Oh, have we anticipated you and all the sweetness you bring! So much to celebrate and savor during the summer months. The season of playfulness. The sun, the warmer temps, the longer days, and the world in full bloom encourage us to tap into our childlike spirits and have FUN!
Here at jgoods, we believe that life’s moments, no matter how small, are meant to be celebrated and summer is no exception!
Check out 5 fun ways to celebrate the arrival of SUMMER below:
1. Garden
Don't have a green thumb? Don't have the space? Don't have the time? No problem! You can start small, one pot at a time. Potting a geranium is a fun way to add color to your front porch. Potting an impatiens is the perfect companion to a shaded backyard. Or how about some herbs? Cilantro, basil, parsley, and rosemary are yummy additions to a kitchen window and your summer salads! Playing in the dirt celebrates summer by grounding us in nature and reminding us to savor the sunshine that not only fuels the garden but our souls!
2. BBQ
Gather your friends and family and enjoy quality time cooking, eating, playing yard games, and creating memories. Make it a potluck and ask everyone to bring their favorite summer dish to share! Jana's husband, Dan, is the BBQ man in our family. From meals on the Traeger, wings on the smoker, to homemade pizza in the wood-burning stove. Hungry yet?! Check out Dan's favorite BBQ sauce to add to your summer BBQs this summer here. The yummiest way to celebrate summer!
3. Farmers market
Fresh air and fresh produce make for a perfect summer morning at the farmer's market! You will leave feeling good about supporting your community and all the goodies you found. We love browsing all the delicious foods in season, buying our favorites, and letting the produce be our inspiration for the week's meals! Often farmer's markets have more than seasonal foods too. Enjoy live music, food trucks, and other local vendors offering homemade products. Find a farmers market near you to celebrate summer at the Minnesota Grown website here.
4. Lake time
There is no better companion for summer than a lake, especially in Minnesota. The lake seems to just know what you need. Serving up adrenaline bracing yourself for the cold water’s impact as you cannonball off a dock. Eliciting belly laughs as kids zoom over waves on tubes. Helping you let down your hair as you cruise along its surface on the boat. Encouraging you to seek adventure as you reach for the paddle board or kayak. Fostering resilience as you shout ‘one more try’ with skis strapped to your feet and rope in your hand. Reminding you to slow down and savor as you sip your morning coffee breathing in the lake’s vast presence. Celebrate summer at the lake, you may just get exactly what you need!
5. Bonfire
The famous Midwest sunset turning the sky into brilliant shades of orange and pink and a coolness blankets the air. These are your cues to grab your favorite old sweatshirt, some logs, bug spray, and all the ingredients to make Smores. It's bonfire time! The smell of bonfire lingering on your clothes and hair is summer's ultimate embrace! Ready to step up your Smore game this summer? Why not add peanut butter cups, fruit spreads, caramel, nut butter, and other favorite treats? Check out these 3 gourmet Smore recipe ideas for inspiration here. Like a classic Smore but still want to elevate your Smore experience? Add these festive Smore plates and napkins to your Smore kits!
We asked and you answered. Check out how fellow readers celebrate summer!
💐Life just seems to be more carefree in the summer! Easy to celebrate simple pleasures like the beautiful weather, sitting barefoot in the grass, bonfires after the baby goes down, lots of walks, cabin weekends where you leave exhausted but heart so full...oh and rose wine, can't forget that!
💐My 1 year old loves his water table and cabin weekends with his cousins!
💐Playing with my grandkiddos at the park and the lake!
💐Pontoon rides, seeing my grandkids excited about 'bear hunts', bees, ants, and quiet nature! Homemade popsicles, the boys smoking something nummy, playing cards and just being together!
💐Walks around Lake Harriet with my kiddos watching their wonder as they find the gnome house in the tree and leave their letters and gifts for them.
💐Getting ice cream at Sebastian Joe's. Check it out here.
💐Dining Al Fresco!
💐Seeing our driveway full of chalk art!
💐Fully submerging into the lake for the first time of the season!
Cheers to the summer months ahead, may they be filled with play no matter how old you are!