My Summer in a Nutshell

Labor Day is behind us. In my book that means summer is over. Of course, that felt more true back when I lived in Minnesota. Here in Missouri it may be another 4 or 5 weeks until the summer temps and humidity give way to the perfection of Fall. Still, I can't help but call September a Fall month. Old habits die hard.

Thought it might be fun to close out this Summer with a quick round-up, so here it goes:

Summer Favorites

 I've long been a fan of Triscuits (the original) but don't often eat them. Mostly I try to limit the amount of processed foods I eat in general, but Hubby needed something new for his lunches so we gave these a try. Much to my surprise I loved them. Can't get enough of them. The main ingredient is brown rice instead of wheat, which gives it a really nice flavor. Plus. there aren't a ton of things in it. Yum.

Brown Rice Triscuits - Sea Salt and Black Pepper 

Okay, so this one might sound a little crazy. But my other favorite thing from this summer is this handmade goats milk soap that I picked up at this little boutique in this little town on the Mississippi called LaCrosse Wisconsin. That's not the crazy part. This is - the scent is called Earthy Dirt. It's literally dirt scented soap, and I just love it. Generally I like that earthen smell that lingers on fresh picked veggies that have never been sprayed with chemicals, or from hands that have been digging around in the dirt. The scent of the soap captures that essence, it's very subtle and doesn't hang around beyond the hand washing, which makes it ideal for those of us with sensitivities to smell. Plus, these goats milk soaps just feel great on the skin.

Looks like it could be a fancy mint fudge but no, it's dirt scented soap.

Summer Success

I guess the biggest success of the summer is getting some big projects done around the house.

Hubby and his dad built these great storage shelves in the basement. We've already filled them with stuff but the empty shelves look nicer so that's what I'm showing you.

I painted this night stand that I found at the antique store and switched out the drawer pull.

Instead of a nightstand for Hubby's side of the bed I painted this small bookcase - we needed the extra shelf space. Another great antique store find - it was painted black when I bought it.

The final big project we completed was switching the contents of one spare bedroom with the other. Our spare bedroom is now our office/craft room and our office/craft room is now our spare bedroom. I don't really have a picture of either yet since neither is really decorated and ready for viewing. But I'll show you both when they are done.

Summer Failure

The big failure of the summer has been my No Soliciting sign. I bought a piece of wood, painted it and then tried 3 different ways to get the lettering done. Each attempt failed miserably. I finally thought I had figured it out so I started over with a new piece of wood and fresh paint. It still failed but have decided it would do for now. I'll take another stab at it when things quiet down, I'm certain I know how to fix the problem at this point, but for the next several months this mess is going to have to do the job.

The bubbling drives me crazy so I try not to look at it when coming and going

Highlight

The highlight of the summer really has been making a friend. The first friend I've made since the onset of my chronic pain. It's a big deal for me. Best of all, she lives right next door.

Lowlight

The lowlight really has been my health. Remember all those projects I just mentioned, well it came at a price. I've pushed myself this summer and my body pushed back. Of course, you may also remember from my last post that I've come up with a good plan to help me manage better in the months to come.

What I've been reading

Yet another Dean Koontz book. The last 3 I read have been his. Right now I'm working on one called Breathless. Quite the page turner. You may have noticed it on the picture of the nightstand above.


So, that's my Summer in a nutshell. Now I'm just waiting, somewhat impatiently, for the weather outside to start feeling like Fall - my favorite time of the year.