Life Lately: July 2024

It has been such a nice start to the Summer! I must admit that July is not my favorite month of the year but it’s always filled with lots of fun activities and I found it so enjoyable this year! We spent lots of time with friends and got together with some of my family whom we haven’t seen in such a long time. There have also been so many exciting things happening in the garden! July is really when the gardens kick off here in Western Washington and I am here for it! Here is what we got up to in July!

Momma Deer — Mama Deer on one of our walks

Baby Deer — Mama Deer on one of our walks

4th of July with friends

This year we were invited to our friends Calvin & Vicki’s neighborhood block party for the 4th of July. It was perfect weather and the food that everyone brought was delicious as always. We made a Greek-style orzo salad, baked beans, smoked bratwurst, and a delightful strawberry upside-down cake. Afterward, we spent time on our patio playing skip-bo (the best card game ever), drinking wine, and listening to music while our neighbors lit some lovely fireworks!

It was the perfect low-key holiday!

Helping my friend get her house ready to sell

My friend is going to be moving down to Portland later this Summer and needed help getting her house ready to sell. So, I spent a few days this month over with her helping with various jobs. I love that I was able to help her as much as I did even though I am sad that she will be moving away. The house has come a long way and she is so close to getting it listed!

Floating the River

We love floating the Cedar River in July it seems. This time last year we did the same thing. July is the perfect time to float the Cedar River, the weather is hotter and the river level is perfect for floating. Now that we’ve done it a few times, I feel like we know the perfect time to do it and the best spots to get in for an enjoyable float. We went with our friend Kevin and then afterward, we went to a delicious sushi place nearby!

Wine Making

Our friend Rose invited us over to her house one weekend to make some wine. Jake has made wine before and this is the first time I watched how the process works. Rose bought this book that has a ton of different wine recipes and she has an abundance of marionberries so we made marionberry wine! It was fun hanging out with her and her husband Greg. They have a beautiful garden too and I always love going over to see it!

After wine making, we headed to a local brewery for some drinks and some BBQ. It was an afternoon well spent!

Something Corporate at Marymoore Park <3

Jake and I got the chance to see one of my all-time favorite bands, Something Corporate, in concert at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA. When I tell you it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to, I am not exaggerating. A core memory was made that night. Being there with my husband who loves the band just as much as I do and being surrounded by people who love them equally all singing every word to every song was such a life highlight.

They played all my favorites and the venue was perfect for a Summer night! I hope that I will get a chance to see them live again someday. The nostalgia of it all brought the biggest smile to my face and I loved every second of that night.

Family Graduation Party

Last weekend, Jake and I attended a graduation party for my cousin’s son. We had not seen them in such a long time and it was nice to be there to celebrate his accomplishments.

In the Garden…

The garden has well and truly kicked off this month. We are getting so many great harvests from what we are growing and I have been loving getting out there and checking on everything. Currently, we are harvesting blueberries, zucchini, strawberries, tons of herbs, the last of the lettuce, the last of the peas, Swiss chard, our first beans, and tomatoes! Soon, we will be harvesting our first sweet peppers and carrots which I am so excited about.

The pumpkins are thriving and took off this month. I am so looking forward to seeing how many we have by the end of the Summer! We’ve also had some beautiful blooms this month, hydrangeas, dahlias, hollyhocks, nasturtiums, snapdragons and soon, our first cosmos, calendula, and echinacea will bloom!

I am direct sowing some more beans in the garden and am getting ready to start seeds for my Fall garden! I will be sharing more about my Fall garden in August!