10 Things I Love About July

Reflections on JULY

List making is one of my very favorite things. This article is part of a series of reflections on things I love about each month of the year. My hope is that in making these lists, I’ll slow down, take note of beauty, and contemplate the moments that matter. Here’s my list of 10 things I love about July.

1. Halfway Points

July 2nd was the exact midpoint of the year, and I love days that provide a demarcation of time. At the halfway point, I like to take an honest look at what’s working, what’s not, and make adjustment to my plans that help me maintain realistic expectations around what I can accomplish in the next six months.

2. 4th of July BBQ

It’s become a tradition for my family to gather at my parent’s house for a barbecue on July 4th. We eat burgers (and whatever other deliciousness my brother decides to grill), along with watermelon and baked beans. It’s casual and comfortable—sometimes we play a board game, sometimes we just chat.

3. Pioneer Woman’s Baked Beans Recipe

Speaking of baked beans…the Pioneer Woman’s baked beans recipe has become our family favorite. This year I made an extra batch to send to the fire station with my husband for them to enjoy on shift! It is so easy, but always a crowd pleaser.

Read: Big List of Blueberry Recipes

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4. Still a Lot of Summer Left

One thing I love about July is that for most of the month it feels like there’s still a lot of summer left. I’m not stressed about making sure I’m completely ready for all the changes coming in the fall season. There is a sense of possibility that I just might get through with some of the projects on my never-ending to-do list.

5. berries

July brings raspberries, blackberries, and marionberries along with the blueberries. I never used to be such a berry fanatic, but I absolutely love them now and want to eat berries every single day of summer.

6. Summer Camp

My oldest daughter volunteered for three weeks at a summer camp this year. The camp is almost two hours away, so we had some lovely conversations in the car driving back and forth each weekend.

Then two of my kids went to camp together for a week and I had a quiet week enjoying just my youngest at home with me.

This was the first time we had the experience of having a child gone so much and it gave us a peek into life as our kids begin leaving the nest. I love watching our kids mature and grow up—I just wish I could pause every so often to soak in the memories.

7. Chimichurri Sauce

We tried a recipe for pulled pork sandwiches that called for topping the pork with tzatziki sauce, chimichurri sauce, sliced tomato and red onion. Turns out, every member of our family LOVES chimichurri sauce! We’ve eaten it on other meats now as well and used it over rice bowls.

I’ve tried a few different recipes that were great, but I’ll link to one here if you’re not sure what chimichurri sauce is. Short answer is that it is some combination of parsley, sometimes cilantro, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

8. Sleeping In

I’m not a huge fan of sleeping in. My best energy is first thing in the morning, so I generally want to get up and going. However, there’s something about a summer day when there’s nothing that absolutely must get done, there a cool morning breeze streaming through the window, and it feels ok to roll over and go back to sleep instead of getting “up and at ’em.”

Read: 52 Small Healthy Habits for a Year of Big Change

9. Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

After freezing as many cherries as possible from our cherry tree in June, we start using some of them up right away to make our favorite chocolate cherry smoothie. None of us really measures anything—we use frozen cherries, chocolate syrup, milk, sometimes yogurt, and sometimes ice depending on the texture. It all gets dumped in the blender and magically transforms into a concoction that refreshes and satisfies perfectly on a scorching hot day.

10. VBS

This July, our church ran a Vacation Bible School program for a week. My three daughters and I all volunteered and while it was completely exhausting, it was so sweet and rewarding to work alongside my kids and watch them serve joyfully.