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We are officially on summer break, y’all, and I’m so excited I can’t even stand it! Maycember this year wasn’t as brutal as it has been in years past (probably because our kids are getting older, so I didn’t have to plan a single end-of-the-year class party), but it was still so busyyyy. I’m exhausted, but I’m also feeling rejuvenated just knowing that we have the next 10 weeks (mostly) free! We are looking forward to lots of lazy time, some pool time, some travel, some touring around our own city, and lots of time to just be together and with friends.
And speaking of friends, we’re kicking off summer break tonight with a poker night at our house! We’re ordering pizzas (I’m taking the easy way out this time instead of cooking or grilling), I’m tossing a salad, we’re cracking open a big, juicy watermelon, and Brian and I are going to mix up some of our beloved toasted marshmallow Old Fashioneds so we can share the yummy goodness with everyone else.
I am beyond excited that summer is finally here! And the best part? Sleeping in every. single. day. Amen.
Okay, let’s get started on the favorites from the week! I’m extra excited about these!
O N E – Stanley Summer
Drop
Did y’all see the new Stanley tumblers that dropped earlier this week?! Oh, my word, they are the cutest things! Stanley went all out for the nation’s impending 250th birthday by creating an entire line to celebrate. I absolutely love all three designs so much… especially that pink striped one! All these options are available in different sizes and styles, including a 30 oz. tumbler and a 40 oz. tumbler + a few other size options.
The Stanley summer drop sold out quickly last year, and I wasn’t able to get my hands on the pink and white striped one that I wanted so badly, and I’ve regretted it ever since. I’ve been watching a few of them on eBay and other secondhand websites, but all of them are selling for more than double their original cost, so I’m sad that I’ll probably never get my hands on one. But the point of this story is – if you have your eye on one of these new ones, don’t wait too long because they are expected to sell out again.
T W O – A Pretty Dress…
and It Has Pockets!
I realized a few days before Jacob’s Confirmation that none of my dresses were ideal for the occasion, so I placed an emergency order for this dress. It arrived on Confirmation Day, it fits perfectly, and I had just enough time to wash and dry it before the event. I love this dress, y’all. The print is beautiful, the cut is flattering, it has pockets!, and it’s crazy comfortable… I can even wear it with a regular bra since the straps are so wide! While I would have liked it even better if it was cotton, I don’t think that the fabric takes anything away from the dress since it looks so great in person, even up close. It comes in lots of colors and patterns and it’s the perfect summer staple since you can dress it up or down.
T H R E E – Ice Molds
Speaking of cocktails, I bought these ice molds for Brian last year sometime, and we love them so much that we just bought two more packs! We use these all the time – for every type of cocktail – and they make every drink look so fancy. The ice also doesn’t melt quickly at all when they’re in bigger pieces, which is ideal because you can get through an entire cocktail before it gets watered down, making the last sip just as good as the first!
They’re easy to use, the ice is easy to extract (just run them under a little bit of water and then pop them right out), and they elevate every single drink! Since we’re hosting tonight and making drinks for all, we wanted to grab a few extras so everyone can have the fancy ice cubes. Oh, and the molds come in lots of fancy designs – bulldogs, hearts, roses, diamonds, and a few more!
F O U R – Once and
Again by Rebecca Serle
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle is a book that has stood out to me over the years no matter how many books I read, so I decided to give another one of her books a read last week, and I’m so glad I did. Although it started out a little slow, Once and Again ended up being a meatier version of a chick lit book and it had a lot of depth, much like In Five Years. The author’s writing was very rich and poignant, and some of her words about life were so perceptive that I grabbed my phone several different times to snap pictures so I can revisit them when I have more time. It’s a beautifully written story, and I enjoyed it immensely. Five stars. I am adding a few of her other books to my library holds immediately!
From Amazon:
Lauren has spent a lot of her life waiting. She spent her childhood on her surfboard, waiting to catch the perfect wave. She waited a long time for her husband Leo. Now she and Leo are together waiting for those two lines on a pregnancy test that will tell Lauren she’s finally pregnant.
But many women wait for those things. Lauren has also spent her life waiting to
use the gift that only the women in her family have: the opportunity, just
once, to turn back time and reverse a bad decision, or a moment of catastrophic
luck. When Lauren was fifteen, her mother Marcella reversed the car crash that
killed Lauren’s father, and ever since then, both Marcella and Lauren have been
extra cautious around Dave, and perhaps extra brittle with each other. Even
though Dave is alive and healthy, and out on the Malibu waves every day.
Lauren and Leo’s marriage has been rock-steady for the three years they’ve been
married, but their fertility journey is starting to wear on both of them. When
Leo takes a six-week job in New York, Lauren temporarily moves back to her
childhood house. She’ll spend time with her dad, spend time on the water, and
try not think about the relationship with her mother she wishes she had. What
Lauren doesn’t expect is to run into the love of her youth: fellow surfer
Stone, back home for the first time in ten years. Since he left and broke
Lauren’s heart. Now Lauren’s thinking about all the choices that have brought
her to this moment in her life—and wondering if one of them should be undone.
A wise and luminous novel about mothers and daughters, the complexity of
marriage, and the choices we make that come to define our lives, Once and
Again is Rebecca Serle at her finest.
F I V E – Flonase
I wonder how many times I’ve talked about this product on the blog? Dozens, I’m sure. Well, it’s allergy season, so I’m here with a friendly reminder that you don’t have to suffer through a stuffy nose this spring and summer! I take this daily, year-round, and I’m never more grateful for it than when the tree and grass pollen starts.
Friday Funnies &
Feels
On the Blog This Week
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