Recently…July 2016

Ah JULY…a month of…celebrating the birth of this country…the zaniness of our political process through conventions…heat, heat, heat, heat, humidity – and all the ways to beat the heat…in the midst of it all, these are the things that filled my July days…

Reading…after a full read in June, I managed to actually read “ahead of goal” in July and completed 6 books which I will review soon: In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume; Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Marie Semple; Before the Fall by Noah Hawley; Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough; The 14th Colony by Steve Berry…

Crafting…a stash dive while sorting through the spare room yielded a skein of “charity” yarn from a blog friend’s fundraiser years ago…a baby knit started 6 (!) years ago has been found in the sorting and now being finished for an upcoming baby arrival…a few dishcloths knit and a “found” stack of dishcloths finally had the ends woven in & put into service…ending the month with a another stash yarn on the needles for a simple travel knit (& potential Christmas gift)…

Sparking Joy…in myriad ways as I dive back into KonMari and sorting “the stuff” in my spare room as the KonMari continues…GreenDrop made 3 pick-ups this month…a large box of yarn was culled from my stash & sent on its way to a longtime blog friend who will put it to good use…

Finding…Grandma’s handwritten recipe for “the” dishcloth that was the impetus to have her teach me to knit almost 19 years ago…I have plans for this & the last knitting that was on her knitting needles…

Streaming…really enjoying Foyle’s War on Netflix as I sort through things and knit…in addition to good stories, I think it offers some good insights into what life in the UK during WWII was like…

Watching…the latest season of Death in Paradise on a local PBS station…getting pulled into The Great British Baking Show…

Listening…thoroughly enjoying the new Need to Breathe album…the Hamilton soundtrack is still in heavy rotation…

Sipping…all the iced drinks to beat the heat…

Shopping…the farm stands on Saturdays for so many fresh fruits & veggies…and long lasting “you cut” zinnias…and the annual visit to my local sunflower farm…

Cooking…focusing on simplicity and the tastes from the farm stands…highlights include ham steak with roasted radishes, green beans & onions…a simple zucchini, sausage & ricotta bake topped with homemade tomato sauce…easy roasted chicken & veggies…a blueberry-rhubarb cobbler…a pin-spired stuffed pepper: buffalo chicken & spinach…easy skillet suppers of eggs & whatever leftovers could be chopped into a hash…

Traveling…one trip…two destinations: a week in Milwaukee with a weekend stop at home in the ‘Ville…

…the time in Milwaukee was busy and intense…the work days were long but the evenings included plenty of good, local restaurants…on Thursday evening, we checked out the Bastille Day Festival – after dinner we found a pub along the river walk with great outdoor seating to end the evening in good conversation as we watched the bridges raise & lower for boats…

…the time at home in the ‘Ville was just what was needed…it was great to see Dad’s continued progress…the weekend was low-key…Saturday was a good day for a scenic drive around the area…the birds in the backyard and feeding on the deck can entertain for hours…

Looking ahead…While August vacations plans have been delayed, a fun weekend with the WI-fam is on the agenda…at least 1 business trip to Milwaukee…work kicking into hyperdrive as a deadline on a massive project looms…inevitably staying up too late to watch the Olympics…seeing my TX girlies as they settled into life in PA…

What filled your July days?

Linking up with Leigh’s What I’m Into round-up.