Summer is in full swing. I’d say it’s hot and humid, but I really don’t know because I refuse to leave air-conditioned comfort. Here are a few things that are happening right now:
Picking hydrangeas from the yard. I love filling vases and bowls with arm-loads of pink, blue and purple blooms.
Asking for help as I learn how to create content and publish my articles on this blog. Sometimes you need to admit that you don’t know how to do something and just get some help. I am thankful that I have found a web-designer who doesn’t make me feel like a dinosaur. I know with time this blogging thing will become second- nature, but until then I am not too proud to ask for help.
Binge-watching Billions. I am admittedly two years late to the party, but I actually prefer to binge-watch shows like Billions—I don’t want to wait a week between episodes. While stuck at the airport waiting to board a flight that was ultimately cancelled, I didn’t care one bit that I couldn’t do anything but watch my new favorite show.
Listening to Yacht Rock Radio. I know it’s summer when I see Yacht Rock Radio on my Sirius XM dial. Described as a celebration of “the smooth-sailing soft rock from the late ‘70s and ‘80s,” Yacht Rock Radio takes me back to the days on the beach slathered in baby-oil and iodine. (Days that have led to basal cell skin cancer. Wear sunscreen, kids!) Hall & Oates, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald…Yeah, I could listen to these guys all day. Sirius XM calls it “the kind of rock that doesn’t rock the boat!”
Reading a lot. Working my way through the pile on the nightstand. I read differently in July. I’m not quite ready for the full-on beach reads of August, but I have no interest in the thought-provoking book club books that I read during the rest of the year.
Eating Jersey tomatoes and corn. Jersey corn is the sweetest right now, and I can’t get enough of it. Loving it on-the-cob or in The Pioneer Woman’s Fresh Corn Casserole. (You can find the recipe here.) Caprese salad is a favorite with dinner or a perfect lunch. The crazy thing is I generally don’t really like tomatoes, but I love big, ripe Jersey beefsteak tomatoes. Oh, and Jersey watermelon, too.
Drinking my summer favorite adult beverages. Rosè all day (well, not all day every day.) Whispering Angel Rose to be exact (but looking for a cheaper brand) or icy-cold Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen.
Traveling to Nashville and Montreàl. Mike and I spent a long weekend in Nashville meeting with realtors and builders. While we may be years away from an actual move, we are starting to make plans to down-size and retire to a more tax-payer friendly state. Loved Nashville! We can totally see ourselves living there one day. Added bonus: Mike got us tickets to see Hall & Oates in concert. They didn’t sound as good as they do on Yacht Rock Radio, but it was fun for me to check off a bucket list item. We barely got unpacked before we repacked for another long weekend trip; this time with Caroline. Since time doesn’t really allow for us to make a trip to Europe this summer, we got our “foreign country fix” by heading up to Montreal.
Baking a Hummingbird Cake from scratch for the first time since 1988. All Mike wanted for his birthday was a birthday cake made from scratch. I consider myself a very good cook, but I am not a baker. Growing up, birthdays never featured homemade cake. My mom hated baking, and I have followed in her footsteps. My mother-in-law loves to bake and agrees with the Pillsbury Doughboy that baking is “lovin’ from the oven.” (You see where I’m going with this.) Since it was a big birthday, I gave in and granted his wish. If you ask me, homemade birthday cakes are over-rated and expensive. If you don’t bake on a regular basis, you need to buy all the basic ingredients plus that very pricey “good vanilla.” It would’ve been cheaper to buy a cake for sure. When it came time to make the cream cheese frosting, I realized my Kitchen-Aid Mixer was broken. I have no need who fixes mixers or if you are just expected to buy another. That’s a problem for another day. As I made the frosting, I was shocked by the ingredients: 1 cup of butter, 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese and 2 16 oz. boxes of powdered sugar. Let’s be clear: no one would accuse me of being a health nut, but even I think that sounds like a recipe for a heart attack. (However, it didn’t stop me from licking the bowl.) The three layer cake came out as decadent as I remember. Mike was thrilled. This is not the best quality photo, but it serves as proof that at least one time in my married life, I baked a cake from scratch which is the ultimate labor of love.
Enjoying having both of my college kids home. I love how our relationships are growing and changing as the kids get older. (I’m not getting older; only they are). Nothing makes me happier than hearing my house filled with their laughter. I know I don’t have too many more summers with both of them at home; so, I am enjoying every single minute right now.
Celebrating 24 years of wedded bliss. We haven’t changed one bit.
So, that’s what my July looks like right now. What’s going on in your empty nest?