Summer To-Do List

~ Paris

{The stunning Mendocino Coast at Fort Bragg from a trip many years ago.}


Summer officially begins in just a couple of days {June 20th, to be exact}. With the days becoming warmer and staying bright longer, it’s making me excited to spend the next few months waking up with the sun, dining al fresco, and snacking on berries and tropical fruits all day long. While I don’t have any major summer vacation plans this year, I’m excited to spend the hottest days of the year lazily by the {saltwater} pool, relaxing indoors in air-conditioned comfort {preferably with a snuggly Chihuahua or a purring kitten on my lap}, and making weekend trips to the river or lake, wine country, or a beachy town. And still having a summer vacation like I did as a kid just makes me even more nostalgic for a season that was never my favorite {aka, spring & fall}.

With summer beginning this Friday, I’m sharing a few of the things I’d like to accomplish before the leaves begin to turn gold. And for more seasonal inspiration, here are my past seasonal to-do lists.

Summer To-Do List

1. Plan a trip to the beach.

2. Go to a concert in the park.

3. Attend a flower arranging + floral infused food and cocktail making class {or have a DIY version of it at home one afternoon}.

4. Go to a drive-in theater with burgers, fries, and milkshakes for an old-fashioned style dinner and a movie date.

5. Plan a picnic at the beach or a park.

6. Have an at-home spa day.

7. Have a weekly Taco Tuesday night {bonus points for virgin margaritas}.

8. Spend more time on my new hobby: drawing.

9. Start my mornings with an energizing yoga sequence.

10. Make desserts with summer berries from the farmers market every weekend.

x Paris

A Dose of Pretty

~ Paris ~ Leave a comment

{The sweetest chickens who I love to meet on our evening walks.}

After a month off to celebrate my birthday, wrap up the semester, and enjoy some much needed rest, it feels great to be back. Summer has never been my favorite season – I prefer the cold to the heat – but this summer feels different. It’s not that I have any plans to travel or have an adventure. Rather, I’m just excited to continue with my current schedule: spend time moving every day at the gym and with our evening walks {to see the chickens, obviously}, play with my three boys, make pizza {with my 2020 pandemic sourdough starter} as often as possible, watch movies in the middle of the day {my guilty pleasure is a made-for-TV romcom from Hallmark or true crime thriller on Lifetime}, and create something everyday {be it a drawing, a poem, a painting, a meal, or something else that brings me joy}.

This weekend I’m excited to continue with my all of my same, aforementioned summer plans, make meals at home {cooking is one of my love languages after all}, and of course, celebrate the fathers in my life. I hope you have a wonderful one as well! x

{Yellow roses with a pink paint splatter look are the perfect combination of my favorite colors.}

{Pastel blue eggs that make for the prettiest brunch. P.S.: The only difference between these blue eggs and the classic white and brown ones is the yolks are a deeper orange hue.}

{The yummiest virgin cocktail, topped with Chardonnay grapes.}

{Ripened apricots, still on the tree.}

{Fragrant pink roses on our walk that beckoned me to stop to literally smell the roses.}

x Paris