10 Things That Happened in August

Once again, I find myself at the end of another month going, “wait, what just happened?!”

August is one of my favorite months of the year because, despite the brutal heat, it brings so much anticipation for things to come. September through the end of the year is full of so much joy for me! I get a little giddy thinking about all of the coziness and fun ahead. I love anticipation and planning, and August feels like one big month full of it. Plus, the back-t0-school season is always so exciting!

August was pretty awesome but, if we’re being honest, it was just a stepping point to get to my favorite time of year. Fall leaves and cozy sweaters and all things spooky! And then, Christmas! Does it get any better? We’ve got so much fun ahead of us, but first…let’s take a peek back at August.

10 Things That Happened in August

• We had a living room campout! The kids had been asking to go camping all summer long, but we never managed to make it happen. We didn’t want to let summer end without fulfilling their dream, so the boys and I set up a fort in the living room and we had the sweetest night together! We played games and made s’mores and ate burgers and snuggled up until way past bedtime. It was such a fun night and I think it might need to become a summer tradition.
• Grant turned 6! I can barely believe it, but my Tiny Destroyer is SIX YEARS OLD! We celebrated him with a birthday at a local LEGO store (it was a blast!), and then showered him with love and snuggles and all of his favorite things on his actual birthday. It’s still a little hard to process that he isn’t a tiny little toddler anymore.
• I finished the bonus room shiplap! I’ve been working on wrapping the entire room in vertical shiplap for four years now, and it’s finally fully done. I mean, with the exception of some trim and outlet covers. And a bit of touch up paint. You know, minor details. I’m absolutely in love with the look, and it’s got me so excited to keep working on finishing up that space!
• Speaking of the bonus room – don’t tell anyone but… I painted the ceiling! We leave for vacation next week and I’ve been trying to work ahead on some content for the blog so I don’t have to scramble to catch up when I get home. So, last week I went ahead and knocked that project out, and I can’t wait to show you. It looks so good, and the room as a whole is reeeeally starting to come together.
• Summer went out with a bang. The boys started 5th and 1st grade a couple of weeks ago, and we really made the most of the last few weeks of summer. We ate so much ice cream, visited parks, took long walks, and snuggled up to tons of movies. It was genuinely one of the best summers we’ve ever had. As the kids get older, I continue to learn how important it is to just slow down and enjoy that time with them. I only get so many summers of them living in my house, so I’m learning to soak up every second of them!

• I officially declared fall in our house. As soon as the kids go back to school, it feels like fall to me. So, I busted out all of the pumpkins and the fall stems and the cozy blankets. It’s my favorite time of year and it feels so great to have all of our fall decor out again. I’m waiting to decorate for Halloween until late September – last year I decorated far too early and felt like I didn’t really get to enjoy my home decorated just for fall. I’ve even got a couple more fall-centered DIY projects coming your way once we get back from vacation!
• I did some organizing. As we start to head back into the school year, my brain always craves a few organization projects. So, this month I whipped our spice drawer back into shape and got all of our paper clutter under control. Oh, and I deep cleaned the area rugs! It always feels good to cross some of those annoying little tasks off the to do list, doesn’t it?!
• We did aaaaall of the vacation prepping! We leave next week for our big family Disney World trip, and everyone in my house is absolutely beside themselves with excitement. I’ve been stocking up on cooling body spray, making sure I have enough of my favorite socks, and putting together family outfits (!!!). We might all burst from excitement before next Wednesday actually arrives.
• I read so many great books! I’m a little ahead of schedule on my goal to read 100 books this month, and August was another month full of great ones. You can see everything I’ve read so far this year right here, but the highlights of August were The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (so campy and fun!), Never Lie, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
• We made the most delicious pretzels ever. One day before school started, the boys and I wanted to do some baking. I had saved this recipe, and we decided to give it a go. Y’all – it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever baked! I’ve never been good at homemade pretzels, but these were so easy! I’m making them again this weekend for the first college football game of the season, and my mouth is watering just thinking about them. They’re a must-try!

Top 10 Finds This Month

1. I’ve recently become a little big obsessed with Sudoku puzzles. I do all 3 levels of the NYT games pretty much every single day, and I sometimes find myself wanting more. So, I ordered myself a book of Sudoku puzzles! It’s been great to pull out on quiet weekday afternoons when the kids are playing, and I see myself using it a lot on our plane ride next week!
2. I got a new rug for the entry, and my trusty rug grippers weren’t enough to keep it in place. Plus, the corners were super curled up and we kept tripping on them. So, I did some searching for something a little more heavy duty. These worked like a charm! The rug hasn’t budged since I added them, and the corners aren’t curling up at all anymore! I guess I’ve found my new go-to!
3. I am loving this cute striped tank. I ordered it because I’ve been really into the style of a striped shirt with contrasting trim (I also have a sweatshirt and a t-shirt!), and it didn’t disappoint.
4. This sassy little vase (pictured above) is easily one of my favorite buys of the month. It’s so dang cute and it makes me smile on the daily. I think every room should have something a little bit quirky. She might be small, but she’s added a ton of personality to our living room!
5. I snagged myself two new pairs of sneakers this month – apparently I’m becoming quite the sneaker head. (That’s a term, right?) I had been eyeing these Nike’s for ages and they finally went on sale. And then, I found these white Reeboks, which are the perfect neutral shoe for almost every day. I’ve been wearing them both a ton, and they’re so comfortable. 10/10!
6. I wanted some pretty faux fall flowers to add to the dining room table, and I went with these. They are SO beautiful, and they’re the prettiest fall colors.
7. After I got the bonus room ceiling painted, I went ahead and ordered this ceiling fan to add to the room. I wanted to get some air circulation going in there but I didn’t want anything that looked too obviously like a ceiling fan. It was the perfect choice for this room and I’m a little surprised at how much I love it. Also, it might be small but it pushes out a great amount of air!
8. I may be late to the game here but I discovered my new favorite makeup hack of all time this month. I started wearing setting powder instead of foundation. When it’s 100+ degrees outside, the last thing I want is an entire layer of makeup on my face. But, I also feel more put together when I have a little bit of makeup on. Enter this $9 powder. It feels like there’s nothing on my face but makes my skin look so glowy and healthy! I’ve been wearing it almost every day and I can’t believe I didn’t discover this trick sooner.
9. I used this paper organizer to deal with all of our paper clutter, and I’m loving it. There are so many pockets inside of it, and it’s fireproof which gives so much peace of mind!

And that’s a wrap on August! Onto the “ber” months!!!!!!