Mornin'!
Summer is nearly here and I've gone back to a post that I shared last July for today. Last year, I shared a ton of ideas for summertime fun...at home. Because of the pandemic, last summer, most folks were staying home and finding ways to make summer a memorable time with fun a bit closer to their own homes and yards and hometown. This year, even though some folks are travelling, we still don't feel comfortable with that. (Plus, we've never been summertime travellers anyway. We much prefer to travel in the autumn or spring...or even winter.)
Whatever you are doing in your family, I hope these ideas spark some inspiration to make summer a FUN, MAGICAL, MEMORABLE time this year. I've taken my ideas and recommendations from last year's post and added to them slightly, thanks to some new finds I discovered over the last twelve months. All of these recommendations come tried and true from yours truly; I only ever share my personal favorites.
So without further ado... here are my ideas for some summertime fun!
TO WATCH:
I'll admit that one of my favorite ways to spend summer nights is by curling up on the couch and watching a movie or a few episodes of a show that I love. Honestly, when it's so hot outside and the mosquitoes are out with an agenda to feast on me, I would rather stay inside. (In the summer, I am 100% an indoor girl. Ha!) Some of these movies whisk you away and others are more homey and settled. Either way, I love all of these dearly and they all have brought me delight, fun, and more often than not, magic, every single time I watch them. And some of these, I watch regularly.
Princess Diaries (1 & 2)
Father of the Bride (1 & 2)
The Sound of Music (A visit to Austria in days gone by is always a good idea.)
Because of Winn-Dixie
The Prince and Me
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (such a summery movie and takes me back to my childhood in the early 2000s)
The Middle
H20: Just Add Water (Australia, mermaids, the beach, magic...a favorite from my teen years that I still love!)
Cheaper by the Dozen (1 & 2)
Sweet Home Alabama
Anne of Green Gables (For that magical Prince Edward Island adventure.)
Julie and Julia (In case you're wanting to visit Paris and NYC and cook and eat some delicious foods.)
Letters to Juliet (If you're itching to travel to the Italian countryside.)
Leap Year (For your Irish holiday adventuresome dreams.)
The Parent Trap (with Lindsay Lohan; for some fun in both California's wine country and London)
The Parent Trap (the old version)
Under the Tuscan Sun (another Italian countryside getaway)
Matilda (I have many memories of this movie, especially watching it on hot summer days, as a little girl.)
The Hundred-Foot Journey (for a foodie holiday to France)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (in case your bibliophile's heart needs a kindred spirit movie)
Harry Potter (for some magical fun at Hogwarts)
Gilmore Girls (when is it ever not a good idea to go to Stars Hollow?)
Heartland
7th Heaven
Merlin (BBC series)
A Cinderella Story (a childhood favorite with Hilary Duff)
Call the Midwife
Downton Abbey
Home Fires
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (this started out as a TV series and then became a movie series)
Blue Bloods
Little Women (I love the 1994 movie and the BBC mini-series.)
Little Forest (a gentle, calm and magical movie, both with Japanese and Korean versions. I've only seen the Korean version so far, but it is a dream!)
The Great British Bake Off
The Big Family Cooking Showdown
Cinderella and the Four Knights (a favorite K-drama!)
Clean With Passion for Now (another very favorite K-drama!)
Flower of Evil (a crime/suspense/thriller sort of K-drama)
The K2 (my newest K-drama obsession)
TO READ:
The following books are my recommendations for the perfect summer read. Some of these take you far away for a grand adventure and others are simply gentle, light, fun reads that are perfect for lazy summer days or late nights. I love a mixture of the different story styles and these all are heartily recommended by yours truly. No heavy reads here; I am definitely not a fan of those sorts of books.
Prince Edward Island Dreams series of 3 books by Liz Johnson (takes place on Prince Edward Island)
A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay (takes place mostly in the Italian countryside)
The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay (story set in the lush English countryside)
The Secrets of Paper and Ink by Lindsay Harrel (set in Cornwall, England)
Can't Help Falling by Kara Isaac (set in Oxford, England...a lovely read for Narnia and Lewis fans)
Close to You by Kara Isaac (set in New Zealand, and a charming read for Tolkien and Hobbit fans)
Close to You by Kara Isaac (set in New Zealand, and a charming read for Tolkien and Hobbit fans)
There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones (an absolute delight set on the west coast of Ireland...one of my favorite places on earth!)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer
On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher (a sweet family-centered story on an island off the coast of Maine; book one of three)
Brambley Hedge series by Jill Barklem (the most wonderful children's picture books; one all adults should read, too!)
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert (book one of the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter mystery series)
The Penderwicks series of 5 books by Jeanne Birdsall (the sweet series of a family that has Little Women vibes)
TO LISTEN:
My summertime playlist is filled with songs that make you want to crank up the volume and cut loose and others that bring a bit of peacefulness to a calm summer evening outside by the firepit...or for those late-night baking sessions that I love to have! One of my favorite things to do is attend concerts, specifically Irish music concerts. Whether I'm listening to my favorite music at a concert, a music festival, in the car, or at home, they bring me happiness without fail. Either way, these are some of my favorite tunes for the summertime...
Keith Harkin
Emmet Cahill (I've seen him in concert 6 times.)
Celtic Thunder Heritage, Mythology, Voyage, Voyage 2, and X (We've been to 3 CT concerts.)
Cuig (We saw Cuig twice in 2019 at a music festival and it was some of the most fun I've ever had.)
The High Kings (The two concerts I've seen of them were beyond awesome.)
Two Benedictions
John Denver
Ed Sheeran (not all of his songs are appropriate, but I do love lots of them)
1994 Little Women soundtrack
Pride and Prejudice 2005 soundtrack
Miss Potter soundtrack
Call the Midwife soundtrack
Studio Ghibli music is whimsical in every way.
Orla Fallon
I Dream of You (various volumes)- JJ Heller
TO DO:
I compiled a list of as many summery activities as I could think of. These are all things that my family and I have done, are doing, or will do...I only recommend what I know and love myself. All of these can be done at home and are so simple...you just need a bit of creativity and imagination and some of that summer magic and there you have it...a summer of fun right at home!
~ have a tea party in your garden...or inside if it's too hot or rainy out. (HERE is all my tea party inspiration to share with you.)
~ delight in some simple sewing projects...aprons, dresses, skirts, pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains, book covers, bookmarks, coasters, bunting, etc.
~ have your own book club with your family and/or friends.
~ go for a drive in the countryside and take your camera along.
~ spend an afternoon touring your city by car...and take your camera, too!
~ go for a picnic at a local park if it's not busy...or just go in your own garden.
~ have an indoor picnic and watch a movie.
~ plan themed meals for dinner...ethnic foods, movie-themed foods, snacky foods, etc.
~ go for a bike ride or a walk...take your dog, too!
~ knit, crochet, hand embroidery, cross-stitch, quilt...the list goes on forever.
~ read a book or two or ten.
~ binge-watch a new show or have a movie marathon.
~ sit around the firepit in the evenings and roast marshmallows if you fancy it.
~ rearrange the furniture in your home.
~ have a late-night baking session...and listen to music whilst you are baking.
~ paint or draw the nature around you.
~ garden or pick a bouquet to put in a vase on your kitchen table.
~ do some simple DIYs to ditch the chemicals in your home and convert to natural, healthy alternatives.
~ redecorate a room using things you already have.
~ exercise using simple videos on YouTube
~ pick something you want to learn about and read up on it...using books, the internet, etc.
~ bake homemade bread or learn a new breadmaking skill
~ have your own version of The Great British Bake-Off right in your own kitchen.
~ tidy up a room or closet
~ wash windows, doors, baseboards, ceiling fans, light fixtures...those things that often get forgotten
~ choose a cookbook and cook through it as much as looks good to you
~ try a new recipe at least once or twice a week (May I recommend checking out my page of recipes HERE?)
~ have an at-home spa day and use healthy recipes online for facials, etc.
~ have an indoor campout and sleep in the living room in sleeping bags, etc.
~ have breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast
~ have dessert first one night
~ design a pretty picture with chalk on the sidewalk
~ have lots of dance parties
~ make raspberry cordial and watch Anne of Green Gables or make butterbeer and watch Harry Potter
~ make your own journal or book diary