Friday, August 20, 2010

Lovely Links: "End of August Already?!" Edition

Is anyone else a little freaked out that August is on its way out?  Time flies.

Anyway, I've always liked the picture above. Norman Rockwell totally captured that pre- and post-vacation feel.  But I felt it was apropos for an end of summer post, too. It captures how I feel about the season. At the beginning, in June, I'm like the top picture, raring to go: barbecues, hours spent watching the boy play in the inflatable pool (while sitting next to it, bathing my feet), picnics, gardening, fireworks, popsicles, the whole shebang. By about now, I'm feeling like the bottom picture.  Summer was fun while it lasted and I'll miss it, but I'm feeling pretty ready for fall. Oh boy, don't even get me started on the many, many reasons I love fall...

So, before I totally brush off the summer season (I mean, it doesn't technically end until late September), I thought I'd share a few more summery links.  Enjoy!

Homemade Sidewalk Paint -- Hip Mountain Mama Blog
Just when I felt like I was running out of new things to do with the boy this summer, I came across this. So, so easy to make.  Just water, cornstarch, and food coloring. Thrifty and fun! Plus, a great way to reuse those yogurt cups you wash and save. You do wash and save them, don't you?

Spotlight Ingredient: Sweet Summer Corn -- Simple Bites
Maybe you're awesome and you're harvesting your own sweet corn.  Or maybe you love the roadside sweet corn stands like I do. In any case, sweet corn is one of the best parts of summer. This blog post from Simple Bites gives a quick tutorial on how to choose, clean, store, grill, and cook your corn. Plus, there's a couple recipes in the post, too. The sweet corn and avocado salad looks yummy. Though, you really can't beat just eating it off the cob with a little butter and salt.

Ruffle Shirt Tutorial -- Tea Rose Home
I was so impressed by this, I had to show my husband (seeing as no one else was around at the time) and he even thought it was cool.  This post shows how to transform a plain, old t-shirt into stylish, ruffle shirt. It doesn't look too hard to make, either. There are lots of back-to-school and end-of-summer sales going on right now - you could find some t-shirt and update it! And it could work for your clothes, as well as for a little girl's shirt.  Just check it out.  I think it's awesome.

Everyday Chocolate Cake -- Smitten Kitchen
I'm like Deb of Smitten Kitchen when it comes to chocolate and summer: for some reason, I relegate it to fall and winter. I don't even know why.  And like Deb of Smitten Kitchen, I'm going to break that trend and make this cake I saw on her site today. It's not a full-on cake since it's made in a loaf pan and there's no frosting. Not as fussy, you know? Perfect for a lazy Saturday summer afternoon. Maybe tomorrow!

Perfection: The Thief of Good Enough - Simple Mom
This doesn't have much to do with the end of summer, per se, but good advice is good at any time. This post just spoke to me. I've been beating myself up lately about all the things I'm not doing and just feeling overwhelmed.  I realize now it has to do, in large part, to my problem with perfectionism.  And you don't have to be a perfectionist to get something from this post; I think all of us could benefit (greatly, in some cases) in cutting ourselves some slack already.  Heaven knows, I need to.

Happy weekend, everyone!  Enjoy the sunshine while it's still here!

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