Wow, it’s hard to believe it, but next weekend is the July 4th holiday already. Time feels like a runaway train sometimes. The news channels seem to think it won’t be as big a travel holiday as it has been in the past since gas prices have gone up a bit again and many people are still struggling in this economy. I’ve never been very big on traveling on the holidays myself. I usually try to avoid it if I can since I can’t stand to be stuck in traffic or crowded airports. I much prefer traveling on off-peak times, so much more peaceful and generally less expensive too.
So this July 4th weekend we have a big neighborhood party going on. It’s great fun for everyone - lots of fun safe play for the kids with water balloons and harmless poppers. Then we’ll bbq and do the big fireworks when it starts to get dark. It’s a great way to get to know neighbors better and for the kids to spend time hanging out with other kids in the neighborhood. All and all a fun family way to spend the holiday. And then when things quiet down in a couple of weeks, we can head to the beach when it’s not so crazy and crowded.
If your kitchen is starting to show it’s age a bit, it might be time to start thinking some updates to your cabinets, appliances, and counter tops. Not only will you enjoy the look and convenience of having a more modern kitchen, but you’ll also increase the value of your home. Plus the newer appliances have become much more energy efficient and will offer you substantial savings on your monthly utility bills over the years. You can visit home supply stores such as Home Depot and find everything you need to create your new perfect kitchen.
Stores such as these often offer free in-store services and tools that can help you carefully plan out your new design. You can choose to do-it-yourself or hire someone from the store or elsewhere to complete the job. Some things to consider include what kind of flooring you’d like to have- there are a lot of excellent choices including wood flooring, wood-style flooring, ceramic tiling, bamboo, and more. Since there is an abundace of great appliances to choose from, you might want to research their repair history and ratings online before buying. Cabinets and counter tops are another personal choice to consider. Whatever you decide, take your time to choose something you and your family can enjoy for years.
I love to garden when I have the time, though I’m not practiced enough to be a pro at it. I don’t know the names of all of the plants we have around the yard, but I do try to keep care of them and keep the weeds to a minimum. One of our favorite annual traditions is planting a small vegetable garden. We don’t have a very big yard, so the spot is located in one of the open corners next to the shed and one of our big evergreens. The spot seems to have a good mix of sunshine and shade, though we live pretty far South so the summertime sun can be pretty brutal at times. As a whole, we’ve been able to grow some pretty good veggies over the years, mostly tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, cucumbers.
This year our little garden is failing miserably for some reason. Before planting we had added a good dose of organic fertilizer into the soil to replenish it. When we removed the plants from their containers we loosened the dirt as we always do, everything seemed to get off to the right start. But that was about a month and a half ago, and the plants are quite stunted. Oddly some tomatoes are popping out on a couple of the plants yet they only stand a foot or so high, which we’ve never encountered before. So we’ve turned the surrounding soil again and added some fresh fertilizer. I don’t know how much that will help. Otherwise it might be time to check with one of the local garden centers to see if we can salvage anything or if we still have time to start over.
It seems most of us end up running around all week long- whether its spending time at work and school, or running the many errands and carting the kids off to sporting games and play dates. So when the weekend finally rolls around we simply look forward to making time for some good old-fashioned family fun and much-needed precious rest and relaxation. While some people seem to prefer to pack their weekends with things to do, a lot of us prefer to try to schedule as few things as possible and take a break from the constant feeling of being on the go.
Top on the list is skipping the alarm clock and catching up on some much-needed sleep. Then there’s making time for some family meals, from big breakfasts of pancakes, bacon, and eggs to dinners cooked outside on the grill. Or maybe as a special treat, Mom and Dad can take a break from cooking and go out to eat for a change. Another favorite is family movie night - finding a movie everyone can enjoy and popping up a batch of buttery popcorn. It doesn’t matter so much what we do for family fun, as long as we focus on turning off the cell phones and spending some great time together.
Backyard barbecues and patios have come a long way over the years. In the years past a nice backyard might have had a simple wooden picnic table set on a concrete or brick patio. Dad would cook dinner on a simple charcoal grill filled with a bag of coals and lit with some lighter fluid. Now, years later, the backyard has become a festive outdoor living space, often treated as another extended room in the house, an oasisi lavishly furnished and decorated with comfortable cushioned seating and full outdoor kitchens with huge grill tops and refrigerators too. When it comes to decorating, no one does it quite like Martha Stewart .
If you visit her site you’ll find she has some wonderful examples of great outdoor living spaces along with fabulous decorating ideas in the outdoor living section. Her section on creative outdoor spaces has some great tips, descriptions, and photos full of fun and colorful ways to add pizzaz to your backyard areas. From canopies and handmade lanterns, to unique lighting fixtures and lovely grapevine covered arbors. You’re sure to find a theme that you and your family will love.
While the first day of summer doesn’t officially begin until June 21st, the arrival of Memorial Day weekend has traditionally ushered in the beginning for summer for many of us. It’s a weekend planning around family, barbecues, beach trips, and vacations. A lot of people hit the road to visit friends and family in other areas while many decide to stay home and relax, by the pool if they’re lucky. Time to set up the outdoor games and make sure the barbecue fuel tank is full for a weekend of grilled burgers and hotdogs.
For those of us that don’t already own a pool, it might be a good time to splurge for one of the neat inflatable pools that so many of the stores offer now. They come in some pretty decent sizes at surprising low budget rates. Set up is supposed to be pretty straight-forward and as long as you fill the pool up with a day to spare, the water should be warm enough to swim in over the weekend. You can just float around in the pool in the privacy of your own backyard. Sounds like a perfectly lovely way to spend a long holiday weekend in the sun.