Reading
I wasted three weeks reading 100 pages of a book I'd heard great things about but just could NOT get into. Once I finally gave it up and switched to a new book - All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham - I was once again engaged. The story follows a desperate mother as she searches for her missing (presumed abducted) son while battling severe sleep deprivation, digging into a past traumatic experience, and attempting to understand her complex and failing marriage. I thought I had this one figured out twice and I was wrong both times...
Watching
First the Euro 2024 (soccer tournament), then the Copa 2024 (also a soccer tournament), and then...the OLYMPICS. When I say I love the Olympics, I mean I LOVE the Olympics. I get up early for events. I stay up late for events. If I'm home, the television is tuned to an Olympics event. Sometimes, I leave the Olympics turned on when I leave the house so that when I return home. I choose my exercise machine at the gym based on where I can best see the television. I plan other activities around events I want to watch live. And when the Olympics are over, I watch all of my favorite Olympic movies (see you soon, Miracle) to help fill the void.
Pre-Olympics, we watched a really cute animated movie called Leo. When I say "we," I mean my parents, the four of us, and my sister's family, so I can confirm that it's a great choice for almost any category of viewers.
Listening To
Dateline, Crime Junkies, and Swindled were feeling a little tired to me, so I popped back over to Betrayal and binged season three (which was excellent, by the way). I also listened to a few episodes of an old favorite - #IMOMSOHARD the podcast - which has been fun since I haven't followed them as closely in recent years.
Following
I've actually followed comedian Laura Ramoso for a while now, yet I realized yesterday that I had never shared her here. She's hilarious, especially her videos of her playing the role of her German mother and her Italian father. She's touring in the United States this fall, and I'm trying to figure out how to see one of her shows!
Trying/Using
I swapped out Will's hat holder for these, which work better and allow for baseball caps to be stacked beneath Will's collection of bucket hats.
We've been traveling a lot this year; as a result, I've been on the hunt for more compact and travel-friendly versions of my regular products and tools so my toiletry bag won't be quite as full. I'd had my eye on this set of brushes for a while, mostly because they're pretty, but it turns out they're fairly small too...making them the perfect travel set!
I had a different kind of olive oil sprayer (the kind you pump and that aerosolizes the oil) previously, but even though everyone else seemed to love it, I wasn't a fan. I recently ordered this one, which allows you to spray or pour oil, and so far it's fantastic!
Last but not least...the cats finally destroyed the basket in which we stored a few handheld weights, stretchy bands, our muscle gun, and a yoga mat. On my hunt for a replacement I was looking for something big enough to fit all of these items but also at least semi-attractive, as it sits tucked away but still semi-visible in our living room. I stumbled upon this option and so far it's been great!
Wearing
My mom bought me...and Hallie...and herself this romper - from Loft's Lou & Grey line - and we all love it. Consider it the perfect casual-but-cute ensemble for everyone from teenagers to grandmas.
Hallie has a pair of cute, flouncy, double-layer flutter shorts from our local dance boutique. She loves them, but she doesn't love the colors in which they come - hers are lavender, and the light purple was really the only color she liked. We walked into Target last weekend and found an almost identical pair of shorts in a color she adored (she has dark red and it's gorgeous), and then a couple of days later I discovered they come in even more cute colors. I can't wear these shorts, but they look adorable on my teen and are a great price!
Eating/Drinking
When I saw this One Pot Orzo with Spinach, Sausage, and Corn recipe I knew it would be a hit, so much so that I doubled it off the bat and watched it disappear over the course of dinner and lunch leftovers the following day. It was fast, easy, and used just one pot, which made clean up fast and easy as well!
This Beefy Tomato Soup tasted more like spaghetti/marinara soup (just with different noodles) than basic tomato soup, but it was delicious nonetheless! One note: our first servings could be called soup, but as is often the case with pasta soups, over time the pasta continued absorbing the liquid and made our second servings more like a casserole.
Smiling About
I'm saving all most of my Olympics-related "Smiling About" links for a future post, but here's the tiniest of teasers... 😉
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