{ Summer Days }

Oh the beautiful, lazy days of summer!

You know one thing we are really enjoying now that we are not living on base, is the fact that we can have a pool up and not be told constantly that it is not allowed. It was so frustrating in the summer months in Arizona, well, in any month in Arizona with those crazy high temps, to not be able to take a nice dip in the pool.

Now???

We're making up for lost time!

Let me start by saying that I'm not a swimmer. If you didn't know that about me, now you do. I can't swim, and not for lack of trying, but I have this irrational fear of water in my face or ears or being under the water.

It never used to be so, I remember as a young girl going for swimming lessons, and to friends houses to swim in their pools. I didn't know how to float or swim on top of the water, but I would dive underneath and swim under. Go figure!

Anyway, one day when I was about 13 years old, we were at a friends house, and she had some other friends over that didn't know me very well. As I was in the pool, just standing there at the side minding my own business and talking to my best friend, this girl came out of nowhere, bent down, and pushed my head under. I tried sooooo hard to get back up but I couldn't. To this day I can hear the water gurgling around me, and I remember the panic of trying to breathe without being able to.

Every time I managed to come back up, she would push me back in. She was laughing and I guess she thought it was a joke. All I remember is hearing one of my friends come running and screaming at her to let me go, that I didn't know how to swim. I managed to get out of the pool but had the worst headache ever for the remainder of the day.

Since then, I have this fear and just can't handle having my face near the water. Weird thing though? I can float on top of the water and kind of swim, but do not dare go under at all.

Just goes to show that things that happen in our childhood do in fact affect us for the rest of our lives.

Anyway, just a little story about little old me. I do love the pool now and every chance I get I am out there, floating around, swimming from side to side and just enjoying it.

My littlest pug is always ready to go in. I have never seen a pug that loves water as much as Miss Lola, goodness. She goes in, comes out and then barks and cries and tries to climb the pool ladder to get back in HA!

Now remember I started the Walk it Off at Home exercise routine??? I've been very good, granted it's only been 3 days but I've done my walking every single day, without fail, even when I didn't feel like it.

I did 1 mile the first day, 2 miles the second and today I did 3 miles. Love it!!!

I've also been drinking fruit smoothies either for breakfast or as a snack. Best thing is that my kids enjoy them too and this way I know they're getting all their fruits in.

So yummy, this one was banana, watermelon, blueberries, mango and strawberries with some rice milk.

Of course during these lazy summer days, I also indulge in my crochet. Wouldn't be me if I didn't right???

I'm working on a crochet valance for my hallway window. These flowers are quick to make and I think it will look so pretty.

My crochet blanket stash is growing, and these aren't even all of them. I just love looking at these baskets and seeing the different patterns and colors, so pretty.

But with so many blankets, I wanted to give that a break and do something smaller and quicker, so I opted for another cushion and this time it's all about the hexagons.

I had thought at first, of making the front hexagons and then keeping the back simple, but I decided to just go for it, because these are so quick to make too. I've already got the front and the back, they are identical, I just have to make some half hexagons for the sides and then sew it all up and be done. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

And finally, crazy enough or not, because I believe tea is to be enjoyed all year long, whether it be cold or hot, my newest afternoon indulgence consists of a cup of earl grey tea with milk. Yummy!!!

Remember that white shelf I showed you a while ago? It holds all my aprons? I've turned it into my Tea shelf, it contains some of my teas and tea sets. What do you think???

Sure makes brewing a cup of tea that much more enjoyable right?

I've also been enjoying some yummy food, I've been on a Mexican kick so most of the meals around here have been mexican inspired. You can check out the recipes on my food blog, for Saucy Mexican Chicken, Cilantro Lime Rice, Turkey and Vegetable Tostadas, some delicious Banana Jam and even some Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas with whipped cream and caramel. Mmmmmm!

Well my friends, these have been the past few days of summer, and thrown in is a lot of book reading for upcoming reviews and from my Summer Reading List. Feels so good to sit down with a good book.

I hope you're all enjoying your summer, and I would love to hear about what you're doing. Anything interesting, fun plans, great vacation spots, what's been going on in your neck of the woods???