Posted on Jun 28, 2020 in
FEATURES
By Alisa Murray –
1. Garden: There’s still time to plant cucumbers, tomatoes, okra and herbs. If you started gardening in spring, it is also time to can and put up harvest for the winter months. To learn how to traditionally can and harvest vegetables, go to my YouTube channel. You’ll find step by step directions on canning your garden favs.
2. Purge: Go through closets and the garage and make give away and keep piles. Take the items that you no longer need to our local charities and organize tools, equipment and home decor. Anything that is broken and can be repaired should be done so and made ready to use. And, if you discover you cannot find the time to make those necessary repairs, it’s a sure indictor that perhaps the item is taking up unnecessary space and should be donated.
3. Family Fun: Plan a small gathering for the family to connect, and invite everyone to bring a dish to share along with the recipe. Then, create a party favor complete with pictures of the day and a copy of all the recipes as a gift.
4. A Good Read: On my nightside table now are two delightful reads: Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies: A Novel by Vicky Zimmerman and Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Rioutte.
5. Family Planning: Now is the time to begin planning your family holiday vacation. Call a meeting with everything, and find out what specific activities are of interest so you are prepared to begin searching for that perfect family get away.
6. Make-Over: Treat yourself to a trip to the salon, and try out a new do. Many of us have rediscovered our natural hair color during the pandemic and realized that it’s not so bad after all! My own children never knew I had dark brown hair, but boy was I glad to get back to being blonde!
7. Spoil Yourself: Set aside a night each week to do something for just yourself. Maybe it’s a bubble bath, mask and cup of tea with a great book. Maybe it’s a long swim and then a cocktail with your spouse by the pool. Whatever it is, make it different from your regular routine and commit to taking the time for it for the rest of the summer.
8. Serve Others: Give back to the community by purchasing ten boxes of cereal and dropping them off at the local food bank. Always remember that during the summer months, children who normally get fed at school are not being fed and many through this pandemic have struggled even more this year with schools being closed.
9. Do It Yourself: DIY projects are fun, and this month, see if you can come up with a homemade sign or wreath using a patriotic theme. Get the children involved by making small flags out of construction paper and decoupage them onto a wooden board. Keeping little hands into art projects makes their minds explore!
10. Focus on Family: As always, take time at the dinner table and afterwards to visit with each other. Have an electronics basket in the kitchen for drop off before gathering at the table. Ask questions about life, and what if’s? You’ll learn so much from the children’s answers, and their questions will grow you together more as a family!
