Tuesday Tidbits: Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice!  Summer is a time for energy, socialization, music, exercise, and celebrating life.  It's a time for watching the sunset, hiking in the mountains, watching the trees and flowers blossom, listening to kids laughing in the backyards, and enjoying cocktails on patios with friends.  There is so much to do in Santa Fe in the summer -- art festivals, live music, the Farmer's Market, free movies, restaurant events, beer and wine festivals, Folk Art Market, the opera, and the list goes on!  Ahh if only there was enough time for everything.  Here are a few tidbits about life lately...





1.  We enjoyed the first week of this year's Music on the Hill series last week!  This is a weekly, family-friendly event every summer at St. John's College, exhibiting a variety of musical performances throughout the season.  The first week featured a jazz flutist.  Although the air in Santa Fe has been hot and smoky lately, I'm glad we were able to spend some time outside listening to free music and enjoying the sunshine.  Ady loved playing in the grass and watching all the people.

2.  Baby Ady is 7 1/2 months old!  She's getting really good at moving between sitting and crawling, which means the freedom to explore everything in her vicinity and constantly keeping Mom and Dad on their toes.  She giggles a lot and can pull up to stand with just her hands.  She enjoys trying new foods, banging blocks together, and reading stories.  I'm taking her to the Children's Museum this week, and I can wait to get her in the pool at the community center.  We are so enjoying this age!!  Ady also got lots of Grandma time lately as Nana and Grandma Darla both had the opportunity to visit this month!






3.  I haven't been back on my bike yet this year, but I've been walking and running consistently and decided to register for the Santa Fe Thunder half marathon in September.  It seems so far away still, but race training officially starts this week!  I did a two mile-long hill climb last night with my running buddy to kick off our training.  It will be a challenge to increase my mileage and commit to doing speed work for the first time in several months, but I look forward to having an end goal to work toward.

4.  We saw Wonder Woman on Sunday for a Father's Day date, and it was great!  I loved the story behind the hero, the girl-power action scenes, and the overall message of hope and faith in humanity.  The main character was beautiful and strong, and I love that it was also directed by a female.  I hope there's a sequel sometime in the near future.


5.  Anyone have some good summer recipes to share?  Anything yummy for 4th of July?  Here are a few recipes I've enjoyed lately (or am dying to try):
Lemon Squares
Banana Bread
Oatmeal Scotchies
Summer Sangia
Mixed Berry Parfaits
Black Bean and Watermelon Salsa
Blueberry Rum Pie

Blueberry rum pie won't last very long in our house...

6.  I recently discovered Beauty Counter makeup and skin care products, thanks to a fellow mother in my community.  Beauty Counter is dedicated to making beauty products that don't contain harmful chemicals (in fact they have banned 1,500 chemicals from their products) in an effort to help prevent serious health issues like cancer and reproductive issues.  I really love the Cleansing Balm and Charcoal Bar!

7.  Stay tuned later this month for an update on my 2017 reading challenge, but here are a few titles keeping me busy this month:

My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
A Piece of Cake, by Cupcake Brown
Woman No. 17, by Edan Lepucki
North Haven, by Sarah Moriarty
The Sisters Chase, by Sarah Healy
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman
The Refugees, by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Image result for a piece of cake book .  Image result for north haven book .  Image result for the refugees book .  Image result for woman no 17




Happy Summer!!





"When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome."  -Wilma Rudolph

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