Things I’m Loving Now: July 2018 Favorites

Hi friends! I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe 2018 is more than half over. Granted, we spent the first half of the year shopping for, buying, and moving into our first home, which means I’ve spent a lot of time feeling like I’m just barely treading water in the day-to-day matters of work, school, homekeeping, and self-care. Here in the MidSouth, everyone is ramping up for back-to-school, although we aren’t starting homeschool officially until August 20. I confess, I love back-to-school season, the advent of cooler weather, and the accompanying return to schoolyear routines. In celebration of the approaching end of summer, I have a few favorite things to share with you.

I recently picked up a pair of these delightful book stack earrings, from the New York Public Library, at my local independent. I love, love, love them. Bookish people should wear bookish jewelry, after all.

Several months ago, I broke the handle on my favorite afternoon teapot–a vintage P&K Pottery piece from England I found while antiquing with my grandma. Sadly, after the break, I decided it was best to retire it to my china cabinet where it can be out of danger and retain its sentimental value. The thing is, I love its size–it holds roughly three generous mugs’ worth of tea, so it’s perfect for weekday afternoons. I was thrilled to happen upon this cute replacement teapot, which is about the same size, for only $10 at IKEA (mine is white, but they seem to have only gray online). I use it almost daily, and without worrying about smashing it.

A few months back, after the girls and I were in a nasty car accident, a sweet friend in Washington sent me a care package of Cup and Kettle tea. I’ve been enjoying Tropical Earl, Mango Amazon, Coconut Candy Bar, and my favorite of all, Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Hardly an afternoon goes by that I don’t brew a pot in the aforementioned teapot. Cup and Kettle is based in Leavenworth, WA, but you can order from their extensive menu of teas online, and they’ll ship anywhere in the U.S.

L’s new favorite thing is her new Mark-My-Time Digital Bookmark. It has two settings, one that counts up and one that counts down, as well as a booklight. I love it because I can have her set it to read for a specified amount of time before lights out at night, and when the timer is done, the booklight shuts off too! She’s using it to log how many minutes she reads each day. There are tons of cute designs. (Note: the link above is to Amazon (non-affiliate), but check your local independent bookstore first–that’s where I got L’s.)

For homeschool planning last year, I made my own planner pages in Excel for our non-Sonlight subjects, but this year I’m planning completely on my own, and I couldn’t resist ordering myself an Erin Condren Teacher Planner. The heavy paper, pocket storage, calendar and weekly lesson plan pages, colorful design, and personalizable covers were too good to resist. Erin Condren offers regular sales and coupons, so if you’re a teacher or homeschool mom, check out her site. She sells basic planners, notebooks, and all kinds of accessories as well.

Finally, during a visit to my aunt in Michigan earlier this month, she made this fantastic grilled Flatiron Steak with a Southwest Rub. The recipe was from the package label, and she made a few modifications (no red pepper, half the chili powder). I loved it, so she photocopied the recipe for me, and I went home and made it for my own family, who loved it too. Luckily, I was able to find it online to share with you as well. I served it with Andie Mitchell’s Garlic Smashed Potatoes (recipe shortcut: wrap the potatoes in a cotton towel, microwave for 6-8 minutes, smash, then finish in the oven) and roasted green beans tossed in olive oil and Jenny Rosenstrach’s fry spice, from her cookbook Dinner: A Love Story, which are a staple at our house.

What are you loving right now, friends? Drop me a line in the comments or on social media–I’d love to know!