Summer 2022 & Silver Linings

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

Happy Monday, all.  Today, I want to discuss and hopefully encourage you with a message about Summer 2022 & Silver Linings.

In South Texas we are panting through a weekend of Excessive Heat Warnings.  It is too early to see these numbers on the weather report…but, as they say, it is what it is. Our beautiful green grass is already crunchy.

We also entered the hot weekend with the highest inflation we have seen in 40 years anchored by still rising gas prices.  The grocery store is a bit of a challenge these days.

Oh, and of course, I had a real life experience with rising crime rates.

Summer 2022 Silver linings

However, I am choosing to face this summer as I did throughout the pandemic with a “one day at a time” focus on silver linings.

During the past two years, I would focus on the little things around me each day which welled up a feeling of gratitude within me.

I do love this quote because I have learned it is true….

“Create the habit of gratitude and watch your life transform”.  – Robin Lee

It doesn’t mean I do not acknowledge the challenges of this life…I just shift my focus daily to moments which make me smile and feel deep appreciation.

 

SUMMER 2022 & SILVER LININGS

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

 One of the reasons I was first taken with the summer to do list in Joanna Gaines’ magazine, The Magnolia Journal, is because it is a list of little things.

It is not one of those Bucket Lists created to inspire us toward Great Feat Inspiration like jumping out of a plane or navigating a river of rapids or taking a space trip with Jeff Bezos & crew.

However, it is the opposite…the list is very simple, such as, “photograph a sunset” as you see in the opening photo. 

I walked out the front door while visiting my daughter’s family and was mesmerized by the sunset that evening…this was just a couple of weeks ago.

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

Because of the list, I was motivated to grab my phone and  capture the moment.

The list has led me to focus on the simple things and experience great appreciation for them during a time I might be moved to grumble.

The list acknowledges that life can have joy and meaning even without big feats.

Eating a fresh peach….visiting a farm stand…taking a road trip…listening to the birds sing in the morning…all  so simple and so nice.

NEW SUMMER 2022 SILVER LININGS

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

So let’s keep going forward on the list! 

Leigh Ann and Mr. T love to make ice pops and quickly checked it off.

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

She enjoys her Zoku for their ice pops…so easy and she creates unique recipes.

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

These were her own orange creamsicles with 3 oranges kept cold in the fridge that she juiced (about 1/2 cup).

Then she added a 1/2 cup of whipping cream and a teaspoon of honey.

They are enjoying the Zac & Zoe Unfiltered Raw Honey.

According to these two and the investors of Shark Tank, the health benefits of this brand are great!

My favorite frozen treat these days is a frozen banana!  Love them!

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

Leigh Ann’s Mr. T makes his first appearance here with his silver lining of summer.

Now, here are some of the ways to create your own ice pops:

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

I completed one section of the list with DRINK A TALL GLASS OF LEMONADE and BUY A NEW PAIR OF SUNGLASSES

I was excited to find several pair of sunglasses at Loft which are perfect for those of us who wear warm colors!  

The winner is the ROUND SUNGLASSES in ROAST TOMATO! 

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

I easily could have made my own lemonade, but when I drove by a group of neighborhood children with a Lemonade Stand, I knew ….this is it.

I just had to stop and enjoy their smiles and exuberance to sell their fares….and offer support for their cause!

I stuck with the lemonade…though the baked goods looked really yummy!  

Summer 2022 Silver Linings

Silver linings not on the list?

The mamas and babies in our neighborhood are pretty sweet to watch.

I also finally had multiple hummingbirds at my feeders and love to see them in the early morning when it is not yet unbearable outside.

I hope if you are struggling with joy this summer that you will join us in seeking and experiencing silver linings all around you.

The small ones…they do not have to be great feats….but can be in your own backyard.

I know readers Connie and Karen are joining in with the list…hope some of you will come along too or experience them here with Leigh Ann & me. 

More to come later in the week.  Tomorrow, I will have more for you on Budget Saving Tuesday!  Hope to see you then.

If you have Summer 2022 Silver Linings so far this June, please share them with the rest of us….and always….

KEEP SMILING!!

 

By Pamela Lutrell

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Summer 2022 & Silver Linings

28 Comments

  1. My son and his family just moved back to Illinois after living in New Braunfels the past 4 years. My daughter-in-law made me laugh. She doesn’t miss the grass in Texas and fire ants as she and the grandkids were running around the front yard. We did enjoy our visits to your part of the country.

  2. Pamela, thank you for a very positive start to our week! I also took a picture of the sunset last evening. Last week we had a full end to end rainbow accompanied by another partial rainbow. A summer treat for sure.

  3. What beautiful pictures and beautiful sentiments today Pam. Life is so full of struggles…I was just sitting here in tears reading my class from church’s prayer list, because so many truly suffer and struggle. We must look for the silver linings or we can quickly fall into despair. Thank you for the reminder. I often photograph sunsets right from my balcony. The little apartment I lived in a year ago had a west-facing window with absolutely gorgeous sunsets and I was always trying to capture them with my camera! As for those homemade ice pops, count me in! I am making some for the dog that are also good for people! Three ingredients: peanut butter (make sure it’s pet safe), plain Greek yogurt, and applesauce, in equal portions. Mix it up and freeze in ice cube trays. A real treat for the pups on steamy days! Your post today is uplifting and I appreciate that, because sometimes life is really heavy.

  4. Hi Shelia, I am Texan through and through and would never want to leave it! Glad she is happy with her choice!

  5. You are right, Karen…the despair is around every corner but I choose this day to experience a bubbling spring of joy! Thanks for being here and sharing.

  6. Your enjoyment of the “ simple things” we can all enjoy wherever we live is such a delightful journey we are enjoying with you and Leigh Ann. The older I get, the more I think I realize how much I have for which I am grateful. Those little things like our hummingbirds and bunnies in our yard, the blueberries I picked yesterday, the beautiful Strawberry moon that was almost full last evening as a grandson and I walked…all giving me a grateful heart and a happy inner peace. I’m thinking right now that I will pull up that blueberry popsicle recipe I saw yesterday and make us that treat with some blueberries before I make some jam.

  7. Nice! I don’t have “the list,” but am really enjoying the small things. We too have deer in our backyard, and last night they hung around the condo pool at sunset. We tried a new almond tea that was delicious, and spent as much time as we wanted with our tea and word games. We went to a you-pick strawberry farm and made freezer jam (time consuming, but delicious). The jam comes in at about half the cost of store bought, so there is a small bit of savings added to an outing, rather than spending to go out. My brother said to me once (kindly, helpfully) that I needed to be more in the moment. He noted that I was always mentally planning the next thing, figuring out a problem, etc etc. I’m really working on that, and focusing on small moments is helpful. I find myself much more content as a result.

  8. Well I may make sone orange creamsicle pops once I venture out for the whipping cream. Yum!
    And I have made lemonade (check) and watched several gorgeous sunsets (check) from our home-deck and at the beach.
    Yes I agree- when the weather isn’t cooperating, time to focus on silver linings! Love your way of thinking! ❤️

  9. Love the idea of the ice pops, in the grocery store, the ice cream novelties have gotten pretty expensive unless you find a buy one get one special, i think I will try it.

  10. Frozen bananas are great! My daughter keeps a journal and every day writes down what she’s greateful for. I’m more sporadic in my comments, but it’s a good thing to do. I also want to focus more on what I can do. You’ve talked about the power we have as 50-plus women. I want to take that to heart — and to action whether volunteering, participating in local organizations (e.g, historical society, library, etc.).

  11. Love this, Maeve! I truly believe we must be more involved and there are so many ways to do it! Thanks for mentioning this!

  12. Thank you for your positive posts, Pamela. I do appreciate them. While you shelter in the heat, we in the Seattle area are having the wettest May-June since 1948. This is why we read lots of books! On the positive side, everything is lush and green, despite the grey. One of our pick me ups is to visit a little French bakery and buy their pesto chicken croissants. In better weather we would eat them at the waterfront, with rain we bring home and plan our Next Picnic for when the sun returns. My favorite sunglasses are the Native American motif frames from Ayla, a Canadian Company.

  13. Oh my Kathy…the French Bakery and the croissants sound amazing….and I so hope you can eat them by the waterfront soon. A wonderful silver lining!

  14. My little moment of joy is sitting on the deck and looking at my kitchen garden. I’m moving plants around, and put in a raised garden bed. It’s still a work in progress, but taking time to enjoy it is good for the soul. There are trees waiting to be pruned, and the weeds keep popping up, but today is rainy, so Mother Nature is letting my sore muscles rest. We will have vegetables and herbs, only our favorites and not a lot, but this work is satisfying. Sour cherry pie is a month away.

  15. Like Kathy, we here in southern Oregon seem to be stuck under the rain clouds. This is the wettest June I can remember EVER! The silver lining to that will 🤞 hopefully be that our fire season either never comes, or is very mild this year. L💖VE our 🌲🌲🌲! Enjoyed your positive post to start the week off on the right note. I immediately ordered the green popsicle molds. I so appreciate your easy shopping links, especially when it takes me to an Amazon product so it’s just click, click, done! 😊

  16. I guess you have our rain, Connie! Hope to take it off your hands at some point! I am happy to provide easy links for you!

  17. Thank you for starting our week with such a positive post! Because of personal circumstances, there are many things on the list that I can’t do, but some are so simple that I can. Visiting a farm stand & eating a fresh peach are certainly on my list. There are some things that I can do to add joy to my days. Over the weekend I sat down & watched two old movies with my husband. Even though I have been retired for twelve years, I still find it hard to stray from my self imposed schedule & taking the time to watch a movie from start to finish in one sitting doesn’t fit with that schedule, but this weekend, I did.

  18. Lovely post!

    Yesterday during my early morning walk I saw a deer run down our street — first time ever. I have no idea where it came from but it was beautiful! I so enjoy walking in the morning and listening to the birds, admiring the flowers and plants in the neighbors’ yards and easing into my day. I am grateful for these blessings!

  19. Pam, thanks for these joyful words. I do try to focus on the little gems of life, but we all need to be reminded of the “blue skys” when the struggles of life get in the way. I wait all year for peach season, and it is almost here. Take fresh peach halves, brush with a little butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, and bake till gooey and yummy! This will make you feel that all is right with the world! Thanks for being a blessing to all of us, Pam.

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