From the Front Porch
Happy Friday from the front porch, sweet friends, and welcome to July!
I look forward to this time of year with pure delight because it feels like the perfect time to reset in so many ways.
I’m definitely a fan of fresh starts, are you?
After easing into the summer season, and spending intentional time relaxing at the cabin, I can honestly say, June was a welcome gift.
In some ways, it felt just as nostalgic as it did when we were kids.
Taking Time to Reassess Your Needs in July
Nearly every June, my parents would let us stay up as late as we wanted, attend sleepaway camp, craft rainy days away, spend time with our big farm family, and vacation at the beach for the entire month.
Once July hit though, they started easing us back into our routines again.
While I didn’t understand their reasoning at the time, come August when we started school early, we were ready to go and they were too.
If you haven’t started thinking about it already, July is a great time to reassess your needs.
To really dig deep and understand what is working well and what is not working well at all.
It’s a good time to transition, change things up, or get back on track with the routines that have served you best in the past.
Prepping for the Holidays With Summer Sale Events
It’s also a good time to shop early for holiday gifts. Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Nordstrom are all hosting big sale events in July!
As someone who can get easily distracted and overwhelmed by the number of goodies being pushed during these huge sales, I take the holiday weekend to determine our budget, jot down things missing from our wardrobes, and those things that could make our lives easier too.
That way, if they come up in the sale, I have a solid game plan and won’t be distracted by shiny things.
In addition, Shuler Studio is also hosting a 4th of July event!
If you loved the personalized monogram we had made for my mom and aunt, now is a great time to browse their creative selections and choose a monogram of your own!
A Few of Our Favorite Things From Around the Web This Week…
A House for the Ages (this one is for you Mom!)
This peaceful home in Cornwall makes me want to live an “essentials only” kind of life.
The Casa Lincoln Project from Pure Salt Interiors is filled with lots of fabulous ideas for Summer.
I love this house tour in Spain too!
This home is the perfect mix of old and new.
Simple Flower Arrangements to Try in Spring or Summer
Oh my word, these are almost too pretty to eat!
Can you even with this gorgeous wedding? – it’s perfection.
If you need some last-minute decorating ideas for the 4th of July, you’ll love Michele’s gorgeous tablescape, Emily’s Patriotic Summer Home Tour, Jen’s 5-Minute Simple Summer Centerpiece, Rachel’s patriotic porch decorations, and Kristin’s Outdoor Summer Spaces. They’re all filled with fabulous ideas!
Tik Tok Has Spoken: Jam Seltzer Is Summer’s Newest Drink Craze but the Dirty Shirley seems to be a big hit too!
8 Tips and Tricks to Extend the Vase Life of Cut Flowers (this was super helpful for grocery store flower arrangements too)
13 Things to Do Before Leaving for a Road Trip
99 Date Night Ideas for a Sweet Summer
As we transition to the second half of the year, this post, What Do We Keep? is such a good one.
LOVED this episode of Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan featuring Anthony Ray Hinton I’m going to listen to it every time I need a pep talk. He is such an inspiration!
Speaking of LOVED, I had the pleasure of having a Zoom call with my sweet friend Anna from Sky Lark House this week and it was so much fun. I swear, more times than not, I feel like the new kid at school EVERY TIME I have a Zoom call. As an introvert with social anxiety, video calls are not always easy to get through. But I push myself to do them because I know I will learn something valuable and my session with Anna was no exception. I got off the call with her and thought, “How lucky are we to have access to fellow creatives like this?” She’s definitely a treasure!
Words to Live By…
Third Quarter Books of the Month and Devotional…
(Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)
- July: How Are You, Really? by Jenna Kutcher (This book is AMAZING. I’m having to slow myself down so I don’t devour it in a day. I hope you love it as much as I do! You can tell Jenna poured her heart and soul into this book!)
- August: Minimalista: Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Better Home, Wardrobe, and Life by Shira Gill
- September: A More Beautiful Life: A Simple Five-Step Approach to Living Balanced Goals with HEART by Whitney English
- Quarter 3 Devotional: Courageous Joy: Delight in God in Every Season by (in)courage
On the Menu this Week…
(**NEW FOR YOU** Access the entire month in this post, July Menu Ideas here)
Week of July 1st – July 10th
- 07/01 Friday: Ultimate Hot Dog Bar
- 07/02 Saturday: Patriotic Charcuterie Board
- 07/03 Sunday: Garlic Butter Shrimp and Grits
- 07/04 Monday: 50+ 4th of July Recipes
- 07/05 Tuesday: Crunch Wrap Supreme
- 07/06 Wednesday: Farmers Market Salad
- 07/07 Thursday: Chicken Rice Soup
- 07/08 Friday: Caprese Sandwich with potato salad and side of field greens
- 07/09 Saturday: Grilled Salmon with Peach Salsa and grilled veggies
- 07/10 Sunday: One Pan Balsamic Steak and Veggies
Sweet Treat to Try This Week…
75 4th of July Desserts That Are Better Than Fireworks
Summer Inspired Finds We Spotted Online at Amazon and Target This Week…
(Amazon and Target affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. As an Amazon and Impact Media Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)
Dress * Pitcher * Leaf Arrangement * Surface Cleaner
Plate Set * Romper * Tumblers * Sandals
Lip Gloss * Tray Set * Skirt * Pillow
Dishwasher Cleaner * Earrings * Stool * Maxi Dress
If You’ve Missed Anything from the Blog Recently or the Archives, Here’s a Peek At What We’ve Been Up To…
How to Bring the Feeling of Vacation Home With You
The Blessing I Almost Missed (June’s Encouragement of the Month post – a million times over thank you so much for supporting these posts!)
Patriotic Party Cones and 4th of July Blog Hop
Patriotic Inspired Grain Sack Table Runner
How to Decorate a Store-Bought Cake for the 4th of July
Simple Summer Movie Night Ideas (I should totally add Top Gun: Maverick to this list!)
Last Minute 4th of July Celebration Ideas
July Bucket List…
- Celebrate Independence Day
- Prepare the Porch for Summer
- Make Peach Ice Cream
- Take Piper to the Beach
- Sparklers with the Littles
- Family Picnic at the Farm
- Attend a Summer Yard Sale
- Christmas in July Activities
- Check the Christmas Club Gift Account
- Begin Summer Routines
- Begin Quarter 3 Challenge
- Plan Fall and Winter Content
- Post a Blog Video
- Read the Book of the Month
- Start Quarter 3 Devotional
- Keep Sundays Sacred
July Simplified and Organized Home Challenge…
Focus of the Month: Kids Rooms or Guest Rooms & Bathrooms
- 07/02 – Kids Room or Guest Room
- 07/09 – Kids Room or Guest Room Closet & Drawers
- 07/16 – Kids Room or Guest Room Bathroom & Cabinets
- 07/23 – Back to School Supplies/ Toys & Games
- 07/30 – Clean Out/Organize Your Car
TCG Housekeeping Notes, Dates to Remember, and Upcoming Posts
- 07/01 – Buy Birthday and Special Occasion Cards and Gifts
- 07/01 – Canada Day
- 07/02 – Made in the USA Day
- 07/04 – Independence Day (US)
- 07/06-07/31 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (*Nordstrom members have the earliest access)
- 07/07 – World Chocolate Day
- 07/09 – National Sugar Cookie Day
- 07/11-07/13 – Target Deal Days
- 07/11-0/14 – Walmart Deals for Days (*no formal announcement yet but they had sales during Amazon Prime Days last year so I wanted to put it on your radar just in case you’re planning for the holidays too)
- 07/12 – National Simplicity Day
- 07/12 & 07/13 – Amazon Prime Days
- 07/14 – Bastille Day
- 07/17 – National Ice Cream Day
- 07/20 – National Hot Dog Day
- 07/31 – National Mutt Day
As always, we appreciate you more than you could ever know, and we hope your holiday weekend is peace-filled and relaxing. We can’t wait to share even more with you next week!
Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Many blessings,
CoCo
CoCo,
I absolutely love your quote and it’s so appropriate for this weekend. I’d love to share it on my Sunday Dirt Road adventures along with your table runner. I love that idea. Thanks for sharing a link to my porch. You are so kind to include me. I appreciate your posts so much and look forward to all you share.
You are so welcome, Rachel! That quote definitely helped to give me a fresh perspective this week and I’m glad it will resonate with your readers too. I hope you and your family have an amazing time at the beach and your 4th of July is filled with tons of extra-special memories. You deserve it! Big hugs, CoCo
Happy July to you! And thank you for the inspiring quote!
You are so welcome, Corrie! I hope July brings you unexpected adventures, moments of pure bliss, and days filled with all your favorite things. Big hugs, CoCo
Happy Fourth, CoCo! It’s a beautiful day here in Oregon, and we’re hanging out in the backyard. I hope you are having fun and/or rest and calm (whichever you need), too!
PS: I just shared your quote on two of my Instagram accounts.
So excited you guys had such a fabulous 4th of July, Corrie! I swear there is nothing like taking time to relax and enjoy your own backyard. We tried to relax as much as possible too by grilling our dinners, taking long naps, hosting movie nights, and enjoying the sunshine and the water in between afternoon thunderstorms. It felt so good just to let go and be. Thanks so much for sharing the quote and helping to lift others up! Big hugs, CoCo
Another amazing porch post, CoCo!! I love it all! Happy 4th to you!
Thanks so much, Rachel, they’re always fun to put together. I hope you and your family have a blessed 4th of July. Big hugs, CoCo
Coco,
I always love these posts and try to get myself inspired to create Lists like you do for the month…I do To Do Lists for the week and that does help to keep me in track…Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comment!! I appreciate you taking the time to do so!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Deb
Thank you so much for always supporting these Friday posts, Deb! I really appreciate it. They’re always so much fun to put together. I always tell people lists are one of my love languages. I’d be LOST without them and I’m excited to hear they work for you as well. I hope you and your family are having a great summer so far. I can’t believe how fast it’s all going by! Hugs, CoCo
Happy July CoCo! You had so many great things packed in this post. I love that link to Cornwall. A place on my bucket list to visit. Thanks for sharing so many recipes for the month. I need some new ideas for dishes to cook for my family.
Thank you bunches, Tammy! These Friday posts are always so much fun to put together. I’m amazed at the creative things people come up with from week to week! You are so welcome for the recipes too. One of my gifts is being highly organized and I’m happy to share anything that might be helpful or that saves us all some time. Hugs, CoCo
So many good links and sources of inspiration. I loved the Pure Salt Home and Michelles budget friendly July 4th table. Also, the best news I have received all week – is that July 17 th is National Ice Cream Day. Definitely marking that one on the calendar. Thank you for taking the time to compile all these links and to share them with us.
Oh and I want to know more about how you make peach ice cream!
HAPPY SUMMER!!
So glad you find these Friday posts helpful, Anna! They’re always so much fun to put together. I love discovering new home tours, fashion finds, and any tip or trick that will help make our lives easier or better. We just made peach ice cream over the 4th of July so I’ll try to get our recipe together. It was super simple! Big hugs, CoCo