It’s our last week of summer vacation. We’ve bought our school supplies, gotten our end-of-summer haircuts, and Open House is in a couple days. To close out the season, we’re sharing our end-of-summer Things We Loved before jumping into Back-To-School and regularly scheduled content next week.

Mary’s Loves

To be honest, this summer’s felt like a bit of a letdown. Maybe it’s because it slipped by as quickly as it showed up. While our vacation in New York and Canada was well spent, what was supposed to be a fun road trip to get to our destination turned into quick round-trip flights to save time. Additionally, I didn’t attend many concerts or get as much adult time compared to previous summers. I guess you could say that these last two months have left me wanting.

Despite this season’s lull, I did find joy in the little things.

I’ve been OBSESSED with NYX Lip IV Hydrating Glossy Lip Stain. It’s become my go-to for the summer (and it makes me happy). It’s also a serum, so it’s hydrating and not sticky.

This summer got me hooked on dark romance novels. I’m currently devoted to the Legacy of Gods Series by Rina Kent, and recently discovered that all her books are tangled together in some way, shape, or form. Safe to say, once I finish this series, I’ll be combing through her entire catalogue to get the full scope of the #rinaverse.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still reading my non-fictions. Lately, I’ve been into culinary history, exploring how regional influences have shaped food. Being from Florida, I gravitated towards The Florida Cracker Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Cabin to Condo by Joy Sheffield Harris. It traces the evolution of Florida’s Cracker cuisine, a southern subculture of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Next on the docket is A Culinary History of Atlanta by Akila Sankar McConnell, exploring how the city’s identity has been shaped by its cuisine—from Native American agricultural roots to its emergence as a Southern food hub with global influences.

The kids seem to be soaking up the summer slowdown. My son is busy with camp most days, so the girls and I have had plenty of time together (maybe too much?). We’ve been having a lot of dance parties with the Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and K-Pop Demon Hunters on repeat. We’ve also been playing card games like Skip-Bo, Sushi Go, and Oregon Trail daily. Add this on top of Lego building, summer workbooks, science experiments, weekly errands, and trips to the pool. While I love spending time with my daughters, I think I may enroll them in summer camp next year…

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Patti’s Loves

This month particularly has been trying. There were a lot of professional ups and downs, and some good, old-fashioned denial and repression. One of the books I’m reading for review talked about propulsion – a feeling of moving forward. I think this is especially true for parents. While we have our personal setbacks that make us want to rot in bed for days, ultimately we have people to take care of and things to do.

During our California road trip, we started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Audible. We’ve now finished book 1 and 2 and are trying to finish The Prisoner of Azkaban next month. Regal is doing a Hogwarts Marathon the last week of August and we’re taking the girls to watch the third movie in theatre.

Also road trip inspired, I made a candy salad for our last trip down to Florida. I leaned more on the gummy/sour side and added two new flavors of Squashies to the mix. Can you tell I’m a little mad that I forgot to visit the Bon Bon Swedish Candy store last fall in NYC?

Troy and I were kid-free last weekend, so I snuck in a bookstore date. I picked up The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley, wholly because it was said to be Draco/Hermione fanfic inspired. I also bought the new V.E. Schwab title, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and just finished The Grace Year by Kim Liggett.

My mother-in-law also taught the girls how to play easy sudoku, so I’ve bookmarked these two Will Shortz kids books for them (link and link). We also started playing Castle Panic and Clue for family game night.

As we transition back into the school schedule, I’ll be using my liminal time tackling deferred house stuff. I’m photo organizing at the moment and I ordered these storage boxes from IKEA. I also got an email from 2^nd and Charles that got me thinking about clearing some bookshelves.

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I swear we like more things than just books and games…
Next week, we’re back to posting twice a week and sharing about our brand-new pre-k, second, third graders. Have a great rest of your summer!

~Mary & Patti

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