The Monthly Letter, Welcome July

 Our Summer is in full swing! A recent conversation with a dear friend reminded me that our warm and pleasant months of the year seem to pass much more quickly than the cold, dark, and dreary ones. I plan to make the most of these glorious days. And in that line of thinking my plans are coming together for the month of July. Today I must get to the studio to finish the red, white, and blue place mats.  I know, I know, nothing like last minute! 

So, here are a few of my plans and projects, I discovered many years ago that a plan was essential for me to progress. I readily admit that just about everything takes me longer now but keeping busy, planning for the future, and feeding that hope that I need to have. A recent loss has convinced me that this is the way for me. So, here's a little glimpse of my plans for July. 

I subscribe to a members-only online site that always delights and prompts me to think and explore alternate points of view while providing great entertainment and advice on everything from linen blouses, good books, and how to make your own croissants.  The Simply Luxurious Life, HERE. There are many different levels to view the content. You can explore there to get an idea of what is offered. Shannon's Instagram page, HERE.

Strawberry season is winding down. Of course, they are mostly available all year long in our supermarkets, but those fresh of the bush are outstanding. My favorite way to enjoy these berries are to just slice them and add a pinch of sugar or even cinnamon. I have been making a salad dressing with them, a batch of preserves, and even a pancake syrup. 

Unlike my sourdough project, husband still enjoys the berries. He recently begged (in front of a friend who started me back on the sourdough binge) No more sourdough, please! So I am trying to freeze some starter and dry some for future use. We will see. Back to yeast bread. I will review my new bread maker soon.

I am stretching my cooking skills a bit, some successes, some, not so much!

On the sewing front, I still have a cute little blouse to sew up. It's cut, marked, and ready to go, but I have finished a quilt this month, I am working on another, and sorting magazines to go to a quilt guild flea market. My hand embroidery project will be shown here soon, and I plan a visit to a local quilt shop. You never know what new fabric line will surprise you, there are always notions that I peruse, and my friend is new to the sport and she has a wonderful time in the process. 

This little depression glass bowl holds a little selection of my daffodils, dried, and reminding me everyday of our beautiful Spring days. I am taking a Create Academy course by Rita Konig. She is a renown English interior designer who has added this Master Class that explores her concepts, how she remodeled and designed her London flat, and a stunning Vintage house in upstate New York. Her style is mostly English Country. I have never seen anyone use color and print as she does. We all know my color gene is compromised. There is a workbook with the course as well. You can print it or follow online. After a couple years of taking a course here and there I bit the bullet and purchased a year subscription. I will have a busy year. Everything from how to make a lampshade, how to dry flowers, and how to garden in containers. So many of the courses appealed to me as I exist now. To the Create Academy front page, HERE. 

Today I will re-harvest some basil and chives. I did this a few days ago, washed and dried them. I put them all spread out and ready to use. They were on a white paper towel. Lola could not ignore that paper towel, it was calling her. When I was away, she jumped up, grabbed the paper towel, and the carefully prepared herbs were the victims! So, we start over. My plan is to pop the leaves into the blender with some olive oil. Then I will pour that into silicone ice trays, freeze them. Then I will pop them into a silicone freezer bag for use later on. I like to do this with all my herbs. The fresh flavor remains. I can take one or two from the bag, use them in soup, stews, roasts etc. and I am very proud of myself for being so efficient!

 Lunch is ready and calling and there are few basil leaves tucked in there, so I will sign off now. My hope for you is an enjoyable Summer no matter how you choose to celebrate be that a sailing trip around the Mediterranean Sea or a comfy lounge chair on your patio. Be well, be hopeful, and enjoy your Summer, it passes very quickly!