One of my goals for my blog this year was to create a monthly post sharing seasonal homemaking – what I am cooking, cleaning, and creating each month. Well, I am not sure where May or June went, because I completely lost track of things and now here we are in July. My life seems to be getting busier and busier, and it’s mainly because I just keep filling my calendar! It is all fun things, but I have to admit, I feel like Summer is going too quickly. I want to slow down again and savor these sunshine-filled days. I think having a few things in mind for each week is good for me right now, because I like to kind of have a plan. But I want the rest of the week to be open and spent in the backyard. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and Summer is like none other. So it can be easy to feel like you have to go go go and enjoy all Montana has to offer. And though I enjoy a day spent on the river, or camping, or hiking, or visiting our local farms… I truly love home. Homemaking is how I show my love for my family. And it forces me to slow down and be more intentional. If you are also feeling the pressure to keep up with summer adventures, try to carve out time in your week where you just stay home. Bare feet in the grass, the sound of sprinklers, picnics in the backyard, popsicles in the driveway… those are beautiful summer memories in the making, too!
July is the heart of Summer here and though June was full of rain rain rain, it looks like we are finally in the hot dog days of glorious Montana Summer. The garden is still full of little plant babies (we start gardening here until after the last frost -usually the 1st week of June without a greenhouse for most crops). But the sugar snap peas will be here before you know it. So we are not enjoying our summer garden just yet, but it will be even more cherished when we finally can.
The chickens and ducks are enjoying all the food scraps we bring them, the wildflowers in our yard are still going strong, the peonies faded away last week, and I think it’s about time to start irrigating my horse’s pasture.
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What I am cooking
Though we are not yet enjoying veggies from our summer garden, we have plenty of fresh herbs that I have been cooking with. Herbs were the first thing I learned to grow years ago, and it started my love for gardening. The more you harvest, the more it grows! And walking out to my garden to snip off fresh herbs to cook with makes me feel like some kind of pioneer woman ha!
I add in those fresh herbs to make herby butters, add them to fresh chicken and veggies… and I planted dill for the first time this year and have been enjoying making little cucumber sandwiches with some fresh dill on top. I am also using a lot of my mint in water, lemonade, and the occasional mojito.
I have started making my favorite summer sweet tea- I keep this stocked in the fridge at all times so I have something to offer guests. When I lived in the south for a bit, I grew very fond of sweet-tea-on-the-porch life.
We went to a local strawberry U-pick farm this month and as per our family tradition, I canned some homemade strawberry jam so that we can have a taste of summer in the middle of winter. I took all the strawberry tops and made a huge jar of strawberry syrup, which we like to make into italian sodas.
Wild huckleberry picking usually starts end of July/early August, but rumor has it they’re out early this year- perhaps from all that rain we got in June! So we need to make our way to the mountain soon to stock up. When we lived here before, we would fill several one gallon bags with them and just pop them in the freezer to make smoothies or thaw out and make muffins with. I recently bought an entire huckleberry cookbook and I am very excited to try some of these recipes out!
I have not been making big heavy meals since the heat started. We’ve been eating a lot of smash burgers, brats, pizza, and honestly, going out to dinner a lot. We eat dinner at the picnic table on the back deck almost every night when we are home.
What I am cleaning
The windows have stayed open for weeks, so I have been having to clean those out often from the dust coming off our gravel road. But I think we will be putting the A/C window units in soon, because it looks like 90 degree days are coming fast.
Wiping down our picnic table and trying to keep the patio furniture fairly clean and ready for guests. My puppy is the culprit, she jumps and lays on everything she can.
Keeping up with laundry. SO. much. laundry. My boys get filthy playing outside multiple times a day, so they are changing multiples times a day. Trying to keep swim suits and beach towels clean and ready to go has been a focus, too.
What I am creating
Summer book baskets- I have been switching these out each week or so, and I leave them out where I will see them as a reminder to read to the boys each day. It’s usually one book during the day in the back yard, and a couple books in the evening before bed.
This month we had a little Tipi Raising party where we had some friends over, a simple meal of hot dogs, and built our big tipi in the yard! We have wanted one of these for years, and when we found one on FB marketplace for less than half the cost of a new one, we jumped on it. Right now it’s kind of serving as an outdoor playroom, and the kids love playing in there every day. We plan to camp in there this week, and I think we will spend lots of homeschool days in here this Fall. It has been fun grabbing things from the house to use in the tipi.
I am looking forward to July’s Ladies Craft Night ( I will share that here of course!) and my two youngest have their birthday party at the end of the month. We have family visiting, and I am planning a 3 day Cousin Camp with my boys and one of their cousins.
So most of my creating this month will be hosting, which I love!
I started a new nature journal for myself last month, and started attempting to sketch different plants and birds that I see. I am pressing a few of them in the notebook as well. I had attempted to make it a sort of “book of firsts” so as I saw things popping up, I would record the first sighting. I got several of these recorded, but then life got busy and I didn’t record it all. It’s still a fun and no-pressure activity I really enjoy doing. Usually if I bring out my nature journal and colored pencils, my boys will do the same.
I moved my basket display from above my kitchen sink to the powder room, allowing more needed sunlight to come through that kitchen window. And I love it! I used a shower rod and thin wire to hang the baskets up at different angles. I kind of just threw it up there before I had company over, but I think I will leave it as-is. Usually the more I mess with something like this, the less I like it.
What I am reading
I am finishing up volume 5 in the Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Series, and I am taking my time because I don’t want it to end! This series has been balm to my soul. I read just a few pages each night before bed, and it’s a lovely way to unwind and end my day. I just ordered the next book in the series. My christian book this month is Prayer In Motion. This book has guided prayers, grounding techniques for stress & overwhelm, encouragement to create daily prayer rhythms, and has really beautiful illustrations.
These little seasonal rhythms—cleaning a well-used space, cooking with what’s in season, and creating simple memories alongside my children—are what make July feel so special.
I invite you to slow down and savor the joys of this season.Take some time to enjoy meals outdoors, time in the garden, well-loved books, and making memories with the people we love most. Enjoy those summer adventures, but cherish those simple days at home, too. I hope this month’s seasonal homemaking post inspires you to cultivate a home that feels both welcoming and restful.
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