Hi all! I'm Emily. I blog over at
Oh Hello, Love and I'm so excited to be guest blogging today!
One of the best parts of Teatime Thoughts is the way Candice makes the most of her weekends. She sets aside time for herself, for her family and for her friends. And all while making sure to enjoy the sunshine!
Having grown up in New England and now living in Chicago, I always try to make the absolute most out of the short summers I have. When I moved here a few years ago, I was so thrilled to hear about all the outdoor festivals, movie showings and concerts that this city has to offer in the summer.
Each year in May, I make lists of summer-musts. Those wonderful events and experiences that make summer feel like summer. You know: eating outdoors, summer concerts, BBQs, baseball games, going for ice cream, walks along the lake, etc.
Unfortunately, summers in Chicago always pass much quicker than I ever expect. Life gets crazy busy and the next thing I know it's Labor Day and I haven't gotten through even half of the list.
So in hopes of squeezing in more summer, I decided to take our list of Summer-Musts one step further: I turned it into a
Google Calendar. It was simple to create and even easier to share with friends! With their help researching and adding a few events, my friends and I quickly had a calendar full of summer-musts to choose from.
To make a Google Calendar, you need a google account. Then simply:
1) Sign into your google account and click on "Calendar" or just click
here.
2) Create a new calendar by clicking on the little arrow next to "My Calendars" and then clicking on "Create new calendar".
3) Give your calendar a name.
4) Share the calendar with your friends by adding their e-mail addresses. You can then give them permission to make changes to events, to add events and to share with others under "Permission Settings." Once all your friends are entered, click "Create Calendar" at the top of the screen.
5) Once your calendar is set-up, all you need to do is add events. To do so, simply double click on the date you want to add an event to. Then enter in all the details. I like to provide a website in the description box so that if anyone has questions about the event, they can go to the original source. This cuts down on confusion. When you finish, be sure to hit save!
6) Keep adding events until your calendar is full of all the summer essentials.
7) Admire your calendar and get excited about your summer!!
The best part of this is that all your friends can contribute and as they input events, your calendar will automatically be updated! So as the summer goes on and you hear about more concerts, movies, BBQs and parties, just add them to the calendar to let everyone know. Lots of websites have integrated a one-click "Add to Google Calendar" option, making this even easier. It fills in all the information for you! For Chicagoans, check out
Explore Chicago to find events in the city and to easily add them to your calendar.
I hope this helps you get organized, stay connected with friends and make the most out of Summer 2012!
Christmas shopping with some friends resulted in making a few new ones...llama ones. These llamas are therapy animals, much like guide dogs and therapy horses, and are trained to be helpful to people who are in recovery or needing a little day brightening. They're so sweet!
Thanksgiving photos with my sister..finally cool enough to wear some coats & scarves, yay!
This year I've found the perfect christmas sweater. Can't wait to wear it to some festivities, and possibly to open presents on Christmas morning!
My sister danced the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker Ballet this year, and it was a delight to see her beautiful performance. What a fun way to welcome in the Christmas season!!
