Anyone else in total disbelief that it’s the last day of August?!

How did this happen?

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were firing up the grill for the first time? Now the local apple orchard is open & I’m all apple cider forever & summer forever at the same time!

Honestly, where does the time go?

Anyway…if you’re like me & not 100% ready to give up on summer just yet, here are 4 last minute activities you can do to soak up the last little bit of summer.

1.  Impromptu BBQ

You know those cookouts that are planned weeks in advance & you have a designated dish that you bring & everything is planned to the max?  Well, this isn’t one of those.  Because you’re tying to savor the last warm nights of summer, this is one of those cookouts where you text some people to come over that night or the next & tell them to bring whatever.  Where it’s not about the food, but about sitting out on the deck in the warmth as long as you can.

2.  Picnic

We’re incredibly lucky to live near some great picnic areas, but having a picnic outside in the yard is always fun too. Something about gathering up some ingredients & eating them outside is a winner for me.

3.  Farmer’s Market/Roadside Stands

Because #omgsobusy, I was unable to make it to any local farmer’s markets this season.  But!  I stopped at a roadside produce stand yesterday!  Roadside stands & farmer’s markets are what summer is all about.  You get a glimpse of what local people are growing in their gardens & it always inspires me to grow my own garden!  The watermelon featured in the pictures was from a roadside stand & it’s absolutely delicious!

4.  Yard Sales

I had to put this one on here because we just had our annual family sale last weekend.  Whether you’re going to or putting one on, yard sales are always a good time.  You never know what you’ll find (usually on the cheap!) & having a yard sale is a chance to get rid of your unwanted stuff & make money at the same time.

What are your favorite last minute things to do to enjoy the end of summer?

My husband & I are going on a little road trip this week.

After working almost nonstop on our house for almost a year (!), we decided to take a little break. 

We originally took vacation days this week to prepare for our annual family yard sale but we’re going to spend a couple days relaxing and road tripping before the craziness from the sale starts!

We threw around a few ideas for vacation destinations but ultimately decided just to jump in the car & drive a couple hours into New York & stop at various locations along the way.  These trips are always my favorite because I love adventures.



I have to warn you, because I live in the middle of nowhere, road trips for me tend to turn completely #basic.  Lots of Starbucks & malls!  I’m also hoping to throw in some nature watching too, but mostly malls & Starbucks!

I’m also going to use this time to practice my photography skillz.  I bought a new memory card specifically for this trip & have my extra batteries charged & ready to go.  I never get any time to actually practice photography, so the various scenery will hopefully allow me to do that.  I’ll share some photos later on this week & you can always check out my Instagram for the latest!



Now it’s time to hit the road!

PS:  These pics were taken (in the car!) when I first got my camera, so hopefully, my photography skillz will be better this time!

Today is my favorite.

My local Habitat For Humanity ReStore is open for business this weekend!

Because of work obligations, I’m not always able to go there, but last week, my husband picked up this rustic centerpiece for me.

That’s the thing about the ReStore—you never know what you’ll find.  From building materials to centerpieces like mine, they offer such a huge variety.  It’s always an adventure going in there!

To find a ReStore in your area, click here!

It’s no secret that my blog hasn’t been its best lately.

I was showing my mom my blog today & she asked if I kept up with it regularly.

“Sure.” I said.

“Well, the last thing was written was August 2nd.”

Now, my mom doesn’t know anything about blogs & if she noticed that I haven’t blogged in 15 days, then it’s kind of a big deal.

Between mild writer’s block & simple laziness, my blog had not been the way I wanted it.  It was time to get it back on track.

I spent $2.50 & bought myself a planner and a pack of pencils.  Then I got to work mapping out all the things I wanted to write about and penciled in the days that I hoped to post these writings.  I wrote in pencil because I actually tried this planner idea before & got discouraged when I wrote in pen & was unable to follow through with the post schedule.  This way, I can move things around if I want.

Speaking of moving around…I also moved my computer to my dining room table in an attempt to get out of my element and cure my writer’s block.  It looks ridiculous but so far, it’s working out!

I’m a big believer in having the right tools to get a job done so now that I have the right blogging tools, I should be back to blogging regularly…

Especially now that I know my mom is reading!

I gave myself a free pass last Thursday.

On all of my other days off in the history of this house, I’ve spent some time cleaning and last Thursday, I gave myself some time to be free from everything.



Now, don’t get me wrong, the house wasn’t in total disarray but I like to thoroughly clean the floors at least once a week.  I take my little bucket and dish towel and go around scrubbing the floors.  It makes the floors look a million times better because even though our flooring is easy to clean, most of the time it really doesn’t look clean.  It always seems to have this nasty looking film on it & I’ve found that actually scrubbing it makes it look brand new again.  If someone has an easier solution to super clean laminate flooring, please let me know!

I’m also hand scrubbing the floors to up my Fitbit steps, but that can be our little secret, right?!
Anyway…so the thought of scrubbing the floors on a Thursday was totally out of the question.  Besides, why should I scrub floors when I could be watching Marcella on Netflix?!
So I watched Marcella & took two naps & was generally proud of myself for being a sloth.  My husband came home from work & I was still feeling pretty confident about my choices that day.  Before he got in the door, he coerced the neighbors into the yard & I went out to greet all of them.



“How about a cookout tomorrow night with the neighbors after work at our house?” My husband asked me.  I said that it was a great idea.

So much for my unclean house & lazy day.

When we went inside, I gathered my husband and supplies and got down to work.  It’s weird how I can live in sloth mode but when company is coming in less than 24 hours, it’s cleaning time.  I got rid of that laziness really quickly and turned into the clean bee.



I guess I just needed some cleaning motivation!  But if you ever have the choice between cleaning & watching Netflix, you should totally choose Netflix, unless someone is coming to your unclean house in the next 24 hours! 

Even though my free day got interrupted, I think everyone needs a free pass once in a while!