It's that point in the summer when nerves are beginning to fray, ideas for fun are exhausted, & it is so very hot in much of North America (& rainy in the Europe). Or you forgot what you were planning to do. Or you never did make a to-do list anyway. You are in luck because you're reading this & we happened upon Patricia's blog good + happy day on Playful Learning & they have plenty of ideas.This is not difficult, doesn't cost a lot of money: have everyone at home (or those you see regularly, this can include friends with kids) make a list of ideas. (Here are some of Patricia's.)Then start doing them before the next whine or argument. Do this tonight.ciao-meow/xoPS: When in doubt, throw an art party. Here is the GG online education resources label (includes children's art & literature sites).(photograph of the adorable Aurora by Morillo)
The hot weather continues (& will get worse) here in the States & Canada. Stay inside if you can & watch Wimbledon. That is the sum total of our weekend plan.
A few links:
Turn on Calm. (Also: make a playlist in iTunes of rain & the ocean. Cheap therapy.)
Spend two minutes to watch the month in photography.
Make these frozen (skinny) fruit pops.
A list of great children's books set in London (just in time for the Olympics). A library or bookstore visit on this hot summer weekend is always a good idea.
Tim Kreider's The Busy Trap - read it. The backlash is on but we aren't buying it. We agree with Tim.
xo/GGCM
(photograph by Julie de Waroquier)
A lovely cool photograph for the day. It's simply too hot to go outdoors (here). When in doubt, draw the blinds & take a nap. If you are so fortunate as to live by the sea...invite us to visit!
A few links:
Underwater photography galleries from National Geographic
Who are the Nereids again?
A poem by George Seferis translated from the Greek.
Take a walk in a favorite place, Santorini.
The real Greek salad (from a wonderful new-to-us food blog from Athens)
ciao/the Management
(photograph by Liquid Sunny Day)
GG will be back tomorrow. The terrible storms of Friday night & ensuing power outages have wreaked havoc in our world. We hope you have electricity or that it is restored soon. Here's a new-to-us online travel magazine (via Lori) Wayfare to read & an iced coffee recipe.To all the people we saw waiting to get into cafés for the wifi, good luck!ciao-meow from Giulia who is resting after many severe asthma attacks due to the power outage. xo(photograph via Lolita)
Running (late), tax prep, all manner of annoyances on a Monday. And yes, we'll add another complaint: it is 87 degrees. Off to run about outside while Giulia hides in a box in a darkened air-conditioned room (she has asthma).
You could do this tonight. David Lebovitz is a smart (& sweet) cookie & he has developed an excellent ice cream-without-a-machine recipe. David points out that people were making ice cream long before a machine was invented. It's great if you have one, but times are tough & many of us can't purchase one anytime soon.
ciao-meow/GG Summer Central
PS: July is National Ice Cream Month. Just in case you need a reason.
(Françoise Hardy & Sylvie Vartan via ScoutandLo)
Voglio un limoncello, per favore.
A fan whirs, the shades are drawn. Giulia is passed out (in a good way) on the wooden floor. She's comfortable because her furry little red head is damp from multiple applications of a clean, cool, wet cloth. And also because she is a great big Fan Hog! (Sorry for the outburst. Om. Om. Om.)
What GG cannot do, though, is make & partake of limoncello. We love lemons, we have pounds & pounds of them (for some reason) in the house. Tomorrow we will buy the other fixin's & have at this recipe on Bleeding Espresso. It's a very nice post, too, written by guest blogger Susan Filson of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. We're not allowed to eat (currently) the cool stuff Susan makes but there's no harm in looking.
ciao-cheers-meow/GGCM
[GG's grandmother's favorite model Suzy Parker by Allan Grant via Life Archives (more Suzy on myvintagevogue); limoncello via Gioia Luisa (USA), & Italy photochroms via Library of Congress]
GG & her editor are hiding behind pulled blinds & in front of a fan. It's 108 degrees Fahrenheit. GG's editor's plans to look for a summer cardigan are on ice. Ahem. GG allowed a cool, wet cloth on her l'il red head. We'll bring you news of...stuff....soon. We have hot scrambled brains. [photograph, Ella Fitzgerald sings at Mr. Kelly's nightclub, Chicago, 1958, by Yale Joel/LIFE archives]
