Color My World With Summer

I love Summer. I love the long days filled with the warmth of the sun, boating on the lake, or lounging at the pool. I love soul-stirring sunrises at the beach, splashing in the waves, and relaxing with a cool drink and a good book. I love the music of summer; the upbeat, catchy tunes that have us moving, grooving, and singing along. I love the warm blanket of the sultry nights as the sun sets in a blaze of glory to be replaced by the exuberant dancing of fireflies against a dark, velvety backdrop. But, thinking about it this morning, I realized that one of the things I love most about summer is color. Bold, beautiful, vibrant, make-me-smile-and-twirl-with-joy color. Here are a few of the ways I add summer color to my life.

Flowers: Rachel and I begin our days with an early morning walk and as we navigate the streets and sidewalks of our neighborhood this time of year it seems that almost every day we're met with a new burst of color. Geraniums. Daisies. Lilies. Impatiens. Roses. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful bursts of color. I especially enjoy the geraniums on my patio and the colorful pinwheel that spins happily in the breeze. Don't pinwheels just scream summer? By the way, both the pinwheel and the cute straw hat in the photo above came from Dollar Tree. Only $1 for each of them!

Handbags: Most of the year I'm a warm brown or basic black kind of girl. That all changes when summer comes to call. Turquoise! Green! Yellow! Red! I love them all. This summer's favorite pop of handbag color is a gorgeous coral bag that I can toss over my shoulder and go. Plenty of room in there for the basic essentials...including my Kindle. You never know when you'll have a few extra minutes to lose yourself in a book, right?








Cool drinks in colorful containers: It's the season of smoothies, the more colorful, the better. Favorites include blueberry, strawberry, peach, and strawberry-banana, served up in my favorite red swirl or deep blue glasses on my colorful summer place mats.  Another favorite beverage when I want something lighter is homemade lemonade or Crystal Light's Raspberry Green Tea. Both great for quenching your thirst on a hot summer day.

Home Accessories: When the sun grows brighter so do the colors I surround myself with inside my home. Pillows, throws, bedspreads, and home accents in the colors of summer are easy and inexpensive ways to bring a light and airy feel to your living space. I adore the colors of the summer spreads in my master and guest bedrooms. They make me smile whenever I enter the rooms.















Pashminas:  Need to add a splash of color to a summer outfit? Looking for a light-weight wrap to stay warm and cozy while sipping morning coffee on the patio, dining al fresco, or indulging in some star gazing on cool nights? A soft, colorful pashmina shawl is perfect for the job. My special favorites are courtesy of an open-air market visit during a trip to Italy many years ago but I've added to my collection over the years by shopping the extensive assortment at two of my favorite stores, Charming Charlie and World Market. Their sales are terrific!

Jewelry: Big, bold, colorful, statement jewelry is a great way to indulge in the colors of summer. And it doesn't have to be expensive! My favorite place to score bright, vibrant, inexpensive summer jewelry is Charming Charlie. Here's a necklace and earrings set I bought there last year, in one of my favorite summer colors, for less than $20. And, hey, I just noticed it matches Sabrina Jeffries' sweater!





What do you enjoy most about summer?

How do you add summer colors to your life?

What's your favorite way to relax in the summer?

What are your favorite summer drinks?

Will you have more time to read over the next few months? 

What books are on your summer reading list?

I have a package of books for two randomly chosen people who leave a comment on this post. Deadline to be included in giveaway is 11:00 pm Thursday, June 30. 

Quick Six - - Summer Style

Summer.  Just the word makes me smile.  As a child, summer was that time of year that seemed almost magical in comparison to the other seasons.  For me, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer were just that.  They meant warm days spent on the lake, warm nights camping in the front yard, miniature golf, the ice cream man and a neighborhood filled with happy, active children who rose with the sun, spent their days swimming and playing any number of outdoor games and had to be coaxed back into the house well after sunset.

In my teen years, summer days were spent boating, canoeing, and floating on a wooden raft with a good book in hand.  Those days also brought the fabulous music of the 60's (played on a transistor radio), Saturday night dances at the American Legion Hall, the county fair, drive-in movies, the opportunity to travel to distant lands and my first summer love. They were very good days.











Of course, it wasn't only the activities that we looked forward to when summer rolled around. There was also the food.  My dad was the grill master in the family, my mom was the master of potato salad, strawberry shortcake and the best lemon meringue pie I've ever tasted. Dairy Queen was the place for our much-loved Dilly Bars and the A&W drive-in kept us supplied with ice cold root beer in frosty glass mugs. Trust me, you have not experienced root beer as it's meant to be experienced until you've had it served in a frosty glass mug.










Nowadays, summer means beach time - I've just returned from a week there and it was heavenly - as well as lake time.  I'm fortunate to be living in a place where I have access to both.  And while there are no drive-in theaters, my community has outdoor movie nights which are just as much fun.  Alas, there are no A&W drive-ins either so I buy their canned root beer and frost my own mugs.  It's not quite the same but still pretty darn good.  Root beer is also the key ingredient of my favorite summer treat:  the root beer float.  Have you had one?  It's easy to make.  Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a frosty mug, add cold root beer and voila!  There really is nothing like a root beer float to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. (A yummy variation is to use orange soda instead of root bear) Two other summer treats we like to make in our family are frozen chocolate-dipped bananas and chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches.  Awesomely delicious and great fun to make with kids!






Are you a fan of summer or are you more of a cold-weather person?

What are your favorite childhood memories of summer?

What's your favorite summer treat?  Do you love root beer floats as I do?

What singing group (or groups) provided the soundtrack for the summers of your youth?  

Do you vacation over the summer or is a staycation more your style?  

Is there a summer movie you're looking forward to?  

BONUS:  What summer book release(s) are you most anticipating?

I have a hardcover copy of STORMY PERSUASION by Johanna Lindsey (read my review) for one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's blog.  
(U.S. addresses only)

School's Out!

Like the old Alice Cooper song goes: No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers dirty look's .... school's out for summer!

It is hard to believe that another school year has ended.

Today is the last day of school for my boys. I have mixed emotions about it. I'm excited my children have done so well this year and have achieved many milestones. I'm so proud of them!! But the Mom in me realizes I'm another year closer to seeing my children out of the nest and that makes me a little sad. We have to make every moment count while the kids are at home. That is why the hubby and I have planned a lot of activities for the summer. Things we hope will give our children some great memories ... like a week at the beach, visits to amusement parks and the zoo, weekend getaways, picnics at the park, a family reunion, and anything else we can cram into the next two months.


So tell me, what do you have planned this summer? Any favorite summer childhood memories you would like to share?

Two random commenters will receive a book from my stash pile.


~ Buffie