August Is A Great Month To

August is a great month to celebrate. Find fun things to do this month.

Happy August, Friends! This month is both a lazy summer month and a busy back-to-school month, as well! For bloggers, August is a funny month! While it is still summer, and we are enjoying dipping our toes into a pool or sand on a beach, many of us (bloggers) are deep into fall planning! No matter, August is a great month to celebrate!

Affiliate links included. See our Discloser Policy. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

For many of us in Lancaster County, August is corn month! The corn is such a way of life here! Summer produce right now is ready for harvest! And my herb and flower container garden are so profuse they are overflowing!

August is the time to eat all the summer deliciousness Lancaster Co. has to offer!

This month I’m featuring a few of my favorite summery recipes!

The Taste Of August

Sweet Cream Corn Bread is a family favorite. Although it doesn’t have any garden veggies, it is full of corn goodness.

The best part of Sweet Cream Corn Bread is it is made from a box mix. We call that Doctor The Box around here!

The next two food-related posts I want to highlight are all about herbs! Oh, I can’t get enough of these flavorful plants!

Right now, my garden pots are full of amazing herbs, but many of them will be gone as soon as the weather gets cool at night. So to preserve all the goodness of summer and sunshine, I freeze herbs. It’s so easy and a great thing to do in August. I always feel so good in December when I pop a cube of summer basil or thyme and use it in a recipe!

See how easy it is to Freeze Herbs Here.

Did you know that you can make the most beautiful and delicious herb butters out of the herbs you grow or buy in the store? You can make a log of herb butter and freeze it too. And then add a knob of this heavenly stuff to a recipe!

See how to make Beautiful Herb Butters. This post has three delicious herb butters you can make and ideas of how to use them.

The next August-inspired recipe we recently made on a family vacation to OBX. This summer-on-a-plate salad combines the best of in-season fruit and vegetables with the most scrumptious vinaigrette.

Tomato Peach Cherry And Burrata Salad With Herb Vinaigrette has been my favorite recipe this summer!

The beauty of this salad is that you can substitute any fruit. I’ll be adding fresh Lancaster Co. corn to this recipe too! If you make one thing, Tomato Peach Cherry And Burrata Salad With Herb Vinaigrette should be it.

And make sure to see our Recipe Roundups! Each one is like a cookbook and full of tasty recipes.

Drying Hydrangeas

If you have been reading StoneGable for any time at all, you know how much I love hydrangeas! These super easy-to-grow perennials are the flowers that just keep giving! Bringing them inside to dry naturally will give you lots of these beautiful moppy-headed blooms that will last for months!

Now is the time to check on your hydrangeas to see if any of them are ready to dry!

The whole process is so so simple! See How To Dry Hydrangeas Three Ways.

Celebrate Days In August

Did you know August gets its name from Augustus Caesar the grandnephew of Julius Caesar? And it usually is the hottest month of the summer in many places. August is often referred to as the dog days of summer. This is because the rising star system in the sky is Sirus, the dog star.

August is the time to celebrate!

August 1st– National Mahjong Day, 2nd– National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, National Coloring Book Day, 3rd– National Watermelon Day, 4th– International Beer Day, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, 5th– Campfire Day, National Clown Day, National Underwear Day, 6th– Friendship Day, International Forgiveness Day, 7th– National Lighthouse Day, Purple Heart Day, 8th– International Cat Day, National Frozen Custard Day, 9th– Book Lover’s Day, National Hand Holding Day, National Spoil Your Dog Day, 10th– National Lazy Day, National S’mores Day, 11th– Play in the Sand Day, National Son and Daughter Day, 12th– World Elephant Day, National Bowling Day, National Garage Sale Day, 13th– International Lefthanders Day, National Prosecco Day, National Filet Mignon Day, 14th– World Lizard Day, National Creamsicle Day, 15th– National Lemon Meringue Pie Day, National Back To School Prep Day, 16th– National Rum Day, True Love Forever Day, 17th– National Vanilla Custard Day, National Thrift Shop Day, 18th–  National Fajita Day, National Pinot Noir Day, National Ice Cream Day, 19th– World Honey Bee Day, National Potato Day, National Hot and Spicy Food Day, International Homeless Animals Day, 20th– National Bacon Lovers Day, 21st– National Senior Citizens Day, National Spumoni Day, 22nd– National Tooth Fairy Day, 23rd– National Sponge Cake Day, Hug Your Sweetheart Day, 24th– National Waffle Day, Shooting Star Day, 25th– National Kiss And Make Up Day, National Banana Split Day, National Whiskey Sour Day, 26th– National Dog Day, 27th– National Just Because Day, World Rock Paper Scissors Day, Kiss Me Day, 28th– National Red Wine Day, National Cherry Turnovers Day, 29th– National Lemon Juice Day, According to Hoyle Day, 30th– International Whale Shark Day, National Beach Day, Frankenstein Day, International Cabernet Sauvignon Day, 31st- National Trail Mix Day, National Matchmaker Day.

There is a lot to celebrate in August.

Check Out Your Local Festivals And Events

August is full of end-of-summer things to do locally. Make sure to check out your local county or city’s online event calendar. If you live near Lancaster County, Pa, you can see what’s happening HERE.

Plant Lettuce

The end of summer is the perfect time to plant lettuce! I like to plant lettuce seeds in the middle to the end of August. Cooler evenings and warmish days are the perfect growing condition for lettuce. Lettuce is not choosy when it comes to what you plant it in! I like to pull out any of my summer annuals that are spent and plant a little lettuce in its place. I also have a couple of pots I fill with dirt and broadcast lettuce seeds in them.

My favorite varieties to plant are loose-leafed lettuce, like arugula, bibb, and buttercrunch.

Harvest lettuce when they are still tender, young things. And once a small area of lettuce is harvested, broadcast more seeds in that area. Keep the lettuce going through September and October!

And make delicious salads like Arugula Salad With Pepitas, Parmesan In A Lemon Vinaigrette.

Transition From Late Summer To Early Fall

Late August is the best time to start to transition from summer into fall. And I can help you with that. You can easily decorate your home with August’s bounty! Think about sunflowers, apples, and more. Head over to 5 Beautiful Organics To Help You Transition From Summer To Early Fall. This post is loaded with easy ways to bring a little bit of fall into your home without using pumpkins.

Make A Fall To Do List

Are you a list maker? I am! So, now is the time to make a fall to-do list!

I like to keep an ongoing list of fall decorating ideas and things to make for fall! The object is to get to things on your list in a timely manner so you aren’t in a frenzied hurry to get things for fall done. Or don’t do them at all!

So far, my fall to-do list includes things like making a pretty fall wreath, checking out all my fall decor, washing fall bedding, decoupaging something using torn cocktail napkins, making a fall porch decorating plan, decorating our home for two fall home tours (Sept 4th and the 13th), and making a list of fall recipes I want to make for the blog. I’m also making a list of who will come for a visit and things I will need.

There is no right or wrong way to make a fall to-do list! My goal is to make a list, so I don’t forget the fun and or important things I want to do.

If you would like to see fall ideas, check out my Fall Decor Archives.

Start A Fall Project

August is a great time to start a fall project! It’s the month I usually make a fall wreath.

Why not make one for your front door?

Here’s an absolutely stunning Fall Leaf Wreath that is so easy to make! And it only takes a few minutes to assemble it! It is that easy!

Or you might want to get started on a few fall pumpkin projects! Oh, how cute are these Chinoiserie Pumpkins!

You might like to peruse my Fall DIY Archives for your next fall DIY.

Back To School

August is back-to-school month. Do you remember how you felt about the first day of a new school year? First of all, schools usually did not start in August, right? Now most do. Being an Air Force brat, I went to 8 schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade. From California to Pennsylvania, to Scotland and England, back to Pennsylvania, and from Texas and back to Pennsylvania. To say my education was quite interesting is an understatement. When I went to high school, I could name many of the kings of England but only a handful of states. And I became a teacher! This teacher loved every new school year! My favorite grade to teach was first grade!

I loved the first day of school, no matter what school, state, or country I landed in. My husband, on the other hand, dreaded it. I sure remember how it felt on the first day of school.

How about helping teachers and/or students in your area. Many kids need backpacks and school supplies. You can go to Operation Backpack and find out how you can help.

And why not make back-to-school time special for you too. How about learning a new skill or continuing to better a skill you already have. Start reading more and watching less television. Do more word puzzles or jigsaw puzzles. Take a course online on something you are interested in. Or go to a Bible study. The idea is to get started on something worthwhile that uses your mind and your talents.

This year I’m teaching the book of 1 Thessalonians. I have been studying it all summer and am so ready to get back and begin our new year. If you live anywhere near Lancaster Pa and would like info about our woman’s Bible study, you can email me at stonegable333@gmail.com.

Stock Up On Fall Pumpkins

NOW is the time to be ferreting out any faux fall pumpkins you need for fall decorating! Believe me! I’m speaking from experience! If you wait too long, fall decor sells out! And those wonderful faux specialty pumpkins are the first to go!

I just ordered these 8-inch pumpkins to paint!

Organize Something

There are 31 days in the month of August. What would happen if you spent 10-15 minutes a day organizing something in your home! But not even every day!

Just 5 days a week! What if you decluttered and organized something 5 times a week for just 15 minutes? That would add up to about four and a half hours of organizing! Wow! And just think, by September 1st, you could have a more organized home!

Make organizing and decluttering easy! If you build this small habit into your routine every day, you will have a more decluttered and organized home.

Make sure to check out How To Declutter Your Home In 15 Minutes A Day and The Ultimate Smart Cleaning And Organizing Guide.

August Is Also A Great Month To

More great things to do in August…

• spend as much time splashing in the water
• do lots of evening porch, patio, or deck sitting
• read more summer books
• look at fall fashions
• pick garden flowers and arrange them
• grill
• spend time with those you love
• start a new exercise routine

Happy August, Friends!