Two Sweet Ideas For Summer

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, 

simple things in life which are the reals ones, after all."

- LAURA INGALLS WILDER

We went to the most lovely garden center today, and the hydrangea bushes were so beautiful! I've always dreamed of having a white hydrangea bush in my yard, and it's something we will be adding, eventually. The problem now is, which variety will I choose? I'm not sure I knew there were so many, and I loved them all, so now I'm thinking . . . maybe three? They also had some beautiful butterly bushes and lilacs,  the scents were just heavenly!

And speaking of . . .  one of the things I like to do to make our home cozy year round is diffusing seasonal essential oils! I've tried a few over the past couple of weeks, and here are two I've really enjoyed, Sweet Summer is especially nice!

❊ SWEET SUMMER

- 4 drops tangerine

- 2 drops lavender

- 1 drop lime

- 1 drop spearmint

❊ SUMMER NIGHTS

- 4 drops juniper berry

- 2 drops grapefruit

- 2 drops bergamot

- 1 drop ylang ylang

You can also find floral scented oils to use in your diffuser, as well. Two that I like are lilac and peony! (Affliate Links) I just diffused peony yesterday and the whole house smelled as fresh as a summer day!

Another thing I like to do as the days grow warmer, is to make up a pitcher (or in this case, a jar) of iced tea!

And did you know that tomorrow is. . . .

❊ NATIONAL ICED TEA DAY - June 10

Over the weekend I made a little jar of sun tea nothing fancy, just a tea bag, some water and the sun! I'm r-e-a-l-l-y trying to cut back on Coke (I'm addicted!) and tea is my go to replacment, especially in the summer! I've been drinking sweet tea, but to make it even better, now I'm cutting back on that and made the sun tea unsweeted and I actually liked it!

The thing you have to be careful about when making sun tea, is not to create a breeding ground for bacteria.  Tea leaves can carry bacteria, and the process of them steeping for hours in the sunlight raises some concerns. But, that doesnt' mean you can't still enjoy the fun, just do it safely!

1. Make sure your container is clean. I don't make a lot of tea, so I just use a 16 oz. mason jar which gives me 2-3 glasses throughout the day. I run the jar through the dishwasher every night so its ready to be used again the next day. Super simple!

2. Add your tea bags. For my 16 oz. jar, I use 2.

3. Steep in direct sunlight for 3-4 hours. Make sure it remains direclty in the sun, moving it if necessary. Do no exceed four hours, as after that time bacteria starts to breed.

4. Refrigerate immediately. This will slow the bacterial growth and keep your tea fresh!

5. Enjoy your tea! But not for more than a couple of days. Sun tea, especially, doesn't keep it's freshness and flavor as well as boiled tea bags, so best if you drink it quickly!

I like to add flavors to my tea, like blackberries and cucumbers, they are my favorites, especially together. But every now and then I like it mixed with a little pineapple juice, yum! 

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a recipe for Jolly Rancher Iced Tea, and since someone gave our daughter a bag of them, I thought we might try it a try.  Here's how to make it

Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil

Add tea and jolly rancher to brew

Strain the tea and discard the residue

Transfer to the pitcher and place in the refrigerator

Serve over ice and enjoy

Not the healthiest version you could drink, but it might be fun just to try!

Well, my friends, it's time to close this post! I pray you all have a lovely day tomorrow,

❊

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