Hi Friends! Happy FRIDAY! Hope you’ve had a great week!
I’ve got a big round up of FAVORITES from the last few weeks, some book reviews, and some links you guys asked about! As always I’ve teamed up with Andrea to share my FAVES!
One of our FAVORITE things is watching high school baseball but watching high school baseball WITH friends is an even bigger win! Not only did Lovejoy make the playoffs but THEY WON STATE! These girlies were happy to be watching.
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A last for my senior…Ebby Lee had her LAST Cheer Camp earlier this summer. She is the opposite of her mama because this girl LOVES a camp!
The camp had a little tribute to all the seniors.
Ebby Lee snagged All-American AGAIN this year!
The McKinney Boyd varsity squad had a GREAT camp!
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Britt’s softball team played in their first “travel” softball tournament. While they didn’t get the championship, they did WAY better than we were expecting. WAHOO!!
Three girls from her little team played in the All-Star game later that week and almost their whole team went out to support. SWEET group of girls!
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Nixon’s 7-on-7 team played at SMU a few weeks ago.
These boys showed up READY TO WORK!
AND THEY WON first in their bracket!
SUPER proud of how hard this team worked and came together. The competition got tougher and tougher but they continued to play better and better.
Tab had to be out of town and he was so bummed to miss this. Proud of this kid.
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While Tab and I were in Switzerland, these were the pics we were getting from back home. Britt dressed Champ up in her pajamas and sent this. hahaha!
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Britt got to have a special vacation…she spent a week in Missouri with my parents and lived her best life! They had two new kittens, she rode the four-wheeler and go-kart, she swam, she hung out with family. She truly had THE BEST WEEK! I think she was sad when I arrived because that meant her vacation was almost over.
Britt and I got back to Texas JUST in time to make it to Bowen’s ninth game of the World Series tournament. {This isn’t Bowen, I just snapped a pic of us at the ballpark to send to my family.}
These boys played HARD over the last few days. They got better and truly left it all on the field. Every boy battled and they came in third place for the World Series tournament here in Dallas.
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I have a little May and June Bok Review for you…
Strangers-WHOA!!! I actually listened to this one on Audible after hearing about it EVERYWHERE. It’s a memoir by Belle Burden that walks through the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly parts of her marriage ending. Her divorce happened during Covid, when people weren’t gathering and normal support systems looked completely different, so there was an added layer of isolation to everything she was going through. I found it incredibly interesting to listen to, but it was also a hard one at times. Goodness! As a child of divorce, it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Belle is also a descendant {great, great grandaughter somewhere down the line} of Cornelius Vanderbilt, so she comes from family money and had resources—like a second home to escape to during Covid—that made her experience different from what many women might face. If you enjoy memoirs and don’t mind one that gets pretty raw and honest, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a listen.
The Wrong Sister-This was another Audible listen for me, and it was narrated by a British voice, which made it feel a little different from my usual listens. The story centers around two sisters who are staying in each other’s homes while one is helping care for the other’s children when the unthinkable happens: one sister’s husband is murdered. From there, the mystery takes readers through all kinds of twists, turns, and possible scenarios as you try to piece together who the killer really is. If you enjoy a suspenseful story that keeps you guessing, this one definitely delivers.
The Surrogate Mother-Let me set the stage for why I picked this one up. I was wandering the aisles of Walmart, stopped in the book section, when the sweetest woman walked by, pointed to this book, and said, “Read that one!” That is the exact story of how this book ended up in my cart, and I’m so glad it did. Frieda has a real gift for writing thrillers that pull you in immediately without requiring two weeks of your life to get through them, and The Surrogate Mother was another hit for me. The story follows a couple struggling to get pregnant who agrees to let a coworker serve as their surrogate. From there, one strange thing after another begins to happen, and the whole story takes off in a way that keeps you wanting just one more chapter. If you like a thriller or mystery that moves quickly and keeps you hooked, this one is worth adding to your list.
The Calamity Club-FRIENDS, if you read no other book this month, make it this one. Kathryn Stockett has absolutely done it again. Set in the 1930s, during a time when so many families were struggling to make ends meet, this novel follows a mismatched group of women who all find themselves in need of money. Together, they come up with a plan to help get everyone back on their feet, and from there the story completely takes off. I don’t want to give too much away because part of the magic of this book is watching it all unfold, but I can say this one was a STANDOUT for me. Along with Theo of Golden, it’s going to be very hard to top this one this year.
Yesteryear-I saw so many mixed reviews about this one that I finally decided I had to read it for myself. And after finishing it… I’m honestly still a little confused. The story centers around an influencer who appears to be living a simple, picture-perfect life with her husband and children while documenting it all online…and making millions in the process. Of course, behind the scenes, things aren’t nearly as effortless as they seem. She has a small staff helping keep the whole operation running, and the pressure of maintaining that carefully curated image starts to unravel in some pretty messy ways. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll stop there on the plot. What left me confused, though, was the tone of the book. The author weaves in scripture throughout, and I couldn’t quite tell what she was trying to say. Was she poking fun at influencers who aren’t who they claim to be? Was she making fun of Christians? Was it some combination of both? I truly don’t know? So if you’ve read this one, I need your thoughts. What did you think?
Summer State of Mind-Just typing my thoughts on this one is making me laugh. I read it the entire time thinking, Shay has to read this—she is going to LOVE it. So imagine my surprise when I read her review this month and saw she gave it two stars. Hahaha. Clearly, what do I know? That said, I really enjoyed this one. To me, it was the perfect chick-lit read. Yes, it was a little predictable in places, but it had a meatier plot than a lot of chick-lit novels tend to have, which made it feel a little more substantial while still being a fun, easy read.
Best Offer Wins-In this thriller, a couple trying to buy a home in an ultra-competitive housing market starts to completely unravel. The wife becomes obsessed with landing a house that’s about to hit the market and goes to some truly wild lengths to make sure HER offer is the one that wins. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, and this one definitely kept me wondering just how far things were going to go. If you like a thriller with a little domestic drama mixed in, this one is a fun ride.
All the Little Houses-First of all, I need to tell you that I somehow missed the line on the cover that said, “Bestselling Author of The Hunting Wives.” I haven’t watched that show, but I’ve heard enough to know it’s not really my jam, so when I got into this very Rated R novel, I was a little shocked. Set in 1980s Longview, Texas, this story centers around a group of mean girls who have always gotten exactly what they want…and the equally mean moms who have helped make sure of it. When a new family moves to town, things quickly spiral and chaos follows. If you like a dramatic, juicy story full of small-town tension, messy relationships, and characters you love to side-eye, this one definitely brings that energy. {PLUS the R RATING!}
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If you missed my Switzerland recap, you can check it out in this post! I got asked about a few links and well, I had to switch computers so it took me a minute to remember how to do that on a new computer. BUT, I got us all set up! I tried to find pics of what I thought you might want the links for…
For some reason the red + white in this scarf, seemed like it belonged in Switzerland to me. I paired it with a simple white jean, grey tank and denim jacket. EASY!
I thought I saw this jacket in stock but sadly, it’s sold out. I did get it from this boutique so keep your eye out on their restocks! I grabbed this necklace in two colors because they kind of go with everything!
There’s something about blues + whites out on the water. When I saw we were having dinner on the boat, I snagged this skirt. {It’s REALLY good-inexpensive, comes in so many colors and can be worn SO many ways.}. I paired it with a simple white tank, this necklace, and heels.
This trip always has a cocktail night. I found my dress months before the trip and had it altered a bit to fit well. Then I found the heels later and I must tell you…I have them on in “champagne” which felt a little dressier. They are THE most comfortable heel! {The heels come in other colors as well.}
This is hands-down the item I got asked about the most….the gingham skirt! IS BACK IN STOCK!!! I loved it because the back is elastic so it’s crazy comfy! I wasn’t thinking and took a navy sweater {with the American flag on one side} so I kept it tied. Seriously my favorite thing I wore while we visited and am already packing it for our July 4th trip out of town.
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We’ve been back & forth between camps and out of town things. This weekend our last kid will get home from camp and we’re getting away on our family vacation. We’re headed to MAINE this summer and I couldn’t be more excited! I hope you guys have the best week and I’ll see you back here after my trip {on July 10th! Happy 4th, Friends!
XO
