What I'm Loving: Summer 2019 Edition

Summer 2019 has flown by! I've read more books this summer than I think I have since I was in Junior High. I've gotten more organized in our lives and in our home than I could have imagined. Best of all, I've gotten some sweet quality time with family and friends along the way.

I meant to share my favorite things from this summer or my "what I've been loving" a few weeks ago on here. Instead, Fall showed up packing punches ready to get things done and done quickly. Today, let's pause to savor and share in one last moment to celebrate summer together. Plus, we totally forgot to buy stuff to make pumpkin lattes this week at the grocery store anyway, so clearly Fall is not 100% here just yet. Here's to you, Summer 2019!

Eating + Drinking

PREPPING meals off of Pinterest. In June, we started trying to focus on our health more by eating healthier meals. We had some recipes in our repertoire already, but after scrolling through Pinterest, we've been trying different things and making adjustments along the way. We discovered this rosemary chicken, bacon + avocado salad this way, and I could literally eat it every day and be happy. Rick likes it, but he definitely wants more variety than that and honestly, tacos exist for that reason. Check out more meals that we're loving on my FOOD: Favorite Recipes board. The recipes that make it onto here are the ones that we love, and we make very consistently.

DEVOURING this hummus dip. I fell in love with hummus sometime over the past few years but after tasting this dip, it's been hard for me to want another appetizer.

Listening + Watching

SPENDING countless hours following the brothers in Royal Pains as they take over the Hamptons with a private medical practice. This show had the perfect mix of brotherhood, unexpected life situations and just a hint of mystery for me. It's one that I would gladly watch again.

FOLLOWING all the theories on Stranger Things that I can after immediately binge watching it. At some point this summer, I started checking my Google news nightly. It must have been around the time that the newest season Stranger Things came out. It's usually all Stranger Things theories all the time, and I'm totally here for it. I'm totally not here for that twisted ending of the season finale. Waiting to go back to Hawkins now...

FALLING in love with the characters in Kim's Convenience. Mr. Kim stole my heart as the dad, partly because little things he did throughout the series reminded me of my dad. I love the character development and dynamic throughout the show. I can't wait for the next installment.

Doing + Enjoying

SHARING my love of stickers and decorating my Happy Planner on my Instagram account. Part of my brave journey has been to start sharing more of my art and photography online (insert repeated mantra of "Baby steps are still a sign of progress"). I've been loving some of my designs lately, and even if I copy over some similar tasks week to week, it makes me happy and keeps me focused. This Seasonal sticker book and the Happy Year sticker book are currently two of my favorites.

CELEBRATING our 30th with a Goodbye to Our Roaring 20's Party. It featured a 1920's Great Gatsby theme. There's something about the decadence of the lines, the colors and the maximalism of that decade that I'm drawn to, so when I saw that idea online, I was sold. Fun fact: I saw it a few months before our wedding and thought about changing everything but settled with waiting it out. I definitely made the right call since I loved our wedding.

WISHING my makeup could look half as good as when Leigh Stovall did it for our party. Seriously, my friend is so talented. If you need your makeup done for anything, reach out to her at leigh@texasredbird.com. She's super personable and so easy to work with. Plus, I absolutely LOVED my makeup.

STARING out at the ocean has been one of the most healing things for me this summer. Each wave has a way of drawing me in, drawing me closer to peace. I am so thankful to friends and family who have unknowingly made those moments possible.

RELAXING with blue grey walls instead of avocado green and burnt orange. Yes, burnt orange walls. *Cue the Aggie and Longhorn jokes, eye rolls and tears.* I hated it. I've always heard that a fresh coat of paint gives new life. I painted a bookcase back in college, and while I saw that new life rejuvenated in that, it was nothing like our walls. While we were still painting, we came down the next morning, and it already felt calmer and more peaceful in our home. A very special thanks to Brooklyn Nine-Nine marathons for keeping us going!

Reading + Learning

REDEFINING my view on food by reading Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss. It's so worth the read. I believe it has heavily influenced me cleaning up my food habits over the summer in subtle ways that have contributed to me being healthier overall.

BECOMING flexible and more okay with new rhythms that are constantly changing while working on setting and keeping boundaries in this stay-at-home-dog-mom lifestyle. What works one week may not work out the next, and that's okay.

ARRANGING flowers more beautifully thanks to the Floral 101 class with Picked Flower Co. that I took with my mom. I always buy grocery store flowers, and while I love throwing them in my vase, it just never looks great to me. It was a wonderful class that thoroughly explained different types of bouquets, what flowers to look for, what makes a bouquet complete, and we got to try our hand at making our own on the spot. I would gladly take one of their classes again! (Crossing off that "Take a class just because" off of my 30 Things for Year 30!)

FOCUSING on Galatians 1:10 and trying to apply it to my thoughts, emotions, attitude and actions: Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people but of God. If people pleasing were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.

PRAYING for + INVITING you to pray for Eva Love, the daughter of Lindsay + Dugan Sherbondy (@lindsay + @dugan). I've been obsessed with Lindsay's calligraphy for years and have fully been inspired by her art. In the past month, I have been following her family even more closely after Eva Love's accident. Praying for a crazy hope, perseverance, peace and God's glory and healing power to be magnified in amazing ways.

What have you been loving this summer? Let me know in the comments below!