Summer is here! This week’s post will be short and sweet as we transition into a slower summer schedule and spend time with friends and family.

*If you see an asterisk next to a link, it links to a video with sound. Just a heads-up in case you need to turn the volume down or pop on your headphones.

($) If you see this dollar symbol in a post, the link is an affiliate post. I will receive income or a discount on products if you purchase that item on Bookshop.org or anything on the Etsy or Prana website using my link. Income from the products in these links helps me to keep this blog growing.

HOME

I’m craving more Mediterranean food with the temperatures creeping up and just ordered two new cookbooks to explore.

Check out my Cookbook Library list ($) on Bookshop.org to get inspired for summertime recipes and gatherings with family and friends.

I’ve been leaning on quick meals to get us through these last few busy weeks, and Belle Vie sausage has been perfect for throwing together a Mediterranean-inspired meal. Belle Vie is also available through Farmhouse Delivery (Be sure to mention my name, Sommer Maxwell, for $10 off).

GARDEN

All the recent rain has made our garden flowers and plants tall and leggy. I’m spending my garden time pruning the bases of our pepper and tomato plants, pinching back new growth on our basil, and deadheading roses, cosmos, and zinnias to ensure the plants are full and stable for producing more flowers and fruit.

If you’ve had substantial rain in your area, you’ll probably notice that the plants are slow to fruit or ripen, seem stagnant in their growth, or have grown exponentially tall. Check out this article for more information about dealing with too much rain in the garden. An abundance of rain means pollinators are not present to pollinate flowers that create fruit. Too much rain causes root rot or disease, and limited sunlight inhibits the energy needed for creating food for the plants.

At the end of the season, once you are ready to collect seed from plants, you can stop pinching back or deadheading the plants to allow them to go to seed.

We’ve been harvesting Kentucky and Connecticut Wonder beans, Calypso cucumbers, Sunrise Bumblebee Tomatoes, Thai basil, blackberries, and a variety of zinnias and cosmos in the garden this week. We love this handmade trug ($) for bringing in the weekly harvest.

This is the first year I’ve grown Silene Blushing Lanterns for filler in flower bouquets, and I love their whimsical nature. The sunflowers seeded themselves in the same area as the Silene Blushing Lanterns, so I’m busy weeding out sunflowers to make room. Luckily, we have plenty of sunflowers in other areas of the garden to feed our backyard wildlife.

Have you heard about the cicadas emerging in the US?

WELLNESS

We’ve got more rainy weather ahead, and I’m looking forward to diving into my June book stack and making time for movies.

Sometimes a re-watch of an old favorite is just what I need. I’ve always been drawn to the more quirky indie films and tv shows, and here are a few of my favorites.

The Beautiful Fantastic, Stealing Beauty, Juno, The Gilmore Girls, Always Be My Maybe, New Girl, and cooking shows like Nadiya’s Time to Eat are always comfort watches for me.

Don’t forget the popcorn!

What’s your favorite comfort watch when you need downtime? Comment below to share with the community!

CREATIVITY

Summer is a great opportunity to make more time for reading for the whole family. Why not make reading more fun by making a summer themed bookmark using found materials around the house?

1. Begin with a sturdy piece of card stock or thin cardboard (one side of a cereal box works well for this) cut into a 2” x 6” piece (or measure your favorite book and make adjustments).

2. Cut up magazine pieces, tissue paper, wrapping paper, thin paper labels from summertime food packaging, thin fabric, photographs, old book pages, schoolwork or artwork from the year, or any sort of scrap paper.

3. Start with an inspiration photo (I love Unsplash for inspiration) or use your imagination!

4. Use Mod Podge, glue or tape to attach the colorful scraps into your design.

5. I like to use wax paper on top of the pieces to smooth them down without getting glue on my hands or damaging the paper in the process.

6. Add a saying, quotation or the person’s name (or even the month like I did for my TBR list!) and embellishments with crayons, watercolor paint, tempera paint, markers, pencils, or fine liner pens.

BOOKSHELF

I just finished up the memoir Crying in H Mart ($) by Michelle Zauner. It was SO good. Heartbreaking, moving, and witty, it had me scribbling Korean dish names in my reading journal to look up later. I found myself needing to pause or copy down weighty quotations from the book that hit me right in the heart and brought me to tears. With so many life events we have no control over, this book is a reminder to enjoy the time you have with the ones you love.

In next week’s post we’ll be warming up our library cards for summer reading, and I’ll share some great picks to keep the kids reading all summer as well as a few of my favorite bookstores I’ve come across while traveling.

Comment below if you have a favorite bookstore you enjoy visiting when you travel.

Reading: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous ($) by Ocean Vuong, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man ($) by Emmanuel Acho, and People We Meet on Vacation ($) by Emily Henry

Listening to: We’re Going to Need More Wine ($) by Gabrielle Union

Recently Finished: Crying in H Mart ($) by Michelle Zauner, Midnight in the Blackbird Cafe ($) by Heather Webber, The Downstairs Girl ($) by Stacey Lee, and Work in Progress ($) by Leanne Ford and Steve Ford

Up next: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together ($) by Heather McGhee, Refuge ($) by Dina Nayeri, The Stationery Shop ($) by Marjan Kamali, and Caste ($) by Isabel Wilkerson

In case you are looking for book recommendations for kids (or yourself!), gift ideas for all ages or want to peek into my TBR List for 2021, head over to the 52 Seasons Book Shop on Bookshop.org or give a Bookshop.org gift card!

COMMUNITY

We are looking forward to watching High on the Hog on Netflix as a family this month.

Support local readers by supporting your local library or library foundation like the Austin Library Foundation.