Small Ways To Celebrate the Ordinary Days of August

Aside from working almost non-stop on either the van or getting our apartment packed up and ready to a.) move into storage (90%), because we can't do this van thing forever, I don't think, and b.) move into the van (10%), in the evenings I've been making cute little decorative things for the van.  If you follow me on Instagram (and if you 'gram, you should!), I've been posting a lot of what I've been working on there. But this pic is a little conglomeration of a few things I've made up over the past several months. My biggest project is a sampler, which I still haven't finished off, I think out of fear that I'm going to mess it up after all-those-hours I spent stitching it, but since I did make it for the van it needs to happen soon. Maybe I'll make that my goal for tonight and try working on it.

That being said, this summer is flying by! It's hard to believe that next week is the last week of July and then it will be August. By then we will be full time in the van, tweaking some last minute details before we decide on our first destination and heading out. But even while living in the van, it's important to me to continue with the traditions that have long been a part of our lives. As the whole idea is to take home on the rode, then the elements that make up home and home life will transition with us. It might look a little different, and with no children in the home anymore, some, even perhaps most of these little celebrations I will likely observe for myself, and that is fine by me. Often the recognition is nothing more than an acknowledgement, but if it lends itself to a special meal, that makes it easier and becomes something my husband and I can both enjoy. And so, here are some small ways to celebrate the ordinary days of August.

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SMALL WAYS TO CELEBRATE 

THE ORDINARY DAYS OF AUGUST

Whilst August yet wears her golden crown, Ripening fields lush- bright with promise; Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn." 

- MICHELLE L. THIEME

★ MONTH LONG CELEBRATIONS

- Family Fun Month

- National Picnic Month

- Peach Month

★ WEEK LONG CELEBRATIONS

Week 1 - National Simplify Your Life Week / International Clown Week
Week 2 - National Smile Week
Week 3 - Friendship Week
Week 4 - Be Kind to Humankind Week

★ DAILY CELEBRATIONS
August 1
Campfire Day - First Saturday in August
National Mountain Climbing Day
National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

August 2
Friendship Day - First Sunday in August
International Forgiveness Day - First Sunday in August
National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
Sisters Day - First Sunday in August

August 3
Grab Some Nuts Day
National Watermelon Day

August 4
National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
U.S. Coast Guard Day

August 5
National Oyster Day
Work Like a Dog Day

August 6
Wiggle Your Toes Day

August 7
National Lighthouse Day

August 8
National Clown Day - Saturday during International Clown Week

August 9
Book Lover's Day

August 10
Lazy Day
National S'mores Day

August 11 - 13
Annual Perseid Meteor Shower - peak date varies slightly

August 11
Son and Daughter Day

August 12
Middle Child's Day

August 13
Left Hander's Day

August 14
National Creamsicle Day

August 15
National Honey Bee Awareness Day - Third Saturday
Relaxation Day - now this one's for me!

August 16
National Tell a Joke Day

August 17
National Thriftshop Day

August 18
Bad Poetry Day
World Daffodil Day

August 19
Aviation Day
National Potato Day

August 20
National Radio Day

August 21
National Spumoni Day
Senior Citizen's Day

August 22
Be an Angel Day
National Tooth Fairy Day - and/or February 28

August 23 
Ride the Wind Day

August 24
Vesuvius Day

August 25 
Kiss and Make Up Day
National Banana Split Day

August 26
National Dog Day
Women's Equality Day

August 27
Global Forgiveness Day
Just Because Day

August 28
Stuffed Green Bell Peppers Day

August 29
International Bacon Day - Saturday before Labor Day
More Herbs, Less Salt Day

August 30
Frankenstein Day
Toasted Marshmallow Day

August 31
National Eat Outside Day
National Trail Mix Day

Come Alive To The Splendor

Monthly Mood Trackers

Recently I've been researching holistic health care in an effort to understand some minor but chronic health problems I've been experiencing over the past year or so. As the gut is "our second brain" and is widely responsible for many health problems, I've been looking a way to assess how my mental and spiritual health may be affecting my physical health. That led me to mood trackers, which I will simultaneously be using along side a health journal to look for any correelations. I'm also interested in how living in the van and closer to nature may or may not play a role in this, and I only wish now that I had actually done this sooner. I have been keeping a health journal for a couple of months now to track how various foods may potentially be affecting me, but until now I haven't though to track my mood, so it might be hard to compare the before and after. All that being said, I made up the ❈ MONTHLY MOOD TRACKERS ❈ for my personal use, but decided to make them available as a free download in the event that anyone else might want them, and if not, that's fine, too. There are literally hundreds of others available if my rendition doesn't strike your fancy. Just google "mood tracker". There's sure to be one out there that you'll like! You can click the link below to see my creation, below. ~ Enjoy!

MONTHLY MOOD TRACKERS

January - December (Undated)

Summer Phenology Wheels - Now Available

The Summer Phenology Wheels are available for download.

Just click on the link below.

Hope you can finish out July and fill in August!

~ Enjoy

SUMMER PHENOLOGY WHEELS

Ordinary Days of Small Things Summer Day Keeper- NOW AVAILABLE!

I apologize for going a-wall on you, but it's for a good reason!  My husband and I are ten days away from moving into our van full time and traveling the country. And while Covid-19 may keep us a little closer to home that we originally planned, we were just discussing a few days ago that we could spend six months in West Virginia alone and another six in the Smoky Mountains, not to mention all the beautiful places we have yet to see to right here in our home state of Virginia! But in spite of my longer than expected sabbatical from blogging . . . I have some good news!

. . . Albeit about six weeks late, I finally have the ❈ SUMMER DAY KEEPER ❈ completed and available for download (see the link below). I also have the Phenology Wheels for June/July/August, so if you'd like you can at least fill in August! I'll be posting them later tonight or tomorrow morning.

After this posting the Season Keepers should be relatively easy as they are now all complete! It will just take a little tweaking of dates each season and then they will be up. That being said, I plan to post the Autumn Day Keeper next week so be on the look out for it! We will have wi-fi in the van, so as long as we are in signal I can still continue to post.

Right now my tentative schedule for posting is:

Autumn Day Keeper 2020 - Available July 24
Winter Day Keeper 2020/2021 - Available November 20
Spring Day Keeper 2021 - Available February 19
Summer Day Keeper 2021 - Available May 21

But for now I hope will enjoy the ❈ SUMMER DAY KEEPER ❈, just click the link below!

THE ORDINARY DAYS OF SMALL THINGS SUMMER DAY KEEPER

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July Is Here!