Happy Memorial Day weekend! School is out, and summer has arrived – one of my favorite times of year. I love the long, dreamy, carefree days so much, and always look forward to our annual Rhode Island vacation. This year, too, I’m excited for a June trip to Europe with H. Here are some things I’ve been up to lately.
Making Iced Tea & Cookies
Once the weather really warms up, I crave all things refreshing and enjoy making fresh iced tea. For the first batch of the season, I used Blueberry Lavender and Whistledown Punch tea bags along with a Trader Joe’s Stevia sweetener packet and some frozen blueberries. It is absolutely delicious!
Just for fun, I also made a batch of gluten-free, vegan oat chocolate chip cookies; they were a cinch to whip up and are some of the best gf/vegan cookies I have found – so soft, fluffy, and chocolatey.
Reading on the Screen Porch
I love spending time on the screen porch – especially reading and listening to the birdsong. I just finished a wonderful book out here…
Chenneville is my third read by Paulette Jiles – first came News of the World and Enemy Women – and I’ve loved them all; each book is a great adventure story set during or after the Civil War. This one takes place in 1866-67. John Chenneville has just suffered a traumatic head injury from the war and is working to recover when he learns that his sister and her family have been murdered. He goes on a quest to find the killer, riding horseback with a relentless determination for miles. I loved the characters in this book and reading about John’s journey through the lawless post-Civil War lands. I highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction and adventures.
Visiting Our Local Farmers’ Market
We feel so fortunate to have a farmers’ market near our house. They have had delicious, perfectly red and ripe strawberries this spring (we just got the last batch of the season), and they have just put out summer tomatoes; these are so juicy and delicious, you could eat them like apples. Eating fresh, local, in-season produce makes for an even sweeter summer.
And now we will enjoy the next week at home in Nashville before leaving for Europe! Wishing you a happy and carefree start to summer.
