5 Things I'm Loving in July
As
July comes to an end, I thought it was time for another one of my "five
things" posts, in which I talk about what I'm loving at the moment.
Yes, even in the midst of a pandemic and even though we haven't
socialized or seen our friends or family in months, I've found some good.
If you follow me on Instagram, all the photos will look familiar. Click on them if you want to see them full size.
In my kitchen:
While cooking during the COVID19 isolation has been a challenge because
there are still shortages in the grocery stores and we have decided to
stay away from the farmers markets this year, there are still some
bright spots. In particular, I've been baking bread now that yeast and
bread flour are once again available. (shown: a rye-raisin loaf)
In my bathroom: No, there's nothing ewwww here. Thanks to my friend Daryl from Out & About in New York City,
I have finally learned the secret to having winter hair in the middle
of July. Only those of you who fight summer humidity will know what I
mean by "winter hair." The trick? The anti-frizz products from Living Proof.
After just one use I saw immediate results, Now, after just a few
weeks, I'm sold. In case you're interested, I'm using the shampoo and
conditioner, the leave-in conditioner, and the humidity shield. I also
bought the nourishing styling cream, but haven't tried it yet because
I've been letting my hair air-dry these days. The other product I'm
using is the detangler from Living Proof's Restore line. I'm never going
back to whatever I was using before.
In my glass:
My current favorite cocktail is the Stray Dog, which I discovered when
going through my mom's recipe files. I'm not sure where she got it,
since the recipe was handwritten. Here's how to make one. Splash a
little Pernod (or Ouzo) in a chilled cocktail glass, swirl it around,
and then dump it out. Pour 1.5 ounces of vodka, 1 tablespoon of
Cointreau, 1.5 teaspoons of fresh lime juice, and 1 ounce of pomegranate
juice into the glass. Stir and add crushed ice.
On my deck:
The morning glories we planted from seed in May are now about 12 feet
tall and started blooming this week. As I wrote on Instagram, I will
never get too old not to be awed by the miracle of how a tiny seed
becomes a beautiful, big, healthy plant. Also loving on my deck are the
birds that will perch on the bird bath even when we're sitting and
talking only a couple of feet away. (shown: morning glory &
chickadee)
In my living room:
Just like pretty much everyone around the world, we are using the COVID
isolation to make changes around the house. We've decluttered, we've
cleaned, "we've" gotten rid of tons of books, and we've given a couple
of pieces of furniture new life. My favorite is this cushioned cabinet
in the living room, which is now my favorite place to sit and read in
the afternoons when the sun comes through the window. A simple change
made a world of difference. (shown: new reading spot)
These
are just a few of the positives in our life during these very trying
times. What is making you smile these days? I'd love to know.
11 comments:
Lovely post! I love the sunny reading spot.
Sprucing up, cleaning out & giving away has been one of the few positives of being home way too much.
Nice reading spot! Also, so interesting about putting the Pernod in and then dumping it out!
what a great idea for multipurposing a cabinet. thanks for sharing the goodness
sherry @ fundinmental
Very nice! That reading spot looks just about perfect. Glad to hear you guys are doing well. Take care!
soglad you are liking Living Proof ... i air dry my hair ... i use the nourishing styling creme after i towel out the wet and after the leave in conditioner .. since i want waves i rub the nourishing creme on my hands like hand cream and then i scrunch sections of my hair and then just let the waves dry ... i think it adds to keeping the frizz away ..i think next time i am waiting for my hair to dry i will sip a Stray Dog!!!!
Your reading spot looks so cozy and I’m definitely going to try the Stray Dog.
I love your little reading bench. With all this time at home it has brought new appreciation for many of us. I love watching the birds in my backyard from my kitchen table. Literally did not have time to do this before Covid, now I don't know how I'm going to be at school all day, wondering what the cardinals are up to?
My husband keeps pushing to build a window seat under our dining room windows. Now that I see how lovely yours is, I may say yes.
What a great and positive post. Love the idea of planting seeds and watching the results. I try and start them indoors under a grow lamp and hurry and get them in the ground before the heat is too bad. Don't you just love sitting on the porch and watching birds. I sure do.
Covid life here is much like yours. Not going to farmers; markets either. We do get out but with masks and lots of distancing.
We are also doing home improvements since we're not spending money on travelling or entertainment.
We still can find any yeast in our stores. Also, PAM seems to have gone MIA, too. Kind of an odd thing to run short of, don't you think? That cocktail sounds good and I think we have everything except the Ouzo. Wonder if we would miss that coating on the glass? Our chickadees aren't the least bit afraid of us, either. We also get hummingbirds around the deck while we're out there. They love our water feature and have come very close to my head as they head to it and their feeder. Yep, we're cleaning here, too. Today was oven cleaning day mainly because it was warm enough to have the windows open! 75 degrees on the coast, which is wonderful!! Love you new reading spot. Have a great week!
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