Encouraging Hearts and Home & July Monthly Musings

It's so hard to believe this year is already more than 1/2 way over, that summer is winding down, and we have just one more month up here in New England before school starts.  I always hate saying goodbye to July.  Even though I love fall, there is something so sweet about warm, slow, summer days outside.

But before we get onto today's link up I wanted to take a minute to answers this month's musings hosted by Holly and Patty!

1.  Top 5 items you pack when headed on vacation? That really depends on where we are going but a few items I always pack are definitely my camera, a book or two, my travel notebook/folder with all our trip details,  sunglasses, and flip flops.

 2. Packing cubes yes or no? I bought some for our Disney/ Universal trip this year to try them out for the first time and never got to use them.

 3.  Do you prefer warm or cold destinations? Warm!

 4. Favorite vacation location of all time? With kids-- Disney/ Florida!  Without kids-- The Virgin Islands.







5. Given our state of affairs, what are your staycation tips? I don't really have any; the one time we tried planning a staycation my husband ended up going into work multiple times anyway.  At least when we get away he only has to field phone calls and then it actually feels like a vacation.

 6. Camping? Glamping? or Uh.. no! Nope! I went camping a few times as a kid and hated it.  We tried camping in our yard one night and no one in the house thought we should try it again.

 7.  How many states have you been to? Funny enough I had a blog post I've been working on with this very theme!  I have traveled often throughout my whole life but always tend to revisit favorite sights.  I have managed to travel to 25 of them though.

 8. Have you ever traveled by RV? Not since I've been married but we used to RV with my grandparents all the time! They were Airstream members and would take my sister and I on vacation a few times a year.

 9. Most random place you have been to? My grandparent's Airstream club had a huge rally in Ohio near their plant and while I'm not even sure what part of Ohio we were in (because I don't think we ever left the rally grounds!) it was so much fun!

 10.  What is the first place you are traveling to when the pandemic is over? Hopefully to Florida to use our Disney/ Universal passes we already purchased.

And Now, for This Week's Encouraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop!

 
Join your Encouraging Hearts & Home Co-Hosts each week for encouragement and support for your heart & your home. We hope to provide a space that builds each other up and lends a helping hand along the way. With all the negativity in the world, let's shine a positive light!




The post with the most views from last week:

Some of my favorites from last week:
Crocheted Scrunchies by Howling at the Moon



Best Pineapple Salsa Recipe by My Sustainable Life



How to Stencil on Vinyl and Leather by Chas' Crazy Creations



Use the form below to share your family-friendly posts this week, and please consider these nice things you can do:
  • Follow and/or subscribe to your host's blog.
  • Visit a few other bloggers and show them your support. We all love getting comments, and who knows what inspiration you may find? Be sure to share the love--that's what a blog hop is all about!
  • Check out our Encouraging Hearts & Home Pinterest board where each host pins her 10 favorite posts each week.
  • Join us every Thursday!
  • If you are interested in co-hosting, contact Linda at Apron Strings & Other Things!
 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter
Linking Up With: Thinking Out Loud, 


Comments

  1. HollyJuly 30, 2020 at 5:30 AM

    Keeping my fingers crossed that you and your fam get to Disney- the most magical place in the world! Thanks for linking up Joanne :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 5:50 AM

      Thank you! I'm pretty confident we'll get there... one way or another... eventually!

      Delete
  2. Tamar SBJuly 30, 2020 at 6:35 AM

    I am longing for being able to travel again!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good Better Best FoodJuly 30, 2020 at 6:43 AM

    Oh I so hope you can use your park tickets soon! Airstreams are so very cool. Thanks for joining Holly and me today.

    Patty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 7:09 AM

      Thank you; I hope so too. I love the old Airstreams!

      Delete
  4. Memphis BridgesJuly 30, 2020 at 8:07 AM

    I love you carry a travel notebook with details! Those Disney pictures are so cute and hope you can make it back there sometime soon....with those cute packing cubes in tow :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amy JohnsonJuly 30, 2020 at 8:15 AM

    We've definitely been staycationing. It helps to make the best of a difficult situation. It's been fun too! It helps living in a state with a lot to do. Not everyone is that lucky that's why we see a lot of Illinois license plates in Wisconsin. Thanks for the party.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 8:42 AM

      I think after homeschooling for 8+ years and always trying to find new/ interesting places to visit with my boys that I have pretty much exhausted anything that can be done in a day! We spent our first three years homeschooling mostly on the road checking out anything we wanted to see. We are very fortunate to have so much to do where we live too; Boston, Providence, and Hartford are all within just an hours or so drive as is the beach and the mountains. Heck we can even be in New Hampshire in under two hours! In that respect we are quite lucky but with my husband's business the way it is summer vacations have never been on our plan; he's just waay to busy to take time off.

      Delete
  6. Danielle @ A Sprinkle of JoyJuly 30, 2020 at 8:20 AM

    I too am not interested in camping. When I was in 5th grade my family took a vacation in a pop-up trailer. It was a three week vacation as we traveled from MI to CA and back to MI. We stopped at Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Kings Island, and Mammoth Caves. I still don't know how my dad got my mom on board with that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 8:43 AM

      I'm all for seeing each of those wonderful sights you mention... I just want a real bed & bathroom at the end of the day. :)

      Delete
  7. Julie's Creative LifestyleJuly 30, 2020 at 8:57 AM

    Thanks for hosting and have a nice weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lindsay's Sweet WorldJuly 30, 2020 at 9:51 AM

    It's so refreshing to see someone else say they don't like camping. I always see all of these people talk about how much they love it and I just cannot believe it. Haha. I've only ever camped in my back yard when I was younger, and while it was a total blast leading up to bedtime, I was never able to sleep well. I need a bed! And a ceiling fan! Haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 3:42 PM

      Yep, I need a bed and running water! I also do not do well with bugs as those mosquitoes tend to like me just a bit too much.

      Delete
  9. Dara @ Not In JerseyJuly 30, 2020 at 10:22 AM

    I sure hope you get to go to Disney soon!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 30, 2020 at 11:02 AM



    i do not like camping either!!!
    Thanks so much for hosting each week!! Stay safe, healthy, happy!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  11. NatashaJuly 30, 2020 at 12:11 PM

    We camped all the time when I was a kid but my husband has never done it and I don't love it enough to make it our family's vacation priority. Thankfully we get a "camping experience" at my parents' house which is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 3:46 PM

      I think realizing how much work it is to camp as a parent changed our whole perspective on it when we tried it that one night in our yard. It was more fun as a kid for sure.

      Delete
  12. Doused in Pink | Chicago Style BlogJuly 30, 2020 at 12:25 PM

    Fun prompts! We had a pop-up camper growing up and I hated camping. An Airstream is a different story though and I think that would be so much fun!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 3:44 PM

      Yeah, I'd be fine with a full service camper (bathroom, shower, kitchen) but my husband doesn't think we need anything else to take care of and I can totally relate. I'm perfectly content "toughing it out" with hotel stays and home rentals.

      Delete
  13. Morgan CartwrightJuly 30, 2020 at 1:01 PM

    Keeping my fingers crossed for your Disney trip! I have one planned to Disneyland in November. I am waiting a little while longer before making my final decision.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 3:45 PM

      Thank you! I hope you get to go on your trip!!

      Delete
  14. Nancy 's Fashion StyleJuly 31, 2020 at 2:30 AM

    Nice to read, although I don t know what RD means, lol! Thanks for hosting and have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 31, 2020 at 5:54 AM

      Do you mean RV? It stand for Recreational Vehicle (also known as a trailer or motor home; depending on the make and model).

      Delete
  15. Joanne July 31, 2020 at 5:54 AM

    Oh boy! Those sound yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  16. lil desiquaAugust 3, 2020 at 12:54 PM

    I forgot to mention flip flops but I always have them too! An Airstream rally is definitely random! I hope you get to use your passes- I think I heard that they started opening up?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 3, 2020 at 2:58 PM

      They are opening up but with so few "extras" that we've decided that we'd rather wait even if it means paying a bit more to upgrade our tickets to another year.

      Delete

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