Slow Summer Mornings...

One of my very favorite things about summertime is slow mornings. I awake without the alarm, savor my coffee, and lounge around in PJs with my girls for as long as acceptable... Sometimes we get into a project together. Sometimes I make a big meal. And sometimes I escape to my home office and squeeze in some computer time. I LOVE writing/working in my jammies.

This summer, because I'm especially tuned in to "sense of place" (today kicks off my third session of leading this seasonal nature journaling eCourse), I've noticed more about these slow mornings. It's really too hot to sit outside anymore, but nature still infuses our space. From an oversize chair in the corner of my living room, I glimpse the birds in my backyard, and hear them cheerfully singing their way into a new day. I look the other direction, and I see the way the morning light streams in my dining room windows, illuminating our family table. I breathe in the scents of lakeview jasmine, lavender, and rosemary, all clipped from the garden and tucked into a mason jar. Our nature table fills with collected sea shells, driftwood, feathers, bug specimens, and pressed flowers.

This morning, the girls and I worked in our summer journals and made collages, inspired by activities and prompts from week one of my own eCourse, and another I'm participating in: Homespun Seasonal Living. The birds sang, the natural light streamed in, I sipped my coffee, and set some intentions for the season ahead. Bliss!

I must let go of the morning now... get dressed and jump into our day. We're playing and leaning with An Edible Garden week of the At-Home Summer Nature Camp. So there's a "pizza garden" to plant, some "fruit & veggie stamping" to do, market trips, kitchen fun, and a whole lot more on the agenda! What about you?

**It's not too late to join in A Sense of Place ~ Summer. If you'd like to join me in discovering nature and self this season, register here and I'll send out the first week's email to you right away!