Southern Grace: First Day of Summer

Today is the official start of Summer. And I believe it. Our forecast shows a temp of 98 degrees for this Saturday and Sunday. Yes, I know it's probably hotter than that in some places, but I don't care where you live, 98 degrees of humid, wet, moist heat is Hot. It makes me daydream about the cool Northern California nights I was enjoying this time two years ago. Oh well, it could be worse. We could be without air conditioning and we aren't, so all is good.

Because of the nearing heat-wave, I have been trying to find ways to stay cool. Here's what I have come up with:

Zoku popsicle maker:

found on Amazon.com

So, apparently this little gizmo allows you to make ice pops in as little as 7 minutes with no electricity. You put the Zoku in the freezer for 24 hours and then it's ready for you to get creative. The Zoku blog website, found here, has some really cool recipes.

Yep, I'm gonna need to get one.

Summer dresses. I'm seriously thinking of trying my hand at sewing again because I really like this pattern and it's only $4.29 at the Simplicity website or your local fabric store.

Simplicity : 6984 - I may buy this pattern ($4.29) and try to make summer dresses.

And you can actually purchase the pattern and print it from the website! I like the cute bag too.

Grill up your dinner to keep your kitchen cool. I love to grill and I actually do it all year. Currently I do not have a covered porch, so I can't grill in the rain (well, unless I want to get wet), but I have been known to grill in rain, snow and shine. I found this grilled sirloin salad at Cooking Light's website. You can find the recipe here.

Doesn't that look yummy? You can barely see them, but there is corn in the salad. Wouldn't it be extra yummy to grill the corn before adding it to the salad, or you could serve it on the side.

I love to use a fan in the summer. We have air-conditioning (thank goodness), but I love the sound of the fan at night, it helps me sleep. Right now, I have an inexpensive box fan borrowed from my mom and dad, but I would LOVE to have a retro look fan like one of these.

by Restoration Hardware $119-$149

A little pricey for my budget though.

Etsy has LOTS of sellers with LOTS of vintage fans

These are more in my price-range, but look a little dangerous to use in the vicinity of my 2 1/2 year old.

Probably my favorite and least expensive way to keep cool is with a tall glass of good old Southern sweet tea, which, according to Southern Living, is considered the house wine of the South. And I agree. Southerner's like it sweet, really sweet. At my house we also like it strong. We use 3 family-sized tea bags, 10-12 cups of water and 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar (depending on who's making it, myself or my hubby). Growing up, my mom would bring the cold water and tea bags to a boil and let them steep for a while. My hubby and I make the tea in our coffee maker. While it is hot, we add the sugar, pour it into our gallon-sized pitcher and add cold water to the top. Pour over ice and enjoy! And yes, we sometimes drink it out of a Mason jar!