If you read this week's Monday Motivation post, then you already know that last week wasn't great. There was a lot of running around and feeling a bit like a chicken with its head cut off. We started renovating the master bathroom and had to take our cat, Cooper, to the vet unexpectedly. So I most definitely did not take a picture of each day's outfit, but I am sharing the ones that I did remember to snap.

There are a handful of newer pieces in this roundup, and most of these things are still available. For those that aren't, I'll link to similar where I can.

We'll start with last Monday. Alexis was supposed to start swimming lessons that afternoon, but the weather didn't cooperate so we ended up not going anywhere. I got quite a bit of work done that day, though.

I've shared this dress before, but this go 'round I swapped out the bold wedges for my comfy black sneakers. This dress is really flattering. The straps are adjustable and it has pockets. It comes in over two dozen colors/patterns.

On Tuesday, Alexis and I spent the morning doing a little back-to-school shopping with my Granny. Then we went to lunch before heading back home where we apparently just chilled until swimming lessons.

This tank top is hands down my favorite shirt this summer. I wear it all the time. I decided to pair it with my favorite distressed boyfriend jeans (which are slowly starting to become too ripped up) but couldn't not wear my yellow Converse.

Now, we're skipping to Friday. That was the day we ended up taking Cooper to the vet and were supposed to have another swimming lesson, but it was pushed back because of a storm.

Muscle tanks are having a moment this summer, and while I'm not the biggest fan - they accentuate my wide shoulders - I really do like this vintage Coke one. The fit is so good, too. Not too tight but not so oversized that it feels like I'm swimming in fabric.

Saturday was a pretty laid back day. We did a little shopping and hung out as a family.

I absolutely love this skirt. You can't see in the picture, but it's got little flowers embroidered all over it. The tie belt is attached and is more for decoration than functional. My tee is one of Old Navy's everywear tees, which are pretty much my go-to for graphic tees these days.

Sunday, we got together with some family to celebrate my Granny's birthday.

I have had this gingham skirt for quite awhile but always struggle to style it. I've been getting a little braver with my print mixing, especially with this camisole, and I'm not mad about the way this came out.

Well, that's it for me. I hope you guys have a great rest of your week!

*This post contains affiliate links.

How is it the last week of July already?! This summer has flown by compared to last year, I guess because we've been so much busier with camps and swimming lessons and life in general. July especially has seemed particularly hectic, and to be honest I'm quite looking forward to the routine that going back to school will bring.

Anyway, it's been awhile since I shared a catch-all roundup of products I've been loving, so here are 10 things that have been making my life a little bit better this past month.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Shine in Flushed Coral - This is like a grown-up lip gloss. It gives me just a hint of color, but unlike lip gloss it actually rehydrates dry lips. It's also not sticky and comes in a ton of colors.

Eyeko Double Act Shadow Stick in Cookies & Cream - If this sounds familiar, it's because I talked about it in my FabFitFun Summer Box review. I still love this duo.

Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens - I needed to refill my pen cup and wanted to go with something new, so I decided to give these babies a try, and ohmygoodness they are so good.

Massage Gun - I got this at the recommendation of my health coach/yoga instructor to help reverse some muscle damage in my left leg from way back in high school. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't already have one of these. The entire family loves it.

Monat Scalp Purifying Scrub - I recently started using this entire line of hair products thanks to a recommendation from a mom friend. I'll have a full review later, but I couldn't wait on this scalp scrub. It's my favorite of the products I've been using. It feels good and smells amazing.

Dollar General Bottled Water - I've been making a legitimate effort to increase my daily water intake, but let's be honest. Not all bottled waters are created equal (I'm looking at you, Dasani). I typically reach for a Nestle lemon water, but we haven't been able to find any so I was forced to go plain. I was resigned to having to force myself to finish the bottle, but that wasn't the case at all. I don't know what makes this bottled water better than any others I've tried, but I'm not questioning it.

Kappa Crew Swimsuit - I wish I had a picture of this swimsuit to share with you guys, but we were all preoccupied with other things when I wore it last. At any rate, the style I have is no longer available, but I do recommend this company. The quality was far above what I was expecting, and the fit on this suit at least is better than any other I've got. The shipping did take quite awhile, but I was gifted mine so that may have played a part.

Yellow Converse - If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen these babies over and over again. I'm not even ashamed at how much I've been wearing them.

Flower Skull Tank - Same for this tank top. It's basically become my go-to casual top this summer.

Worth It by S.M. Shade & C.M. Owens - If you read my Best Books/Series of 2021 So Far, then you'll already know my love for this book. I laughed so hard while reading it and have been recommending it to pretty much everyone I know.

Did you know I have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to inspiring words, graphics, memes, etc.? Anytime I see something that gives me motivation or inspiration or just plain good advice, I save it there, and every week I go through them to see what speaks to me, and boy, did this one speak to me today!

After a week where everything seemed to just keep piling up, I needed this reminder to stop getting hung up on the negative things that happened. In fact, other than talking about the cat getting sick and needing an emergency vet visit, I'm going to leave it at this: last week was a week, and I'm glad it's over.

The weekend was decidedly better. On Saturday we just hung out as a family: watched a movie, browsed in a few stores, and had a relaxed evening. On Sunday, we had lunch with extended family for my Granny's birthday.

Our last big summer activity wraps up today. Alexis finally got to do swimming lessons, and we're having the last day this afternoon because we lost one day to a storm. We've also got plans to visit our local water park one day, if it doesn't rain (you truly never know here), and Alexis is getting a long overdue haircut.

Otherwise, I'm putting the finishing touches on the August magazine today and sending it to the printer. Then I'll be getting the website changed over for the next month.

I hope you all had a good weekend and an even better week! Remember, focus on the good!

It has been quite awhile since I did one of these, and since I'm feeling a little creative slump this week, I thought it would be a good time to share what books are currently holding my attention. More than half of these fall firmly in the fantasy genre, all but one is romantic in nature, and all are part of a series with the exception of one stand-alone historical fiction novel.

Also, in case you were wondering, there are over 300 unread titles currently on my Kindle and at least five unread physical books dotted around my house. As per usual, I'm adding books faster than I can read them. If your TBR list is like mine and feeling slightly out of control, check out these 14 ways to manage it courtesy of Janssen over at Everyday Reading.

Alright, here we go. The eight books I'm currently reading.

This is book 4 of the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series. Elise transfers to Aurora Academy to try to find her brother's killer. Investigators say it was an overdose, but Elise knows better and has reason to believe it's one of the four Kings of the school, so she sets out to get close to them without revealing who she really is. Despite the secrets all of them are keeping, there's something even darker lurking on the school grounds.

by Emilia Finn

She just started releasing books for another series that's part of this world, so while I impatiently wait for the next one of those, I decided to start rereading from the very beginning with Bobby, a professional MMA fighter, and Kit, an accountant who's just become the caretaker of her teenage brother after their father's death. Bobby and Kit's relationship kind of sets the stage for the other books in the series, but in my opinion they just get better and better.

by Bella Forrest

This is technically book 16 in this ongoing series, but we've swapped from Harley to Finch, and you need to read the books about Harley to have the proper background for these. To summarize without spoiling anything, Finch is the servant of Erebus, who is kind of like a god. He's been doing all these jobs without really knowing the reason why until they land in Atlantis, where absolutely nothing goes as planned.

Louisa is forcibly checked into an asylum after she's found at the bottom of a cliff that's popular for suicides. Although she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, her history of depression gives the doctors enough reasonable cause to keep her. The asylum is a converted hospital that once housed injured soldiers during WWI. While doing some sneaky exploring, Louisa finds a room that somehow transports her back to 1916 where she meets a British army lieutenant who's lost his eyesight.

The Witch's Rebels Book 1 -- I feel like I've read this before, but I truly do not remember it. Gray is a witch who's spent most of her life running and her magic on lock, but when she accidentally resurrects a dead teenager, everything changes. Not only does she find herself in an unwanted spotlight, but she's somehow tied to Death himself.

This is the fifth book of The Cardinal series. I actually read the last book of this series at the beginning of the year, but that was a year after I read the previous book so I wanted to read the entire series from beginning to end. Callie was kidnapped as a pre-teen and forced into a life as a hacker where she eventually ends up under the thumb of a notorious Russian criminal wanted by pretty much every intelligence organization in the world. When she's rescued by one such organization and begins working with them to bring Ivanov down, things understandably get a little dicey.

Book 3 of The Grimm Files. Elle, better known as the mermaid princess Arielle, has just learned the real identity of her mother, and she's the worst of the worst. Having sacrificed her siren gifts but unlocked her previously unknown magical ones, Elle now finds herself the main suspect in yet another murder.

The Guild Codex: Warped Book 2. I've been waiting for this to come out for a few months! Kit Morris has gone from wanted criminal to MagiPol agent after helping solve a high-profile case. Now, he's been assigned his second case investigating a demonica guild, but he suspects this seemingly straight-forward case is anything but.

Happy Monday, friends. How was your weekend? Mine was wonderfully lazy. Alexis went on a mini-vacation with my parents as a kind of last hurrah before my mom heads back to work, and Chris worked, so I had the house to myself, and after a crazy couple of weeks of running all over the Wiregrass I needed some me time. For the first weekend in quite some time, I didn't do any type of chore at all. No laundry, no dishes, nothing. And it was glorious.

Like I said, the last couple of weeks have been busy, especially last week with Alexis having camp in the morning. Half-day camps are great...in the afternoon. I do most of my work in the morning hours, so having that valuable time bisected by drop-off and pick-up times that are only a few hours apart makes for a dose of hecticness.

All in all, though, last week was productive. I got quite a bit accomplished, despite feeling like a chicken running around headless. This week should be more manageable. Alexis has swimming lessons, and we've got plans to spend half a day with my granny, but otherwise our schedule is not all over the place.

This past weekend was our state's back-to-school sales tax holiday, but we've still got four weeks before school starts back so we didn't partake. Plus, our district got a grant to provide school supplies for all students so at this point, other than a backpack and a few new pairs of jeans/pants, I don't even know what, if anything, we'll have to buy.

I'm not sure if we'll do anything special before school starts back. Everything here has been back open for awhile, but we haven't just plunged back in. Camps have been about as adventurous as we've gotten. We're are getting a little braver with eating out, though we try to time it so that we miss peak busy times. I still try to avoid places like Walmart, but that's not really anything new for me, ha! And I can't tell you the last time I didn't use a grocery delivery service and went to the store myself. That one, truly, has changed my life, and I'll probably not go back!

Well, I've got some editing to do, so I'm gonna sign off for now. Have a great week!

It feels like I just put one of these posts together, but in reality it's been a couple of weeks. I keep trying to get better about keeping up with these roundups, but I've been pulled in a lot of different directions lately, especially this past week. Which is why you're only getting six outfits plus another set of workout clothes.

One thing you'll notice about this roundup is that every outfit is fairly simple. They've got to be to survive in our current humidity situation. It's like trying to walk through a wet blanket every time you go outside.

Anyway, let's get on with it, yeah?

I'll be honest. Not a lot of thought or effort went into this outfit. In fact, it's a recycled version from an outfit I wore at the end of last summer. These are probably my favorite pair of shorts. They're by Universal Thread at Target, and although this particular pair wasn't revived this year they do have a lot of good options.

I will be the first to admit that I haven't done a lot of cooking the past couple of weeks. We still haven't replaced our stove (inventory issues) and our schedules have been pretty crazy. When I have cooked, I've been extremely reliant on my Instant Pot, so the search for new recipes has been on this summer.

I find myself partial to pasta recipes. Alexis is a big fan of spaghetti (which I have made in the Instant Pot but can't remember which recipe I followed), so I've been trying to branch out and add more variety.

These three recipes I'm sharing with you today were big hits in our house, especially the last one. Because this was the first time I've made any of them, I didn't deviate from the recipes so I'm linking to those for you.

This is a great alternative to spaghetti and meatballs. I loved how it mimics the taste and feel of lasagna without the hassle of actually making lasagna. And what kid doesn't love meatballs? They're the best part! The only thing I changed about this recipe was using beef meatballs instead of Italian.

This was really reminiscent of the Hamburger Helper taco pasta, which was always one of my favorites growing up. Of course, this being homemade made it all the better. The only thing I felt like we were missing for this particular meal was chips and salsa, but that's easily fixed next go 'round.

This is my absolute favorite recipe of the three I'm sharing. This is basically homemade mac-and-cheese, except instead of macaroni noodles you use rotini (or spiral) pasta and you add in cubed ham. It is so cheesy and gooey and the perfect comfort food. Next time I make it, I'll be adding in some brocolli florets. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

This weekend seemed to fly by. Probably because I literally did nothing. It was one of those weekends where I needed to just be lazy. Last week was draining for some reason. Probably the heat if I had to take a guess.

This week will be a busy one. Alexis has camp in the morning and I've got at least one meeting scheduled. Then we'll have swimming lessons next week. I might have over-scheduled this month in terms of her stuff, especially considering I completely forgot about the program we signed up for last Friday that we definitely did not go to. Oops.

I don't have much more to talk about at the moment. Point in case, I've been staring at the blinking cursor for at least 10 minutes trying to decide what else to say. So, I'm going to put us all out of our misery and say goodbye for now.

Have a great week!

We've made it halfway through 2021, and thankfully things look a lot different this go 'round than they did last year. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is how much I've been reading. To be fair, a good bit of my reading at the beginning of the year was finishing up series that I started in 2020, and I've been re-reading a lot. But I've still discovered a lot of great books and series, and I wanted to share the best I've read so far this year.

Author: Lynda Rutledge

This story is based on the San Diego Zoo's very first giraffes and their journey across the country after arriving in NYC during the great hurricane of 1938. Woody, having somehow survived the storm, manages to get hired on to help drive the giraffes across the country. The journey takes 12 days and is fraught with danger, especially from a travelling circus that wants the giraffes for their own. This book is packed full of history and gave me a new perspective on the Dust Bowl, something I don't remember much of from history class. I got this book through Amazon's First Reads program, but I loved it so much I bought a hard copy, as well.

Gamer Girls series

Author: Auryn Hadley & Kitty Cox

This is one of those series that will challenge your views on so many things. It's primarily about a hate group that's targeting women, specifically those who play video games. I really can't say it any better than I did in my original review: The women in this series are so damn strong. They've each been through hell and come out the other side still swinging. And then there are the guys - all alpha types who don't try to dull their girls' sparkle.

As in my original review, I need to include some warnings. Throughout this series you'll find a ton of trauma, including rape, extreme PTSD, violence, a transgender woman just beginning her transition, sexism, domestic violence, and unconventional relationships. The first book, especially, was difficult. I almost put it down so many times it got so heavy, but if you can make it through, this series is so worth it.

Author: Lydia Kang

I am a big Lydia Kang fan. Her writing is so brilliant. If you like mysteries, you need to add this one to your shelf.

Someone is murdering people in NYC and staging each to look as though a vampire killed the victims. When Tillie's sister Lucy is one of those victims, Tillie begins investigating. But she's got some personal demons to fight along the way, chiefly her newfound addiction to opium and her sister's fiance's unwanted advances. As I've come to expect from Kang, this book was full of great twists. I had no idea who the killer was, and the motive...woah.

Author: Colleen Hoover

Lowen, a semi-successful author, is hired to finish writing a mega successful series after the author, Verity, is gravely injured in a car crash. When she's unexpectedly evicted from her apartment, Lowen moves into Verity's family's home at the insistence of Verity's husband. While going through Verity's office to get direction for the remainder of the series, Lowen finds Verity's autobiography. She reads it to get a better understanding of Verity and uncovers some pretty terrible secrets.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but as I said in my original review, it was extremely intense. And the ending. Wow. I was not expecting it at all.

The Darkest Drae trilogy

Author: Raye Wagner & Kelly St. Clare

Like the title suggests, this trilogy is fairly dark. It does have a happy ending, though, so if you can make it past the torture in book one you're good to go.

Ryn is half Drae and half Phaetyn, a heritage thought to be impossible and one she's ignorant of until she's taken prisoner by the evil King Irdelron. That unique blend of magic has everyone from the human rebellion to the Drae and Phaetyn wanting to use Ryn for their own purposes. With the help of her mate, Ryn must determine friend from foe as she fights not only for herself but all of those who have been oppressed.

The Cursebreaker series

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

This is my favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling. Yes, even over A Court of Thorn and Roses, which I had a hard time getting into, but I digress.

Prince Rhen and his captain of the guard, Grey, are trapped inside a curse, forced to bring girl after girl to Emberfall in the hopes she'll fall in love with the prince and free them. After hundreds of seasons, Grey finds Harper, a girl with cerebral palsy who doesn't have it in her to give up. But the enchantress who cast the curse can't be trusted not to interfere and Prince Rhen may not actually be the heir to the kingdom.

Author: Kristin Harmel

I've been on a bit of a WWII kick lately, and this historical fiction hooked me from the very first chapter.

There's more to Eva, a semi-retired Florida librarian, than meets the eye. When a librarian in Germany begins reunited books stolen by the Nazis during World War II with their families, Eva gets the chance to finish the mission she began as a forger for the French Resistance - getting Jewish children safely over the border into Switzerland with new identities while preserving their given names in secret code in a religious text.

Author: Ariel Lawhon

This is another book based on real events, although the actions of the main characters are fictionalized. Judge Joe Crater is not a good person. His rise to the bench leaves him indebted to Tammany Hall and a notorious gangster. On top of that, he's cheating on his wife, blackmailing the maid, and has no idea his mistress is working for the gangster he owes. This book is a look at what could have happened leading up to his real-life disappearance.

Chronicles of Blood/Chronicles of Madness

Author: Crea Reitan

Technically, I read the Chronicles of Blood series for the first time last year, but when I started the series I believed it to be a completed tale. However, the author realized when she reached book four that she couldn't wrap everything up with just one book and decided to split the story into two seasons. I've been eagerly awaiting the second season and had to reread the first to refresh my memory.

If you couldn't tell by the titles of the first four books, this is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, although I'm using that description pretty loosely. I don't really consider this a retelling.

Mal is what's known as a fixer. She has been assigned to Wonderland and tasked with reversing whatever has turned the tale toxic. Turns out, it's somehow been infected by another fairy tale, thus turning Wonderland into Laddenworn and altering the characters' whimsical madness into something more deadly. In the first season, Mal sets her sights on ending the reign of the Bloody Queens, then tackles the rest of her lengthy to-do list in the second season, including but not limited to fixing Madness and bringing back Wonderland.

Some notes: while many of the Wonderland characters we've all come to love appear in this tale, they're all twisted, and in a surprising turn of events Mal is not a version of Alice. In fact, Alice plays little to no part in this story at all.

Author: S.M. Shade & C.M. Owens

Y'all, I laughed my way through this book. I laughed so hard at times I couldn't breathe. Then I made my best friend read it. Because this group of ladies most definitely reminded me of my core group of friends.

Henley, Kasha, and Lydia are best friends. When Lydia decides that she needs to go to her cheating ex's wedding, Henley and Kasha agree to tag along for the week-long event. Not that Kasha has much choice, though, considering the ex is her stepbrother. Kasha and Henley spend the week sabotaging the events leading up to the wedding in the most hilarious ways, some quite by accident. Suffice it to say, that nothing goes as planned, especially when two sexy distractions - Davis and Roman - enter the mix.

 

Over the last year, my appreciation for sneakers has grown exponentially. Whereas before the pandemic sneakers were mostly an afterthought, now I find myself planning my entire outfit around a specific pair.

Looking back, I can say with complete confidence that the reason I avoided sneakers was because I had no idea how to wear them, or that sneakers and athletic shoes are not the same.

I especially love pairing my sneakers with a dress or cute skirt outfit. Not only is it on trend but it definitely keeps my feet happy when I'm running around town.

There are no hard-and-fast rules that I follow when pairing sneakers with a dress or skirt outfit, but I'll try to put my thought process into words for you in the form of tips.

1. When in doubt, go with a neutral pair. My black retro-style and taupe sneakers are by far my most worn pairs because between the two of them, they blend with pretty much any outfit. If those don't work, I go with white.

2. With colored sneakers, like my pink and yellow Converse, I either use them to pull a color out of a pattern or to provide a pop of color.

3. Patterned sneakers work best with solid-colors, unless you're a master at mixing prints (I am not).

4. Dress length doesn't really matter. If your sneakers are in danger of being hidden by a maxi dress, consider gathering the hem into a knot on side.

5. Wear low-cut socks or none at all. These are my go-to.

6. Don't overthink it. In the end, if you like your outfit that's all that really matters. If you don't, you won't be comfortable in it, and trust me, that is the fastest way to ruin a look.

Now on to the outfit ideas.