Happy Wednesday! We are in full on cozy season here, but I am still trying to get outdoors as much as I can even if it’s just for a walk with my dogs.
A crisp morning where you can truly see all the signs of changing seasons.
Speaking of the outdoors, I am just wrapping my second summer of growing a garden and year two went very differently than year one.
Here’s my post from the start of the season when I had high hopes for this summer.
This year I had a mix of seeds and plants for vegetables. I had plans to harvest pumpkins, squash, strawberries, onions, peas, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers (yes, I know, I had a lot of expectations).
I kept my plants in a mix of soil and pots in different areas. I checked on them every day and watered them consistently and made sure they had lots of sun.
Unfortunately, this year’s harvest was not as plentiful as my first year. I found that the plants that I purchased did better than the seeds.
Halfway through the summer
Some of my seeds did not even produce vegetables, which was a bit disappointing.
The end of the season
I did get some vegetables like a tomato, a cucumber, and some strawberries and they were delicious and so flavorful!
Some of the tomatoes I grew
My cucumber!
More veggies
Once again, it was a fun experience, but a bit frustrating when I didn’t get the results I was hoping for.
Enjoying some of the fruits of my labor
My plan is to try and grow more vegetables next year and I goal is to buy plants instead of seeds.
Some of my fruits
Even more fruits, small, but mighty!
If you are an avid gardener, what advice would you give and did you have a successful harvest?
The last of my harvest
I would love to hear about your experience so I can better prepare for next year.
Happy Wednesday! I hope your days are filled with sunshine, summer snacks, and sunrises or sunsets. Summer is in full swing, I can’t believe we are halfway through July, time needs to slow down. I have been doing my best to savor the summer days as much as I can without rushing through life.
Soaking up summer fun like by mini golfing!
For the second year, I decided to grow a garden. Last summer, I started small with carrots, peas, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. I learned a lot about over and under watering plants, daily plant checks, and most of all, patience.
A perfect salad with all the veggies from last year!
The best part was enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of my labor and sharing them with others. I was satisfied with my experience last year, that I decided to do it again this year, with some changes.
Cucumbers growing.
My tomatoes!
I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I was eager to do it again this year.
I decided to spread out my garden to two different spots, one in the same section, and the other in planters since I decided to add more veggies this year.
For summer 2024, I decided to grow cucumbers, peppers, carrots, onions, peas, strawberries, squash, pumpkins, and tomatoes.
I planted the pumpkins, strawberries, squash and cucumbers in one spot.
Then I planted the carrots, peas, onions, tomatoes, and peppers in the raised beds. I did this method for this year to give more space for the vegetables to grow.
This year I also got a mix of seeds and some plants that were already growing. I decided to do a combination to see how the vegetables would fair. I have noticed that the plants have been growing faster than the seeds for obvious reasons, but I have enjoyed the process of seeing them both grow and mature.
Growing a garden has brought me a sense of peace and connecting with the earth. I always like to start or end my day by checking on and by watering my garden. It’s a few moments of peace before or after a busy day that brings me joy and contentment. I love getting the fresh air daily and I like seeing the hard work pay off, even if it takes a whole season.
I am eager to see how my veggies and fruits do, especially the new ones that I planted this year. I am by no means an expert gardener, but I have enjoyed this new hobby and was happy that I could do it again this summer. Plus, it gives me more time outside, which I will never complain about.
I really enjoyed year one of growing a garden and year two has been off to a great start as well.
Tell me: if you have a green thumb, what’s your advice for planting and growing?
Plus, if you started a new hobby, what have you enjoyed the most about it? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week! It’s starting to feel more and more like fall. The leaves are starting to change, it’s getting cooler and it’s almost time to start pulling out legging and long sleeve t-shirts.
Today’s post is a bit of a different spin on the weather. One of my summer goals was to grow a garden. I have always wanted to get my hands dirty and see if I had a green thumb. I love vegetables and planned to challenge myself to see if I could grow my own. My first summer of being a gardener is in the books, so I wanted to share what I learned and a bit about my experience. I am by no means an expert gardener. This was my first year giving it a try and I’m happy with the results, even if it did have some ups and downs. I learned a lot and I will be taking what I learned this year and using it when I garden in the future.
I started the process back in May, with the help of my boyfriend, who has helped grow his fair share of vegetable. I did some research on what plants vegetables to try and grow. Since this was my first year, I decided to not go overboard and start small by planting seeds for tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, carrots and peppers. I got the seeds at our local nursery and went home to plant them.
I found a section of the garden, dug the holes, planted the seeds and covered them with fresh planting soil and gave them some water.
The start of my garden
I like to be creative whenever I can, so I made signs for each plant so I could keep track of what I planted and where it was located.
The signs
Then the tending began. I checked on my garden every day and watered them frequently. It was exciting to see the progress of my vegetables grow through the summer, what started out as seeds, turned into stems, blossoms, leaves and eventually fully grown vegetables.
Just the beginning
The biggest thing I learned through the process of growing a garden this summer was the power of patience and accepting trial and error. It takes a while for things to grow sometimes things don’t always grow according to plan or grow at all.
My garden growing- peas, carrots, and cucumbers.
For example, I started out with a lot of peas, but they quickly died, after researching I think it was due to being overwatered. I also got blossoms on my pepper plants, and they grew a lot too.
Early pepper plants.
While it was frustrating and disappointing, I still had other plants to care for.
My first set of veggies! Peas!
Other vegetables did fairly well. I got a handful of tomatoes, while small, they were tasty, and I was very proud of them.
The fruits of my labor
My tomatoes!
I used them to make a Peach Caprese Salad.
A fresh salad with veggies from the garden
I also got a handful of cucumbers, I really enjoyed seeing them grow from week to week and lastly, I got carrots!
My cucumbers!
I started the summer with the hopes to grow five different vegetables and ended up with three, for my first time growing a garden, I’m pretty proud of successfully growing different vegetables and being able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
My baby tomatoes
I will definitely be growing a garden again and I want to try my hand at some new vegetables too. I really enjoyed the process of growing vegetables, and my favorite part was having something to show for a hard summer’s work. Next summer, I may change where I grow my plants and may change my watering habits. I have a much better appreciation for fruits and vegetables especially when I see how long it takes to grow the individual vegetables.
Cucumbers growing.
There’s no better feeling than accomplishing your goals and it feels pretty good when they are a success and taste good too.
If you have grown a garden, I want to hear about your experience! What did you learn and what have you grown?
Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week! Remember how I felt like July went by in a blink of an eye? Well August went by even faster. This month has been a whirlwind between traveling, big work projects, back to school, and wrapping up summer fun!
As one month end and another one begins, I’m recapping this past month and all the memories and adventures that came with it.
Here’s a look at this month’s Currently.
What I’m Up To: This past month has been all about soaking up the final days of summer, from hiking in new places, completing bucket list items, and traveling to new places, I have been busy but in the best way possible.
It’s local festival season!
And local farm show season!
Plus, no summer event isn’t complete without a funnel cake!
I’ve attended community fairs and festivals, been spending lots of time outside and have been reading lots of fun, summer books.
My trip to Toronto was a highlight for sure!
What I’m Wearing: I have been continuing the trend of shorts and graphic tees.When my family and I went on vacation to San Diego, California, I wore a lot of neutrals to mix and match and keep it simple for travel. Here’s some of my favorite summer outfits. My shorts are from Old Navy and so are some of my shirts too.
A few of my looks from vacation.
Lots of color coordinated outfits.
And some bright colors too!
I have also been doing my best to wear all the bright colors for my dresses for work. I only have a small window to wear in the warm months, so I’m doing my best to wear them all.
Bright blue for work!
What I’m Reading: This past month has been such a good month for reading for me
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch follows the story of a young girl who loses her mom and her mom’s dying wish is for her daughter to go to Florence and reconnect with people from her mother’s time when she lived there. This book checks all the boxes for a cute rom com book. Dreamy city, beautiful description, incredible Italian food and desserts, and a little romance too. I blitzed through this book and was so sad when it came to an end.
The sweetest summer book!
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune tells the story a young woman who takes over her mother’s resort on the lake. She plans on making some changes when she gets some unexpected help from someone from her past that she always wanted to forgot. I really enjoyed the story and finished it within a week. I’m also excited that it’s going to be making its way to the screen as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be working with Netflix to turn it into a movie.
Better than Fiction by Alexa Martin and it combined two of my favorite hobbies, reading and hiking! This book follows the story of a young woman who inherits her grandmother’s book store. As she tries to manage this new project, enter a fan-favorite author. He’s visiting her small town for inspiration for his new book and they make a deal. She shows him around the area and he teaches her how to love books.
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler follows the story of a young woman who makes it her mission to deliver her neighbor turned best friend’s ashes to her long lost lover. However, the journey to get the ashes delivered does not go smooth. She ends up traveling with someone from her past and they endure all sorts of detours. The book goes back and forth between the past and present and there’s so many twists and turns, you will question if they will ever make it to their final destination.
What I’m Watching: As summer winds down, I’m finishing up my summer shows. I finished season two of the Summer I Turned Pretty. Overall, I thought the season was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed the first season more but I thought the second season had some great storylines and the finale left a lot of questions for season 3! If you watched, what did you think of the finale and Belly’s choice?
I also finished the first part of Outlander. This was another show that had a lot of ups and downs this season. There were some major plot twists with characters that I did not see coming. I’m anxious to see where it picks up and how things get wrapped up when it returns.
I also finished season two of “And Just Like That”, it was such a good season. I loved the callbacks to earlier seasons of the show, the fashion and the friendships. The finale was really good, especially with the surprise appearance by Samantha! I was also excited to see that the show was renewed for season 3! I already can’t wait for next season!
And last but not least, I finished the new season of Sweet Magnolias. Although, there was some drama this season including some fights, fallouts and relationship shakeups between characters, I really enjoyed seeing the characters come together in the end.
What Inspires Me: I have been enjoying all the summer salads with fresh fruits and vegetables. I hate wasting food, so I have been enjoying salads and bowls with lots of food that I already have in the fridge. Here’s been some of my favorite salads.
A spinach and strawberry and pecan salad. This is the perfect blend of fruits, veggies and some crunch too.
Strawberry and spinach salad
A steak salad on top a bed of veggies keeps you full and gives you lots of flavor.
A steak salad
A peach and chicken salad
Speaking of fresh vegetables, I have been so inspired and proud of my garden. Although, I have lost some plants, I’m so happy with the ones that have grown and flourished. I’ll be doing a bigger blog post on this later in the season, but seeing seeds turn into bright, red tomatoes is certainly inspiring.
My baby tomatoes
The fruits of my labor
Four fresh tomatoes
What I Accomplished: August was a busy month. I kicked it off by attending our local National Night Out.
My boyfriend and I did a day trip to Toronto, you can read about our adventure here.
The iconic Toronto sign
My boyfriend and I also went blueberry picking for the first time which was so much fun and I made some tasty muffins too!
Our haul
The best way to use blueberries!
Soaking up the end of summer with nighttime concerts.
Summer S’mores!
My family and I took our family vacation to San Diego which was so fun! We packed a lot in and made a ton of memories. It was the best way to spend time together before we all went our separate ways from school to work.
From the palm trees
The hikes and ocean
Enjoying some iconic West Coast food.
The San Diego Zoo
Balboa Park
Goals from Last Month: I accomplished my goal of running my first 5K, you can read about my journey here.
Finishing my first 5K!
I accomplished almost everything from my summer bucket list. There were a few things that I didn’t get done, but I plan to do them in the fall.
The best part of this past month was all the family time. The older I get, the more, I realize how important family time is and how much I try to treasure every moment I have with my family and siblings. This summer has been so special that we have all been home under one roof.
End of summer Lobster rolls!
Goals for Next Month: Even though it’s September, I still plan on enjoying the warm weather and soaking up the sunshine. I’m not ready to think about fall yet, but I know I will have to eventually, right now, I’m all about savoring every last bit of summer. I will also be sharing my fall bucket next week!
Enjoying evening walks after work can continue in the fall.
There you have it, another Currently in the books. Tell me, what were some of your favorite parts of August?
Let me know in the comments below! Have a great rest of your week and end of August! See you back here on Friday!
Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you are in the midst of soaking up the days of summer. Although summer as an adult isn’t nearly as fun as summer as a child, I am still enjoying the sunshine, warm weather and family time! This past week, I got the chance to catch up with two friends, spent lots of time outdoors and went on some fun day trips!
My pup enjoying the sunshine!
This week’s Friday Favorites has all things summer as we make our way through June! Let’s get started as I link up with Erika and Andrea!
Summer Garden– I teased this last week in my post and talked about it in my summer bucket list, but one of my goals for this summer was to plant a garden. I’ve been looking for a creative outlet where I could have an end result and I found it by planting a garden. Since I am just a beginner, I decided to keep it simple and do some seeds and some plants. I decided to buy cucumbers, tomatoes, and pepper plants and then carrot and pea seeds. I wanted to have a variety of options in case they didn’t all work out. Fingers crossed, I get to see the finished product in a few months, but I did enjoy picking the seeds, tending the garden and making signs too. I’ll keep you updated on my progress this summer!
My garden!
and signs!
Sure as the Sunrise– I mentioned this daily devotional by Emily Ley back in January and I have been reading it every morning and just finished it. It’s 100 daily devotionals and reflections with space for thoughts too. I took a brief break during Lent to do another devotional and just finished Ley’s book in time for summer. I really loved how the book was set-up with daily scripture, reflection and questions. Then at the end of every week, there were a few questions you could answer. You don’t have to start on January 1, so if you are looking for a new devotional or morning reading companion, I highly recommend this one.
My favorite way to start the day
Birkenstocks– This may be one of my favorite birthday gifts. After seeing the trends for years, I finally decided to hop on the Birkenstock bandwagon and I’m so glad I did! I was on the hunt for a pair of sandals I could throw on if I had to run out to get the mail, hit the store, wear by the pool or just go for a walk and these were just what I was looking for. I love the rubber material (perfect for the pool) and white color. They are so comfortable too. I know these will be a favorite all summer long!
New favorite summer shoe!
Chicken Kabobs– Another birthday related favorite! I decided on grilled Chicken Kabobs and veggies for my birthday dinner with pasta and fruit salad and it was delicious. I love grilled chicken with lots of seasoning and flavor and these were the perfect way to welcome 25! I am looking forward to trying new recipes with chicken kabobs and grilling this summer. I can’t wait to try new summer recipes. If you have any you love, drop them in the comments below!
Best birthday dinner!
Queen Charlotte– I finished a lot of series in May, so as June rolled around I was looking for a new show to start and I found that with Queen Charlotte! I love Bridgerton, so I was anxious to watch the prequel to the series. It definitely has the same feel of Bridgerton with the characters, clothes, one-liners and scenery, but has a heavier feel (if that makes sense?) I really have enjoyed learning about the Queen’s backstory and it has been such a fun way to escape our world and head back in time. The episodes are a bit longer, but there are fewer in the season. This would be a great summer binge!
Such a fun show to start!
That’s just a peak into life lately. Some fun new gifts, new shows, tasty food and hobbies! How have you been enjoying your summer so far? Let me know in the comments below!
