Summertime Bliss

June 1st marks the first day of meteorological summer....so it is officially summer in my book. Whew! Didn't think I was going to make it this year. This school year had numerous ups and downs with some unexpected big changes. Not sure what the coming school year will hold for me. 

How do you find your summertime bliss?  I have some ideas I want to do to do to make the most of my warm breezy summer break. Join me on my summertime wishlist, then be sure to visit the #Gr8tblogs at the end of this post for more inspiration and smiles. 

1. READ

Summer is when I tend to read the most and this summer, I already have a list started.

Sapphire Waves by Kristy McCaffrey 

A second-chance romance in the gorgeous blue waters of the Bahamas.

Softly Creeping by Terri Reid

Creatures, Hauntings, Legends, Myths, Phenomenon.
All things that make us think, make us wonder, and sometimes makes our hair stand on end.
Visit the realm of the unknown, where mysterious creatures lurk in the shadows. A place where myths and legends abound. Take in the stories and ponder their meaning. Read about unexplained phenomenon, and wonder.

A Small Town Second Chance by Melinda Curtis

A heartwarming, small town romance about the courage to let go and risk loving again. 

Time for Justice by Susan C Muller

Attorney Tom Meyers and his investigator, Fiona Drake, are good at digging up the truth.

Now they’re entangled in two long forgotten cases that will test them at every turn and make them wonder if some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried.

Black Hollow Hideaway by J.R Erickson

A stand-alone paranormal mystery inspired by a chilling true story.

2.  BE CREATIVE 

I currently stocked up on canvases and can't wait to get my easel, paints and brushes out. I already have a landscape painting in mind! 🌄

Right now, though, I am working on a WV themed t-shirt design for a local contest. Wish me luck! 

I also hope to work on some new resin art. Since you have to use a well-ventilated space with temps in the upper 60's-70's range, summer is the only time I get to work with this medium.  I've made some beautiful resin river coasters in the past, I think this year, I am going to give jewelry making a try. 

Do you like to create? Paint? Crafts?  I encourage you to check out Bob Ross tutorials if you are interested in learning landscape art. I've learned a lot from him. 

Have kiddos at home? Here is a quick, fun, color mixing experiment my young students always enjoy. 

You will need: 3 little plastic cups filled about halfway with water, food coloring, 3 spoons, and gloves if you don't want to risk getting food coloring on your hands.

Do this with each color individually:

Start with the 3 primary colors, red, yellow, blue.

Place a couple drops of food coloring in the cup and stir to watch the color form.

Once you have all three colors formed, have your little one predict what will happen if you mix the colors?

Add drops of food coloring to form the secondary colors:

Red with yellow to form orange,

blue with red to form purple, and

yellow with blue to form green.

If you give it a try, I would love to hear how it went and feel free to post pictures. If this inspires them to want to color, here is one my illustrations from World of Color that they can color all their own.  

My book World of Color , available at Amazon, talks about the importance of color and how they are formed if you would like to expand this activity. 

Another fun activity, Grow a Rainbow, can be found here: 

Easy Grow a Rainbow on Paper Towel Experiment | Mombrite

There are a few different ways to do this activity. Check it out on Pinterest. 

3. VACATION

I have dreams of going on a luxury vacation with warm sandy beaches, turquoise waters and coconut drinks but that's all it will be.... a dream. Haha!

My computer keeps telling me it's ready to retire, as does my Kindle and my refrigerator! Yikes!! So, I'll have to stick with a staycation this year. 

Image found here.

Over the years, summer is when I have been able to turn off my teacher brain and turn on my author brain, however with my computer on the fritz, which is also my drawing tablet, this year I'm afraid I won't be getting much of that done.  I'm looking at replacements but not sure what to go with this time around. I love my Surface Pro but the price is a little too high for me right now. i can't have an ipad.  At my school, all of our students have them and guess who gets to deal with all the tech issues? You guessed it, me!  So, I loathe them! Hahaha!! No offense to those who love    them. Wish there was a store I could try different models out but nothing like that around here. My online research continues. 

Thanks for stopping by! How are you currently jumping into summer? Any big plans? Please share in the comments section. 

Julie Gorges

Rosie Russell

Sandra Bennett