SWIMMING OUT OF THE MONTH OF JUNE 2018
The month of June arrived and passed us by; leaving us with memories of lots of beautiful summer days and fond thoughts of all the adventures that we found out under the summer sun. It was a month of swimming, fishing, storytelling, catching fireflies and butterflies, having picnics, eating EVERYTHING chocolate and slower night times of gazing up with wonder at the stars.
I really think God made the month of June just for kids. We had a wonderful time playing with all the grandkids last month. It is highly possible that we dissolved into kids again ourselves and became extremely silly and a lot more active than usual. June can do that to you! We are grateful.
JUNE MEANT CELEBRATING FLAG DAY WITH INTENTION
Our lives had just recovered from a great Memorial Day celebration at the end of May when June stirred up our patriotism again with the coming of Flag Day.
People talk a lot these days about being “intentional” and “mindful” of their moments. I hope those words were given full consideration in relation to the national holiday called Flag Day.
There was a very noble purpose behind establishing this day and setting it aside. The Founding Fathers of our great nation were also being very intentional and mindful of their plans which eventually materialized into our great destiny.
We live in an era where we know our nation must come together in love to give our nation’s children a new taste of the wonderful gift that comes from a proud heritage. We must form a new wave of national pride starting within our own local homes, (one person at a time) that will grow our melting pot of people into an even more beautiful and greater nation than before; because of the next generation’s God-given gifts and contributions to our society.
We can pass on the concepts of a great heritage; a great heritage that should be shown honor and respect and treated with dignity. The children of tomorrow must know of it; in order to receive it. We; the generations that are raising up America now; must constantly be teaching our young the truth and giving them some good, godly foundational values to live by.
Children should be taught to take pride in their own country. They need to know all of the good that it stands for in the world.
All Americans should take pride in our flag and celebrate the symbolic meanings behind it. Our forefathers put a lot of thought and effort into making this beautiful red, white and blue emblem of our country which stands for the beliefs that have made America different from every other country. Those who dare to trample our flag have not been taught its worth. We MUST be passing those concepts on. One way for families to do this is to participate in all of our national holidays. They are excellent teaching times.
If you missed our article on this special day; just click this link to review: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/flag-day-celebration-seasons/
JUNE MEANT SHARING OUR GARDENING STORIES AND ADVENTURES
In May we spoke of planting tomatoes from seed; in June we watched them grow! This can happen with a seasonal blog; and that is one of the concepts of The IN SEASON Lifestyle that we love.
You can catch our very first gardening article right here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/learning-to-
garden/. There is every intention to increase our knowledge of gardening and to share the wonder of all our discoveries as we go along. We feel the growing of food is becoming more and more important. It is an art that every family should learn to develop; in whatever place that God has planted them, in whatever way they can find to participate.
During the month of June we tested our instructions for planting heirloom tomato seeds and are proud to say we got some excellent results! The process worked perfectly; but there is, unfortunately ,”the rest of the story.”
It was so amazing to watch as those little seeds began to grow up right before our eyes. What a joy it was to see them peep out to greet the world and we spent several hours separating the hearty little stalks into separate planting containers with just the right mix of soils so they would have more room to grow. Faithfully, we watered them once a week with a good soaking just as we had been taught was the correct way to water tomatoes. Each little container plant appeared to be so healthy! We were so happy to know our crop was looking so good and we had our heart set on a wonderful gardening experience.
The rest of the story and the truth of the matter is that we live in Alabama where the winds like to turn into tornadoes. That aspect of our weather is very unpredictable. It often turns permanent things into temporary things. Such was the case with these beautiful little tomato plants. Our plan had worked well until we forgot that we needed to be diligent in preservation techniques too.
Much to our horror, a very unanticipated and unpredictable storm tampered with our little containers full of young plants while we were distracted inside, huddled down and taking shelter from buckets and buckets of pouring rain and howling winds.
It made us all so very sad to discover what this meant for our little crop of tomatoes. The downed tree in our neighborhoods cul-de-sac didn’t make us happy either. Instead of time spent tending the garden; time was devoted to sawing up the trunk and limbs of a HUGE old tree and watching progress as the rescue squad and the power company worked their wonders with the loose power lines that were hanging down everywhere. At that point the garden was the least of our worries; we were just grateful to be alive and have electricity once again. Finally we were able to drive past the downed tree into our driveway and we thankfully discovered our home was still intact.
Oh well – at least when it comes to STARTING tomato seedlings we DO know what to do now. We will know how to do it the right way come growing season next year. There is a general consensus among the family that we must also start MUCH earlier next spring.
There will be a next season for our tomato growing. We will get there eventually!
We learn from our mistakes.
Those tomato seedlings should have been better protected. Those tiny young plants should have been gently sheltered instead of the way we left them sitting directly under the shade of the overhang of our house, which drowned the plants by dousing them with sheets of rain that beat them up even before the wind came along and damaged them a whole lot more. You can see how beautiful they WERE in the photo.
I swept what was left of them away from the deck and tried not to cry.
In that moment I realized I shall have to drive up to Sand Mountain one more time for yet another year to get those awesome tomatoes that I was longing to find in my own garden. Not all is lost; I actually love exploring Sand Mountain, Alabama because a lot of our heritage is still living there. Perhaps that trip’s results will be revealed in yet another article of The IN SEASON Lifestyle blog.
It occurred to me that perhaps gardening is just like everything else in life; for anything that really matters you must devote lots of time, attention and intelligent thought to preservation. This year we learned step one of growing and harvesting tomato seeds. Next year, hopefully, with more preservation skills under our belt; we can complete the whole process satisfactorily.
In the meantime I’m still looking around for some mid-summer crops that we can plant. I’m really not sure what will become of that idea; but you can be sure when it happens I’ll be sharing it here with our whole wonderful community.
I hope your garden is growing well! Maybe we need to come to your house this season? What are you planning around dinner time tonight?
JUNE BROUGHT SOME AWESOME FATHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONS
Moving on to a happier experience in June; Father’s Day was just terrific. I hope you feel the same way looking back at your own memories.
My husband was truly blessed by the thoughtfulness of each of our children and grandkids. I had fun getting the house ready for the big day and they showed up, each in their own special way, and showered him with love and affection.
We totally enjoyed the day as a family.
All of this year’s IN SEASON Lifestyle articles for Father’s Day can be reviewed by clicking these links: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/favorite-fathers-blogs/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/fathers-day-gifts/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/fathers-day-decor-2/. We truly hope they were helpful to you and sparked a few of your own Father’s Day ideas. We would love to see photos and share those events with you. Please do send any articles you would love to share with the whole IN SEASON Lifestyle Community for next year, along with your favorite photos; to wordcastlepublications@gmail.com and we will be very happy to consider publishing your stories for the whole IN SEASON Lifestyle Community reading audience during Father’s Day of 2019. We can’t pay you for them; but we will be happy to publish them for you. You know how much we enjoy sharing the love!
We have loved the experience of hearing from all the many Dads who read this blog with their Father’s Day comments. It is often surprising for us to know how many they are. Our constant hope is that The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community blogs will consistently continue to accommodate the reading pleasures of the whole family. We desire to always keep a good healthy “mix” to our articles with something of interest for everyone.
Father’s Day was so much fun!
A FEW JUNE PLANS THAT DID NOT MATERIALIZE
We had planned on attending the movie called “Book Club” in June and reporting back to our readers.
The title intrigued us because of our love of books!
After looking at the previews of this movie; it didn’t really seem to line up with our 2 Timothy 4:2 quest in life though; so we declined attending and reviewing the movie.
We hope not too many of you are disappointed by the sudden change of interest.
There is a general feeling that soon there will be some other great movies which are more suitable for our readers; and more appropriate for our viewing pleasure.
Life is full of detours; and we are not afraid to take the ones that seem necessary.
So; we scratched that plan on the June schedule and moved on, putting our passionate energies into what we considered to be more important reviews.
We had also promised another article that is still in the works. My dear friend Suzie had consented to sharing her thoughts with us on health maintenance after age fifty. The interview with Suzie is now complete; but the author of the blog is still editing and reviewing and hoping to get a few more photos from Suzie to share. We will be excited to bring Suzie’s story to you later in July.
Yes; get ready because that will be another wonderful read to look forward to as we enter the month of July!
You are going to LOVE Suzie’s story.
Also; we failed to get around to publishing those great ice cream recipes we promised; but take heart about that too! They are still coming. Our concentration on food for June went into the area of summer salads. (we share that link further on in this newsletter so keep reading.) You can expect some great ice cream treats to happen in our MONDAY MENUS articles of July.
Just another fun thing to look forward to from The IN SEASON Lifestyle recipe collections.
REVIEWING THE BOOKS THE GAINES WROTE
The review of the three of the books that Joanna and Chip Gaines wrote made up for our disappointments about not making it out to see the “Book Club” movie. Their books and our blogging community are definitely a fit. What a lot of goodness this couple brings to the table!
I hope you caught those reviews of all three of their first books; The Magnolia Story, Capital Gaines and Magnolia Table (Joanna’s cookbook.) If you missed our book review; you can click on it here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/stories-from-joanna-and-chip-gaines/.
Getting to know the Gaines family better has been a fascinating experience; even if it has only been from reading the pages of their books! I love people who are so determined to leave the world a better place than they found it. They definitely add delight to whatever spot of the world they are in.
COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES THROUGH JUNE
The Leviticus study from our COME AS A CHILD ongoing bible study lessons didn’t miss a beat in June.
We had four good lessons; and from the comments we received I think we peaked some interesting subjects for many of you. We were even brave enough to tackle the subject of holiness in diet and looked a lot at the intentions of the heart where holiness is concerned.
If you missed any of these lessons you can catch up with us here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/childbirth-purification-process/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/dietary-regulations/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/when-aaron-listened-better/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/task-of-the-anointed/. It never hurts to read these articles twice; sometimes there is so much to absorb! Reading a whole month of lessons together sometimes makes a lot of the facts click in easier than one lesson at a time. So we hope you go back and review often. God has surely blessed us with the study of His Word.
A BEAUTY ARTICLE ON THIS BLOG? IT DID HAPPEN IN JUNE
Editors have the opportunity sometimes to make exceptions to the rules.
I had a fabulous experience meeting with my new hairdresser in June. I guess that was my present to myself in the midst of so much working, writing and running after grandkids. Anyway, the treat of finding this wonderful friend was so special that I just had to share it with all our readers. Here is probably the ONLY beauty-related article you will ever find me writing: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/hair-and-destiny/
I’m just so thrilled to have found John Michael in June of 2018! It was a very timely encounter in my journey to becoming an “older woman.”
The first pic with the long hair is me BEFORE meeting John Michael. The next pic is me AFTER meeting John Michael. I think he definitely improved my life!
THE IN SEASON LIFESTYLE COMMUNITY STORE FOR JUNE
Did you check out all the interesting products that our articles shared with you in June?
Are there still some things that you wanted to order but haven’t been able to get to yet?
No worries; our IN SEASON LIFESTYLE COMMUNITY STORE FOR JUNE has a full recap of all the products we shared in June. Just click here to review the products we most recently offered. Remember we are an Amazon Associate and any money you spend by clicking into our site is not more expensive than if you clicked directly into Amazon. We do receive a small fee according to the number of orders and clicks from our site; so we appreciate your support. We hope we have made ordering so much easier for you with our monthly store summaries.
Just click here to find our store: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/june-products/
You can click here to review our privacy policy: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/privacy-policy-may-25-2018-updates/
Happy Shopping!
SPLASHING INTO THE MONTH OF JULY
Again, the sunshine is beaming down on us as we get ready to make a few BIG splashes into the amazing month of July!
The IN SEASON Lifestyle has anticipated sharing so much July fun with our readers.
We don’t think you are going to get bored or disappointed for a moment; just keep reading along with us and helping us to live life upside down and inside out in accordance with 2 Timothy 4:2 all through the summer season.
We will never run out of seasonal subjects to share with you!
THE HOUSE DOCTOR (FOR JULY 2018)
We have some summer design schemes for a summer vineyard look coming your way from THE HOUSE DOCTOR articles in July; as well as some more beautiful beach cottage themes.
You are going to love the many decorating ideas that we are bringing to the table. First think Tuscany; then later think of nothing but toes in the sand.
Keep reading in July to see what decorating schemes we’ve been up to.
SEASONS (FOR JULY 2018)
What is the first thought that pops into your mind when you think of July?
Independence Day of course!
We haven’t forgotten and are about to shower you with a few 4th of July ideas and suggestions.
Along with all of our fun ideas; we will be sharing our own fun experiences and hoping that you decide to participate and share your experiences with us too. If you have any special family photos centered around your 4th of July activities and celebrations of the past which you would like for us to publish in the blog; just send them to us at wordcastlepublicaitons@gmail.com. Make sure they are spare copies though; as we can’t promise to return them to you. We are always glad to share the events of our whole reading community and hope to hear more details of what is happening at your home this year.
Did you have something that was especially unique going for Independence Day? We want to know!
OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO (FOR JULY 2018)
July is a great month to get out and enjoy summertime activities with the kids. We have a bundle of FUN IN THE SUN FOR CHILDREN travel articles planned for July. I hope you remember to catch them under our OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO topics. We have presented a few of these places to you in the past; but it is always good to remember them again with each new season; and we have some brand new ideas to add in to the old ones that we know you are going to want to check out.
AN APPLE A DAY (FOR JULY 2018)
That wonderful interview with Suzie Blair on Maintaining Your Health After Age 50 is coming soon. You are going to love getting to know Suzie! We are also pondering how the mind, body and spirit work together for maintaining good health. Keep watching for that forthcoming article too.
MONDAY MENUS (FOR JULY 2018)
Those ice cream treats are coming soon! Keep watching under our MONDAY MENUS topic. We may also have a few other “cooking” surprises up our sleeves. Don’t miss them.
COME AS A CHILD (FOR JULY 2018)
The Leviticus study continues. The topics will be inspiring and helpful. At first glance the topics of skin diseases and a discussion about the effects of mold may sound a bit boring; but you know God can take the most mundane thing and show us amazing facts. Anticipate this as we continue our trek through the book of Leviticus.
PEN ART (FOR JULY 2018)
People tend to get creative in the middle of July. We are going to bring you some articles related to a fantastic way to teach children drama; and I’ll tell you more about my grandson’s wonderful week at theater camp this summer. When is the last time you took in a good play? How many of our readers are script writers? I’ve written a few scripts myself over time; and I may decide to share a few of those that your Youth Group may want to look into presenting to your church. It is all coming up soon in our PEN ART topic; so keep watching for it.
We are expecting amazing things to happen in July with The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community. Don’t be surprised at all if we throw in a new fact here or there; or if we get extra creative with all the tools that God has granted for us to work with.
Having you share in all of our July discoveries is going to make for a very special month!
So go on out there and make your own special splash!
Remember to keep living your life inside out and upside down according to 2 Timothy 4:2!
God bless you everyone.
Gail Landgraf (Editor)/The IN SEASON Lifestyle Blog/3685 Pine Lane, Birmingham, AL/(205) 532-9893/wordcastlepublicataions@gmail.com/theinseasonlifestyle.com
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