Things I’m Loving Friday #524

Pepper says Happy Friday to Y-O-U!

Ugh that little floof. I swear I look at her multiple times a day like, “Whyyy you so cute!?”

Anywayyy… it’s FRIDAY! Are you looking forward to the weekend? Any fun plans on your calendar? It’s an especially exciting Friday in our house because we have a visitor arriving this afternoon. Nona is coming to visit and we cannot wait to soak up time with Ryan’s mom during her stay. We have a dinner out planned for tonight (adults only!) as well as some boat time and lake time on the agenda tomorrow. We are really looking forward to our weekend together!

I’m sure I’ll snap some pics to share on the blog next week, but until then, keep on scrolling to check out this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Start of Kindergarten

There is something about sending your child off to kindergarten — “big kid school” — for the first time that feels so big. They look so tiny walking into a big school surrounded by big kids with a big backpack on their teeny back.

I mean we were JUST sending Ryder off to preschool, I swear!

Even though this is my second time around the block, sending Ryder off to kindergarten on Monday didn’t get any easier. On the way there he said, “Mom, I feel a little afraid,” and we talked all about how that’s totally normal and wouldn’t you know when I picked him up at the end of the day it said it was “really great” and had the biggest smile on his face. He said the worst part was the quiet time/nap time after recess that was “really long” and Chase chimed in saying, “Oh I remember that! It was the worse!” As I unpacked Ryder’s backpack that say, a class schedule was included and guess how long quiet time is in their classroom? 15 minutes. Ha! 15 minutes apparently feels like forever when you’re a kid and forced to do nothing.

(On Instagram someone said Chase’s hand looks like Rhett’s hand and I cannot unsee it. Giant hand!!!) 

Also, a quick little share in case any of you have kids who are slightly apprehensive about the beginning of the school year. Our family all got these matching bracelets to wear on Ryder’s first day of kindergarten. I gave him his bracelet and read him the little poem at drop off (it just basically says you’re strong and to know that we’re all wearing the same bracelet and thinking about him) and I wanted to share it here because it would be such an easy thing to re-create at home! (We were just short on time so for me the Amazon version was helpful.) Ryder is our sensitive little feeler and he absolutely LOVED it.

• Cutting Board of my Dreams

Brace yourself because I am going to sound a little dramatic. I finally found the cutting board of my dreams! Why? Because it checks every single box I’ve had on my dream cutting board checklist for years. Truly! It’s freaking fantastic for a myriad of reasons: 1. It’s non-porous so it does not retain smell or flavor from foods (Wanna use it to cut garlic? Go ahead! Onions? Sure!) 2. It’s non-toxic and made with paper composite material. 3. It’s dishwasher safe hallelujah amen 4. It’s knife-friendly aka ridiculously durable 5. It’s ultra thin making it a dream for storage. I have the smaller size, larger size and the mini size (perfect for slicing up a single apple) and love them all with a little too much intensity. They’re the BEST.

• Retainer/Mouth Guard Cleaner

Talk about a horrific pivot. First we chat about a cutting board and slicing up delicious food and now let’s focus on gross mouth guards and how to get them clean, shall we? Hopefully you guys know to expect randomness from me by now. Ha! I wear a mouth guard on my bottom teeth and a retainer on my top teeth to bed every single night. They book look like Invisalign aligners (though the mouth guard is significantly thicker) and they both gross me out so completely even though I brush them and try to keep them clean. When I saw Brittany recommend this retainer cleaner when it was on sale on Prime Day, I instantly added it to my cart, thinking I could use, Ryan could use it (he also sleeps with a mouth guard) and Chase could use it now that he’s progressed from braces to a retainer. I was NOT prepared for how well it worked! I will spare you before and after photos to preserve your gag reflex but let’s just say our cups of clear water were no longer the least bit clear after soaking our orthodontic devices in this stuff. It’s powerful yet gentle and my retainer and mouth guard have not been this clean in years. YEARS, my friends.

• Our First Garden Watermelon!

Are you sick of hearing about our garden yet? Probably but please humor me one last time this summer. We had our first watermelon of the season this week and it was also our first garden watermelon ever so it felt especially exciting for our family! We ate it all in one sitting together and are thrilled to have three more watermelon close behind in our garden because it was so good!

We’re also on the cusp of overhauling our garden and attempting some fall/winter crops. If you live in the North Carolina area and have any gardening experience and would recommend certain produce over others, please let me know. Right now we are thinking about trying our hand at broccoli, arugula, cabbage and carrots. I also ordered some aster to try because I missed our wildflower garden so much this year and would love to have some fall flowers.

• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Genre: Mystery/Drama / My rating: A

All the Colors of the Dark is not only the best book I’ve read so far this year but it’s easily one of the best books I’ve read ever. The writing is so stunning and it’s the kind of book that makes you want to write down certain passages because they’re so beautifully poignant. It’s a mystery unlike any other mystery I’ve read with so much depth. It’s also very uniquely unpredictable and when you find yourself approaching the final third of the book, just go ahead and clear your schedule or expect to be up waaay past midnight reading because so much is revealed and you will not be able to put it down. It’s a long novel but I absolutely adored this book from start to finish and found it so immensely creative. Also, you know those books you read where you find yourself thinking the author may be some kind of genius? I think that’s the case with Chris Whitaker. The way he so expertly wove the story together over the course of decades blew me away and I loved it when a little snippet he mentioned earlier in the book resurfaced at the end in the most moving way. This is one of those long haul read that’s worth every single minute you spend curled up with this novel in your hands.

This is a book I’m not going to share anything about in terms of a plot summary because it’s impossible for me to do so without giving some of the twists and surprises I enjoyed so much as a reader away. The only thing I’ll share is a note that this book is not a light and breezy read by any means and I’d Google the book’s “trigger warnings” if you’re a sensitive reader to make sure it’s a good fit before beginning. And if you decide to give it a go, please let me know what you think via comments here or Instagram DMs because I LOVE talking about this book so much!!

• The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella

Genre: Women’s fiction / My rating: B

I was a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series in my early 20s. Her writing style was so fun and bubbly and funny and I was excited to check out The Burnout when I saw Gina mention it on her blog a week or so ago. I started it before I began All the Colors of the Dark (above) and I’ll be honest, about 40% of the way through this book, I almost didn’t finish reading it. I wasn’t at all invested in the characters or the plot but since both the audiobook and the real book were available through my local library simultaneously, once I was done with All the Colors of the Dark, I found my way back to the book since I was in the mood for something lighter after a heavy read. The second half of the book was definitely more enjoyable than the first and I found it charming and funny. It still wasn’t my favorite read, but the second half of the book saved the book for me.

The book begins when Sasha is unbelievably overwhelmed at work. Her life is her job and her job is becoming increasingly unenjoyable and demanding. After a breakdown that has her debating joining a convent, Sasha finds her way to the beach she loved so much as a child in hopes of finding some peace and tranquility in her life again. Only it’s a little hard to find peace when she continually runs into a rude and grumpy yet annoyingly handsome man named Finn who is also seeking solitude after work burnout.

As messages addressed to Sasha and Finn start appearing on the beach, a door is opened for conversation beyond rude comments and the two begin to connect and realize they have more in common than they imagined.

• Friday Flashbacks

Lemon Sugar Cookie Icebox Cake (I’m making this one today for us to have for dessert this weekend!)

Recipes to Make for Your Summer Cookout (Because I refuse to believe grilling season is coming to a close.)

Question of the Day

What is one thing you are loving this week?