Good morning. How was your weekend? Ours flew by. Is that just what time does now? We had a break in the intense heat so it was wonderful. I also picked up “Mad Mabel” for our book club and I can’t put it down. Have you read it? It’s just so good. Here is a bit of life lately with the Monday Morning Wrap Up.
SUMMER SALAD ON REPEAT
This is our favorite summer salad. And I cheat a bit because I start with the lemon arugula salad kit from Trader Joe’s. The dressing is delicious and it saves us on nights we don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. My husband smokes our tri tip (also great with grilled chicken) and we add fresh peaches and avocado. This is a major crowd pleaser over here and couldn’t be easier.
*You see cucumber there but don’t do that. I ended up taking that out as it just didn’t work with the other flavors.
DATE NIGHT
Ryan and I snuck in our weekly date night. It’s obviously easy to do now that our children are older, but even if you have younger kids, I highly recommend this tradition. Back in the day we would have a date night on our front porch after the babies went to bed. It doesn’t need to be a ton of time or cost a lot of money. But the dedicated time together has served us so well.
Outfit details: blue vest | blue pants | handbag (or here)
HITTING US HARD
Lately our conversations have centered around the next chapter. It’s hitting us that we have two adult children now. It doesn’t quite seem possible but here we are. We are so proud of both of them and look forward to watching them grow into their adulthood. I feel like we have savored every season and we plan to with this one, too. There is nothing better than hanging out with adult kiddos. It’s so fun to enjoy their humor, intelligence and personality. And cheers to college football season! It’s almost here and we can’t wait.
DOUBLE DUTY ROOM
I had a sweet reader reach out after seeing this photo and ask if it’s a guest room. They have children who have moved away and are rethinking some of their spaces but want to keep the beds. Yes! This is a guest room we have in our basement. When families comes and visit, the kids usually stay down here in the twin beds. I also am not ready to give up the beds but love having a space to work out. We also belong to a local gym but having the basics here is fantastic. I’ve stopped caring about the room looking Instagram worthy and have embraced it doing double duty. When we have guests we just streamline it a bit and push it all of to one corner.
Bottom line, I think your house needs to meet the needs of the people who live in it. Create the spaces you need and will use. Don’t worry if it’s a bit quirky or far from perfect. I am the girl with a walking pad in my family room because it brings me great joy to hop on it each morning.
COLLEGE FINDS
I shared a few college finds in stories and these sconces were a big hit. We are planning to hang them with velcro strips. They are rechargeable and a really pretty warm glow. Riley loves these to have up by her bed (which will be raised). While they are great for a dorm room, they are cute for any space where you don’t want to hard wire sconces. The pleated shades are very charming.
A MUST HAVE
If you have a daughter headed off to school and she doesn’t put everything in the dryer, this is a must. Riley LOVES this. It folds up to that tiny cylinder but holds so much when drying. It really is a genius design. It’s great for any laundry room or home. I plan to have one in our newly remodeled laundry room.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
A couple of you asked why Riley was moving into a dorm room as a junior. Notre Dame does things a little bit different. The students stay on campus for three years. They are given the option of moving off campus senior year. It’s a really nice way to build community and take advantage of the smaller school size.
CLASSICS ON REPEAT
I shared this blouse again in Saturday Shopping. It’s classic and fits so well. I like it so much I bought the long sleeve version for fall. The open neckline is really pretty. One of my favorite purchases of the year. (My sister gave me my handbag and I adore it).
The viral camo pants are back in stock!!! Ladies, if you don’t have a pair I highly suggest grabbing one. My favorite story is when I ran into one of you in the airport and we were both wearing these. They are the best travel pants because of the elastic waist in back. Overall, they are so comfy. True to size – wearing a size small here. A great pair of pants once fall hits.
THIS IS SO FUN
This two piece outfit is sooooo cute. I love this. It takes a minute to arrive but will be worth it. It’s under $40! I also like the short sleeve version.
In case you missed Saturday Shopping I shared a great way to save money on drapery panels, last minute college finds, and classic pieces I am wearing over and over. And if you would like to be notified when a post goes live, please drop your email here.
Here’s to a great start to the week! Thank you for being here.
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