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July has brought lots of hot weather and thunderstorms! But, it is summer after all, and it will be gone before I know it, so I am trying to embrace the season we are in. Here are some things I am loving right now!
Fireworks
This is kind of predictable, but I love fireworks! There is one town that does fireworks each July that we’ve attended nearly every year for as long as I can remember.
My parents volunteered to stay with Kiera while she slept so my husband and I could spend some time together at the fireworks.
The best fireworks display I’ve ever seen was about 12 years ago in Ashland, PA. The fireworks were set off on a football field, and we were sitting on the same field, so everything looked like it was right above us. And the show was just beautiful!
Lavender Picking
My mom and I took Kiera to a lavender farm a few weeks back. This is the second year we have gone, and it’s also the second year the lavender farm has been open to the public to pick lavender.
We went to Mountain View Lavender Farm. The family that owns the farm is very friendly, and the whole experience was just enjoyable.
I wrote a post containing tips for your trip to a lavender farm, based upon your our experiences from the last couple years.
Cell Phone Ring Holder
My husband and I recently upgraded our phones. I had a PopSocket on the last phone, and I liked it, but my new phone is pretty purple and I got a clear case for it. I didn’t really want to slap a bulky PopSocket in the middle of that.
A while back, my mom mentioned something about metal rings as phone holders. So I looked these up on Amazon, and it turns out they are much less expensive than PopSockets! I took a chance and ordered a pack.
Turns out, I like them a lot! The pack I purchased came with 2 silver and 2 rose gold rings. I put a rose gold ring on the back of my purple phone. I didn’t think it would look good, but it actually does!
It makes the phone easier to hold onto, it feels secure, it doubles as a stand while watching videos, and it looks stylish too! Because they were inexpensive, I was concerned they would be flimsy. But they are surprisingly pretty sturdy.
Instagram Accounts
There are three Instagram accounts that I’ve followed for a little while now. They are all slightly different, but I enjoy their stories and posts, so I’ll share them with you too!
The first is Crystal Paine (@themoneysavingmom). She shares good online deals, how to save money at the grocery store, and other money saving tips (hence the name). She also shares about her walk with God, foster care, her family, and some breakfast/dinner ideas. Crystal has a daughter who is a few months younger than Kiera, and she is adorable and so funny to watch!
I also enjoy Kyla Charles’ account (@kylamariecharles). Kyla is a mom of three boys and an 8 month old baby girl. She shares a variety of mom things, like toys, baby gear, clothes, and a variety of other goodies. Her kids interrupt her stories frequently, which is probably my favorite part!
Last is Bobby Parrish (@flavcity). I watch his stories less for the information and more for his adorable cooking toddler! Kiera likes to watch “Cookin’ Baby” Rose as well.
Garmin Forerunner 35
My husband has given me 2 fitness tracking watches over the years. Both were Garmin brand, and in a time when FitBits were more popular, my students would always ask about my “FitBit.” It made me chuckle!
The one I am using currently (and have been for a couple years) is a Forerunner 35. (Garmin has come out with newer models since I’ve gotten mine.) It is more of a running watch than a fitness tracker, but it does have some capabilities to record other activities besides running. It has served me well in all my exercise endeavors!
The one thing I do not like about this watch are the bands. Mine held up great for a while, and then they started detaching from the watch face. We’ve had to put them back on (which isn’t always simple) a handful of times now.
Goodwill Outlets
We have a Goodwill Outlet about 20 minutes from our home. I never realized what it was until I started reading online about where people source clothing to resell on Poshmark. Goodwill Outlet came up in several different blog posts.
I also read about the etiquette involved in rooting through the bins of clothing wheeled in every hour or so. I was a little intimidated, actually!
But, I so wanted to see what this was all about! So my parents took Kiera for a bike ride and I dug through bins of clothing at the local Goodwill Outlet. Turns out, this is where unsold clothes are sent after a certain amount of time in the Goodwill store. Most outlets sell items by the pound, but this outlet sold clothing items for $1.05 per piece, regardless of what it was.
I found many worthwhile items, including a Ralph Lauren gown and two Lularoe tops! My take is that it is hit or miss with finding nice things. I think because our area is more rural, there weren’t bins being brought out constantly, and there were really no “unwritten etiquette” rules in this store. Just grab a bin and dig!
I am hopeful you find some of these things helpful or enjoyable in your own life!
