Isn’t this hand-crafted, beaded collection so beautiful?
Each piece is hand made in Rwanda, so no two pieces are alike.
Back in January, I drafted a list of 20 things I wanted to do/see/eat/think about/read in 2020. At the end of each month, I’ve shared an update with you about what I have (or have not) been doing. Here’s the original post, and here are my updates for January, February, March, April, May, and June. Here are the updates of what I have been doing during the month of July, if you’d like to know.
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1.Complete the challenges that my family and friends set for me for my 40th birthday.
Well, my 41st birthday just happened, so I’ve had a chance to reflect on the list of challenges my family and friends gave me for my 40th one year ago. I LOVED having new challenges from my family and friends. Each challenge was well-suited to the person who gave it to me, so I enjoyed learning new things with them in mind. I accomplished quite a bit, which is great, but I still have things left to do (movies to watch, books to read, things to do and see in Italy). I’ll keep the list close at hand, so I can check things off in the year ahead. In July, I checked off “visit Shannon in Ottawa,” which was great. My friends hosted a fun (socially-distanced) lobster fest at their new house, and I was so pleased to attend!
2. Travel.
This month I traveled to Ottawa for two nights to visit family and friends (see #1), and it felt great to have a change of scene. The weekend was very low-key. I also enjoyed an incredible 2-night vacation at Langdon Hall. I am so grateful to have made this possible this year. I took advantage of LH’s 2-night special rate, and it was well worth it. The scenery, food, and service remains top-notch, and I’m already eager to return (no surprise there, right?). Now that I’ve experienced the 2-night stay, this might be what I have to continue to save up for! It was so special.
3. Learn more about the Waterloo region.
No progress.
4. Experience more art.
I have been keeping an eye out on special pieces of art to buy, and I have been a fan of 15-year old Juliet‘s fruit art since she started posting them on Instagram not too long ago. I was fortunate to snap up this resin piece before she even posted it to her online shop (her pieces sell quickly!). It arrived last week, and I was happy to add it to my fruit art collection in my kitchen.
5. Play more board games.
My Dr. Mario skills remain strong, but beyond that, I haven’t made much progress on board games or my puzzle this month.
6. Master my mom’s signature cake.
Done!
7. Wear more dresses.
Yes! This has been such an easy goal to accomplish in July. I find them so easy and versatile. I ordered a few colourful dresses from a new-to-me company, too.
8. Consider adding more colour to my wardrobe.
See #7. My dresses are colourful!
9. Save money.
This is so hard to do when you’ve quit one job, haven’t started the next job, and spent two nights at Langdon Hall. Eek! #workinprogress
10. Plan a major bathroom reno.
Completely on hold.
11. Eat more vegetables.
Sort of making decent progress
12. Buy more fun socks.
No sock purchases this month.
13. Connect people.
I was happy to introduce two people in real life after they had only communicated in online/text contexts. That was fun. I also connected a friend to my young artist cousin, so he could commission a piece of art. That was fun, too
14. Clean closets regularly.
No progress.
15. Trust my gut.
Yes, I’m still doing this. I feel good about trusting my gut.
16. Get a facial.
I was close to booking one this month, but I didn’t. It’s on my list for the fall/soon. This will not help me with #9.
17. Embrace soup.
I haven’t made any soup this month.
18. Clean up my shoes.
Done (previous months).
19. Pass on my magazines.
Yes. I continue to pass on magazines. This has been an easy goal to work on each month.
20. Have fun.
Yes, I’m still at it! I’m finding reasons every day/week to celebrate happy moments and make happy memories with family and friends!
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And there you have it – my July update. Thanks for reading! Have a great week, everyone! Here’s to a happy August!
Distanced backyard and porch gatherings and road trips seem to be the way of life this summer for many of us who want to stay in touch with friends and explore our surroundings while respecting the safety guidelines in the COVID-19 era. As such, I’ve observed the effectiveness of travel mugs more than ever before. People can travel with their own tumblers so as to minimize the contact between people and the necessity of constantly sanitizing dinnerware.
If you’re looking to add to your travel tumbler collection for hot or cold drinks, here’s a selection that might suit your interests. Many of these options come in many colours, too, so each member of your family can have their own cup on the go!
ceramic on-the-go cup, $14CAD (on sale); Keep Cup®, $34CAD; Joco Cup, $28.95CAD; Stojo collapsible cup, $24.99CAD; Porter mug, $25USD; Yeti wine tumbler, $34CAD; SwigLife stemless wine cup, $17.95USD; Corkcicle Stemless White Wine Glass, $34CAD
In the COVID-19 era, I haven’t been hosting dinner parties as I have in the pre-COVID-19 era. I have, however, been visiting with family and friends in my backyard for very low-key social time. I serve a few drinks and snacks (always trying to minimize shared items) alongside an endless supply of Lysol wipes. The outdoor entertaining has made me consider investing in a melamine dinnerware set. I haven’t found a set that I absolutely love, but these are contenders.
Once stock gets replenished in stores like HomeSense, I’ll have a look at options there, too. I would prefer to see the quality of the dinnerware set in person before I purchase it.
What do you think? Do you dine outside with outdoor-friendly dinnerware or do you use your everyday dishes?
There’s no way I’m counting down the days of summer after the months (months and months) of cold weather. There is still plenty of time to wear breezy white dresses. If you’re on the lookout for options, here are 10 white dress to consider.
