summer summer summertime: été très belle part deux

I drifted into a summer-nap under the hot shade of July, serenaded by a cicadae lullaby, to drowsy-warm dreams of distant thunder.  ~Terri Guillemets

 Will Smith sings in my ear, Summer Summer Summertime! I love this time of year so much that I came up with more recommendations for all things summer...été très belle!

 Read: Doesn't everyone read more in the summertime? I love books like this that you can't put down when you're on vacation. Mission to Paris by Alan Furst is a fast-paced thriller about an Austrian-born Hollywood film star who is sent to Paris to make a movie in 1938. He ends up working as a double agent to try to defeat the Nazis.

Wear: Two of my favorite summer staples are lace trim cut-off jean shorts and glamorous sunglasses. Throw a suit and some flip flops in your travel bag and you're good to go.

 Sip: Every kitchen needs a handful of Citra Sippers. How fantastic to drink directly from an orange. Launched in 1933 at the World's Fair by the current owner's grandfather.Try your citra sipper in a Valencia orange and your morning will start out right!

Use:Three items that make summer even better...Frogg Toggs are an amazing fabric that keep you cool in the summer heat for hours. Bliss Poetic Waxing takes the ouch out of waxing and you won't believe how easy it is. Balea hand cream is so light and fresh that you'll never want to go without it...good thing you don't have to fly to Germany to buy it! 

Decorate: There seems to be more time to fix up the house in the summer. I have had my eye on this art print from minted.

Listen: It's easy to love the old-fashioned rock-blues from the heart of Dixie. The southern sound of Hold On will make you crave sweet tea and fried chicken. It makes me want to say, "Roll Tide!"

Watch: If you haven't been watching Breaking Pointe this summer, you've been missing out. Get caught up before the season finale. Breaking Pointe is a ballet reality show that pulls down the curtain on the Salt Lake City Ballet Company, Ballet West. It's fascinating to see ballet from backstage.