I LOVE Summer in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It really doesn’t get super hot during the days and it cools down in the evenings. We have rivers and creeks all around where we can cool off and enjoy the woods. It is like living in a giant natural playground! I used to hate summer. It was my least favorite season. I don’t like being hot and uncomfortable, but since we moved to Western North Carolina nine years ago, my tune has changed and summer is my favorite. Let me share with you some of my favorite things that go along with my favorite season!

I have become a gardner in the last few years. We have learned our area, our soil, our family tastes. We have learned some tricks and tips. Like… how to manage powdery mildew on zucchini (well… still working on that), what plants need more water, how to build trellises, and more. Gardens are so, so magical!

Favorite Garden Things

I have used this garden velcro to secure rasperries to the fence and stake my zucchini and tomatoes.

This might be my favorite sprinkler ever. It is far reaching and the speed can be adjusted.

If you don’t have Sloggers, you are MISSING OUT! I go through A LOT of boots between gardening and chicken tending. These are by far the best I’ve ever had!

When we were cleaning our our yard and cutting back trees to make room for the garden, my younger girls immediately staked claim to some of the land and constructed a fairy garden. They used sticks and rocks they had found in the yard. They borrowed some twine to make a fence, and planted some grass and bean seeds. I helped boost the fairy garden a little with a fairy door, a bird bath, a fairy house… and of course… some fairies.

I have no idea where my husband found this super fun metal chicken…. I think a side of the road market on the way home from the zoo. I LOVE IT! I named her Lady Guinevere. She stands proudly by my horseshoe flower that I picked up at our town’s Garden Jubilee in May.

Favorite Books

Oh how I want to be an avid reader! I have high aspirations. I have so, so many books. I start them with good intentions… but quickly abandon them. I have at least five books that I have started this summer. I really do want to read them. I want to be one of those people who says things like “Have you read ___________?” or “I was just reading this interesting article.” or “Let me tell you about what I learned when I read ___________.” But alas… I also have ADD… thus the many, many books begun and not ended. Here are the books I have high hopes for this summer:

I love this book! It is not one I have to read cover to cover. I can use it as a resource in my quest to turn our yard that is just under an acre into a tiny homestead.

Here is another in the same series. I am excited to try some of the preservation techniques and great looking recipes with the produce from our garden.

I have so, so many friends who love to talk about the enneagram. If you don’t know what it is… well… you are in good company with me. The enneagram is a tool to help understand different personalities and how they work together. I cannot tell you how many times I have found myself in a conversation that involve something like this:

Oh… that’s a very 2 thing to do.

Well… of course that’s because he is a 4.

When 4s are unhealthy, they behave like this.

You’re such a 9.

If you have no idea what those numbers mean, it can be easy to get lost. I decided that enough of my friends like to talk about the enneagram that I should probably at least learn the basic lingo with the book, The Road Back To You.

A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite authors. I grabbed this devotional comprised of his various writings. The daily readings are short and filled with solid truths.

8 Great Smarts by Kathy Koch is an amazing resource. I actually read it last summer and am wanting to read it again this summer. It is a wonderful tool for helping you kow your children and how they learn and see the world.

Favorite Summer Time Things

My kids each got their own Wise Owl Brand Hammock for Christmas. A gift from their grandmother. My husband built them a hammock stand in the yard. We have a lot of trees on our property, but also a lot of poison ivy. Well… when the quarantine first started, we realized how much time was being spent in hammocks. My husband and I decided we wanted our own hammocks! He added to the hammock stand and made it possible for 9 hammocks to click in! Hammocking is one of my favorite things. We can just sit and talk or read or listen to music. I love it! I recommend getting a double hammock. The single ones are a little cramped unless you are a kid (in my opinion).

We are at the pool ALL THE TIME. I worry about all the chemicals in sunscreen. A couple of years ago, I found the Alba Botanica Brand. You can get the spray or the lotion.

Favorite Things Wish List

I would love to add a few things to our summer time. Like:

Spike Ball

Nice Chacos (you know so I’m not wearing my stinky hiking Chacos to church… if church ever opens again).

What About You???

What are your favorite things in summer. Do you have hobbies? What do you need for your hobby? If you could treat yourself, what would you get??? Comment below and let me know!

Disclaimer. I am an Amazon Associate. Purchases made through links on this post benefit our family. Thank you!

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