because you deserve it all

Everyone loves a nice cool drink on a warm summerday.  But we can get sick of the same old thing.  Lemonade is a great choice – but add a new flair with cherry flavored vodka or a dash of pomegranate juice.  Sometimes it is one little addition that makes all the difference.  When you make the simple syrup to sweeten the lemonade add mint leaves or lavender.  Another popular summer drink is Sangria, but make a white sangria instead, which I personally find more refreshing than a sangria made with a heavier red wine.  So find a sweet white wine like a Riesling and add lemonade with some thin lemon slices.  Or you can use pinot grigio and add white grape juice and sparkling water.  Make sure you have a nice assortment of beers and frosted mugs to serve them in.  No one wants a warm beer on a hot day! 

As you probably already know, Japanese beetles prefer fragrant flowers like roses.  We have all found several of them nestled in a single bloom.  Instead of cursing them each day, cut off the fragrant blooms and bring them inside.  You will most likely look at the roses more indoors than you would if you leave them in the garden – and the smell is fabulous too!  Soon you will find that you have less beetles overall because they are attracted to the sweet smellingflowers and will move on to torment someone else’s blooms.  If you find yourself with excess roses, give a bouquet to a friend or a family member.  You can also place the roses in water and store them in the fridge for up to a week.  Or dry a bunch and make potpourri.  Add dried roses and lavender to a sachet of bath salts and find a new way to relax and unwind.  So be creative with them because anything is better than letting your beautiful roses get chomped by those stupid little creatures.