Dear August

Dear August,

Just let me be honest here,  I have a love/hate relationship with you and I almost dread turning over the calendar page.

You are suffocating,  stifling,  sultry ( and not in a good way). You are hazy, hot, humid.  And there are 31 days of you, which feels like 41. 

So, how to cope: turn the AC to artic and cozy up to a TV series to binge watch.

In the coolest part of the morning hit the farmer's market for watermelon,  cantaloupe,  tomatoes, corn and butterbeans and ...

Chilled watermelon hits the spot anytime of day. Tomatoes sandwiches can't be beat for summer lunches. Corn and butterbeans with a side of sliced tomatoes is an excellent late supper eaten on the screened in porch after the sun sets. 

And it is so important to stay hydrated in the heat. Mint Iced Tea is so refreshing, and smells heavenly if you have a few fresh sprigs from the garden. If you don't have a pot or field of mint, the tea is still delicious ~ try it. 

In some of the most appalling heat I have experienced, I discovered the Augusta Arnold Palmer, served at Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta. It's a delightful mix of lemonade and Iced Tea Flavored Vodka (my ABC store carries Firefly).

August, you feel a little melancholy at times. I can smell, feel a change coming on; I am happy to leave you behind, but also hesitantly wonder of what's to come. I love Fall, but September isn't truly Fall, at least not in Virginia.

So, short of moving to Alaska or Maine for the month, I will settle for artic AC and stay inside and CRAFT!

I am so glad that I found Stampin' Up! and a cadre of stampin' friends. These friends often come to my rescue when I just can't handle you anymore. We always have new SU products to play with as we gather around a craft table or a computer screen.

It keeps us cool, calm and collected. We craft and solve the world's problems.

If I weren't a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator I most likely wouldn't have met Linda or Ellen or Jenny or Dail or Kathy or Pamala or Monica or ...

I am always looking for more stampin' friends who'd like to share the Stampin' Up! experience.  You don't have to live next door or even in the same city. You don't  have to become a Demonstrator. First things first, let's stamp.

August,  your heat cannot stop us. Your storms cannot scare us. We will 

               Stay calm

                     and

               Stamp On

See ya later August!

(Stampers: there is so much fun going on at Stampin' Up! right now: new Sunflowers Paper Pumpkin, Cozy & Bright Christmas Card crafting kit, Mini July - December Catalog featuring  craft ideas for fall and winter days, AND  I have card crafting classes, too!)

If you'd like a Stampin' Friend or Creative Coach, or to join my team of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators, I am here to help ~ I'd love to chat with you, maybe over a tall glass of Iced Tea!