1947)
- Gunfight in Abilene (1967)
- The Virginian (2000)
- The Sheepman (1958)
- Saskatchewan (1954)
- Hildago
- Only the Valiant (Peck!!!)
- Beachy/sea
- Nautical
- Gregory Peck Horatio Hornblower
- The Horation Hornblower TV series
- Master and Commander
- 1940 P and P
- Dirty Dancing 1 and 2
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Grease - Footloose
- Indiana Jones (actually summer)
- Fisherman’s Friends
- The Dig
- Aquamarine
- 500 Days of Summer
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Pompeii
- The Hannah Montana Movie
- Roman Holiday
- Say Anything
- Monte Carlo
- The Parent Trap
- Walking on Sunshine
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Stand by Me
- Adventureland?
- The Notebook
- A Room with a View
Summer playlist
- Here is my current one. Almost 100% Country or Country bands covering pop songs. That is just Summer to me! Well, when I’m in the mood for music. Which is like at most one day out of a given month.
4th of July Playlist
- I’ll work on this next year, gather up some of the ones I’ve linked on past Independence Day posts.
Activities/Events
- Farmers Market
- Picnics
- Lakes, beaches (except I prefer them cooler?!)
- Swim with Bjorn
- Peach and berry picking
- Shop local
- Travel my state
- Drive in movie
- Gardening, picking, canning, and such
- Make ice cream and sorbet
- Tennis lessons
- Horseback riding lessons
- Work on my balcony, summer furniture painting or DIY projects
Taste/Scent
- Citrus
- Berries
- Fresh air
- Summer florals
- Garden produce
Drinks
- All types of lemonades
- Iced tea
- Cordials, punch, and such
Food
- Sandwiches
- Barbecues, grilled foods, cookouts, that type of food
- Tacos, taco soup
- Colors
- Bright berry and citrus and floral type colors
- Bright ocean and beach colors
- Ice cream!
Flowers/Plants
This will vary by hardiness zone; use drop down to find Europe, Australia, Canada or US zones. I’m making a list of flowers I’d want to plant for each season for my area with details about the height of flowers and sun and shade. I found a helpful list on a state college’s horticulture site for garden flowers. Also, aren’t some of the common names of flowers absolutely glorious, like Bachelor’s Button. Snapdragon. Michaelmas Daisy.
Fashion
Styles
- Nautical
- Beachy
- Maxi
- Vintage play suits
- Palazzo pants
- Summer-y boho
- Not so much my style, but animal print, explorer/safari style fits well with summer. Actually, since I’m rereading The Ashtown Burials series by N.D. Wilson, I’m loving all the adventure style clothes, maybe I’ll have to incorporate some into next summer’s wardrobe.
Fabrics/Textures/Prints
- Florals, brighter than Spring
- Polka dots
- Nautical
- Stripes
- Cotton voile
- Linen
Nail Polish/Beauty
- Bright colors
- Sheer, jelly shimmers in bright colors
- Self tanner?
Jewelry
- Nose rings
- Toe Rings
- Anklets
- Beach glass
- Minimal jewelry
- Metallic temporary tattooes
Decor
- Fresh flowers!!!!
- Bowls of fruit
- Seashells, sea glass
- Baskets
- Gauzy curtains
- Polka dot or checked or striped table cloths
- Outdoor living mainly
- Hammocks
- Gardens
