It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything on this blog. I thought I’d share a little glimpse of what life has been like here this summer so far.

Summer Outdoors

Summer is for spending time outdoors. Lim and I kicked off this summer with a trip to Punta Cana! Our last beach holiday was back in 2017, so this was a welcome escape from the routines and constant to dos.

One routine I will never get tired of are my morning walks with Charlie. These walks are my daily meditation. Summertime just means they need to get done a bit earlier to avoid the heat.

Speaking of heat, I recently shared on instagram that I do not do particularly well in hot weather. I struggle (because of high blood pressure and chronic stuffy nose) and find it stifling. Despite this, I’ve been outdoors more than normal and enjoyed a day at my friend’s lake house.

I do try to put a few things in place to help like staying hydrated, and making sure there’s a source of shade and a body of water to cool off in. Otherwise, I’m staying home. ;)

Summer Reading

Summer is for reading cozy mysteries about bibliomancy and Irish curses. Murder and an Irish Curse is the last installment of Melissa Bourbon’s Book Magic series. This was a perfect beach read as it’s set in the fictional small town of Devil’s Cove on the beaches of the Outer Banks in NC. I was introduced to cozy mysteries by my good friend, Melissa (also the author of this series). She shares 10 Reasons to love cozy mysteries here. I honestly could not put this series down!

Summer is also for book clubs, evenings spent reading at home, and car rides listening to books on audible...

I love sharing my summer reading list and will be doing that soon, so stay tuned!

Summer Recipes

Summer is for Burrata! And give me all of the Mediterranean inspired food. Here are a couple of links for some yummy recipes.

Half Baked Harvest’s Caprese Garlic Bread with Crispy Prosciutto shown above.

And follow @mediterranean.diet.plan and https://www.themediterraneandish.com/ for other summer recipe ideas.

Summer Series

Summer is for binging a good series. Lim and I finished Ted Lasso (which is now one of our all time favorite series) and then snooped around apple tv for something else to watch. We came across Bad Sisters. It’s a dark comedy set in Ireland. The Garvey sisters go through several failed attempts at murdering their brother-in-law, though you know he dies right at the get go. You only have to wait for the 10th episode to find out how it all wraps up. Watch the trailer here.

Summer Art Journal

Summer is for art journaling!

I know I’m not alone on how much you think you are going to read, journal, etc. when on vacation, only to come home with a heavy load of books and supplies that have gone untouched. Like how I took an art journal kit to Punta Cana with me but never got to it at all. I was too busy staring at the sea! So many good intentions…

I am happy to report that I did finally start my journal once I got home. The beach trip and lake days have inspired painted pages in a limited palette of blues and greens. I’ve spent some time recording my process and learning how to use the video editing app in-shot. I’m so excited to share that I will be adding my summer art journal series to my youtube channel! You can watch the first video in this series here.

SUmmer Nights

Summer nights are for salsa & line dancing classes, and game nights (hosted by my lovely friend Kelly, middle left). No evidence of the former, but I had the impulse to go out dancing a couple of nights and just went with it. Dragged some friends along too, heehee.

Summer Recap

I don’t remember a summer this full and social in like ever!

The next few weeks will be filled with teaching Art Camps, and quieter moments of reflection and preparation for exciting things coming this fall (think travel, classes, and workshops…)!

Wishing you, all the happy, lazy days left this summer.

xxx -T

Summertime Living ...