Happy July! Wow, the summer is in full swing friends. This year has been a whirlwind so far, I have shared so much exciting content with you all and had so many incredible opportunities, I can’t wait to see what July has in store! With that said, it is time to wrap up June. That’s right, it’s time for my June wrap-up!
So much is happening in the world, with universities making decisions about the fall, continued uncertainty about the long-term of anything with COVID-19, and ongoing protests for racial justice, it’s easy to forget that murder hornets are still at large in the United States. You know it has to be a wild time when an animal with murder in the name is low on the priority list.
Around mid-month we had a few days where the weather was nice, cool, and great for spending time outside. Which is exactly what I did! I even went to a school nearby and took some photos with my mom early one morning, which was fun and helped me get content that I could use throughout the summer.
This month I decided to really put more energy towards using my planner as a means to document this time in my life. I want to know what I was doing in this time, so I’m making great use of the hourly section of my Simplified planner. Whether its a dog walk or spending a few hours on blog work or puzzles, it’s nice to see how I’m spending my time and to have this planner as something to look back on. If I’m ever asked “What did you do while you stayed home?” I’ll have a primary source to pull out! I did this off and on throughout the end of the semester, but I’ve gotten more serious about it this month.
Blog Posts Published in June:
In June, seven new blog posts went live here on Patience and Pajamas!
- 21 Tech Gifts for College Students
- May Wrap-Up
- What’s in My College Binder and What to Put in Your Own
- 10 Skills You Should Have Before You Go to College
- July Holidays
- 10 Essentials Under $10 You Didn’t Know You Needed for College
- Commonly Forgotten Dorm Kitchen Essentials that Probably Weren’t on Your College Shopping List
Food
This month I decided that in order to use up some peas and carrots I had leftover in the fridge, I was going to make fried rice. I have been watching some YouTube videos from Souped Up Recipes and thought I may as well put some of my knowledge to good use! I ended up with three decent portions of fried rice. The first I had for lunch and a second for dinner, which I had with my dad. The meal earned his seal of approval and I’m excited to try making fried rice again in the future! Maybe I’ll make the rice properly next time, and not use microwavable Jasmine Rice from Trader Joe’s…
I forgot to include last month that I had made a couple of batches of granola, but I made some this month as well! The first batch I made around mid-month was very simple. It only included oats! Good thing, because I slightly overcooked them. I like my granola to be more clumpy and this granola was far from clumpy. I ended up putting some in cereal though, which was quite good! The next time I increased the liquids I mixed into the oats, but it was too sticky for my liking. Naturally, the third try was the charm! I’ve made it a few times since and started making smaller batches just to eat fresh that day.
I made my favorite cupcake recipe twice, they’re super easy chocolate cupcakes! They’re a bit denser and make for a slightly heavier cake than is customary in cupcakes, but when I cut them in half and make them into a sandwich, they really remind me of whoopie pies! I use vanilla icing on my cupcakes. Once I did try to make the caramel in the recipe, but it didn’t turn out. Maybe that’s something to give another try in July.
Lastly, I tried papaya in June. I’ve never actively avoided papaya, but my dad had bought a mixed fruit can thing and it happened to have papaya in it. It was so good. Hopefully it’ll be in stock again soon so I can enjoy it with all of this summer heat!
Crafting and DIY
(for lack of a better title)
I painted two canvas bags this month. One just needed to be finished and was a project I had been working on last summer, I simply added some details and it was ready to go. The other is one I had been wanting to make for a friend for a while, and got to drop it off to her as part of her birthday present at the end of the month. I really enjoy painting and making gifts, but I don’t paint as often as I would like to.
I also did some coloring, as I had printed out a few coloring sheets back in April and never got around to actually coloring them. There was one from Crayola and two from All Things Lilly Ann. They’re currently hanging in the bay window of my living room, for passersby to see.
Aside from a few birthday cards, I also made my dad his annual Father’s Day t-shirt using our Cricut. It was stressful when I had some mirroring issues with the design and had to recut parts of it, but we got there in the end!
Speaking of the Cricut, I started messing around with some DIY wall art ideas that will hopefully be coming to the blog this month! Stay tuned…
Media
Women of Impact
Women of Impact is a National Geographic special I found on Disney Plus and it was incredibly interesting. Hearing the stories of women who have paved the way for others in their field was incredibly empowering. Some of the experiences they had were absolutely appalling, especially in the 1960s, but it was really cool to see what these women have accomplished and the impact they continue to have.
Drain the Great Lakes
As someone who finds the history of North American geography fascinating, this was a great watch. Naturally, this was also a National Geographic special I found on Disney Plus. While it’s a life goal of mine to visit the lower 48, I also want to visit the shore of each Great Lake!
How I Built This: Sarah Kauss
Sarah Kauss is the creator of S’well and the story of this water bottle company is way more intriguing than one would expect. This was my favorite podcast episode I listened to in June!
Life in General…
Looking back, I think this may be the first month ever where I managed to get outside with my dog every morning, whether I played fetch with her or she just ran around while I sat and watched. This is something I intend to keep up with for as long as possible. While I always make sure she gets out every morning, of course, I don’t always go out with her when we’re at home. At school, we would usually walk right before morning classes but there was always a time limit and somewhere to be. It’s nice to just let her run around the yard and see her be a dog. It also really helps get my day off to a good start with some fresh air.
I’ve FaceTimed some friends and caught up with more people this month, the long phone calls have been wonderful. Some impromptu, some planned out days in advance, but whatever works! It is a weird time right now for a lot of people. As much as we try to enjoy summer and the time we have, it isn’t easy to avoid thinking about what fall will bring. I’m trying to do my best to check in on friends, which I really encourage you to do as well. I know there are always more people to call and worry about, but checking in on one person is better than checking in on no one, if you can. Sometimes you just have to try your best and reach out.
June wasn’t easy for me. I dealt with a lot of pain, migraines, and frustration with how doctor’s offices and hospitals are being run right now. My body doesn’t do well in the heat, especially my joints. This coupled with migraines meant I did a lot less in terms of working out, simply because I couldn’t tolerate what I had managed to do in May.
Ju
All of this to say…
In June I did less, but I prioritized the little things. I did what made me feel good and just tried to take care of my body. Yes, I did a lot less than I did last month, and that’s okay. I’m happy with the way I spent my time when I was able to do things. That’s what matters, right?
Thanks for reading my June wrap up, I hope you stick around! The goal is to post at least five blog posts a week in July, so there is a lot of content on the way! Stay tuned, friends.
