It’s the last Wednesday of the month. I am linking up with Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer and sharing what has been going on with us lately. It’s a little food, a little family, a little what we’re wearing, a little what we’re doing, a little what we’re watching and a little bit of everything else all in one post.
1. What We Are Eating This Week:
Sunday: Mom cooked- Meatloaf, Peas, Potatoes, Zucchini, Chocolate cake
Monday: Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Tuesday: Out to eat for my Uncle’s birthday
Wednesday: Chicken with Spinach Orzo
Thursday: Leftover jambalaya
Friday: Pizza night
Saturday: Kitchen’s closed!
2. What I’m Reminiscing About:
All the Summer memories.
Look at these in 2019.
And here is 2020.
Here we are in 2021.
And in 2022.
Sweet girl in 2023.
A good memory in 2024.
And such an amazing trip last year in 2025 to the DR! Take me back!
3. What I’m Loving:
I am still loving all the things from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!! It’s still happening! Be sure to shop some best sellers before it’s over!
Free People Torres Sweater / Wit & Wisdom Sam High Waist Jeans / Caslon Chambray Button Up / Nike SE Sneaker
4. What We’ve Been Up To:
We started the month out West, so my recap of July starts with us celebrating the 4th of July!
We have been enjoying lots of pool time.
Addison loved Volleyball camp.
My family spoiled me for my birthday.
We had so much fun at the movies!
We took a very spontaneous trip to Dollywood.
We had a great little girl’s getaway.
5. What I’m Dreading:
The only thing I’m dreading is getting up early and packing my lunch every day. 4:30 comes way too early.
6. What I’m Working On:
I’m working on getting everything organized and ready for the new school year.
And, we almost have everything back in order after moving 3 rooms around in our house.
7. What I’m Excited About:
I am excited about seeing all the sweet students!
8. What I’m Watching/Reading:
I read Rebecca Serle’s newest novel Once and Again earlier in the Summer. I fell in love with her novels when I read In 5 years, way back in 2020. Did you guys read that one?
I remember the beginning being difficult to focus and keep motivated to continue reading. Halfway through, this book has a crazy twist, and I liked it better.
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.
I read Kristy Woodson Harvey’s novel, Summer State of Mind, weeks ago. I remember it being underwhelming. It definitely wasn’t as good as her other novels. This one definitely wasn’t high on my list of best books I read this summer.
After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.
Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.
But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. In a novel that proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads” (People), they will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.
I read Road Trip, as we were driving out west on a road trip. Like most of Mary Kay Andrew’s novels, this one was so, very long for me. It was good, but I wouldn’t say it was great. There was some mystery and of course some love, but I felt like it was long. Was it because I was driving all over the US and visiting different sites, maybe… but maybe not.
Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years. Raised under the same roof in Savannah, the two sisters could not be more opposite―Maeve the rule follower, Therese the unapologetic rebel. But when their mother’s death pulls them back together, they inherit more than just grief: a mysterious painting that may be worth millions…if it’s real.
Determined to uncover the truth―and desperately in need of the money―the sisters set out on a journey to Ireland, tracing their family’s roots and the origins of the portrait. What begins as a search for answers soon becomes something deeper―a reckoning with the past, as they uncover secrets that span generations and reshape everything they thought they knew about their family.
With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm.
Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.
Dolly All the Time, was another really cute Summer read that checked the boxes. I enjoyed the characters and the ‘Pretty Woman’ similarities. So very cute! Would definitely recommend!
If they start by pretending, can they end with something real?
Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.
So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?
I have been reading Carley Fortune books since I was hooked on her after reading Every Summer After a few years back.
So, of course, I picked up Our Perfect Storm! This book hit all my Summer Reading boxes and was the quintessential Summer read! I loved it oh so much!
Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.
Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.
Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino.
Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good.
Joey and I watched ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ on Netflix this month. It was so very sad, but also very happy! I loved it!
We are currently watching The Five Star Weekend, and I’m enjoying it! I forgot a lot of the things that happened in the novel!
I finished the newest season of Sullivan’s Crossing, and I loved it! There was some drama, and I love the characters!
And I’m still trying to finish ‘Every Year After’. I think I’m currently on episode 4, and I feel like the episodes are getting slightly better.
9. What I’m Listening To:
Not a thing at the moment. Everyone is asleep.
10. What I’m Wearing:
During the summer, I had this on repeat.
I wore this dress this past weekend.
This will be an outfit I’ll be wearing to school very soon.
I’ve still been wearing these Essential Crewneck Tees from JCrew on repeat! They’re soft and are a great length!
11. What I’m Doing This Weekend:
I don’t really know what we have planned for the weekend. We will probably just be getting things ready for the school year to begin!
12. What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month:
Hmmm…. not sure because I’m NOT looking forward to getting up early. Haha!
13. Favorite Amazon Find:
I ordered these cubes for Addison’s new room, and they are perfect for organizing things. She currently has like leggings in one, hoodies/sweatshirts in one, bathing suits in one….
14. What Else Is New:
If you made it this far, thank you! That is all!
Thank you all for reading. I can’t believe July is over and August is here. I hope you have an awesome day!! See you back here on Friday!
xo
Thank you to Amazon and Shopstyle for sponsoring this post! This post contains affiliate links.
I read Every Summer After so I might have to give Every Year After a chance.
I’m going to be honest, it’s not that great, but I did watch it. I wish the acting had been better.