It’s August – the Sunday of Summer.
The month when the heat turns unbearable, the students head back to school, and I begin to look ahead to the coming season.
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This week Michael and I have been taking it a little easier, which has been good for my body and my mind. We’ve also spent a bit of time researching and booking Airbnbs in Europe (thanks for the recommendations, everyone!), and can now say that our trip is next month!
In between all of that, here’s what I’ve been up to this week:
Food
I can’t remember the last time I ate at McDonald’s, but I do remember obsessing about collecting the Monopoly pieces as a kid and dreaming of winning one of the prizes. Here’s a fascinating story about how the whole thing was rigged.
I’m stashing our ice cream maker canister in the freezer to make a couple of batches this weekend (I’m thinking buttermilk, yum!). What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
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Life
Andrea shared a great post this week with five reasons to do a digital detox. We’d begun holding “tech-free Thursdays” in our home, but with so many trips on the horizon, we’ve given that up in order to plan. I definitely notice the toll screens take on my energy.
Twin red pandas were born at a zoo in New York this week. I can’t get over how small and fluffy they are! They are one of my favorite animals, and I can’t stop talking about the time I got to meet two of them at a zoo in West Virginia.
A great rundown of actually good side-hustle ideas. I side-hustle from time to time as a way to earn extra money for travel by babysitting, pet-sitting, and product-testing for a reputable cosmetics maker.
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Travel
This NYT article (gift article) has me once again dreaming of taking a month off from work, flying to France, and just driving through all of the regions, visiting local markets, and eating the local dishes.
A fascinating experience of being banned forever from Airbnb. I don’t even know what I would do…
Speaking of Airbnb, we’ve been steadily booking places for our upcoming trip to Europe. I’ve been stumbling upon lots of beautiful places like farms and castles, but none of them are quite close enough to where we’ll need to stay. It got me wondering what kind of neat places are near our home (Florida), and using the “unique homes” filter, found this neat treehouse, a charming farmhouse, and a private island. Okay, that last one is a little over our budget, but it’s nice to dream, right? (P.S. You can save $40 off your first stay via our referral link no longer valid– it may not put much of a dent in the cost of a night on a private island, but every little bit helps!).
This new travel show just popped up on Netflix. It looks fascinating, and judging by the trailer, very dark.
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Style
I know the samples at Sephora are there for the testing, but I can’t see myself stopping by daily to get ready! If that’s your thing, no judgies – here are a few ground rules for doing it right.
Things I bought this week
Hooray – a short list this week (my wallet is quite happy)! I’ve had my eye on the ruffle dress from Cuyana since it launched, but the price was a bit out of reach. It showed up on eBay recently, and after not selling the first time, the seller dropped the price far enough for me to justify purchasing it. I
t hasn’t arrived yet, but I look forward to dressing it up and down, as well as traveling with it. The ruffles give it enough visual interest that only minimal jewelry would be needed. And if it doesn’t work out? I know I can relist it on STSF or Poshmark and recoup what I spent.
This week I also ordered the set of four packing cubes from Away with credit earned from referrals (thanks for your support!). I own a set of packing cubes that I like but don’t quite fit well in the suitcase; however, these are designed to fit the dimensions of the Carry-On. I look forward to reviewing them after a few travels (edit: the review is here!).
Reading anything fun? Let me know!
Have a great weekend!
