A happy Friday to you! I hope you are having a great week as we make our way through July! I am looking forward to a busier weekend between seeing some friends, a big picnic and hopefully some time outside. Let’s just hope the weather cooperates. Fingers crossed! It’s been a busy week, so I am looking forward to the weekend.
Everything is in full bloom and I am one happy gal!
It’s Friday which means it’s time for another Friday Favorites as I share some highlights from the past week with you as I link up with Erika and Andrea.
This is a mixed bag of food, sunshine and products! Let’s dive right in!
Family Walks– Family walks have been a favorite for myself and my family over the past few weeks. We have been trying to take advantage of the warm weather and walking at different parks and trails throughout the area. Whether it’s a long walk in the woods or a short walk on pavement, it’s been a fun way to get in some exercise, spend time together and get outdoors. It’s also been fun to explore the area and different parks too.
One of the spots we have walked
Happy Place Series Announced– Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books and one of my favorites is Happy Place. It was released last summer and it was announced a few weeks ago that there’s talks about making it into a series through Netflix with Jennifer Lopez at the helm. You can find the article here. I’m really excited to learn more about the project. Although only a few details have been released, I’m itching to see how it compares to the book. I have mixed feelings about making books into tv series or movies, but this one I’m very excited about!
Such a fun, summer read!
Brunch with Babs Cookbook– I am really proud by keeping up with my new year’s goal of trying to cook one new meal a week. I get ideas from Pinterest, Cookbooks and blogs. I have really been having success with Celebrate with Babs cookbook. It’s from the online account, Brunch with Babs, which is all about lifestyle and homemaking hacks.
Here are some of the recipes I have tried and had success with.
Apricot ham and broccoli salad
Strawberry Salad with Grilled Chicken
New Car Scent– I did a recent car cleaning and decided it was time for a new car scent. I try to swap out scents every six to eight weeks. Since we are in full on summer mode here, I decided Tiki Beach was the perfect summer scent. It’s not too overwhelming or overpowering, but it does leave your car smelling fresher and like a pina colada. Yum! Thank you, Bath and Body Works!
Cocoa Oatmeal Treats– Another food related item for you this week. I am a big lover of Hershey’s and saw this recipe on their website for their cocoa oatmeal treats. They are super easy to make and would be perfect for a summer picnic. They are no-bake cookies and only contain a few ingredients like oats, milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and peanut butter. I thoroughly enjoyed them for a “healthier” treat.
That’s a quick roundup of what I am loving this week. Some snacks, new releases, and products. How has your July been treating you? Any fun plans? Let me know if the comments below!
Happy Wednesday! It makes me sad to that we are at the end of July. I feel like June was so well paced and a great introduction to summer and then July came and went in a blink of an eye. There’s always so much anticipation to summer and then it goes by too fast. I know August will be a busy month with end of summer activities and people heading back to school.
Summer is in full bloom!
In good news, I did my best to make the most out of July! From a low key Fourth of July to a concert, seeing friends and some pool days, it was packed full of summer fun in between work. Here’s a look at what I’ve been up to.
What I’m Up To– July started off with the Fourth of July, this year was a bit more lowkey as it fell in the middle of the week and I was working, but my family and I still grilled and enjoyed some Fourth fun and sunshine after work. It’s more about the people and moments than all the extra hustle and bustle.
Our Fourth of July spread
This month, I also made two trips to the Pittsburg area. The first was to catch up with friends for lunch and dinner. Living long distance and being on different work schedules has made it challenging to see some friends so it was great to catch up in person and enjoy some time outside too.
Catching up with friends is always good for the soul
My second trip was to see Ed Sheeran in concert which was so fun. I saw him back during his Divide tour and I was excited to see him perform songs from all his albums.
Ed Sheeran’s tour
I also got to enjoy some live music this summer, our city always does a great job at hosting live music events, and I have gone to a few of them. There’s nothing better than live music by the water.
Live music in the summer, a must for summer!
I also enjoyed lots of time outside, having pool and reading days on my days off. We had a stretch of beautiful weather and I tried to soak up as much time outside as possible.
Reading by the pool days
Summer walks by the water.
What I’m Wearing– Last week, I shared some summer outfits that I have been wearing to work, you can read more about it here.
I also have been into skorts and casual skirts recently too. Here’s been some of my favorite looks.
I have also been wearing shorts and all the graphic t-shirts. They are so easy to throw on for off days especially when I’m outside and just relaxing on days off.
Also, t-shirt dresses are a major win for me in the summer, they are lightweight and easy to throw on after work or heading out and about to run errands, you look put together with minimal effort. A win across the board.
Perfect for a day in the city
What I’m Reading– I had such a good month for reading. This month has been a mixed bag of genres and they have been so fun!
Happy Place- I couldn’t wait to dive into this book. Happy Place tells the story of six friends reuniting in their favorite spot for one last summer trip together and one of the couples pretending they are still together when they have broken up. The personalities of the friends, the description of the setting and the nostalgia had me craving a week at the lake. I read this book on vacation and it was the perfect beach read. If you haven’t read this book yet or any of Emily Henry’s books, you are missing out.
Such a fun, summer read!
My Hygee Home- I got this book for my birthday and it’s all about making a house a home and ways to incorporate Hygee which is a Danish practice into your home. I learned a lot of practical lessons about ways to make your home cozy and useful and purposeful too. It would be a great coffee table book and a great read too. You can easily finish it in one sitting.
28 Summers- 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand was such a fun summer read. It’s about a man and woman who meet as young college students and agree to meet up every summer in Nantucket no matter what. Now, let me start out by saying, I don’t believe in cheating or having affairs, but I did enjoy reading about how no matter what was going on in these character’s lives, they always met up every year. I loved seeing how their relationship changed and stayed the same through the years. I also loved reading all about Nantucket and it makes me want to visit even more.
A favorite summer read.
What I’m Watching– Summer is typically a slower time for me for tv shows, but now with streaming services, I feel like there are more options to watch different shows. I’ve done some binge watching, but a lot of these shows have episodes that come out weekly. This summer, I have been watching Outlander, which I have really been enjoying this season, especially the twist with Roger and Brianna. I won’t say more than that to avoid spoilers, but these episodes have been really good.
I also have been watching And Just Like That, every week, again, another light and fun show. In my opinion, season two has had really good episodes and some have fallen flat for me. Overall, I still love the friendships, the fashion and the nostalgia and that’s what draws me in week after week.
As far as binge-watching goes, I have been watching The Summer I Turned Pretty on Amazon Prime. I never read the books, but I watched the first season last summer and thought it was cute and I wanted to see what was in store for season 2. This season has been definitely more dramatic and intense, but it’s still fun to watch. There are moments that are a bit unrealistic, but overall, it’s a fun show to watch at the end of the day.
Lastly, Sweet Magnolias has been my other go-to binge watch. If watching this show doesn’t make you want to move to a small Southern town, I don’t know what does. I love the aspects of southern hospitality, the one-liners and life lessons and most of all the friendships. Such a fun summer show.
What Inspires Me– I have been inspired by my garden that I started at the beginning of this summer. I am finally seeing some progress and some buds. It’s been exciting to see it grow as I tend to it every day.
My garden so far!
My first set of veggies! Peas!
I’ve also been inspired by finding new places to walk and hike. I have my places that I love to go to, but it’s been fun to find new spots and explore new places and get some exercise too.
Plus no summer would be complete without a trip to the zoo!
What I Accomplished– I’ve been doing my best to soak up summer and I think I’ve been doing a good job with it by trying to build in slower days in a busy schedule. I have also been trying to go to as many events that are traditions and free and fun! Plus, I’ve been doing everything I can do to spend time outside, from reading to grilling outside, I have been soaking up all the sun!
I’ve also been enjoying lots of meals outside.
Plus lots of grilling too!
Goals from Last Month– I made the most of summer and actitvites by crossing things off my summer bucket list. From friends, to new adventures and places and visiting old spots, it’s been a packed month. Plus, throw in some family time and you have a great July!
Summer beach days in July!
I’ve also been enjoying trying new recipes! Last week, I made homemade chicken sandwiches! So good!
A mix between a McChicken and Chick Fil A sandwich! Yum!
Goals for Next Month-The time is almost here. I’m crossing something off my 2023 New Year’s Resolutions and Summer Bucket List by running my first 5K. I have been training for it since the spring and all of this summer and I think I’m almost ready. A 5K may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but for someone who has always hated running, the fact I am excited to do this and have enjoyed the hobby is a big deal to me. I’m looking forward to finishing and accomplishing it next month. I’ve been running longer distances and I’m proud of myself for what my body can do.
Next month, I’m also looking to some family time as we take a little getaway and then some final summer adventures.
July flew by, but looking back, I accomplished so much. I know August will be busy with trying to get everything done, but I’m excited to see what the next month brings.
