93 Glorious Days of Spring

A fun list of activities to do each day of Spring

Have you noticed how fast time goes? Each season seems to disappear one unto another. Many people consider Springtime the best time of year. The weather is warming up; branches have buds, breathtaking pink and white snowy blossoms, and flowers are blooming. Make sure you make the most of this lush verdant time of year by picking some of your favorite ideas listed below to add to your calendar!

EARLY SPRING:

1-Fill a vase (or jar) with sunny daffodils

2-Make a vision board for a fresh new start (See post on how to create a vision board) How to Create a Dreams Come True Vision Board

3-Spring clean, get rid of all those dust bunnies and cobwebs

4-Wash your windows

5-Declutter your clothes closets and drawers

6-Put away winter clothes and consider trying the 33 capsule wardrobe concept (I will be blogging about this next week).

7-Line your dresser drawers with pretty floral paper

8-Visit a botanical garden or arboretum

9-Take a nature hike somewhere new

10-Clean out your car and give it a good vacuum and wash

11-Fill a pretty bowl with Jordan almonds in pretty pastel colors

12- Open those cleaned windows and let the Spring breeze freshen up your living spaces

13-Get a pedicure and paint your toes your favorite tulip color

14- Fill a vase (or jar) with candy-colored tulips

15-Buy a new light perfume or scent to match your springtime mood

16-Buy chocolate bottom peeps and devour them (Have you tried these? OMG…I am not a big chocolate fan, but I swoon over these!)

17-Make or purchase a kite and go fly it

18-Buy a new magazine. I love Bella Grace

19-Visit the farmer’s market

20-Steam a batch of fresh asparagus

21-Fill a cute jar with a lid and fill it with jelly bellies (my favorite!)

22-Forage for mushrooms 

23-Paint spring flowers with watercolors

24-Make violet tea

25-Play badminton

26-Pick a bunch of lilacs and enjoy their heady fragrance

27-Sugar coat and candy lilac blossoms to put on top of cupcakes

28-Color Easter Eggs   

29-Hide Easter Eggs

30-Make delicious deviled eggs

31-Enjoy Easter with your loved ones

MID SPRING:

1-Make strawberry shortcake

2-Try something new you have always been interested in…Painting, writing, sailing, pottery, etc.

3-Plant an herb garden or put pots of herbs on your windowsill

4-Plan a fabulous picnic (Spring picnic blog coming soon)

5-Research the best location in your area to go birdwatching, bring binoculars and a guidebook

6-Start a gratitude journal

7-Meditate

8-Visit a park, bring a blanket, and a picnic, and spend time lying on your back and looking at clouds. If you are lucky enough to find little pink daisies, make a daisy chain.

9-Bake up a batch of fresh strawberry scones (Recipe below)

10-Make a special brunch for mom 

11-Repot plants that need more room to grow

12-Find four-leaf clovers (This is for my fairy friend Hannah. She ALWAYS finds 4 leaf clovers…and this was her suggestion lol)

13-Fill a birdfeeder and enjoy watching the birds

14-See a rainbow and take a picture of it

15-Blow a wish with a dandelion (Remember to keep dandelions in your yards for the bees. This is one of their first sources of fuel)

16-Scout out a creek or river, roll up your pants, and put your feet in the water

17-Walk barefoot on the grass

18-Visit a museum

19-Dance in the rain

20-Visit a strawberry patch

21- Make a strawberry rhubarb pie (my favorite)

22-Make refrigerated strawberry jam

23-Get out your prettiest china dishes and have a tea party

24-Wear your favorite rainboots and puddle jump

25-Wake up extra early, make a cup of your favorite hot beverage, and enjoy a beautiful sunrise

26-Go to a thrift store. Find a cute floral dress for warmer days ahead

27-Bake a loaf of cottage cheese dill bread (This was one of my grandma’s favorites) Recipe below

28-Play cornhole

29-Reread a favorite book 

30-Create a spring-themed playlist

31-Grill burgers, chill bottles of beer and sodas and get ready for warmer lazy days ahead

LATE SPRING:

1-Buy a yummy smelling sunscreen with high SPF

2-Plant a vegetable garden

3-Make a batch of spring cocktails and invite the neighbors. Recipe for our favorite Elderberry flower spritzer listed below

4-Make a batch of freshly squeezed lemonade. Pour a glass and sit outside to enjoy

5-Spend an evening outside watching fireflies

6-Visit a blueberry picking farm

7-Bake a blueberry pie

8-Buy inexpensive bottles of bubbles and blow

9-Play croquet

10-Make sun tea. I use large mason jars and throw in about 5-6 bags of my favorite teas. Fill with water and place in a sunny spot. Take out tea bags after about 5 hours and cool in the fridge.  Pour over ice and enjoy! Our favorite flavors are Celestial Seasons Lemon Zinger, Raspberry Zinger, Country Peach, and Peppermint. I also love any Teccino tea flavors. I especially like their chocolate mint, hazelnut, and vanilla nut. I love them cold with a splash of soy milk and a swirl of honey. Yummm

11-Write a poem about spring

12-Climb a tree like you used to when you were a kid. Or maybe you still do?

13-Go boating

14-Paint rocks and put them in various locations for people to find when out walking

15-Take time to notice a beautiful sunset

16-Visit a lavender farm and make lavender wands

17-Go for a bike ride

18-Use sidewalk chalk to draw fun pictures

19-Use fresh ingredients from the farmers market to whip up a nourishing delicious salad. Make your own salad dressing. Pick up a loaf of fresh bread as well.

20-Spend a lazy day reading in a hammock

21-Make southern sweet tea

22-Take time out of your day to sit outside and daydream

23-Light a fire in a firepit and toast marshmallows. Remember to include chocolate bars and graham crackers

24-Brighten someone’s day with fresh flowers, a phone call, a sweet text, or send them a card to let them know you appreciate them. My friend Alex makes special cards. It’s always a wonderful treat to receive one in the mail.

25-Find a lake, ocean, or swimming pool and go swimming

26-Go kayaking 

27-Go canoeing

28-Invite friends over and light up the BBQ

29-Innertube down a river (make sure you wear sunscreen!)

30-Spend an evening on the porch admiring fireflies

31-Visit the seashore, pack a picnic, and sunscreen, and watch the waves crashing

Special thanks to Hannah, Alexander, Robin, and Molly for their input!

My most requested scones are maple pecan, but I decided to experiment with strawberries. These were a huge success and a bonus being both gluten-free and vegan!

Angelina’s Fresh Strawberry Scones (vegan and gluten-free)

Makes 8 small fairy scones

1 1/2 teaspoons ground flax mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Let sit while you gather the rest of the things.

In a bowl mix:

1 cup gluten-free flour (I like Bobs Red Mill 1:1)

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Next cut up 4 tablespoons cold vegan butter (I like Miyoko’s unsalted European style butter)

Rub the butter into your flour mixture to resemble pea size nuggets

Stir in:

1/4 cup soy milk (you may need a bit more if they are dry)

1/2 cup fresh organic strawberries chopped

and your flaxseed mixture

Don’t over mix but you do want it to hold together into a rounded disc shape

Use a sharp knife and cut into 8 small wedges.

Place onto parchment lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle with raw cane sugar.

Bake 400 degree oven about 15 minutes till starting to turn slightly golden.

Move to a wire rack and enjoy! You would never know these were gluten-free and vegan!

My Grandmother Anna Luckenbach was my cooking inspiration and baking inspiration. She once told me about an amazing bread she used to make and that the neighbors would go crazy with the intoxicating scent of this Cottage Dill bread. All these years I have never made it until this weekend. And oh Lordy! The scent and taste are truly out of this world. I was able to find an old recipe from one of Grandmas cookbooks and a most recent recipe. With a little magic I have created this beautiful tasty spring loaf for you to enjoy!

COTTAGE DILL BREAD

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm milk

1 cup cottage cheese warmed 1 minute in microwave

2 1/3 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon dry minced onion (Don’t skip this. Adds great flavor)

2 teaspoons dill seed

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Set aside till foamy. About 10 minutes.

Still in warm cottage cheese, onion, dill, salt and baking soda.

Add flour and mix well with your hands till all flour is incorporated. Pour onto a work surface and knead for 5 minutes. Form into a smooth ball. Place into a well-greased 2-quart casserole dish. (I used Molly’s mom’s pyrex dish that was passed on to us). Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour covered lightly with lint-free towel

Punch down and let rise an additional hour.

Bake in a 350 degree oven 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush melted butter over the top and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Wait for 5 minutes for it to cool a bit. I used 2 forks under the bottom of the bread to release it from the pyrex. Place on cooling rack. Enjoy!

Spring time cocktail:

St. Germain Spritz

1 1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower liqueur

2 oz Prosecco

2 oz soda water

twist of lemon or lime

Mix together and pour over ice

What special activities do you enjoy doing in spring?

Would love to hear if you try any of my recipes or suggestions in the comments below! And of course I would love to hear what fun activities you will be doing this spring. Looking forward to hearing all about it!

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