Life
Summer Reading List for Vacation
What is it about summer that makes reading seem so much more inviting? I have a long list of books I’ve been waiting to start, and vacation seems like the best place to dig in! Just like the dead of winter, hot and steamy summer days make me want to read. I’m guessing it has to do with wanting to be inside, curled up on the couch and away from extreme weather. This past week, Marylanders were faced with temps over 90°F. Before noon. By lunch grew to something ungodly … like 110°F. Well, with humidity, because here just the heat isn’t enough. You have to be able to swim through…
The Draw Of Stranger Things
This time last year I had just stumbled upon the Netflix original series Stranger Things. To be more precise, July 17, 2016, was the date I crossed the finish line with the final episode a mere two days after Netflix released them all at once. That’s eight nearly-hour-long, commercial-free episodes, my friends. IN. TWO. DAYS. Sure, I’ve enjoyed plenty of binge-worthy TV shows over the years, but it’s been a while since a series has pulled me in so completely, and so early in its availability. Like, before the wave of obsession hit the mainstream. I was late to the game with The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Fringe, and Sons of Anarchy (and many others, too), catching up via Netflix…
16 TV Shows To Binge
My favorite things to do when I’m not working (and I don’t have any other obligations) are reading, watching movies, or getting sucked into a television series—I’m always looking for new tv shows to binge. In fact, our living room TV is mounted above the fire place, surrounded by books that live on the mantle. My desk, where all the writing takes place, is only a few feet away. It’s like all my favorite things in one place! It used to be you had to wait painstaking week, after painstaking week, for a new episode of a favorite show. And, even if you were able to find a show to…
Garlic and Sapphires
If you haven’t read Garlic and Sapphires, by Ruth Reichl, then it’s time to add it to your library. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post may contain affiliate links. “This is one of those times I wish you were still a meat-eater,” I muttered to my sister. Wait, let me back up a little first. In 2011, I finished reading Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl’s honest autobiographical account of her costumed journey as the New York Times food critic in the ’90s. To…
30 Period Drama Movies You Can Stream Right Now
A wide variety of period drama movies to stream from the comfort of your couch with a glass of wine and a cozy blanket. I think my love of period drama movies started when I was in elementary school and stumbled upon the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. I found her books captivating, especially Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie—I’m guessing because I was a similar age to the main character at the time. Oh, to wear calico printed dresses, lace-brimmed bonnets, and to eat maple syrup “candy” made with freshly fallen snow! I devoured those novels. via GIPHY From a modern elementary schooler’s perspective,…
Tips To Stay Hydrated While On The Go This Summer
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HydrateYourSummer #CollectiveBias Use these four simple tips to stay hydrated while you’re on the go this summer! I’m writing this blog post as the first morning of summer vacation looms a mere eight hours away. Our county in central Maryland had the unfortunate fun luck of not only getting a waiver to end school a week early, but also a mandate from the governor to start school a few weeks later than normal … after Labor Day. Yay. While I’m sure some families enjoy an extra month of no school, I find things…
Hanging Container Gardens: A Story Of An Almost-Fail, But Not Quite
It was about six months ago when I saw this article in Rodale’s Organic Life filled with bountiful hanging vegetable baskets. After last year’s container garden garden success, including growing tomatoes up strings on our front porch, I decided hanging container gardens like these—reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon—were going to be my produce project this spring and summer. Not only would they be easy to maintain, like last year’s container garden, they’d also be gorgeous to look at—and practical to boot! All super important for someone, like me, without a green thumb. Things started off smashingly! My mom helped me pull together plants that would work well in hanging…
5 Tips For No-Fuss Outfits
I’m happy to report it’s possible to be both fashionable and practical—just use these 5 tips for no-fuss outfits. Aventura Clothing® sponsored this post. I appreciate fashion that’s functional, practical and has a style that’s both classic and up-to-date. Classic, functional pieces can and should last more than a season. The practicality of those pieces is made exponentially better in my eyes if the clothes can be washed and dried normally, and if they need zero (to minimal) ironing. Blech. Ironing. That said, clothes, even the classic ones, still have to look current. Jeans from a decade ago, for example, have a tendency to look a little “off” these days, no matter how classic…
