Old Red Wine

Sangria is the perfect refreshing drink for summer evenings. It’s a chance to use fresh fruit, herbs and more in a delicious concoction. Sangria originated on the Iberian penisula. Traditionally it is made with red wine, brandy, chopped fruit and a sweetner.  There is something just refreshing about it, and you can make it either with wine or with grape juice.

 

I make mine with grape juice so the whole family can enjoy.

 

You will need:

Grape juice

1 can ginger ale

Strawberries

Oranges

Lemons

Fresh mint

2 tbsp sugar or  6 drops stevia

 

Pour the grape juice into a pitcher. Add ginger ale and sweetner. Add fruit. Let combine in the fridge for 4 hours before serving. Best tasting when cold

Towards the Sun

I love fresh beginnings. The start of a new year. Birthdays. Back to school. New seasons. I try to have some sort of ritual to mark the start of a new season. We are moving into my favorite season, summer. The days are warm, the pools are open, and the sun doesn’t set till late. My to do list seems to shrink. I can just be lazy, which is fine by me.

 

To mark the start of summer (officially, even though the season seems to start Memorial Day) I decided to make a sun wheel for us to write our summer plans on. I took a piece of yellow poster board and cut out a circle. I added ribbon and yarn to be the rays of the sun. In the middle, my boys and I wrote our wishes for the summer, like vacation, learning to swim, going to the moonlight movies, and more.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

School is out. The temperatures are going up. The kids are getting bored. Midsummer or the solstice is time to try some new things. From ancient times, we have marked the solstices with celebrations. The summer solstice is the longest day, and a perfect opportunity to spend time in the sun.

Go bird watching

Go berry picking

Leave out milk and honey for the fairies

Watch the sunrise on the solstice

Have a breakfast picnic on the solstice

Decorate house in red & orange

Make sun catchers

Make solar tea

 

 

Solar tea

 

Needed:

Mason jar

Sprigs of thyme

3-4 tea bags

Water

 

Put tea and thyme in mason jar. Cover with water, put lid on it

 

Put in direct sulight for at least 3 hours

 

Drink and enjoy