10 Ways to Cool Off

It's that time of the year where we forget how cold the winter was and start heavily complaining about the harsh heat and sunburns. Never fear, I am here to tell you ten ways to cool down during these heated summer months.

Let's start by stating the obvious, shall we?

[one]

stay inside, duh

That's right. Beat the heat and go kick your feet up. Not quite ideal for me because I rather be outdoors during the summer because it's much easier to enjoy the beauty God created in the summer rather than everything that is dead in the winter. 

[two]

invest in this

This little jewel is what gets me through my days of gardening. It's a cooling towel, I purchased the Enduracool from Lowes, and it doesn't matter if you put hot or cold water on it... just give it a few snaps and BAM, it's cold. Kyle obviously has more than one of these for long days of mowing.

[three]

peppermint essential oil

Caution: please do not drink. Grab yourself a spray bottle, add some water, put a couple of drops of oil in it, and spray yourself! My mom and dad swear by this remedy. 

[four]

shower thyself

...with cold water! Kyle likes to take steamy showers regardless of the temperature outside. I, however, am prone to turning it icy cold and enjoying the sting on my skin after a long day of outdoor play.

[five]

spray yo'self before you burn yo'self

It's obviously a given that if you are playing outside one may want to apply sunscreen. However! This Sport CoolZone sunscreen by Banana Boat is quite delightful. It not only smells better than most sunscreens but it also is extremely cooling. Why not kill two birds with one stone? 

[six]

ice ice baby!

Sure, you can suck on an ice cube or two, but why not add a little flavor with some ice pops! Kyle keeps them in stock at home and on the job. 

[seven]

take a dip

 That's right, my friend. Put on your skimpies and take the plunge. A sure way to cool off...and get a little wet.
[eight]

hydration

 Drink yourself some water, friend. I love a nice cold glass of water when I have sweat rolling down my face. If you get a wild hair, cut up some lemon and cucumber and infuse your water. I absolutely love the refreshing taste of cucumber lemon water. Best part ladies: it helps with bloating... you're welcome.
[nine]

i-scream-you-scream

Treat yourself to some ice cream! ...or a fudge pop...or a yogurt pop... or whatever cold guilty pleasure that tickles your fancy!

[ten]

Make yourself a smoothie. Don't know how? No excuse, there's Pinterest for that, or Google.

Don't forget! Please apply deodorant, even if you have to have someone apply it for you. 

(This picture was taken on my wedding day, hence the dress and veil. I couldn't get the deodorant on without getting it on my dress so my sister kindly lend a hand.)

This post was inspired by the one and only Mama Kat and is a part of her Writer's Workshop. 

Repurposed Chandelier

Yesterday morning I had to get a move on things cause Koby had an appointment with the groomers on the other side of town. Unlike most appointments it was only an appointment for Koby, not Sophie, because with his poodle blood comes poodle maintenance.


I'm pretty sure he's smiling here. His ears were a little messed up from the air vents blowing on him but he was definitely feeling sassy.

Since I was on that side of town I decided to stop by Habitat for Humanity's Restore. If you have a H4H in your town but not a H4H Restore seriously contact them and ask them to put one in your town. If enough interest is shown they may do it! It's like a Goodwill (thrift store) but it's more for house stuff. When people remodel homes or have excess tile, carpeting, etc it all comes here. Anyways since I'm not getting paid to brag about their amazingness and I could go on and on about my love for this place, I'll move on to the subject at hand.



I've been trying to tone down my thrifting lately because I've been needing to have a garage sale of stuff I no longer use/need/want and I want to clean out not pile up. So though I passed up some incredibly cheap floating shelves I did, however, purchase a hideous gold chandelier. Which I seriously need to get better about taking before and after pictures.


I first removed the glass sconces and removed the light bulb attachment so I could have more room for soil. I then placed the sconces back and added a pinch of dirt.




I then added a shake or two of Osmocote, which you can purchase online, Walmart, or Lowes. I swear by this stuff because it feeds your plants for 4 months and it always makes plants grow wonderfully.

I then planted my asparagus ferns and finished them off with soil. Lowes had actually put a ton of their ferns on clearance for only $1.00 making this project, not including soil or food, only $15.00!! I am so happy with the way it turned out.

Have you repurposed something for your garden?
xoxo Haley

Gardening Sunday

Coconut oil shave update: it's day three and I hardly even have a stubble! So not only did it give a great shave it gave a lasting one as well!

I could shout from the rooftops on how amazing my Sunday has been so far! It's been a couple months since Kyle and I have had a peaceful and relaxing Sunday together. We started our morning with a cup of coffee on the front porch and chatted as we waved at the early bird walkers. We then headed out to breakfast at the buffet and then went to Lowes which is my new favorite place! We picked up some caster wheels for one of the recent DIY projects I have going along with some sandpaper and bird netting. Being my first time for tackling a garden I didn't know birds stole strawberries and tomatoes so I had to put a quick end to their garden heist by covering my plants in bird netting:






You can hardly tell the netting is there in the picture. This morning Kyle trimmed our crepe myrtle so I just snagged some of his clippings to hold up the net so the birds couldn't just pop their little heads through!

While Kyle has been playing in the garage, reorganizing and moving stuff around, I decided I would finish up some of my planting. I still have to get a pot for my tomatoes but then I think I will call it quits for this year and maintain what I have. I decided to plant everything in containers instead of the ground this year because it's my first go with gardening. I wanted to see what I liked to plant, where in my yard they did the best, and if I would even consider doing them again next year before I went digging up the grass that my husband has worked so hard for.

This years garden list:
Cucumbers
Chives
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Mint
Parsley
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Stevia

I can't wait to get an herb grinder so I can make my own stevia sugar substitute! Also I finally get to use my rosemary for the first time tonight. We are having rosemary ranch chicken tenders, which I will post the recipe later depending on how they turn out!

xoxo Haley