It's July! Thinking of my mom on her birthday ♥

Hello Friends! Happy July! ♥

We have officially entered the dog days of summer! It's hot, we've celebrated July 4th, we've eaten hot dogs, and gone to the beach.  We're in deep!  Some of us "autumn loving" people are already thinking about pumpkin spice, but because we don't want to get lynched, we're keeping it to ourselves...  

For now, we're living our summer dreams.  

For me that means staying nice and cool in the air conditioning: )  

But before I continue, I have to ask...did you see the Strawberry moon last week?  

She was magnificent. 

I was pleased I remembered to go outside and look for her.  So many times I fall asleep or completely forget to look at the moon.  

Not this time ♥

That made my week, but anyway, on to July...♥

To put it bluntly....it's been hotter than the equator here.  It was officially a heatwave with temps over 100 for three days straight. UGH.  I kept trying to remember how freezing cold I was in January with snow up to my eyeballs every time I wanted to complain, so I wouldn't dare : ) 

This is summer in New England. We're used to it! lol 

My hydrangeas are loving this weather btw! 

And I spotted my first tomato! Yay! 

For the 4th we were invited to our friends Dave & Lisa's house. We had burgers, hot dogs, and margaritas!  It was fun!! 

I brought ice cream sandwich cake. It's so easy to make.  All you do layer ice cream sandwiches with caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, cool whip, and freeze.  It's sooooo good.  

I packed it in ice so it wouldn't melt on the way to their house! 

 I posted the instructions on my blog the last time I made it.  I'll link it here. 

So easy and always a hit! ♥ 

 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake 

YUMMMM! (and no baking required! :) 

The fourth of July is also my mother's birthday.  It will always be her day. She would have been 84. 

 I was missing her a lot over the weekend. 

My entire life our 4th celebrations always revolved around her.  As a kid we would have big family cookouts with fireworks and a cake for her.  When I got older, no matter where I was, my day would always end at her house (now my house) to have blueberry pie and watch the POPs on TV. 

A celebration every year, for America and her ♥

This was on July 4, 2023.  She passed only a few months later.  

I remember being upset that my blueberry pie bubbled over. She said it was perfect and tasted delicious.  

That's how she was. She was just happy I was there ♥

This year I made a blueberry cobbler for me and my Dad, just for my mom (she loved anything blueberry). 

  Yesterday I sat out on my deck with a cup of tea and the leftovers for lunch. 

I added ice cream for good measure.  

I'm sure she would have approved ♥

When she was a little girl her Dad used to tell her that all the fireworks in the world were just for her birthday - and she believed it!  I've always loved that story 🎇

  

And once again we are back to Monday and a new week.  The 4th has come and gone and now we'll try to enjoy the rest of summer before it fades away into fall.  This week I have lots of work to do, meals to make, and piles of laundry that need attention. We are expecting rain tomorrow (we desperately need it) and I'm quite excited for a rainy day.  I'll have candles lit and the coffee pot will be working overtime.

 Its finally cooling off a bit and we can breathe again.  The rain will help clear the air too.  

I hope you all had a Happy 4th and are enjoying the beginning of July.  

Can one stay cozy in July? I'm here to tell you they can!  

I do. Stay cozy my friends ♥

 

July days so far ♥

*picture taken in the wee hours of the morning when the sun was just waking up*

 

Hello Friends! ♥

I'm back from a short blogging break.  I've missed you and this space so much! It's hard to believe that we are 3 weeks into July already.  The 4th was not even 2 weeks ago but seems like a month ago! How have you all been?  The weeks since John's graduation have been a rollercoaster ride for me.  My Dad was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks.  He came home for a week and then he had to go back...thankfully just for a few days.  I can honestly say I've had my fill of that place (so has he!).  Not that he wasn't getting good care, it's just not a fun place to be. He's home now with visiting nurse services and that's working out very well.  He's getting stronger and (after some medication changes) is finally feeling much better.  He's up and about and today I took him to the barber shop to get a haircut.  He was quite happy about that and feeling like himself again. 

The shock of John's graduation has passed and now we are getting excited for the future.  He'll be starting community college in the fall and will continue working at the theater nights and weekends.  He enjoys working there, especially the perk of being able to see all the movies for free.  I am loving the idea of him commuting to community college.  It's a great way for him to ease into figuring out exactly what he wants to do without the pressures of a four-year university.  I think it's a great fit for him and I'm excited to see where he goes from here.  But like I told him, there's no rush so take your time. You have your whole life ahead of you.  There are many paths that can lead you where you want to go.  What's the rush? ♥

As for me, I'm trying to enjoy the summer as much as I can.  On Saturday night Rob and I took a drive to the beach. We got hot dogs and ice cream and watched the sunset. It's my favorite thing to do in the summer.  I don't like the heat and it's been so hot lately, but sunset at the beach is perfection to me.  I usually hibernate in the summer. I spend my days in air conditioning sipping on iced coffee, reading books, and thinking about Fall.  Just like I did when I was a kid.  Except now The Price Is Right is Hosted by Drew Carey instead of Bob Barker! (which still seems weird to me:)

I know, I know...it's early.  BUT I can still be excited about it.  It's nice to have something to look forward to, and I wait all year for pumpkin spice.  I really do.  

Ok, back to summer....but just know that this is always on my mind ♥

If you happen to pop by my house unexpectedly recently this is how you would probably find me.  Hair up, glasses on, and in my favorite housedress! Gifted to me by my friend who somehow knows exactly what I need exactly when I need it.  It's so comfortable! And not only that, I'm living out my I Love Lucy dreams because I can so see her in one of these.  Our mothers and grandmothers really knew what they were doing, didn't they?  I feel comfortable like I'm in pajamas yet put together at the same time.  I can answer the door or run to the gas station or do an errand without having to change.  I absolutely love it.  I need more of these in my life.  

#bringbackthehousedress 

House projects are a constant work in progress around here.  This is on the side of the house at the end of the driveway.  We are still deciding what to do here. What to plant, where to put it, etc.  For now, it's mulch and rose bushes.  There's a bird bath that I like to keep my eye on from the deck and that entertains me sometimes.  I'm embracing the idea of slow living and trying to be more present in everything I do.  It's a constant struggle for me but I'm trying.  

I appreciate the outdoors so much after sitting with my Dad in the hospital for weeks.  You miss the sunshine and fresh air. Unfortunately, it's been too hot to spend much time outside right now but I've had my moments.  Usually in the early morning hours.  Just me, the birds, and the bunnies : ) 

Back inside the house I'm surrounded by summer things:

Fresh fruit from the farmers market ♥

My favorite summer PJ's ♥

 

My plants that thrive in the summer sun ♥

Summer salads ♥

 And seafood!  ♥

Because of my Dad's health issues he's had to go on a strict low sodium diet which has forced me to become a little more creative in the kitchen.  Are you aware that pretty much EVERYTHING we eat has sodium in it?! UGH.  It's hard to work around that but I'm getting there.  He's not too happy about it, but his heart certainly is! 

I'll leave you today with a glimpse of this beautiful hydrangea bush by our front door.  It makes me smile every time I look at it.  

Happy Summer Days my friends! I pray you are all well. 

Have a lovely Monday and I'll see you soon! xo 

PS this pretty much sums me up in the summer! Just to confirm...I'm the one on the right : ) 

July blues and a big birthday coming up ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Monday! ♥

I hope you all had a nice 4th of July and weekend! It was very quiet around here.  I opted to stay home and cool on Thursday and it was pretty much the same for the weekend.  I did a little more cleaning and organizing of my mother's things on Sunday.  I decided to start in the basement and work my way up.  This was a good decision because our basement is very cool and it's HOT as blazes here right now. I'm talking 90's and humid. Ugh.  Anyway, it turns out that going through my mother's things is much harder than I thought and so I can only handle a little bit at a time.  My mom was a lifelong packrat and has so much STUFF I can't even begin to explain it.  Everything near and dear to her heart which makes it all the more difficult.  So...I'll do it in small doses.  There really isn't any rush per say, its just one of those things that should be done, you know?  At one point I started to feel very overwhelmed and had to just stop. I made myself an ice cream sundae and took it into my room and watched a Hallmark movie in bed.  That's how I destress : )

♥

 

This morning (and you know how much I hate Mondays!) I wanted to start my week on a good foot so I took the clippers and went over to our hydrangea bush and clipped some blooms for my living room.  I meant to do it over the weekend but never got a chance. 

As you can see, apparently hydrangeas thrive in heat and humidity.  

We don't have that in common.  I am slowly melting : )

♥

Bringing pretty flowers in the house made me feel happy and I really needed that pick-me-up today. 

Isn't it amazing how flowers can do that ♥

I like to do one big vase and then a few small ones scattered around.  

Blue is my favorite color and now I have blues in every corner of my very small cozy living room. 

 

In other news...♥

I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks.  It's a big one.  I can't even believe it.  I'll tell you but don't tell anyone.  I'm turning fif...fif..FIFTY.  There I said it.  I've been thinking a lot about that recently and what it really means to me.  I guess it's not so much the number (even though it's a pretty big one) it's more of the passing of time aspect of it.  I spend so much time watching John growing up I forgot about my own age! I was 17 when I graduated high school and Rob is 2 years older than me.  I'm the youngest sibling in my family and the youngest cousin (out of 24 cousins) and I've usually been the youngest in all my friend groups.  Me turning that number seems crazy. But it's happening!!  I don't know what I'll be doing for my birthday yet.  I just hope there is a lobster dinner and cake involved.  For now I'll enjoy the last precious few weeks in my 40's. And believe me, I know there are a lot of great things that go along with being Fifty.  I'll talk more about that next time.  

I have lots of thoughts on the subject ♥

Right now I must get back to work.  I hope you are having a nice Monday and your July is off to a sunny start. If it's hot where you are, stay cool! And if it isn't...I'm very jealous! I will be falling asleep tonight to the sweet sounds of my air conditioner ♥

Love you! Byeeee! xo 

Weekend away, a birthday, and Tony Bennet ♥

Hello Friends! ♥

I'm just back from the most wonderful weekend away visiting our dear friends in PA.  As always, we had the best time with them! This is the gorgeous view from their deck!  I could get used to living on the lake!  

We were only there for a few days, but in that short time we made every minute count.  We ate delicious food, drank coffee (did we ever!:), played games, watched movies, talked & solved all life's problems, went out for a yummy lunch, and the kids had a blast out on the boat.  It's hard living 8 hrs away from your friends, but sometimes I think it only makes our time together that much better.  

We spend our time apart looking forward to our next visit.

 

BJ and her family even spoiled me with a birthday surprise.  We had a delicious Red Lobster seafood meal, homemade desserts, and presents.  I don't know how I got so lucky, but boy am I grateful! 

I wish you all had a friend like BJ.  Not only will she spoil you rotten with all your favorite things, she and her family will treat you as one of their own. You'll talk for hours, she'll give you the best advice, and make you laugh too.  I miss her already! ♥

We didn't take that many pictures this time.  We were too busy living in the moment.  Here's one of my favorites from a few years ago.  Nothing has changed : ) 

You probably already know this, but you can visit BJ on her beautiful blog right HERE.....

We said our goodbyes Sunday morning and off we went on our journey home.  Monday we all had the day off which was awesome. It gave us time to unpack and rest from the car trip.  It also happened to be my birthday! I spend the entire day in my most comfy clothes.  We watched a movie and even though Rob offered to take me out to dinner all I really wanted to do was order in and not have to go out.  I decided on Panera Bread.  

I ordered my favorite meal in the entire world....a grilled cheese sandwich and creamy tomato soup! YES I DID! It was the absolute best and I have zero regrets! 

You know I love my comfort food : )

So do my folks, who joined us for our Panera feast. My mom happens to love their strawberry poppy seed salad and French onion soup, so she was happy too! :) 

For dessert they treated me to a delicious cake! I made a wish and blew out the candles.  

49. I can hardly believe it.  The countdown to 50 has begun.  Yikes! 

 I take my wishes very seriously as you can see! LOL 

On a different note, while we were away I got the news report that Tony Bennet had passed away.  I was very saddened by this.  I have loved Tony and his music for as long as I can remember.  I grew up listening to "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Rags to Riches" so often they are ingrained in my memories.  I held Tony Bennet on the same pedestal as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.  All the great singers of that time.  I had the pleasure and honor of seeing Tony sing live, one lovely night several years ago.  He was coming to Boston and Rob surprised me with tickets for my birthday.  It was a night to remember.  He preformed at an outdoor pavilion on Boston Harbor. All the men were dressed  in suits and the ladies in theirs prettiest cocktail dresses.  I knew every song and when he sang "Fly Me to the Moon" tears streamed down my face.  I remember feeling so honored to be in his presence.  Not just because of how great he was (and he was great!) but because I knew for me this was my connection to a time period that I never got to experience.  And there I was experiencing it.  There's a word, and it's escaping me right now, but it means having nostalgia for a time you never experienced.  That's what I felt.  It was an amazing night and I'll never forget it.  

Rest in peace Tony Bennet.  I love you! 

Today I am back to work and if I'm being truthful, I'm not too happy about it.  Those of you who've worked in an office know the joy of coming back to a stack of paperwork after you've been off for a few days.  FUN! But I'll survive. I just need coffee and something in my earbuds and I'll get through it.  Hopefully if the rain holds off John and I will be keeping our Wednesday evening date at the beach.  Last night it stormed so fingers crossed we'll have clear skies tonight. 

Happy Wednesday, friends! Thank you for catching up with me and stopping by today.  

I'll be back soon! xoxox 

How's July going so far? ♥

Hello Friends! 

 Good morning and Happy Monday! ♥

Can you believe we are half way through July already?!  As usual, the summer is just flying by.  For us, it's been rainy, hot, and humid.  Not my favorite weather, but then again, summer is not my favorite season.  I make do.  Here's how...

Yup, I'm that girl.  It's me, hi.  

(I can feel some of you rolling your eyes at me....haha : ) 

By this time of the month, I'm so over summer I can't even stand it anymore.  My daydreams are of autumn days and dare I say it....Christmastime.  Ok, I won't go there right now, but trust me when I say it's on my mind.  The sweet smell of cinnamon and pumpkin is giving me life right now during this hot & sticky month.  Yesterday I was feeling so drained from the heat, I lit this candle, watched a Hallmark Christmas movie, and instantly felt better. Candles and Hallmark are my coping mechanisms. 

Also Pinterest! I've been browsing, looking for decorating ideas and making mental notes of things I might want to try this holiday season.  Most people get the blues in the winter.  I get them in summer.  Next week we'll do our annual Christmas in July celebration and that should hold me over for a while. Hopefully.  We still have a lot of summer ahead of us! 

♥

However, I'm not here to complain (me? never :).  Despite my non-complaining, we are having a nice summer. It's not all bad!  I'm loving the slow pace of our days, the casual dinners, and endless amounts of ice cream and iced coffees.  They taste better in summertime, don't they?!  My work has been busy which is taking up a lot of my time lately, but thankfully I can do most of it in my home office which means I can stay nice and comfortable in my icy cold air conditioned house.  I only have to venture out once or twice a week. In other news, last week John completed his week long drivers ed course and really enjoyed it. YAY.  Next month when he turns 16 he can get his permit and start practice driving. Yikes!  He'll be doing that with Rob.  No way will my nerves be able to handle it! 

At least not at first : )  

On the weekends we've been shopping, going on coffee runs, and hitting up farmers markets and specialty food stores.  Last week I brought home some peaches and grilled them with dinner.  They were Yummy! I've been doing most of my grilling inside because it's just too hot to be outdoors.  No one seems to mind.

Side note*

Let me ask you...

Do you go to the library?  Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one.  I love my library.  I don't know why more people don't go.  I check out books, audio books, and movies all the time.  They have everything! 

Not much is still free these days, but the library is!  I hope they never go away.  

It's also freezing in there which is very refreshing on a hot day! 

Here are my most recent reads.  Loved them both!!  ♥

We've been keeping our Wednesday beach dates which have been absolute bliss.  That easy-breezy ocean air is a Godsent on hot days.  It's the one thing I really love about the summer.  Last week after the sun went down we made a fire and stayed till about 10:00.  Way past my bedtime, but it was so nice and relaxing we didn't want to leave. 

 I've also been adding to my sea glass collection this summer which has made my whole heart happy. 

(So do the Wendy's runs we make on the way to the beach! YUM!) 

On July 4th we celebrated my mother's birthday with dinner and blueberry pie.  It was fun and she really enjoyed it!  The next day we had dinner at my mother in laws and watched fireworks on TV.  It rained here that whole weekend.  We stayed low key, but it was really nice.   

We watched all the Indiana Jones movies (in preparation for the new one!) which I've never seen.  They were great!  Where have I been all these years?  Now John has me rewatching Star Wars.  This consists of movies, prequels, squeals, and Disney Plus shows. It goes on and on....and on.  I admit I'm liking them much more than I thought I would.  Who knew?!   Star Wars and Hallmark in the same week. That's quite a jump! LOL 

Happy Birthday to my mom! She was born on the 4th of July! ♥

It's been a slow summer, but as you know I love the ordinary so it's OK with me. 

 Later this week we are going on a road trip to visit our dear friends for the weekend in Pennsylvania!  I'm so excited and looking forward to some quality time, porch sitting, coffee drinking, catching up with my bestie : ) 

Have a wonderful week, my friends! I hope your July is all you want it to be and you are staying cool and cozy! I'm off to fill my mug with coffee (for the third time today!) and figure out what the heck is for dinner.  Someone please send me a magic wand! : )

Byeeee!!! xo