The Small Ways and Ordinary Days of August

It's hard for me to believe that we have passed the half way mark of the year! We have arrived at August, and in thirty short days the autumn months will be here!  This week I've been doing a little pre-season planning and thinking ahead to the coming months and days, but today I want to focus on the time at hand, the lovely month of August.

"August brings the sheaves of corn,

then the harvest home is born."

- SARA COLERIDGE

Here are some small ways I plan to spend the ordinary days of August . . .

- Complete my regular daily and monthly tasks.

Over the summer months I typically set aside my more disciplined schedule of tasks for keeping our home neat and tidy.  The yard and garden take up much more of my time in this season, making indoor tasks harder to accomplish. The necessary day-to-days are seen to, but a good bit of dust does build up over the summer months, which is why late summer and late winter have always been my preferred times to deep clean.  I'll be seeing to that here in just a few weeks, but over the next week or so, there are a few outdoor projects that I need wrap up.

- Switch Out Files / Update Planner

I have a rolling cart were I keep 3 months worth of daily, weekly and monthly files. I used this system heavily in my homeschooling days, and while I don't need it as much now as I did back then, I still find it helpful in keeping things moving along at a smooth pace. As with other things, however, it's sat untouched over the summer, in fact, I never even switched out the spring/summer files! So today I'm going to take some time to clean it and straighten it and get it ready to serve me for the rest of the year.

My planner is actually updated, I did that this week! :)

- Make a list of outdoor tasks to be completed by September 1

I still have a few things on my list that I would like to complete this year. We have so-many-outdoor-projects, and about 80% of those fall to my husband.  But this year I discovered that I like landscaping, and I'm fairly good at it. My nemesis, of course, is weeds. I've tried pulling them, and had some success with that, but the largest percentage of them just grow back. To my detriment, I tend to be a touch it once and done kind of girl, and gardening does not lend well to that thinking. Come to think of it, not many other things do, either . . . laundry, cleaning, cooking. If only. I had hoped to accomplish a lot more than I have this season, and I may still piddle away at a few projects here and there come September, but the 'ber months bring with them a their own list of to-do's, so anything outdoors that requires my involvement (at least on a large scale), needs to be wrapped up this month.

- Deep End of Summer / Autumn Cleaning

I'm not sure at this point which week I will schedule this for.  I briefly considered the first week and to then set my mind to outdoor tasks. But, since so many of those outdoor tasks track dust and dirt into the house, it seems more fitting to move this to the end of the month. My husband is going to be out of town for a week at some point later in August, and that might present the perfect opportunity. It will keep me busy and we won't have to work around each other.  In the mean time, I'm going to begin making a list of all-the-things that entails beginning this week. 

Fun Ideas For the Month of August

This week I sat down and did some seasonal planning, including filling in my calendars from now to the end of the year with all the fun days ahead!  Here are a few that are coming up in August.

- Today!

August 1 is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, which is and always has been one of my favorites!

August 2 - National Watermelon Day, this one is on my Summer Bingo Challenge, which I need to review and update, but I know I haven't marked this one off yet.

August 3 - National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day - hands down, my favorite cookie! I think I'll make up a batch for the coming weekend and be sure to eat some on Sunday!

August 9 - Booklovers Day - I've had Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright on my summer reading list for a couple of months now, maybe I'll try to tackle it in my spare time this week and write a review.

August 12 - National Vinyl Record Day - I have a turntable and a small collection of vinyl records, but when we moved I somewhow misplaced the power cord to my turntable.  If I have time maybe I'll try to locate it and spin some tunes!

August 17 - National Thrift Shop Day - I used to a do a lot of thrifting, and while I still enjoy it, I decided it was high time that I do something with all the items I had already thrifted before I brought anything new into the house. But, I do have a few things I'm on the lookout for, so maybe this would be a good day to peruse a few shops.

August 18 - National Fajita Day - this one is easy! I LOVE fajitas and I have a couple of wonderful recipes for beef and chicken fajitas! I really love throwing shrimp into that mix, too, so maybe I'll splurge and do all three!  I'll share my recipes in time for you to make up a batch if you want, too!

August 30 - National Beach Day - my daughter and I do have plans to go to the beach this month, and by beach, I mean a local beach at a nearby lake. While my daughter would prefer a trip to the ocean, I am definitely not a sun and sand kind of girl, and I won't even get in the ocean! The man made beach at the lake suits me just fine, and thankfully she enjoys it as well!  We have been going to this particular lake since she was a child, so it holds a lot of memories.  We didn't get there much last year, and this summer we promised ourselves we would be intentional about going at least once a month, and we've been three times already! One more to go!

August 31 - National Eat Out Side Day - the weather towards the end of August can be pretty hot, so we'll have to see about this one. If nothing else, maybe we'll eat under our covered porch? We typically do this on Labor Day Weekend, which is the official end of the summer season in our home, so we'll probably just wait until then. It's a nice idea though!

"The long, languorous days of August have cast their spell over the earth. Little by little, nature yields to the seductive influence and sinks into her summer sleep. Lazily-languid like southern beauties, the hours follow each other in slow succession. "

~ SISTER MARY BLANCHE - from "A Summer Siesta," Idyls and Sketches, 1916

I'll be sharing more in the upcoming weeks about my plans for my seasonal deep clean, my yard and garden projects, and my daily homekeeping routines, so if you are interested in things like that, be sure to meet me back here! What about you, do you do a deep clean this time of year?  What are some of the to-do's on your end of summer list? Let's chat in the comments!

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