Apple Picks

I’m trying so hard to keep the number of blogs I follow in check, but it’s difficult.  I love reading blogs about cooking, home decor and DIY projects, gardening, children’s art and activities, parenting, and books, just to name a few of my favorite topics!  I think reading blogs has opened my eyes to so many new possibilities and ideas that I wouldn’t have otherwise explored.

Here are some things that caught my eye recently:

Ice Cream Roundup on Tasty Kitchen.  The photos collages alone are beautiful (and divided into convenient groups of custard-style, egg-free, dairy-free, sorbet, and even frozen yogurt), but some of the recipes look divine.

10 Keys to Patient Motherhood from Passionate Homemaking.  As this post says, there’s nothing like motherhood to magnify your impatience!  These are some great tips!

A gorgeous california beach house from Velvet & Linen.  This home is stunning!  I love everything about it!

Summerize Your Home from The Nesting Place.  Something I’ve been thinking about lots lately as our downstairs leans heavily toward fall colors and dark wood that feel too warm for summer!

Creating Rhythm and Routine at Home from Childhood Magic.  I just discovered this blog last week, and it is one of my new favorite reads.  Creating rhythm in our home (without making a rigid minute-by-minute schedule) is one of my goals in the next couple of weeks.  I’ll share more of my thinking on this sometime soon.

Korean BBQ Beef from Sweet Basil.  I’ve been craving an Asian-inspired beef dish lately.  Hoping to make this one soon!

Gack and Water Wall.  Both of these ideas come from a wonderful Australian preschool blog, Irresistable Ideas for Play Based Learning.  This is EXACTLY the kind of stuff I love doing with The Littlest Apple.  If we lived closer, I would totally send him to this preschool.  We’ve got a fence that’s just screaming for a Water Wall.  Can’t wait to make one!

Start Making Vanilla for Christmas from Heavenly Homemakers.  I had every intention of doing this last year, but completely dropped the ball.  Hoping to get mine started this week!

Summer List of Activities from 5 Orange Potatoes.  I’m loving this list of things to do outside with your kids.

To Be More Joyful: Simplify Your Life by Life as Mom.  This whole series on being more joyful has been wonderful, but this list of 50 ways to simplify your life was particularly inspiring.