Have you been enjoying your summer so far? Have you picnicked in a park, gone to the beach or a lake (if you have one nearby), had a barbecue, eaten at an outdoor cafe, indulged in a fudgesicle, drank an Orange Crush, gone for long walks, stargazed, napped in a hammock, gardened, swung, and run through sprinklers?
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Make menu plans for the week and create grocery list
- Make socialization plans for the week – what are you doing for Fourth of July? Be sure to leave time for Family Night (if you do that sort of thing) and I always try to leave one evening empty for a quiet night at home.
- Dump out your purse during a break today. Clean and sort it, throw out unneeded items and trash. See if there are two items you don’t need to carry with you every day. I typically have five or six pens, and two boxes of Tic Tacs when I only need one, etc. I also have three or four lipsticks more than I need. I should put those back in my bathroom drawer where they belong.
- Read your local newspaper (online if you don’t subscribe) for a quick 5 to 10 minute catchup on what’s going on around you. Or watch your city’s evening newscast tonight. I recently chatted with someone who had no idea who Casey Anthony is. Not that she’s all that important, but it proved how clueless and out of touch with the world my friend was – he needs to watch more newscasts I think!
LOVELY PARTIES: Summer Party Ideas
I was just talking to my best friend yesterday about the long dry spell for holidays that comes after the Fourth of July. We love holidays and parties, and celebrate as often as possible. We’re sad that other than Labor Day Weekend, there won’t be a big holiday until Halloween.
Unless we throw a pre-Back To School celebration, we’re going to have to come up with some ideas for summer parties. So I spent some time thinking about this today, and here are a few things I came up with:
- Scavenger hunts: Either hide things in your backyard, or send your friends out chasing down clues. With gas prices so high, maybe the hide things in the backyard idea is better. I do have woods really close to my house, but don’t want the neighbors to freak out with people clambering through there digging things up.
- Sorbet tasting party: I think my guests really enjoyed this last time I did it. I bought seven or eight different sorbets (and a couple gelatos), set out crackers and a few salty snacks, then did a sorbet tasting party. I needed a lot of help to serve the sorbet fast enough to all eighteen guests before it melted. Meanwhile, everyone hung out in the backyard visiting.
- Backyard luau. I’m not about to roast a pig, but otherwise Hawaiian themed parties are pretty easy to throw. Most party stores have lots of fun tacky, inexpensive Hawaiian decorations. The theme food is a bit trickier, especially if you have guests who don’t like coconut.
- Camping party. If you have a big backyard and warm nights, invite friends to an outdoor sleepover. Have someone bring a tent or two, and offer your coziest outdoor picnic blankets and comforters. Especially if you have a fire pit or cooking table. This party works best when your guests are not the rowdy drinking and talking loud type – so that your neighbors don’t come over angrily at 3am.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Gardening and Weeding
I’m hosting a Fourth of July party this week, and need my backyard to be in perfect condition for the barbecue, fire pit, outdoor dining table, and picnic blankets I’ll throw around the yard. I’ve already mown my front and back lawns, so that helps a lot.
But I have tons and tons of weeds everywhere. Flowerbeds, cracks in the sidewalk, and all over the lawn. Last night I discovered it took less than 10 minutes to completely weed one flowerbed, so I hope I can get a lot done in the hour or two I’ll spend today. I’ll probably weed after dinner, maybe from 7pm to 9pm, when it’s a bit cooler outdoors.
Those of you with condos and apartments, enjoy a nice quiet peaceful evening doing something relaxing and fun. Think of me out there in the heat weeding and ruining my manicure!