How is this summer already over halfway done?! As I mentioned last month, it’s certainly flown by for us. Swimming team for both girls has just ended and we have a break before soccer and fall swimming start. Here is our life lately July and what we have been up to.
Books I’ve Read
- The Stationmaster’s Cottage by Phillipa Nefri Clark– Christie thinks herself to be happy in life. But then she decides to attend her grandmother’s funeral in another town. Then she investigates a rundown cottage she’s inherited and discovers secrets that have been buried for decades. This story was so predictable and parts of it were a bit far-fetched. I think the men were written to be debonair but came off as unlikable. 2/5
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab– In 1714 in rural France, a young woman makes a bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name. I enjoyed this story that takes you through the centuries. Addie is a clever, resourceful character. 4.5/5
- The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau– Abigail is a member of the wealthy Howland family who have lived in the Alabama plantation home for generations. When the secret of her grandfather’s thirty-year relationship with his African American mistress comes to light, her community turns its back on her. Abigail is pushed to defend her family at all costs. At first Abigail seemed very hateful to me, but I eventually came to like her steely determination. It’s a long, winding story, but I enjoyed listening to it. 3.5/5
- What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman– Izzy Stone is currently in foster care after her mother fatally shot her father while he slept. Her new foster parents have enlisted Izzy’s help in cataloging items at a long-shuttered state asylum. Izzy discovers unopened letters and an old journal from young flapper and suffragette Clara Cartwright. Izzy is determined to find out Clara’s fate. This plot certainly had potential, but is full of stereotyped characters with unoriginal names. 2/5
- The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson– Allan isn’t interested in staying in his nursing home. After all, they won’t let him enjoy his beloved vodka! So he climbs out the window and heads off on adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed this story which follows Allan’s current adventure and his interesting life. It’s absolutely hilarious and a great lighthearted story. I plan on reading the second book. 5/5
- The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson– Honey Lovett is the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian. When her mother and father are imprisoned for miscegenation, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good. She takes over her mother’s old packhorse library route. This is the sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek focusing on the adopted daughter of Cussy. The setting and ignorant ways of the characters in the area are both illuminating and fascinating. 4.5/5
- Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn -Miranda Cheever fell in love with her friend’s older brother Viscount Turner at the age of ten. But the years that followed Miranda grows into an intriguing woman while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. Will they end up together? This was rather bland and predictable. I’m just biding my time until Bridgerton comes out with another season! 2.5/5
Products I’ve Tried
- Vegamour update- I’ve been continuing to use my Vegamour shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil. There has definitely been less fall out. It’s hard to see results since I wear my hair curly all the time (it always looks different!), but I do think it is worth continuing.
- No Show Socks– I received an amazing PR package from Sheec Socks. These socks WORK! I actually pitched a lot of other no-show socks I had that just slipped off constantly. They are so soft and breathable, too! What is really nice is that there are so many different types of no-show socks. I was actually socked (err, shocked) at the variety. There are truly socks for every type of shoe. Sheec thought of everything. My favorite are their Active X Mid-Cute socks. They feel so nice and work well in sneakers. If you are looking for some no-show socks that don’t slip, these are truly great!
- Nood The Flasher 2.0– I received this to review on instagram but I wanted to share here as well. If you are unfamiliar with it, Nood is an at-home laser hair removal system. It promises results in 8 weeks. Currently, the device is about $200. I’ve done clinical laser hair removal and it’s very expensive ($1600+ for Brazilian and armpits) and can be quite painful. I do not find this painful at all even on the highest setting. I’ve used it about 4 weeks now. It takes me 15 minutes to do my legs. I’d say I’ve noticed less ingrown hairs so far, but I’m not really sure if there has been a reduction in growth yet. However, since it only takes about 20 minutes a week I will be continuing with it to see if I do get results.
Recipes I’ve Made
- Birthday Cake Cookie– I’ve never used cake batter extract before. It’s a great flavor and replicates the taste exactly. We all really liked these cookies.
- Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies– I turned these into strawberry cheesecake because I had some homemade strawberry jam from berry picking. Matt is a big fan! My dough probably could have used a bit extra flour. And my frosting needed about 3 extra cups of powdered sugar so it wasn’t runny.
- Cookie Dough Cookie– The frosting for this is spot-on! It tastes exactly like cookie dough.
- Pork Schnitzel– This pork schnitzel was fairly easy to put together and tasted so good!
- Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes– These are so easy and absolutely delicious. I make the sweet potatoes in the slow cooker by sticking them with a fork and them cooking them on low for a few hours.
- Honey Peach Cheddar Grilled Cheese– I know, I know, this combination sounds odd. But it is so good! We added bacon, balsamic glaze, and basil. Heaven!
Family Update
- Aveline- Avie has had fun this month attending both a poms and cheerleading camp. She also got to try a class at Little Kitchen Academy and loved it! That girl is constantly in motion.
- Claire– Claire has really improved her butterfly stroke over this swim season and taken a lot of time of her backstroke (her favorite). She got over 8 inches cut off her hair and was excited to get curtain bangs. Claire’s been learning to style them. She also worked hard to train for a 1 mile kids’ race and ran it in 8:34 finishing as the 9th female.
- Me- After my not-great 10K last month, I did a 5K this month. That seems to be a great length for me in summer since I don’t do well with the humidity and heat. I even got a best time finishing with a pace of 7:00 flat and 3rd female overall. I’m so close to a sub 7min pace! The kids got in on the fun by doing shorter races, too.
- Matt- I think Matt’s highlight from July was attending a High Kings concert. Instead of giving each other anniversary gifts, we got the family tickets. We all love this Irish band and the concert was incredible!
July Goals
- Plan out activities for Ireland- Just worked out some of this last night. Sneaked that one in!
- Go berry picking or to zoo– Done! We went strawberry picking and made three batches of jam. We got to visit the zoo this past weekend, too.
- Do something for myself– Sadly I didn’t get a chance to do this. It’s needed even more now!
- Work on PTA website– Slowly started this.
finally got my family portrait wall done!
August Goals
- Do something for myself- It’s my birthday month so a little time for myself is
- Visit a charity shop in Ireland– I love visiting thrift shops for home decor and paintings. It would be fun to visit a couple in Dublin for a souvenir.
- Sign up for a race– My next race is end of October, but I’d like to sign up for another 5K or 1/2 marathon in the fall.
LINKING UP WITH WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY, OVERFLOWING WITH THANKFULNESS, FIRST FRIDAY FINDS
