Five More Favorites

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I'm back with more favorites! This week I thought I'd share five of my favorite activites, not just products. These can be free, inexpensive, quality time alone or with loved ones, and beneficial in other ways.






1. Evening walks. Especially in the Summer, Michael and I take a walk almost every evening after dinner. It helps me to sleep better, it's our daily dose of quality time, and it relieves stress and aids in digestion. Numerous benefits, zero cost. Beautiful.







2. Reading. If I'm alone, I'm probably reading - these days this looks like listening to audiobooks incessantly since my hands are usually busy with laundry, jewelry, cleaning, etc. My dad and I started going to the library once a week before I even started grade school and continued through high school. I downloaded our local library's RB Digital app years ago when I went off to college, and I've been checking out numerous (free) audiobooks ever since. I've tried Audible in the past, but it's too pricey to support my habit, personally. I don't like to buy tangible books for the same reason, and I don't typically reread books. I love that this app allows me to enjoy my library's reading material without having to make the trip.






3. Making jewelry! Is anyone surprised? No. Since I was very young I have loved knitting or organizing or making jewelry while watching a movie (or now, listening to an audiobook). I'm not great at sitting still, but it's very calming to be able to focus on something pretty and functional while I listen. This hobby has actually turned into a profitable pursuit for me recently! You can check out my creations now for sale in my Etsy shop, JacobJewelry.




Spaghetti Casserole Blog Post


4. Cooking. More like eating, but I enjoy eating homecooked meals. Recently we've been roasting a lot of fresh vegetables, making delicious quinoa or rice bowls, and I love slow Saturday mornings enjoying fried egg sandwiches. You can check out this post or this post for some more of our favorite recipes.





5. Travel. This hobby is admittedly not free, but can be relatively inexpensive. We often drive up to my great aunt Margaret's house to visit with family in the Midlands or find a nice VRBO in the NC mountains for a long weekend getaway, fixing most of our own meals and simply taking in the beautiful sights and fresh air. My family has always enjoyed camping and Michael and I have had fun doing that ourselves. It's a great way to save on the cost of lodging--we have paid anywhere from $12 to $88 per night, depending on the site. We're actually going to Disney World this year for our anniversary and camping in a town outside of Orlando! We visited Nashville the same way last year, and it's really nice to escape the tourism craziness at night to wind down.


Hope this gives you a couple of ideas for a few final Summer activities, or some new Fall activities. I can't wait for the crispness to enter the air and the smell of pumpkin everywhere!


Best,
Emily

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