Keeping With The Times

living, learning, and keeping with the times

15 Ideas to Help Make Your August Amazing

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Hello and good morning! As promised in my post of July 31st, I’ve compiled a list of 15 ideas to help make your August amazing . And because I’m going easy on myself this month, I decided to only come up with 15—as opposed to 31 (which would be my usual.)

Many of these I can hardly wait to accomplish, and some will be a bit of a challenge … as in the tent one (I may sleep in our new trailer instead ;)

31 Ideas to Make Your August Amazing

15 Ideas to Help Make Your August Amazing

  1. Buy bottles of bubbles and spend a morning photographing them as you blow them into the light! If you have children or grandchildren to help you … all the better! If not, just place your camera on a tripod, set the timer, and bubble away!
  2. Visit greenhouses and shop for mid-season clearance items, or for new arrivals such as late summer coneflowers, huge pots of mums, and dazzling dahlias. I used to restrict my flower purchases to spring, but now stores like Home Depot are bringing in fresh pots (and ideas) daily.
  3. Cut back flower pots that have become leggy and fertilize with a 15-15-30. My daughter gave me this tip, which she learned from a horticulturist at Lowes. This will give your plants a huge boost and make for an amazing last hurrah!
  4. Visit U-Picks for fresh veggies, berries, and fruits … these days a person doesn’t have to have a garden to enjoy the bounty that surrounds us!
  5. Shop local craft stores and/or attend markets (post coming soon)
  6. Shop the ditches!! I’m surrounded by wildflowers that make the most amazing bouquets! We have tansy, fireweed, cow parsley, clover, purple vetch, chamomile, oxeye daisies, and grasses growing with wild abandon. Just a word of caution though—you might want to check a wildflower guide or search online to make sure it’s OK to pick a certain species. On my foraging adventures I also see wild orchids and tiger lilies and I am well aware they are not to be picked. Not only is it illegal, but it’s also just not right. Everything I pick is a “noxious weed”.
  7. Make bouquets using only 3 items and sprinkle them around your house.
  8. Have a picnic in your own back yard, on a blanket, under the trees. Gather up a few lighthearted books, and magazines, and a pillow (just in case.)
  9. Sleep in a tent in your own back yard. Make it as comfortable possible (even drag a mattress outside if necessary ;)
  10. If you’re in North America, mark this date: August 21/2017 to watch the solar eclipse! You might not be able to see the total eclipse, but even a partial eclipse will be amazing (and magical.)
  11. Take social media breaks … not just for hours, but for days … gasp!! yes you can!!!
  12. Switch up your photography style: if you do mostly still life, try capturing macros or landscapes or simply dreamy light. It takes the pressure off (if you put pressure on yourself :)
  13. Make homemade ice cream (again, post coming soon) … this is life changing people ;)
  14. Read a classic, but keep it simple. I picked up Classic Tales of Horror by Edgar Allen Poe and after reading one story, I found myself so intrigued I was searching online for answers … very stimulating. I’m still thinking about it.
  15. Connect with someone you’ve lost touch with … it may change your life in positive ways you never dreamed possible.

So there you have it! My first of 4 (promised) posts for August.

I’m limping along here, but not giving up.

31 Creative Ideas to Inspire your Month of May

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Today I have a list of 31 creative ideas to inspire your month of May.

May is an exciting time for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring has arrived, the weather is warming up, and dreams of gardens and flowers are swirling around.

But … and it’s a big but … where I live, we can have frosts up until the end of May. If I dare put plants out before June, I can expect to be covering them or hauling them into the garage at least once and probably several times.

So what to do whilst waiting? Well, I came up with a list of things that could keep me busy and satisfied until the magic frost free-days arrive, and I thought I’d share it with you.Herb Pots, Keeping With the Times, 31 Creative Ideas to Inspire your Month of May

31 Creative Ideas to Inspire your Month of May

  1. Visit greenhouses often and simply enjoy the ambiance. Don’t buy too much (or anything) before you can actually put plants outside safely. Exception: an herb pot…
  2. … plant an herb pot ;) and keep it indoors until it can sit outside.
  3. Clean debris from the garden, rototill, and make the edges as neat and straight as possible before the grass gets growing.
  4. Plant spring bulbs (in the garden.)
  5. Start spring bulbs indoors. This year I’ve started a few anemones, the really gorgeous colourful ones. They’re sitting on a sunny windowsill downstairs and I can’t wait to see what happens.
  6. Wash and clean all garden pots so they’re ready when the weather is.
  7. Set out garden ornaments.
  8. Start a garden journal.
  9. Attend gardening seminars or landscaping classes that may be offered in your area.
  10. Purchase at least one great book on gardening. I have a series of gardening books that I refer to all the time by Lois Hole. They’re invaluable for my Zone 3a garden. I particularly love Perennial Favourites.
  11. If you have rain barrels, clean and put them out. If you don’t have rain barrels, why don’t you?
  12. Power wash your deck, veranda, garage pad.
  13. Clean out closets and get rid of clothing you know you’re never going to wear!
  14. Purchase a new outfit for spring/summer from a small store in your area (support local!)
  15. Clean and put away all winter clothes, shoes, boots, mitts, scarves, hats. Like … see ya later eh!
  16. Have a garage sale to clean out the clutter. At the end of the day have a give-a-way. Don’t take anything back into the house.
  17. Make a flower press (before the garden gets growing.)
  18. Sit in the sunshine. Just sit.
  19. Unplug regularly. Perhaps even designate one social media-free day. Who knows what amazing things might happen …
  20. Go on a road trip and make time to stop to take photos.
  21. Take a friend or family member to lunch (preferably at a greenhouse :)
  22. Walk, walk, walk. Just walk.
  23. Wash windows. You just cannot beat that sparkly window feeling!
  24. Buy a few new spring pillows and throws for your sofa.
  25. Set up garden furniture and make repairs if necessary.
  26. Make a wreath for your door. Gather twigs and add faux flowers. There are tons of ideas on Pinterest.
  27. Fancy up some terra cotta pots using these ideas from Better Homes and Gardens.
  28. If you have a mom, a grandma, or just know a mom … send them a Mother’s Day greeting.
  29. Try a new salad recipe. Hopefully you’ll find a favourite combination of veggies and fruits you can use all summer (you might like to try my super simple Maple Walnut Salad Dressing.)
  30. Clean your fridge, your stove, your barbeque … if you’d like some inspiring cleaning and organizing tips check my daughter’s blog here (it’s amazing!)
  31. On rainy days or even snowy days, blog about what you’ve been up to.

So now I’m off to practice what I preach … I have a seething pile of questionable “collectibles” under the deck that needs to be dealt with :)

31 Creative Ideas to Inspire your Month of May, Keeping With the TimesIf you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these:

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What Sets Your Soul on Fire?

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What sets your soul on fire?

When presented with that question, I think we all assume we must come up with the most amazing and astonishing answer. But the truth is, we don’t. Maybe what sets your soul on fire is reading a good book (and having the time to do it.)Be Fearless, Keeping With the Times, Word Art, What sets your soul on fire?Lots of things set my soul on fire … like a drive around the countryside listening to oven birds as they flit along a fence line, or the grasses as they sway in a gentle breeze.

One of the biggest things that sets my soul on fire is autumn and that “new beginning” feeling.

I know, it’s still mid to late summer and I don’t want to to rush it, but … I’m seeing slight changes in the landscape and feeling those old excited stirrings in my heart.

For me, autumn feels like a new beginning, and I suppose it harkens back to childhood; returning to school and the new clothes, shoes, books, and pencils it brought. Our family didn’t have a lot of money and any time we got new stuff it was a big deal.

I grew up on a farm and harvest was the biggest event of the year. I’m quite sure I picked up on the energy of my parents as they brought in the crops and put the grain safely away in bins. My mom would start baking bread, and hearty soups and stews. It was a satisfying time and I felt safe and secure.

So I’ve decided it’s time to craft an autumn bucket list of sorts … something like my 30 Ideas to Make June Magical post. I’d love it if you could join me (if only in your mind and on your private journal pages.) I’ll be posting mine in bits and pieces as we get closer to September.

And because I love quotes and word art, I’d love it if you could share some of your favourite quotes … and maybe, just maybe one or two will appear here as a freebie ;)

*****

I think this quote is by Jennifer Lee

30 Ideas to Make June Magical

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Coming up with 30 ideas to make June magical may seem like a lot, especially since it’s already the middle of the month, but trust me, there’s still time to dream!make june magical, dream, barb brookbank, keeping with the times, bella grace magazineI live on a small lake in the middle of the beautiful boreal forests of Central Alberta, Canada, and I draw inspiration from the natural beauty that surrounds me. As I type this post I’m listening to loons, geese, crows, and robins as they begin their day. It’s a regular cacophony!

It’s also pouring rain (again) for which I am always thankful! When you hear me say I’ve had enough rain, it will be time to get on the Ark ;)

For the last few years, I’ve primarily been a still life photographer, but there’s this other side of me that swoons over the dreamy, the impromptu, the unexpected.

Artful images that make my heart skip a beat when the light hits a subject a certain way, and reveals the magic in a seemingly ordinary moment.make june magical, dream, barb brookbank, keeping with the times, bella grace magazine… or leads my eyes (and my thoughts) into the distance …
make june magical, dream, barb brookbank, keeping with the times, bella grace magazine

One of the things I want to see this month is fireflies flitting through the aspens. Little sparkles that, when you first see them, defy comprehension. The first time I saw these little miracles, I was incredulous. I stared into the darkness and laughed and pointed in amazement until I realized how many there were, then I fell silent and simply watched. And I want to see them again.

So here’s my list of ideas to make my June magical:

30 Ideas to Make June Magical

  1. Watch fireflies on a warm evening.
  2. Wear comfortable clothes that flatter and flow (maybe even a skirt)!
  3. Explore the beautiful countryside where I live.
  4. Photograph it’s beauty.
  5. Spend an afternoon on a blanket spread out on the lawn, with only a stack of magazines and a cup of tea to keep me company.
  6. Find a great used book store.
  7. Take photos of fences, and barns, and cows.
  8. Visit the Devonian Botanical Gardens. It’s a half hour drive from my home and I haven’t visited in years and years.
  9. Spend as much time as I can in my garden. Maybe even stay out until dusk, coming inside just in time for a soak in the tub, and then to bed.
  10. Photograph my garden in creative ways.
  11. Have a campfire. Roast marshmallows.
  12. Pick and arrange tiny bouquets from my back yard and garden.
  13. Press flowers.
  14. Snip a few peonies before they open and place them in a bag in the fridge to be brought out and enjoyed a few weeks later.
  15. Use fresh herbs in all my cooking (I have tons of them growing in pots on my deck).
  16. Eat extra fresh fruits and veggies.
  17. Try a new recipe from one of my many beautiful cookbooks.
  18.  Sit on the dock early in the morning with a hot coffee and muffin (and maybe my hubby ;)
  19. Take a slow boat ride around the lake, again with hot coffee and a muffin, and definitely hubby!
  20. Say “no” to extra commitments.
  21. Go to the local town garage sale (this weekend – woot)!
  22. Keep my home clean and clutter-free (now that’s a dream).
  23. Sit at the kitchen table one afternoon with tea and a beautiful magazine. Watch the leaves on the aspens shiver in a light breeze.
  24. Have a pedicure.
  25. Get a haircut.
  26. Dream about a few classes I want to take this fall. Actual “in-person” classes. Maybe even book one or two.
  27. Sleep in as much as I can. I’m such an early riser, so a lazy morning is truly special.
  28. Have the occasional glass of wine … preferably red.
  29. Eat dinner outside.
  30. Put up patio lights.

I invite you to make a list of 30 things you want to experience this June. They don’t have to be big, earth shattering moments … keep it simple, and think magical.

Imagine … if you dream of 30 things, and 15 or even 10 come true … what will that feel like when the calendar turns to July? Pretty fabulous I’m betting!

*This post was inspired by my Bella Grace Instagram takeover earlier this month.