Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 93 of Life On the Brink!
Like no other season, summer just screams fun! There’s a universal expectation to enjoy, be it the weather, the produce, or the surplus of time, and I’m here for it. Let’s lean into that summer fun a little and talk favorites. Today I’m simply sharing some items from my closet, pantry, home and routines that have really shone this summer!
In this episode I'm sharing:
-my favorite homemade frozen drinks and desserts
-the best 2 pieces in my summer wardrobe
-simple summer crochet projects
-how I enjoy my outdoor space in the summer
...and lots more.
Plus, this week's Little Joy was the special way I spend the 4th of July, and I'm sharing an album of music that is just pure FUN!
For the complete show notes, click here!
For full transcript, click here!
Site: lifeonthebrink.live
Social: @anna_on_the_keys
Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 93 of Life On the Brink!
Like no other season, summer just screams fun! There’s a universal expectation to enjoy, be it the weather, the produce, or the surplus of time, and I’m here for it. Let’s lean into that summer fun a little and talk favorites. Today I’m simply sharing some items from my closet, pantry, home and routines that have really shone this summer!
In this episode I'm sharing:
-my favorite homemade frozen drinks and desserts
-the best 2 pieces in my summer wardrobe
-simple summer crochet projects
-how I enjoy my outdoor space in the summer
...and lots more.
Plus, this week's Little Joy was the special way I spend the 4th of July, and I'm sharing an album of music that is just pure FUN!
For the complete show notes, click here!
For full transcript, click here!
Site: lifeonthebrink.live
Social: @anna_on_the_keys
Welcome to Life on the brink, a lovely little place filled with inspiration and creativity that is dedicated to enjoying life one day at a time. I'm Ana, and together, we're exploring the beautiful things in this world that fascinate us. And often discovering something new. Hello, hello, welcome to episode 93 of life on the brink. Today is an episode all about fun, and just light fun, favorite thing is because to me, no season screams fun like summertime. And I really enjoy how there's like this universal expectation almost to relax to enjoy. Whether it's the weather, the produce, the time the sunshine, it's understood that you're supposed to do things just for fun in the summer. And I'm here for it. Let's lean into that. And just talk favorites. Today I am simply sharing some ideas from my closet, my pantry from my home and routines that have really shown this summer so that hopefully you can find some new things to inspire you to spice up your summer. And of course, I would love for you to share yours with me as well, because there's so many different ways to enjoy this season. But before we talk about all that, I do just want to give a quick update because I'm so excited about this thing. You all know that I've been remodeling our new house slowly and I've been doing some work in the kitchen, I found on Facebook marketplace. Finally, at last, a real vintage tea cup display shelf in it is beautiful. It holds 18 tea cups and saucers it's currently hanging in my kitchen. And I love it so so so much. I've been looking for one of these for months. And it is just a beautiful way to display all the different teacups that I have, and still use them. And so I'll take a picture, I'll share it on social media. And there is of course a full before and after kitchen tour to come once things are a little bit more the way that they're going to be we've got some big projects still coming. And I just wanted to update because I mentioned a few episodes ago that one of my goals for this summer was to have my first dinner party in this home and I did that too. I had my parents and my in laws over and we had three courses of Thai inspired cuisine, I made the summer spring rolls with the rice paper, we had chicken Penang curry, and I actually made the coconut sticky rice with fresh mango. I'll leave a link in the show notes if you're interested. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I didn't do it in a traditional way at all the sticky rice that is but oh my gosh, it was glorious. And I set the table and there was music and candles. And it's only going to get better from here. So I'm just really excited about that. I wanted to share those updates. And if you have not yet there's still time to join in with this summer's Reading Challenge. There's a free printable PDF on the website, which is at life on the brink dot live. And I am currently two books down I think yeah, only two it's been slow reading this summer, but I'm kind of close to finishing two more. So you can set your own goal and you set your own price. So I invite you to join me on that. And now before we get into these favorites, let's make a cup of tea. I have in true summery fashion today. an iced matcha latte. Homemade. I'm going to talk about them later because they've definitely been a favorite. In fact, I'll start with that. I'll start with my first favorite of this summer has been making iced lattes both matcha and cold brew coffee. This is the time of year when I have great potential to spend so much money at Starbucks on a nice cold drink. And I still go to Starbucks from time to time Don't worry, but I have been really enjoying making lattes with almond milk at home. It's been so refreshing and much more sustainable and affordable. I will leave a link in the show notes to the cold brew pitcher that I use I got it off of Amazon and it is delicious. It's so simple to use. And I have just recently purchased vanilla, I guess French Vanilla ground coffee, because I haven't tried with flavored coffee yet but to wake up and have a nice, nice cold brew latte, you can go the extra step and froth the milk as well and it feels very cafe. But today I have matcha and it's lovely. In fact, I have an episode all about iced lattes and iced tea drinks. Let me What number is that? A ha podcast 31 called homemade iced tea refreshers, feel free to check that one out, I talked about three drinks. So I hope that that first favorite has given you some time to make a cup of tea to relax to get comfy. And let's talk about the rest of these. Since we're already talking about tea, let's stay in the kitchen. Our first area is basically things to snack on and to drink, because that's one of the great things about summer. Firstly, let's talk about frozen treats homemade frozen treats to be exact, basically blending up frozen fruits in various ways. I found that using a food processor rather than a blender is the way to go when it comes to getting like a soft serve or like a like an Italian ice consistency depending on which fruit you're using. So my favorite combinations this summer have been as follows frozen honeydew and chilled green tea. So what I'll do is I'll just put those straight up honey do frozen into cubes in the food processor and put it on the chop setting and just chop it up into smaller pieces. Then switch to puree and add green tea until it is like blendable. And it creates this really nice you can also sweeten to taste if you need more. But the texture really feels kind of like Italian ice to me. And it's delightful. It's so, so refreshing. And I don't think I would have happened upon that combo if I hadn't had a lot of honey do and had to freeze some before it went bad. And then it ended up being the best discovery. My next combination has been frozen bananas and cherries, adding in about a tablespoon or so of cocoa powder. And blending with almond milk. The cherries Oh my this cherry chocolate combo is it feels like soft serve. It's like very much like ice cream. Although if you don't have cherries, you could probably do strawberries as well. But something about that cherry. It's been so nice. And then finally of course frozen pineapple and banana together. They were asking to be blended together. And I'll mix that with almond milk and then top it with shredded coconut and honey. It's delicious. You can pretend that you're in Hawaii that you're at the sunrise shack could make for a great dessert or a breakfast in my opinion. And I also wanted to take this opportunity to shout out my sister Sarah, you all will know her from the movie night episodes, she developed a frozen watermelon cocktail. And I asked her for the basic outline. It's not a strict recipe per se. But I'll just walk you through it really quick. Something about the frozen watermelon gives it a really nice texture that's very similar to the frozen margaritas that you know roll around in the slushie machines at Mexican restaurants. It has that kind of consistency and It's to die for. So basically you just fill a blender up she says like two thirds to three quarters somewhere in there with frozen watermelon cubes. Obviously, there's going to be some space in between because they're all stuck to each other and et cetera. Then she uses four lines, I would say probably three to four depending on the size of the lines and four shots of tequila. Of course you could omit the alcohol if you don't want to. She's actually made it without the alcohol as well and it's been really delicious anyway, and then she uses to sort of make it the correct consistency, diet Ocean Spray cran Apple, so you could probably sub with pineapple juice or some other sort of fruit juice. Probably. Maybe pear or grape would be pretty mild. But she prefers to use the cran apple and then you can sweeten it to taste and that makes about either for smaller drinks or three large drinks. All my goodness it's so good. It does take a little bit of, you know, intentionality with the blender. It's not going to come together immediately unless you have like a high end ninja I suppose. But it's delicious. So All of the frozen things those are my latest combinations. It's been delicious. Next up on this list is savory crunchy snacks. I usually when it comes to a snack in the winter time, I just want like a muffin or something sweet. But this summer I've been loving things. I guess I never really explored this category because I thought it was always just chips, either potato chips or tortilla chips, which I love tortilla chips, but I've really been diving into different freeze dried things. And Trader Joe's has an excellent selection but you can get them in lots of different stores. Personally, I've been enjoying freeze dried peas and okra, seaweed strips and different crunchy seaweed things. And plantain chips. Oh my goodness, they're so good. Sometimes I dip them sometimes just crunch on them. It's been my obsession this summer. Sometimes I'll just make a little lunch of you know, freeze dried peas, maybe a little bit of cheese or fresh cucumber. Maybe some sardines, you know, I'm a sardine girl now. And it's just a really nice light summer meal. I really recommend it. And finally in this category we have to talk about sparkling water. So Josh has discovered a love like none other for sparkling water. And so we've kept it in pretty constant supply. I usually will go with like a generic brand. I rotate between lime, lemon, strawberry actually, I've found I really enjoy. But of course I have to shout out my favorite ones are Lacroix, coconut. And Limoncello. Oh my gosh, that tastes like lemon cake. It's lemon and vanilla together. And one time i i added pineapple juice into it and it tasted like a cake. It was so so good. But I haven't really gotten into other sparkling waters, like Waterloo, or is ollie pop sparkling water. So if you have a favorite, I would love to know either in a comment or on Instagram, just let me know. So next up, let's move away from the kitchen and talk about some personal items. We've got some clothing things, some body, some etc. Firstly, I have really been enjoying using smaller crochet projects in my life. So if you are someone who crochets I've got some patterns for you. And if you don't crochet yet, I would say all of these especially one in particular, I'll I'll let you know, are very simple to pick up. I think that it's such a satisfying hobby. But probably like most yarn crafts is more of a cold weather activity. I've been working on a big throw blanket, but it's taken a hiatus over the summer because it just doesn't appeal to me in the same way. But there are a few projects that I've done since it's warmed up. And I really enjoyed working on them and using them. One is a crocheted bandana, which actually Oh, that's so fun. I'm wearing it today, I didn't realize that. I made mine with white cotton yarn. It's just like a granny square. But it's a triangle. I did it in one sitting, it's adorable. And I will probably make more and more colors. I also have a pattern for a market bag. And that one is a little bit more difficult to understand conceptually. But once it once it starts it makes perfect sense. I did mine with a cotton yarn as well. And he goes with me to the store. He goes with me to the market. And I love having basically functional art, especially some that I've made. So I'll leave pattern, the pattern that I used in the show notes for that as well. And finally, this is a super easy one. In fact, it's a video that I followed for a heart bookmark. So it's just a simple crochet bookmark. And on the top, it has a heart and on the bottom it has, I don't know, just something to keep it in the book. But it's very, very simple, very beginner friendly. And I think that it makes a cute gift as well. Especially when paired with a book or something. That's mostly how I've made them and you can do it with a couple of different yarns as long as it stays small. So I've really been enjoying those projects. Next I have two different outfit ideas or inspirations that have been basically the staples of my summer wardrobe. The first is a simple, versatile, lightweight buttoned down, I have one in white and I have one in navy blue. And I wear them both all the time either as a layer as sort of like a summer alternative to a cardigan, because I do love layers or buttoned up with jeans, or I will even wear them as like a swimsuit cover up. If I'm going to different places it can be a top and then it can be a cover, um, you know, beach day. And I think they just they're classic, especially when paired with a hat with your sandals and my my swimsuit. The main one that I'm wearing this year is blue and white. So either one of them always works. But the white especially I feel like it's classic, especially for summer. And those button downs in combination with the next item have been a staple for me. The next item, of course, is one piece outfits. I am very much into wearing as I was gonna say as little clothing as possible. I don't mean it like that, I mean, the fewest number of items possible, where I can just put on one piece of clothing and I'm done. I tend to keep my casual wardrobe. pretty concise. I try not to keep too many pieces, but I have added two very worthwhile items into my closet. One is a dress and one is a jumpsuit and I really want to talk about the jumpsuit, I guess you could call it a romper. The shape of it is confusing. It's from world market. It is just flowy and drapey. It's one beautiful piece. And it even ties in the back. So there's a little bit of like waist accentuation I got it with a gift card that I got for my birthday. And it is so, so nice. I wear it all the time. It's casual, or I guess it could be dressed up. But I like it that it's just simple. The one I got is green with a white pattern. I love it. I love this piece of clothing and I will wear it for summers to come. So I'll leave a link in the show notes to that particular jumpsuit as well. They've been my favorite thing to wear because then I don't really have to think and spend more time reading and enjoying summer. And then finally in this category, summer scents there are two different fragrances that have been delightful for me this summer. The first is by St. Ives. I use their body washes pretty frequently. And I had not seen this fragrance until this year. But I love it. It's called Tea Tree and lemongrass. I personally don't get either one of those fragrances super clearly, to me, it translates to like basil. And that's why I love it so much. It just smells very bright. And like basil to me. So don't be afraid if you see it and think lemongrass, how's that gonna go. It's it smells so good. And it just fills up the whole shower. I love it. I'm gonna use it all summer. And finally, I have really been enjoying the scent at the beach, which is why Bath and Bodyworks. And I have a personal attachment to it. Because when Josh and I went to Hawaii in 2021, the hotel that we stayed at had bath products in this fragrance. And so whenever I use it, it's like an immediate sent memory back to Hawaii, which is so, so special. So I use it in their fine fragrance mist. And so when I get out of the shower, I'll just do a little mist all over. And that's it. I love it. Sometimes in the summer I forget to wear perfume or to get really dressed up, you know that sometimes just a little bit of fragrance on my skin right when I come out of the shower feels really nice. And finally, let's move into the rest of the home and routine. I've just got three things to share that have been staples of this summer. The first is slow mornings. I know that Summertime is usually the best for getting up and active as early as possible before the sun is up. And I do that sometimes I have enjoyed some very early morning walks when I wake up early and can't go back to sleep or working in the garden before it gets too hot. But I just haven't been putting any pressure on my time. Especially in the morning because I have that feeling when I wake up where I you know I'm energized. And as a result, I feel like I have to get going immediately. And oftentimes that's really not true in terms of what I have to get done and how much time I have to do it. So I've been enjoying reading in the morning in bed, what a luxury right? On some mornings. And also, this has happened a lot where I will be hanging out either with friends or family very early in the morning. And I love that I like spending time with people in the morning, having a cup of coffee with them, and just letting the day happen with those people. In fact, that kind of ties into this week's little joy, but I'll get to that in a little bit. Next up, I have so much love for my patio. And I'm just so enjoying everything that comes with that. It's truly probably the reason that I fell in love with this house when we first saw it, but I've given it some love. I did invest in an outdoor rug, and a dining set. I got those on Facebook marketplace as well. And I just recently added a patio umbrella, which fortunately can go fit right into the table. Because during the midday hours the sun is not a shaded as it is in the morning. And it's pretty bright, pretty hot. But I've had coffee outside with loved ones sometimes I'll have lunch out there by myself. And several times Josh and I have had our dinner outside. I'm hoping to maybe have the next dinner party maybe outside this summer. Just having that space where I can enjoy the outdoors. Enjoy the weather is wonderful. And I really recommend giving some love to whatever kind of outdoor space you may have. And finally, of course, I've really been loving harvesting from the garden. I feel like the spring is that time of sowing. And now comes the reaping. It's been interesting observing my plants in this new space. But so far this summer, I have harvested lots of herbs, bell peppers, some strawberries, some radishes. And now I am harvesting lots of tomatoes. I'm trying to collect them to harvest them before they're totally red, because they're starting to split or little critters are getting to them. So I'm harvesting them when they're just barely turning yellow and then putting them on the windowsill. It looks so so pretty. I'll leave a picture in the show notes because they're just it's like a little rainbow of tomatoes. And I've made bruschetta several times already this summer, I just use fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic and basil and olive oil and salt. That's it. It's delicious. So now I'm going to get into the stage of harvesting washing and drying herbs so that then I can store them in the winter. And I think coming this week, I have some habaneros that I've harvested that I think are gonna make some really nice margaritas. Oh, and the sunflowers have bloomed. So that's been really, really fun to watch too. It gets a little crazy out there sometimes and I usually do get bit by mosquitoes when I'm harvesting said tomatoes but it's worth it. I really love it. And that is it. Those are my favorites for summer 23 I'm sure there's more that I haven't thought of. But those have been, I guess, things that I've loved that are characterizing the flavor of this summer. So again, I would love to know what yours are. And, and links to all of these items and pictures and all of that will be in the blog post at life on the brink dot live. So hopefully let's have some fun. Summer is for enjoying we all agree so on that note I will be right back with this week's little joy this week's little joy is right in line with what I was saying about hanging out with people in the mornings. And it ties in with the Fourth of July as well. Independence Day here in America. It was last week and Josh and I actually spent the night of the third so going into the fourth of July at his parents house. Which feels fun like a sleepover as a grown up. And so when I awoke, coffee was being made and breakfast was in the oven and it just felt so natural but yet luxurious. And it was such a great day. I also have to point out how much I enjoy being on a boat. I have been on little boats here and there. And then like big fairies, of course. But my in laws have a small boat. There were five of us out there on it. And it was comfy, but it's still quite small. But the area that I live in is just surrounded by water and rivers. And so we took off, we put it in the water from a Coast Guard base, and went through so many different rivers and little bodies of water. And it's cool to see local landmarks and places that I've been to several times but from the water, which I hadn't done before. Oh, but I just love sitting in the back. I had a little fresca. Oh, I should have added that I I like fresca. Now. That's sort of like a sparkling water. And just letting the wind go through my hair. I shared a photo on Instagram. It just, it feels very natural. And Josh loves that I love being on the boat because he that's part of his childhood and, you know, waterskiing and stuff like that. It was just a great day. And we got some sun We moored up I don't know what the term is, are you you you dock at a marina and we went and had seafood at this little restaurant. And it was just a delightful day. And I really felt like a coastal girl. Like I was really embracing the geography of where I live. So that was my little joy. It was such a great day. And now I know I really like boats. And finally, allow me to leave you with an album of music that is just pure fun. It is by ditto point de, who was a composer of Puerto Rican descent of jazz, Latin jazz, and Mambo compositions. His most famous piece is hola como la. But this album contains that song along with lots of others, and it's called El Rey Bravo. It's so fun. I like to play it sometimes when I'm cleaning the kitchen because I don't want to be doing necessarily, or cleaning in general, because you just can't help but dance you have to move to it. But I love not just the compositions, but also the way that they were recorded. The panning is really cool. The quality is really good for its time, I think. And I think it'd be great for dancing too. So I will leave a link to that album in the show notes. So you can give it a listen. And thank you for listening. In the spirit of enjoying summer to its fullest, I am going to continue with this sort of previously unannounced schedule of every other week. We'll see how it goes as we get into this year's school year. For now, I'm going to transition into a biweekly schedule. So you can expect a new episode in two weeks, which will be on July 27. Just so I can continue with a less stressful or stress free podcast schedule on my end through this summer and to continue to bring you high quality, meaningful, intentional episodes throughout the rest of the summer. So like I said, feel free to join the Reading Challenge. I will be sharing more about that on Instagram, feel free to follow me over there. And there's a larger archive of summer episodes from previous years. You can just type in summer, on the blog page on the website and you can find lots more. Until next time, so thank you so much. I hope you keep enjoying your summer and I'll be back in two weeks with a new episode. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Life on the brink. If you're enjoying these episodes, please feel free to leave a star rating or even better leave a review on Apple podcasts to help spread the word. For podcast show notes and extra inspirational posts throughout the week. Head to the blog at life on the brink dot live. And if you'd like a little extra dose of inspiration in your life, sign up for the monthly newsletter, which lights up your inbox the first Friday of each month. Thank you so much for listening. And until next time, friends you have a lovely week. Bye