10 Things I learned this Summer

10 Things I learned this Summer

I am linking up to Emily Freeman's 10 Things I learned this Summer.  Check out what everyone else learned

1. I don't like Summer - Well, let me phrase it different. I think I have FOMO (fear of missing out) in that everyone else's summer is great wonderful and they get to go places and do exciting things. My summer really doesn't involve that at this point in my life. My husband's work sent him very short notice to work out of state for about 5 weeks. I did not get to go along. My children for the most part had plans and jobs. My friends had plans and jobs. This summer for the most part was just about doing the work. However despite the lameness of my summer my husband and I DID have a wonderful 24 hour adventure.See number 3.

2. Don't mess around with irregular moles.  While my husband was gone I had 2 moles removed.  The result of one of them was a very large scar on my arm.  A acquaintance of mine told me literally 5 years ago I should of have that checked. I wish I had. My husband also had to have a mole removed as well.  GET YOUR SKIN CHECKED!!!!

3. It feels great to have a Bucket List Adventure  My husband has wanted to see Def Leppard in concert for a really long time so as a reward for be gone most of the summer we traveled to Vegas to see them in their Sin City Residency.  It was awesome. We saw them on opening night and it was worth every penny.  It is so much fun to travel with my husband.  We have to do it more often as 24 hours was way too short.

4. Every Friday Should Be Friday Fun Day. Since my oldest graduated from his transition program at the high school, we have been trying to have an outing on Friday.  This is something that his transition program did. We have been to see Toy Store 4, the fair, parks, beach, geocaching

Getting the last few caches for the challenge

5. Doing a Geocaching Challenge is fun - Geocaching Mystery at the Museum - As a family of Geocachers we participated in this promotion. It took us doing it in two different states and a early morning donut meeting ( will do some sketchy stuff for a donut) but we solved the mystery.

6. I love my Cut Flower Garden - I was inspired by Floret Flowers and Twig and Vine to have my own cut flower garden.  Twig and Vine launched a Growing Kindness Project. I hope to participate in next year. It is fun to have fresh flowers.  More details about my raised bed

7. Chasing Sunsets - I live fairly close to a beach so occasionally it is good for the soul to chase the sunset aka watch the sun go down.

8. Unexpected Finds - I found the sheet music in the free bin at the library and I love the graphic cover.

My oldest in the bar drinking Root Beer

9. Odd Age Milestones - My oldest turned 21. We ate in the bar with him. It is strange but interesting. I remember the milestone when no one rode in a car seat or no one can eat from the kid's menu.

Mellophones be loud. Taken on Color War Day

10. End of Summer Traditions are rad - The summer end signal for the past few years has been band camp for my youngest. I was in orchestra so I was new to Band.  I am amazed how hard these kids work. I got a whole new respect. It takes a lot of parent support too. Our Band Boosters are great.

August Reading

Check out my reads for August. I am linking up at Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. I am way late to this party but I just got to share my reads.

The Time in Between was on Modern Mrs Darcy's 20 Terrific Tomes to Read. Oh this didn't disappoint. I will admit it is a lot of pages BUT SO WORTH IT.  This is a great story about a Spanish Seamstress, Sira, and how she became a spy during WW 2 for the allies and the twists and turns her life takes. Of course there is romance, danger, and intrigue.

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey is another Modern Mrs Darcy Recommends.  Maud is an elderly woman that is slowly losing her memory. She keeps lists stuck here and there to help her remember. She is convinced that her best friend Elizabeth is in trouble and missing. This has a twist I guess I really didn't seem coming. 

The Address by Fiona Davis - I found this book through Emily A Clark recommendation. I enjoyed this book about the female manager, Sara,  of the upscale Dakota apartment building in 1884 and the designer Bailey Camden in 1984 fresh from rehab remodeling her cousin's apartment at the Dakota. There is a mystery. I have been doing a lot of genealogical research and there is a tie in there too.

This book, The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon,  I devoured. It is about 2 very different women living in Jordan stationed there with their husbands who are attached to the US Embassy. Cassie,"Cassandra", who tries to do everything by the book and Margaret recently arrived with her child, Mather, who seems to be stumbling.

Summer Winding Down Linky

Smokey August Sunrise

Some of you are back in school but quite a few of us are enjoying the last few weeks before school starts.

15 Books for Budding Botantists - I have read quite a few of these. I might need to add a few to my TBR (to be read) list. Not on the list but I book I really enjoyed in the same vein is The Orchard House written by Tara Austen Weaver a Pacific Northwest Author

If you need porch inspiration Check out on Instagram  Jen at Flea Market Fab - Her porch is RAD. Her and Mr Neon crack me up.

Becoming Who You Want To Be and Finding Where You Belong - I know another link to Modern Mrs Darcy but so good. I live in a smallish town so there are several places I go and I know I belong.

Fulgurites: When Lightning Strikes Sand, Magic Happens so cool

Amazon Now Sells Prefab Expandable House

My Oasis

2018

Last summer, I created an oasis for myself in my back patio.  This is where I like to get away from the noise in my house. I sit and have coffee. It was not fancy and all the furnishings were sale, thrifted, or I already had.  This year kicked it up a notch with more chairs and more plants.

2019

My Chunk of Joy

I was inspired by an old post by Modern Mrs Darcy - The Bits and Chunks of Joy Joy is my one little word for 2019.  I told myself I would seek JOY. A friend asked me what I had planned for fun this summer. I had nothing. Truthfully this summer has been hard so I decided to remind myself of all the things that I think are fun. These are the things that bring me some JOY!

Books - always books

Research - I like to research things . Lately it has been a lot of my own ancestry.  I like being a genealogical detective. Ancestry had a sale on the 4th of July so I finally got a subscription. I had been going to the library to use ancestry library edition which is great except when you hot on a trail and have to make time to visit the library and not get distracted by the books. I know total first world problems.

Baking is my love language. I am a fat person so I get a lot of fat shaming for this but I do enjoy it. I wish I didn't love a carb.

Cherry Muffins

Exploring- I like to hike with others and I like to geocache. My oldest son and I have been trying to have fun Friday's. We went to see Toy Story 4 one Friday.  We went for donuts and a park.

Flowers - I have a small cut flower bed this summer. It makes me happy.

What I Read July

I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy.  Check out what everyone is reading. My reading has slowed down a bit. I like this summer pace.

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood was Reese Witherspoons book club selection for the month of June. Sarah the main character is very black and white. When her Mom dies and she finds out she wasn't left the house things go a little sideways. This is also a book about finding love.I thought it was a quirky interesting read. This had a bit of a twist/surprise that was refreshing. I powered through this one in a few days.

Victoria and Abdul by Shrabani Basu I picked up off the Hot Reads table at library. I haven't seen the movie. I am a big fan of the series on Victoria though. I thought this was interesting read maybe a little heavy in the historical information. It certainly was well researched. I have borrowed the movie from the library and can't wait to see how the two compare.

Linky Love

Flowers from my Garden

  Here are some links you should check out.

Anybody else tracking their steps - How many steps is enough?  Check out - Do you really need 10,000 steps?

Let's Hear It for the Average Child

Let's Stop Stealing Time From Our Children - Some excellent points here

I Found My American Dream at the Library