Friday | A Cloudy & Rainy June!

I don’t want to alarm you but it is now mid-June and we’re nearly halfway through 2023! How has June been treating you? The weather in New Hampshire has been perfect for me – cloudy and rainy. But it’s been hard to keep up with a lot of things this month and I’m looking for ways to find my focus. And since it’s Friday, I’m here with a collection of things that have been bringing me joy lately — which is always a great way to figure out what’s important right now!

GROWING:

Our garden is much smaller this year – just a few tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil plants. I miss making the rounds every day but don’t miss all of the work it takes to care for a big garden. I love that I can focus so much energy on our homeschooling and small flower beds that are right outside my front door. Peony season passes way too quickly and I was happy to take the picture up top!

DRINKING:

Friends, I am totally obsessed with making my own iced lattes lately. I’ve even stopped at Dunkin for Matthew this week and decided against ordering anything for myself because I’d rather make my own at home. That’s no small feat! I am using my Bialetti to brew the espresso. I fill my tumbler up with ice and then fill it halfway with the brewed espresso; add a little bit of sugar and then top the cup off with milk. It is the best pick-me-up!

EXERCISING:

A few weeks ago I wrote that I was succeeding with my health goals. I’m happy to report that, despite a few bumps, I have stayed on track! And this week I have noticed an increase in my strength, flexibility, and springiness (this is important to me because one of my goals is to move with buoyancy. I know it sounds strange, but I want to be able to leap up from my seat and take on a task with gusto instead of with moans and groans). I’ve also noticed an increase in my mental resiliency when thinking about exercise and its place in my life, which is a welcomed improvement.

READING:

I am still listening to The Covenant of Water and reading The Bandit Queens and When I Was a Child. But I just got a Libby notification that Birnam Wood is finally available (after placing it on hold on April 19th!!). My loan on The Bandit Queens has almost expired and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish it in time so now I have to decide: just let that one go and get started on Birnam Wood? Or do my best to finish before the loan expires? This is the hard part of juggling borrowed books!

WATCHING:

We are still watching Yellowstone on the weekends and are on the fourth season. Taylor Sheridan is quite a storyteller but I hate his character on the show. I’m also hoping to start A Small Light soon, the story of the woman who sheltered Anne Frank and her family. I have a feeling it’s going to make me want to reread Frank’s diary!

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Today we’ll be spending some time learning at the table and this afternoon will be my opportunity to fold and put away the mountain of clean laundry that has accumulated this week. I am hoping that this evening will be a relatively easy bedtime for the kids and that I have some time on the couch with my audiobook and a stitching project (my Junction sweater and my Mandolin quilt are my current priorities). This weekend is expected to be another rainy and cool weekend and we have absolutely no plans. How about you?