These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I share a few fun links with you below, but first:

At the end of last month, my daughter and I took a trip to College Station, Texas, so she could attend a tennis camp there as well as take a college tour of Texas A&M. Let’s just say we both loved it. (Sorry, Longhorn fans, I know this pains you to read much like it pains me to hear someone say they love OU over my beloved OSU!) Anyhoo, while Faith played tennis outside for 6-8 hours a day, I spent as many hours a day inside a plethora of coffee shops. (Sweet Eugene’s was my favorite!) I enjoyed College Station’s predictable weather–although I’ll admit it was toasty! I loved walking around a local rose garden and the tree-laden A&M campus. My girl enjoyed learning a lot from the coaches, and she loved that it took about 5 seconds to make friends there.

Also, if you’ve been here a while and know what happened last time I visited A&M, you’ll be happy to know I visited Kyle Field once again, but this time it didn’t get the best of me!

Texas, thanks for being so good to both my girl and me. In honor of that visit, my first “favorite thing” has to do with what I saw all over there. Everything else I share will have a link in case you’re interested in checking something out for yourself!

Crepe Myrtles: On one of my walks, I walked outside and around the George H.W. Bush Library and found this sign. It helped explain why crepe myrtles were ev-er-y-where. And since we can’t grow them in Colorado, I all but ate ’em up with a spoon!

Feta Dill Potato Salad: I’ve had this recipe for years and years, but until July 4th I hadn’t made it in a long while. It is SO GOOD. Plus, it’s oil and vinegar based and not cream based, so it can sit out longer at the potluck without you worrying about it turning on you.

Kut from the Kloth shorts: I first heard Melanie Shankle talk about a pair similar to these (Melanie’s great at sharing awesome fashion finds!), but for one reason or another I gravitated to this pair called the Gidget High Rise Fray Hem Cut Off Shorts. They’re stylish and have extra length so my 47 year old self feels cute but covered. Also? Notice THEY ARE HIGH WAISTED which is basically my love language in clothing.

AE shorts: I bought these “Stretch Denim Mom Shorts” for Faith for her birthday, and daggum if they don’t look cute as can be on her. They’re fuller without being baggy while still covering all that should be. They’re on sale right now and I wanted to buy a pair for me, but they’re out of my size. (And all the reasonable sizes, I might add.) Because of that, I almost didn’t even mention them here. But if you like them, keep a look out as sizes sometimes come back in stock.

Teleties: I have my hair piled up on top of my head 22 1/2 hours of the day and night, and these are what I use to keep it there (or in a ponytail). I’ve used them for years, and I LOVE them because 1. They don’t leave such noticable dents in my hair when I take them out. and 2. I can wear one on my wrist (for the times I want to keep one handy) and they don’t squeeze it at all. My daughter loves them, too, because she can wear them for tennis and they don’t pull on or break her hair like other hairbands do.

Half-baked Harvest recipes: I discovered Half-baked Harvest over a year ago in the early days of the pandemic, and I’m not kidding when I say every recipe I’ve made from there has been wonderful. Over the weekend, I made this blackberry peach crisp (except I used blueberries instead of blackberries because that’s what I had) and it was a hit. In the interest of full disclosure, I also added a tablespoon of peach bourbon to it because I had it and I could. Delish!

When Change Finds You: It’s available for preorder now, and I can’t stress enough how important preorders are for a book. They let the booksellers know that people want it, so they are more inclined to have it in stock when it releases. If you preorder it from Amazon, you don’t pay for it till it ships *and* you’ll get it for the lowest price offered between your purchase date and its release.

Also, if you preorder it from my publisher’s warehouse, you can get the book for 40% off plus free shipping. WOOT! 

That’s all for today, dearhearts. Have a great week!

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