July Recap + Favorites
And just like that, summer is basically over. Y’all, I say it every year but where did the time go?! This year was particularly strange, since we have spent pretty much the entire summer thinking about and prepping for our big move!
That’s right – if you missed the update, we’ve found a new house and we are officially moving at the end of next month. This has truly been the longest and most drawn-out move of all time, so I’m really (really really really) ready for this entire saga to be over. It gives me a lot of hope to remind myself that the next time I write one of these little monthly updates, it’ll be from our new house!
I’m not widely sharing the details on our new home until we actually move, but if you want a sneak peek, I shared some details with my Substack subscribers!
Summer is all about the delicious food, no?!
A Few Highlights From July…
- I’ll confess that I’ve struggled to embrace summer mode as much as I normally like to. Moving is stressful and it’s really gotten to me this time around. But, after 8 straight months of prepping, planning, showing our house, shopping for houses, and dreaming, it was truly SO EXCITING to actually start packing with an end date in mind.
- We spent a lot of time this month visiting our new house and the area around it (we’ve never lived in this part of town so it feels like a big change!) and it was really fun to start dreaming about what life might look like in a whole new area.
- I did a few small projects and it felt really good. Nothing huge, but I did make some DIY bookmarks, make a fire bowl, and paint my best friend’s garage (that project will hit the blog soon!).
- I went on a weekend trip with my church group to Fredericksburg, Texas, which is a small town about an hour and a half from us that’s full of wineries and small town charm. It was a really nice weekend away and it felt so good to laugh with friends and just be for a few days.
- We had a few summer adventures, like riding the train to downtown Austin and exploring a museum, hitting up the pool when we had a spare moment, staying up too late watching movies, and visiting our favorite indoor playground. Grant also had his Yes Day, which was full of chaos and fun.
- Corey and I rewatched the first season of Yellowjackets and are getting all caught up on the newer seasons and goodness I forgot how fantastic that show is.
- We also started introducing the kids to a few of our favorite classics – we watched Princess Bride and The Sandlot this month and it was such a blast. I currently have a long list of other movies we need to watch now!
July Favorite Things
- I grabbed this dress during Prime Days, and I love it so much. It’s almost full-length but still feels really casual, and it has pockets! It’s crazy comfortable and something that can easily be dressed up or down (it’s super cute with sneakers!).
- I’ve been wanting one of these electric spin scrubbers for years and I finally decided to get myself one. I’m so glad I did! I used it to clean our shower and to clean my grill and I’m super impressed with it. I think it’s something I’ll get a lot of use out of.
- I ran out of bronzer and didn’t feel strong feelings about the one I was using, so I decided to try this one out. I LOVE it! It’s a great color, super easy to apply, and crazy affordable (always my favorite).
- I stumbled on this Velaris shirt and ordered it immediately. I wore it multiple times this month and I absolutely love it. I sized up for an oversized fit and I’m glad I did – it’s the type of shirt that looks perfect with biker shorts!
- These are definitely my current favorite sunglasses and I get asked about them every time I wear them. They’re so cute, and cheap – which is key for me since I tend to lose sunglasses.
- I love my pink boxer shorts (that I shared last month) that I got myself another pair (this time in blue). They’re so incredibly comfortable and I feel way more put together than I do when I wear running shorts!
- We’ve been playing Skyjo on repeat – it’s Grant’s favorite game! It’s really similar to Golf or Play Nine, but with a slight twist that makes it really fun. We’ve been playing it a ton lately and none of us really get tired of it.
- I snagged With a Vengeance the moment I saw it was released because I love Riley Sager’s books. It wasn’t my favorite of his (this one is!) but it was a really fun and easy read!
- Jackson has been playing Zelda: Ocarina of Time this month, and it’s so much easier with an old school N64 controller. I have had an absolute blast watching him play and hanging out with him – easily a highlight of the month!
- I can’t let the summer go by without acknowledging Mario Kart World because it has been an absolute staple for us. Corey grabbed it right when it came out and we have played it EVERY SINGLE DAY since. Every night before the boys go to sleep we all pile into mine and Corey’s bed to play a round. There’s trash talking and shouting and so much laughter and it’s easily my favorite part of every day.
- I got Worst Case Scenario on audiobook from the library and I listened to the entire thing inside of 48 hours. It was heart-pounding and so stressful in the best way. What an absolutely wild ride. I loved it!
- This is the summer of striped crew socks for me. I am wearing them nonstop and I cannot get enough.
