Montly Musings-June

It's too hot to think deep thoughts. Plus today's my volunteer day followed by a trip to see the orthopedist,  so keeping it simple. I'm linking with the Monthly Musings girls, Holly (Pink Lady) and Patty (Good Better Best), who offer ten topical questions to answer on the last Thursday of every month. This month we're talking Summer Vacation Guide, and everyone is welcome to jump in...here we go- 

1. Share your summer trips for 2025. 

Our backyard is a summer destination so we try not to do a lot of traveling this time of year. 

We love company in the summer months and typically have a lot of it. We prefer to do our own traveling in other seasons. 

That being said, this year we've booked a house in Hilton Head for a family beach vacation late summer, and I'm looking forward to that. All the grands will be there, along with their parents and I'm sure it will be crazy fun. Have you ever been to Hilton Head? 

Fun fact...this is me on the beach at Hilton Head, aged 3. 

We lived in the nearby area that year. I've been several times as an adult and the island has a relaxed, family friendly vibe, great restaurants, fresh seafood, and plenty of sun, sand, and water for everyone to enjoy.

2. How do you manage the post vacation laundry? 

Pretty much the same way I manage laundry year round. Just get it done. If we're in a rental with a washer and dryer I'll do laundry before we head home, even though that goes against my personal motto NOT to do laundry while on vacation. 

Also I feel like hubs and I have a lot of laundry for two people. Not the point of this question, but true nonetheless. 

3. Most memorable summer vacation? 

Ooh, this is a toughie. From my childhood or my grown up life? How about one of each? 

We didn't take a lot of summer vacations when I was growing up. We belonged to the local swim club and spent our days there, lived an hour from the 'Jersey shore' so always had a couple of day trips there, and went to sleep away camp for a week which we loved. 

But! My grandparents all lived out west and every so often my parents would buy six plane tickets and take their whole crew to Colorado and then New Mexico. 

We absolutely loved these trips. My dad grew up on a farm outside of Denver and my mom grew up in Albuquerque so the landscape, the food, everything was big and exciting and so different than our East Coast life. 

We loved seeing some of our cousins on these trips too. Everyone was spread out far and wide and people didn't travel the way they do now so it was all very special. 

Now as an adult I've had some pretty fabulous trips so picking just one favorite is nearly impossible. Our family trip to Lago Maggiore definitely makes the top five. 

We spent the mornings taking the wooden boat taxis out to various islands in the lake, exploring and lunching and shopping. The afternoons were spent at the pool reading stacks of books. The food was fabulous and we ate our weight in gelato. 

It was 2007 and my oldest had just finished her first year of uni, my youngest was getting ready for her senior year of high school. 

Time moves fast in those young adult years and I'm so glad we hit pause and just enjoyed being together in a beautiful place. A core memory for all of us. 

4. Do you cook or eat out on vacation? 

Depends on what sort of vacation we're having. If we're in a rental house at the beach with five littles ages 8 and under, then we'll definitely be preparing many meals at home. Our plan for the summer beach trip this year is for each couple to plan one dinner, eat one dinner out with the whole group, pizza on the beach one night, and take out seafood at some point. We'll mostly do breakfast and lunch at home too. It's just easier and more enjoyable in this stage of parenting/grandparenting. 

Now, if it's just me and the hubs then I'm all about eating every meal out. 

5. Are you an overpacker, underpacker, or a just right packer? 

If we're traveling by car there's no such thing as overpacking lol. I'm a just right packer when it comes to air travel. 

6. Beach, lake, or mountains? 

Yes please. 

7. Road trip or fly? 

I prefer a road trip, but sometimes flying is necessary so I deal. 

8. Favorite vacation activities? 

A book and a beverage and a beach chair. 

Walking on the beach. 

Walking the countryside.

Exploring foreign cities. 

Going where the locals go. 

Eating where the locals eat. 

museums and history 

Coffee or wine sipped in a European city square.

9. Best packing tips? 

I'm a fan of packing cubes and use those when I'm trying to save space. For road trips I like to pack in tote bags, which hubs is not super keen on, but I feel more organized this way. 

10. Favorite road trip songs? 

I like a mix of 70's (best music ever), country, upbeat, and laid back. It might depend where we're going too. For a beach trip there will be lots of beach music which is one of our favorite genres anyway. On car trips we usually listen to Sirrus radio and switch between the 70's, 80's, The Bridge, and Y2country stations. 

Also, we listen to books on Audible when we have long car trips, and break it up with music. 

Enjoy your summer travels everyone, wherever you may roam.

A Summer Bucket List

The calendar says summer which means it's time to revisit my spring bucket list and move on into this new season. This was my spring bucket list...

I kept it short and sweet and still didn't do all I'd planned. I did a lot though, and there were so many fun spring happenings that didn't make the list which means I pass. 

Not that it's a test, but I don't like leaving lists uncrossed. 

Go to a Farmer's Market...not yet. I'm adding this to my summer list because I still want to get there. We just did not have a weekend where it worked this spring, but summer's my favorite for fresh produce and lots of grilled fruits and veg. 

Tackle the attic. Oops. Nope. And now it's hotter than h e double hockey sticks up there so I think we'll push this task off until autumn. Pretty sure last winter I moved the task to spring and since I'm not worrying about it in the heat of summer I guess you'll see it again when autumn rolls around. Hi hubs! 

Kayak. Done. Once but at least we got out there. We'll do more kayaking this summer and nobody will love it more than the little brown dog. 

Dye eggs with the kids. Celebrate Easter. Host dinner. Wow, raise your hand if it feels like Easter was a hundred years ago? In reality just two months. Well, technically a lot longer than two months, but you know what I mean. 

Anyway, this one was done-done-and done and I loved it all. 

Write a love letter. Hmmm...I'm going to say yes because I wrote my grandson a birthday letter four days before summer rolled in. I think when I put this on my bucket list I was thinking more of the hubs, so maybe I can still make that happen. I like writing letters and we still need to officially celebrate our anniversary. 

Hike a trail new to us. Nope. I wish we'd been able to do this, but between the weather and my ankle we didn't get to this one. We don't do a lot of hiking here in the summer because it's so hot, but never say never. 

Host a Derby party. Yup. Whoohoo! It was lots of fun too. 

Pick strawberries and make jam...fail. There's always next year, and thankfully daughter1's mother-in-law makes strawberry fig preserves and always shares. 

Visit a garden. Does my daughter2's raised beds count? Ha! 

Probably not, but I loved seeing all her plants and look forward to tasting something she's grown. 

See a ballet. This was one of my favorite springtime activities. Daughter1 and I went to the International Ballet's performance of Don Quixote to celebrate her birthday. The costumes were beautiful, the dancing exceptional, and there's nothing quite like a mother-daughter day to bring the smiles.  

Spring was busy. While I only managed to complete half my list, there were lots of fun spring events that happened, but weren't listed....my sister and niece came out to the lake one weekend for brunch, the 'kids' moved out and into their own home, we had a whole week with both girls and all the grands in the house, took our first boat ride, celebrated a soon-to-be new momma, a grandson turning three, 41 years of married life, and more. It wasn't dull. Or quiet. 

Now bring on summer...

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays...hop over to her blog (Slices of Life)  and see what everyone else has to say on this last Tuesday in June. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 607

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday ( June 18th) to add your link to the party. See you there-

1. Summer officially begins this week (in the northern hemisphere)...what was your favorite thing to do in the summer when you were a kid? What do you like most about summer now? 

2.  Something you'll celebrate this summer? 

3. Summer tastes like? Smells like? Sounds like? 

4. June 18th is National Splurge Day...what's the last thing you splurged on? What might you splurge on today? 

5. Share a favorite summer quote, saying, song lyric, or meme. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 605

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Hop back here on Wednesday (June 4th) to add your link to the party...see you there!  

1. What do birthdays look like in your house? How are they celebrated? Any special traditions? What about birthdays growing up? 

2. Someone is sending you a dozen roses...what color are you hoping for? Are you someone who gets accused of seeing the world through rose colored glasses? Is your accuser correct? Elaborate. 

3. June 4th is National Cheese Day...will you celebrate? What's something (besides a burger) you make in the summer months that calls for cheese? 

4. 'tis the season...any weddings on your June calendar? What's the first word that comes to mind when I say marriage? 

5. What are you most looking forward to this June? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

When Life Gives You Lemons Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's question add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Thanks for playing along today...here we go-

1.What was the best (or one of the best) summers of your life? Tell us why. 

Ahh, summer. What's not to love? I have many happy memories of summer fun growing up, but I think I'm going with the summer of 1975. I was a first year 'CIT' (except the year I joined the. program they changed the moniker to LTC which I think was Leadership somethin'somethin', but I'm not even sure now what). Anyway, the camp I attended had a three year training program for counselor wannabes and the first year involved an 8-day hike on the Appalachian Trail. 

I had never done anything like that and wasn't what you'd call athletic by any means. In fact I was a skinny skinny little thing, but I carried that 40 lb pack on my back over mountain and stream and up and down narrow footpaths for eight days straight. I'm not sure there was ever another summer where I learned so much. About myself, about the great outdoors, and most of all about God's faithfulness, His protection and His goodness. 

That summer was an important building block in my faith walk going forward. 

2. When you have a trip coming up do you make a list and check it twice to ensure you don't forget anything? Or are you a 'throw whatever you can think of into the suitcase at the last minute' kind of packer? When returning from a trip do you unpack immediately or leave the suitcase right where it lands? 

I like to make a packing list, if not an actual list then at least one in my head. For big trips (more than a weekend away) I try to lay things out in one of the guest rooms a day or two before traveling, which makes packing feel a little bit less overwhelming.

I am 100% an unpack that bag as soon as we get home. I usually throw a load of wash in right way too, and return the suitcase to the basement where it's stored. 

3. What's your favorite food or beverage made with lemons? Is that a flavor you enjoy? 

Lemon is one of my absolute favorite flavors, maybe even number one. I love all things lemon. Lemonade, lemon bars, lemon candies, limoncello, lemon pie...

Not sure I can narrow it down to just one favorite food or beverage, but chicken or veal piccata or chicken/veal  francese would definitely make the list. I make a couscous dish with cucumber that has a lemony dressing and that's another favorite here. 

4. When was the last time you had to make lemonade out of lemons, figuratively speaking I mean? 

The landscapers are here to begin work on our large backyard project. The project is on the lake side of the house, and involves a small hill, plus a bunch of other stuff, but the hill is why they were coming by barge. I think. 

Let me just insert here when it comes to this type of project that has 1000 moving parts I want to adopt an attitude of 'call me when it's done', and believe me I will try. Already on day one I had to weigh in on something because hubs wasn't home but my goal is to be surprised by how beautiful it all turns out lol. 

Anyway, back to the lemonade...the original deal was they would bring all the materials by barge, which let me just say, that particular cost is not small. However, when they started calculating the actual amount of materials they'd need to haul it would have required four barges. FOUR!!!! 

You'd probably faint if I told you what that number is (I sweat just thinking about it), but not to worry, we're making lemonade. Materials can and will be brought over land, which is a bit more of a hassle for the people doing the actual work, and will likely not be great for the driveway or the grass, but these things can be set right when the project is finished. 

Hubs is going to be antsy until the whole thing is done, and he will be down there snapping pictures and asking questions and giving me more updates than I want, so I don't need to worry as long as he's available. 

5. Did you like school growing up? Why or why not? 

I loved school. 

That's me in kindergarten. I think I'm wearing my Easter dress because way back when we dressed up on picture day. 

Really I can't think of a grade I didn't like, except maybe 7th grade which I'm pretty sure we should all just skip. My girls know their 7th grade years were not my favorite either. Otherwise I loved school. I was a good student, I was always conscientious and I liked learning. I still do, and I have always loved books. There were one or two teachers who weren't my favorite, but looking back I can honestly say most of my teachers were kind, caring, and pushed me to do my best.   

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Is anyone on Threads? It's connected to Instagram in some way and I keep trying to read things that take me to Threads and then get a message saying  I need to create an account in order to keep reading. Is it a thing? Is it worth checking out? I feel like Insta is enough to keep up with, but maybe this is the next thing? Or not? 

Have a great Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 564

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1.What was the best (or one of the best) summers of your life? Tell us why. 

2. When you have a trip coming up do you make a list and check it twice to ensure you don't forget anything? Or are you a 'throw whatever you can think of into the suitcase at the last minute' kind of packer? When returning from a trip do you unpack immediately or leave the suitcase right where it lands? 

3. What's your favorite food or beverage made with lemons? Is that a flavor you enjoy? 

4. When was the last time you had to make lemonade out of lemons, figuratively speaking I mean? 

5. Did you like school growing up? Why or why not? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hello Monday Thoughts and Things

Good morning friends. Is time flying where you live because it feels like it's flying here. We're still in summer mode, but school has been back in session in our area for two weeks now and that makes me think it should be fall. 

Except it was 96 degrees when we left the house to meet friends for dinner on Friday night, and that's summer, right? 

Let's back up to Wednesday. Friends invited us to their house to play water volleyball and it was so much fun. There were about 25 people there and the hosts ordered pizza and everybody brought a snack or side to share. Nobody took the game playing too seriously so we laughed a lot. 

Thursday I got a few things done at the house, including getting one of the guest baths downstairs emptied out because painters are coming next week. I told hubs the economy is tanking but we're doing our part to  keep it going here with home improvement projects. 

I've been wanting to add some wallpaper to this bathroom pretty much since we built, and I'm finally getting around to choosing the paper and finding a hanger and having a decorator help me with the paint color for the room that will be just paint, no paper. It will be two days of painting and then one day to wallpaper and I'm excited to have it finished. It's going to be a nice change. We're reframing a print we've had hanging on the wall too so once that's done I'll share some pictures.

We've been in our house almost eight years now, and it's time to re-do a few things that are in need of re-doing. I'd like to paint the whole interior but we've got that other big project happening outside, also starting this week (fingers crossed) so paint will be on next years docket. 

Friday afternoon I had my yearly mammo scheduled. My appointment was at 4:45 PM which seemed like an odd time of day to do this, but whatever, at least it wasn't busy. And since it meant trekking in to the nearby city we made plans to meet up with our old neighbors at a place we've all been wanting to try. 

Oh my it was so good. 

Do you like sushi? If you don't like sushi you might not be on board, but we all like sushi and agreed this was excellent. The restaurant is called O-ku and they have locations in a handful of cities, mostly in the south. 

They do fancy cocktails and I had something called Sugar and Spice which was a jalapeno infused vodka with passion fruit juice and a sugar rim. Scrumptious! Hubs had a bourbon something called Tokyo which he enjoyed. 

The menu is a bit different than your typical sushi restaurant and we shared some small plates to start. This was blue fin tuna, fried shallot, compressed watermelon, and a brown butter sauce, which sounds crazy but it was wonderful. 

We each ordered our own rolls which we also ended up sharing, then added some Wagyu beef we cooked ourselves (it was the real deal!)...

Wagyu beef cooked in wagyu butter is something else. Yum! We were there for over three hours just enjoying the food, the company, and the truly excellent service, and we all agreed it was a fun dining experience. 

Saturday was another scorcher here with temps still  again in the 90's. Hubs and I hung out in the lake.  Literally. We have not had a day to just chill on the water and it was so nice to have nowhere to go and nothing we absolutely had to do. 

I spent an hour right here. 

I'm tied to the dock so I don't float away. 

We followed that up with a boat ride to check out a part of the lake we haven't really seen much of this summer. We always like to see what kind of new construction went up in the winter months and we like to see what people are doing to their property in terms of landscaping in case we want to copy. 

Hubs had to stop the boat once for me to jump in because I was melting. 

We came back to our dock and swam a little, then we showered (outside because that's still a thing here) and hubs grilled us steak while I added a salad and baked potato, which in my opinion is a perfect meal. There were a few clouds in the sky after dinner, but we chanced it and ran the boat out in time to catch the sunset.

Never disappoints. 

We ended the day with more Olympics. We have really enjoyed them this time around and I'm kind of sad they're ending. I think the US Women's track team was my favorite viewing. Such talent and speed, brains and beauty too. 

Sunday. It was hot. We had a friend coming by to look at our lemon tree and give us some advice on fertilizer and care and tell us if it's in a good spot, sun wise which it is. She has a lot of fruit trees and knows how to grow citrus. Ours is loaded with lemons that are still very green, but she assured us all is well, gave us some fertilizer and told us what to buy. Fingers crossed we'll have yellow lemons in another couple of months. 

Sunday afternoon we loaded up the car with various framing projects we want done (I think there are five)  and we drove to Michaels. Nobody was working the frame department and their 'framer' was at a training all week. Ugh. We'll shift gears and go to Hobby Lobby instead, hopefully Monday before the barge gets here with the landscaping materials. 

Hopefully the barge gets here Monday. 

Sunday afternoon we beat the heat and watched a movie, hubs grilled chicken for dinner and I made a side of pesto pasta with my homemade pesto, then we ended the day with a float. 

The lake kind not the Root beer kind.

So how was your weekend? 

Linking this post with the regular Hello Monday party hosted by Holly and Sarah. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 554

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. It's National Cheese Day (June 4)...does anyone not like cheese? What's your favorite? Last thing you ate or made with cheese? 

2. Last time you were instructed to 'say cheese!'? How do you feel about having your picture taken? 

3. What's your travel packing strategy? Are you typically a light packer or do you throw in everything but the ktichen sink? When flying do you check a bag or aim for carry on only? 

4. What is it about people's cell phone habits that you find most annoying? 

5. What will be your summer mantra/slogan? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SUMMER!?!

It's 4:30 and I'm finally sitting down with my cup of afternoon tea. I volunteer on Thursday mornings so left the house at 8:30. We wrapped up about 1, then I needed to pick up a few groceries after being out of town all week, plus my gas gauge was on empty, and I wanted to grab a little hostess gift for a friend we'll see this weekend. 

I called my momma, cut up the watermelon I bought, and optimistically just now threw in a load of laundry. I hope it makes it all the way into the closet tonite. Sometimes when I start laundry late in the day I forget it's happening. 

And even though it's late in the day, I'm going to link up with Patty and Holly for this month's edition of musings. 

1. What are you looking forward to this summer? 

Lots of things including starting every morning with coffee on the covered deck. 

And because dining al fresco is my favorite thing breakfast and dinner most days will happen on our screened porch. Jumping off the dock with my grandson is a yearly tradition we'll continue this summer too. 

I bought all the grands matching t-shirts and I love the noisy happy chaos of having everyone together at the lake. We also bought paddleboards this year from a neighbor who was selling theirs and I'm determined to master it.  

We have houseguests coming next week which is always lots of fun, I'm helping host a bridal shower in August, two of my grandsons plus my oldest daughter all have summer birthdays and we love celebrating their special days. 

I guess what I love most about summer is everyday lake life...the view, boating out to one of the islands on the lake with a picnic lunch...

Swimming, people randomly pulling up to the dock to say hi and hang out, float parties with neighbors where everyone brings a float and a beverage and we just chillax in the water and of course...

...chasing the sunset, which never gets old. 

2. Favorite summer traditions? 

I think I mostly answered this in question one, but one tradition I didn't mention would be the July 4th fireworks my across the cove neighbor hosts every year. Boaters come from all around the lake and anchor in the cove and channel and wait for the show to begin. The fireworks are spectacular and the show lasts a long time. When there's a really ginormous firework all the boaters honk and it's so fun and festive and God Bless America! 

3. Favorite summer recipe? Please share. 

I don't have pictures but have linked the recipes. I love this tomato pomodori recipe. It is the absolute perfect starter or porch snack with a glass of wine. Delicioso! 

I make my favorite pasta salad a lot in the summer months too. I use grape tomatoes, black olives, red and yellow peppers, and cucumber for the veggies. 

4. Summer vacation plans? 

We don't typically take any big trips in summer because that's prime lake time. We enjoy traveling in the fall and have a big trip on the books in September. Which is still lake season, but also our favorite month to travel. 

5. Cole slaw or potato salad? Recipe to share?

Yes please. I love both but I rarely make potato salad. I don't really have a recipe, I just make it like my mama did with mayo (Dukes because we live in the land of Dukes and also because it's the best), onion, celery, chopped sweet pickle, and a little pickle juice. 

I do make a lot of cole slaw in the summer because we do a lot of BBQ. Hubs loves his Big Green Egg, and makes the best pulled pork, brisket, wings, and brats all of which taste better with a side of slaw. 

6. Favorite ice cream or frozen treat? 

A margarita lol. 

I like an occasional scoop of ice cream but it's not something I crave. Hubs on the other hand...

I do love homemade ice cream and that's something we'll do at least once this summer. Probably when the grands are visiting. 

7. Favorite summer beverage? 

A Pimms cup. I first had one when we moved to the UK and it's basically summer in a cup. It's one part Pimms to three parts Sprite, add cucumber, slices of citrus, a few sliced strawberries, and a sprig of mint. There are variations, but this is how we do it here. You can add some gin if you're so inclined but I like mine without. 

8. Beach, lake, or mountains? 

I love all three, but since the lake is in my own backyard I'm going with lake. As the saying goes...'unsalted, no sharks'.

9. Best ways to beat the heat in summer? 

10. Favorite sunscreen?

I don't know if I have a favorite. We go through a lotta sunscreen here and I'm not neccessarily loyal to one brand. I currently have Neutrogena Faces, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch, Banana Boat Sport, Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch (I like the feel of this one), and Tula. 

Happy summer everyone! 

Falling For The Hodgepodge

Welcome to fall's first Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go- 

1. It's officially fall y'all. In the northern hemisphere anyway. Any signs of it where you are? What's your favorite thing about this time of year? 

There are a few signs of fall in our area, but for the most part it's still pretty summer-like here. Temps are cool in the early morning, but warm up to shorts-wearing weather by noon. We have more pine than hardwoods on our property, but we've seen small pops of red when we're out walking.  This tree says it all...

...a little bit of summer, a little bit o' fall. 

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the cozy feeling ushered in.... coffee by the fire, blue jeans, a pot of chili on the stove. I like the change in wardrobe, menu, and mindset. 

2. Have you visited any 'falls' in person? Tell us about one of your favorites? Of the following top ten famous falls (according to this site ) which would you most like to see in person-

Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe/Zambia), Igazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Niagara Falls (US/Canada), Angel Falls (Venezuela), Yosemite Falls (California), Dettifoss (Iceland) Kaieteur Falls (Guyana), Plitvice Waterfalls (Croatia), Gullfoss-Golden Falls (Iceland), or Sutherland Falls (New Zealand)

We live in an area known as the mountain lakes part of the state and there are more than 150 waterfalls in our county alone. Not all are huge, but every waterfall is beautiful in its own way. Hubs and I (and the little brown dog too of course, can't forget him!) enjoy hiking to a waterfall and we're slowly working our way through some of the ones in our area. We have a long way to go lol. 

There were some pretty falls not far from where we lived in North Jersey too (Bushkill Falls) and we used to visit fairly often. Of the falls listed I guess the one I'd most like to visit would be Victoria. A friend of ours went years ago and I still remember the photo he sent standing beside them. Absolutely breathtaking!

3. What's something you'll miss about summer? 

Daylight at 9 PM. 

4. A favorite fall recipe?

I made a big pot of vegetable beef soup the other day and that's definitely a favorite here. It was 52 degrees when I started cooking early morning, but by the time dinner rolled around it was more like 85. We still enjoyed it though. I make Paula Deen's recipe which calls for short ribs, and they make it extra extra. I don't use quite the amount of salt she does, but other than that I follow her instructions ( recipe here) It makes a lot! 

5. Something you enjoy but lately have allowed it to 'fall by the wayside'? 

I made a scrapbook for Daughter2 for her birthday, the first I'd done in a long long time. Putting it together was so much fun and made me realize how much I miss doing something creative. I used to really enjoy scrapbooking, but life and all that jazz meant it needed to fall by the wayside for a while. I'm determined to get back into more creative pursuits this year. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My other favorite thing about this time of year is the morning sky...

Swoon! 

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It Might Be My Birthday

There are two kinds of people when it comes to birthdays. Those who try their best to keep theirs a secret, who don't want anyone to make a fuss of any kind, and who definitely do not want anyone to know their actual age. 

And then there are those who make sure everyone knows it's their birthday. 

I think you know which camp I land in, although it's possibly been a little over the top this year, even for me. For some reason my hubs has been hosting a weeklong Facebook celebration to mark the day, which has me feeling like I need to lay low for a while. Too much me on social media lol. 

Except here I am blogging so whatever. 

This year isn't a particularly 'big' birthday but he has posted a lot of pictures (a lot!!) anyway, and he's written words and it's been sweet and only a teensy bit embarrassing. Hubs can rally people around some fun y'all, which is why I've been wished happy birthday more times than I can count in the past seven days. 

I usually place some imaginary pressure on myself to write something profound when this day rolls around, but right now I'm not feeling it. Maybe this is the year I'll just quietly become a year older.  

Quietly being a relative term, ahem. 

I am going to do a bit of a phone dump because catching up here makes me happy, and hey, it's my birthday! 

In viewing hubs online photography extravaganza I realized I never posted any pics from the beginning of the month when my whole family was here. We were celebrating the life of my brother-in-law, and it felt so good to have everyone together. 

The two youngest grands had not met many of my extended family and it was so nice to be able to introduce them to everyone in person. The two oldest grands spent one whole entire complete day in the lake with my nephew, who happens to be a teenager with boundless energy. Even he had to admit the little ones have him beat. 

Solidarity nephew. I get it.

In other September happenings we went to a fun float party in a quiet cove one afternoon. Summer is still in full swing on the lake mid-September, and we take advantage of that as much as we can. 

I'm a cloud groupie and the sky showed off big early one Wednesday morning.  

Two Wednesday mornings actually. 

Really every morning.

Hubs and I have taken a couple of hikes this month and yes, the little brown dog came too. He is not one to miss a walk in the woods. 

One hike was to a nearby waterfall we hadn't seen before.

In the middle of a thick forest water rains down from 70 feet above, as it runs over huge slabs of rock and fallen trees.  

The hike is described as relatively easy, and in terms of elevation it was. 

It was also a narrow 'rooty' trail and you had to duck under downed limbs and clamber over rocks and across a 'balance beam' to find your footing on the small strip of sand. 

We ate  lunch perched on a big ol' rock as we soaked up the quiet of the forest and the beauty of creation. 

Shifting gears, or venues if you will, Saturday night we saw a Bee Gees cover band in a neighboring small town. Hitting those high notes like Barry Gibb ain't no small thing, but these guys did it, and we loved the show. 

I've been so spoiled this past week with cards and gifts, phone calls, chocolate cake, a fun little getaway too. I think for now I'll just share my usual profound thought about birthdays...

...it's so good to have them.