Simplicity: Time Outdoors

So. It’s Thursday. And I’m just now posting. Crazy week.

I hope you all had a fabulous Mother’s Day full of special treats just for you. I know I did! We got a family gift on Mother’s Day: a new BBQ grill! Our previous one has been really good for us, but it was time to upgrade. The old one was one of the $20 varieties designed for taking to the park or for small families/couples. We’ve had it for a long time. As a family of five, it just wasn’t big enough anymore, and we were tired of having to eat in shifts whenever we grilled. When we went to Fred Meyer on Sunday and saw that the grills were on sale, we snapped the new one up. And it’s been awesome.

We’ve used it for cooking dinner every night this week (except last night). See, it’s been crazy hot here on the west coast – way hotter than normal for this time of year. We’ve had temperatures in the upper-80s, which we don’t usually get until July or August, so to see heat like this in May is practically unheard of. But we’ve been embracing it with outdoor activities. Like cooking and eating outside.

We had something of a block party in our backyard on Tuesday night. It was incredibly impromptu, so not everyone could come. But we did have our across-the-street neighbors (an older, but not “old” if that makes sense, retired couple) and our friends from around the corner who are the other homeschooling family in the neighborhood. It wasn’t anything fancy. We just grilled Brats and boneless chicken and had potato salad and chips on paper plates.

But it was awesome.

Spending time outdoors on a sunny, summer (in the spring) evening, getting to know the neighbors was a great way to spend an evening. And really, cooking over hot coals, eating outside, chatting with friends . . . How much more simple can you get? I look forward to doing this more and more over the coming months!

What’s your favorite way to simplify in the warmer weather? Let me know in the comments!

Blessings,

Wendy