Kicking off the summer season

Bowie bounding into summer

Hiya!  Are you getting excited about the summer season or have you been too busy fighting off allergies and running away from mosquitoes?  In Texas, we've been getting rain followed by humid muggy days and then rain again - I'm not complaining as long as it keeps the heat away for a few more weeks.  With the long weekend coming up, we'll probably be taking the boat out on the lake for the first time this year and cooking out at least once.  In honor of the summer season, here are a few summery things that make these long hot days a little bit more bearable...

Stall fans - Kicking it off with something super practical and but a great source of comfort for Miss Mare, I bought this outdoor rated stall fan for Mae four years ago and hung it from a corner of her stall.  It is still going strong.  It has three speed settings and is about 3x more expensive than a generic fan that you can get from Home Depot, but it hasn't burnt out yet, which those will do after a year or two so I'd say it's well worth the money.  Dalton doesn't have one of these but he has also started the mangle the cage on the fan that he does have, so he's not allowed to have nice things until he grows up a little bit.

Icebox cake - I've shared the delights of an icebox cake before but it's worth bringing back every single summer.  Make it with fruit.  Or oreos.  Or alcohol.  I love this cake when it's hot out because there is no baking / hot kitchen involved.  I might be trying this tres leches version this weekend because doesn't that sound just delightful?

Salad dinners - Bryan and I try to turn everything into a salad in the summertime.  Protein, pasta, grains - add it all to a salad and liberally dress with balsamic vinegar and Graza olive oil (love the stuff).  Got some extra bread?  Cut it into chunks, drizzle with olive oil, toast it in the oven and you have croutons.  Like soft boiled eggs or fried eggs?  Add those to your salad too.  

Dresses - I am still a shorts / tank top girl when it comes to hot weather dressing but as I've gotten older, I've started to take advantage of the utility of summertime dresses.  It's one piece and you can just throw it on and go!  So far, I've purchased this one from COS and ordered another summer work dress from Poshmark.  I still haven't embraced the flouncy dress trend but readers, let me know if there are any summer dresses you keep coming back to.   

Thermacell E90 - Well well well, it seems that all the reviewers are right.  This outdoor mosquito repellent works!  Typically, I'll have to douse myself liberally with OFF in order to spend any time outside on our patio.  Not anymore.  Turn the Thermacell on 15 minutes before you plan on sitting outside and let it work its magic.  I've already ordered refills for it, which in my opinion are well worth the bites and nuisance that it saves.  It's rechargeable, small, portable, and will cover a 20 ft area.  I'm recommending it to everyone I know.