We’ve been going through it with some separation stuff with our Rhetty (I’ll dive into this more in his birthday post soon) but things have improved dramatically over the past 2-3 weeks. I was holding my breath going into a new school year but drop offs ended up being a breeze as Rhett walked right into his new class and seemed so happy to be reunited with some of his classmates for TK this year. Biiiiig exhale for this mama over here!!
As for this weekend we are SO excited because we’re off to the mountains with some of our very best friends! My friend Carrie’s parents’ mountain home has become one of my favorite places in the world (truly!) as it allows us to completely unwind and relax, explore and soak up the most stunning views. I’m a mountain girl at heart (you know how you just get “that feeling” some places? That’s the mountains for me) and we are really looking forward to three days with some of our favorite people.
I hope to share more 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
I’ve had my Boxiebags for well over a year but it wasn’t until I was bringing our groceries in that I realized I had never shared them in this space. That had to change because I never thought I could love reusable bags so much! A while back, I found myself increasingly frustrated with the reusable grocery bags; they would rip, the little hard piece at the bottom meant to maintain the bag’s shape would get lost, they’d fall over in my car, etc. I also found myself wishing my bags would keep my cold food cold in my car for a little longer since my grocery store trips often happened before I’d scoop up the boys from school or various activities. And then Boxiebags came into my life and solved all of these issues!
I initially bought one Boxiebag but then went back and bought a three pack because I liked the first one I ordered so much. The bags maintain their shape so well (they fully collapse but have a harder piece that folds down and doesn’t slip around), they never roll over and the fully insulated sides, top and bottom help maintain the temperature of our groceries for much, much longer than tradition thin eco-bags. The top also velcros in place and the handles make it easy to haul heavy loads of food into the house. We actually use our Boxiebags a lot during road trips as well even just for shelf-stable snacks because it’s so nice to have a studier bag on hand that doesn’t flop all over the place!
(Pants: Amazon / Bodysuit: Nuuds — code JulieF10 saves 10% / Sandals: Target / Bag: Clare V.)
Guys, I did my time with tight skinny jeans for years and I cannot tell you how happy I am that comfortable pants with more room in the hips and booty are back in style. My hips and booty can finally breatheeee! I’m a sucker for pants that feel like sweats but can look a little more elevated when paired with the right top and shoes, so these Amazon wide leg pants were an instant *adds to cart* for me. They’re incredibly comfortable (I could truly sleep in them) and for being so slouchy, they still have some shape that prevents them from looking sloppy. I ordered them in black as well after loving the dark gray (which definitely has notes of brown in it) shown above so much. Sizing notes: I ordered a small and I’m typically a more of a medium in pants, so I would recommend sizing down as they’re plenty roomy.
Talk about a mega-hit for a 5-year-old’s birthday! Rhett really wanted a tent he could use inside but also outside to “spy on the birds and squirrels” in our yard. My mother-in-law knocked it out of the part with this pop-up play tent! It’s large enough to fit all three of our boys comfortably and could not have been any easier to assemble. (You basically just push the big black circle on the top of the tent down and it’s up!) On thing that really blew Rhett away was the strip of LED lights that came with the tent that he can control with a remote. He loveeees this feature and loves changing the lights to various colors — even rainbow!
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Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Romance / My rating: A-
I absolutely devoured this book. From start to finish, it had me hooked. Broken Country is so many things in one — a mystery, a romance, a family drama, a suspense. It’s a captivating, heartbreaking read and one that kept me guessing until the end. The book is heavy and hard to read sometimes, especially as a mother, as it involves the death of a child which feels important to mention as someone who typically avoid novels that involve bad things happening to children. (I went into it blind and never even read the summary — I just added it to my library holds list after seeing it recommended so many times. The death of the child in this novel is discussed from the very beginning and does not come out of nowhere but it is integral to the the whole story.) I loved the way this book includes complex characters and relationships and the way I felt about them changed and flowed as I turned each page. It’s the kind of book that makes you think and stretches your desire to understand and your empathy. I found myself caring deeply for the characters and anxiously awaiting the end of the day when I could curl up and read this one again.
From Amazon:
“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.
As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
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August 2025 Top 10
Here are your top 10 blog posts + favorite finds from August!
Top 10 Blog Posts
- Alaska Family Vacation: Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four
- Favorite Finds of 2025: Home and Kids
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
- High Protein Breakfast Burrito
- How to Make Salmon Bites
- Cottage Cheese Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Meal Prep Recipe
- Carrot and Apple Slaw
- Lasagna Recipe Using Cottage Cheese
- Favorite Finds of 2025: Makeup
Top 10 Favorites
- The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (Book one of the series that completely captivated our big kids — and me and Ryan!)
- Amazon Wide Leg Pants (So comfy and slouchy! I sized down and was glad I did.)
- Stakt Pro Workout Mat (The mat I love most for my workouts! It’s thicker — great for my sensitive knees — and can double as a block/elevated surface during workouts. Code PBFINGERS15 saves 15%)
- ILLUME Midnight Pumpkin Candle (One of my favorite fall scents)
- Biom Wipes + Dispenser (“Next phase” of mom life wipes! We keep these in our home and in our cars and they’re so handy. We use the original size in our home and the Biom mini in our cars.)
- Amazon Workout Tank (Looks just like the Free People version but less than $20!)
- Blueland Dishwasher Detergent Starter Set (The super-clean, non-toxic dishwasher detergent tablets I love. They work SO well and I’m not someone who scrubs her dishes before throwing them in the dishwasher.)
- Neen Pretty Extra Mascara (A clean beauty find that is an absolute dream for my lashes! Makes them look longer and fuller with zero smudging or flaking. Code PBFINGERS15 saves 15%)
- Tejari Organic Vanilla + Matcha Protein Powder (I’m now officially a matcha latte fan because of this stuff! Code JULIE15 saves 15%)
- Merit Beauty Complexion Stick (An everyday makeup find I love that never looks like too much — it makes my skin look like my skin, but better. Can double as foundation or concealer.)
Question of the Day
What is one thing making you smile this week?
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