Tips and ideas for getting the most out of those lazy summer months we all love. Ideas for summer recipes, outdoor decor, flowers, activities, and more.
Summer means something different to all of us. For some, it’s travel and full days. For others, it’s slower mornings, open windows, and time at home. If you’ve ever felt like summer slips by too quickly, this is a simple place to begin.
Instead of doing more, think of this as a collection of gentle ideas. Pick one or two that sound good, leave the rest, and let the season unfold in a way that feels easy and manageable.
Simple Ways To Get Outside
- Just walk. It doesn’t matter where.
- Spend an afternoon at a pool, lake, or the beach.
- Visit a local farmer’s market.
- Go berry picking.
- Pack a picnic basket and head to your favorite park. Make sandwiches, and then one or two of the following:
Easy Gatherings + Everyday Moments
- Grill your favorite meat, and then add a simple summer salad for a casual yet special evening at home.
- Make refreshing summer citrus treats: citrus banana cream popsicles or lemon ice cream.
- Try dining outdoors on a cooler evening. If you don’t have an outdoor dining set, simply use whatever chairs you already have and create a spot that feels comfortable.
- If you happen to grow lavender, make simple syrup, and then lavender lemonade.
At-Home Summer Comforts
- Lighten your bedding. Replace your heavy comforter with a neutral quilt.
- Bring in fresh flowers or greenery from your yard and make a foraged arrangement. Cut herbs, ivy, fern fronds, hosta leaves, tree branches…anything you have in your yard that will bring the outside in.
- Get creative and spruce up your outdoor space by adding your own personal touches.
- Plant herbs you can use everyday.
A Few Things Just For You
- Take your yoga or stretching outside.
- Visit a local vineyard or shop you enjoy.
- Spend a quiet afternoon doing absolutely nothing.
- Shop your house and refresh one room by switching out the accessories.
- Buy yourself some fresh flowers…or if you have a cutting garden, bring a big bunch inside.
- Slow down the pace of your daily life. Enjoy the summer months by adding activities that get you outside, but also take the time to rest and relax.
Even though this is a list of things to do, summer doesn’t have to be filled to be meaningful. Sometimes the best moments are the simplest ones. The quiet routines, the familiar places, the small things you return to again and again. Choose what sounds good, leave the rest, and trust that your summer doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s to be enough.
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure statement.
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I enjoyed reading your post, Ann! Thanks for all the great suggestions for enjoying the summer.
The blue and white pitcher from Anthropologie is beautiful and I think I just might have to order it!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, ANN! Thanks for always bringing us your wonderful posts — and your new recipe post. Your recipes are always so yummy!
If I had a vehicle I could enjoy it, I’m 69 and on disability due to numerous medical issues. I live a five minute drive from the store but it takes me seven and a half hours walk , and in 100 degrees heat , believe me I’m not enjoying it. Hope you enjoy yours.