Memes and Homemade Wasp Spray

Today is the first day back at school. 

This is true. It's not even sarcasm or exaggeration.

I started rewatching New Girl. It never disappoints. Season 2 is sitcom gold. 

I follow someone online who recently started "getting up at 4:30am again!" and I cannot. 

I keep telling myself to do a rewatch...the casting in this show is so beyond anything I'd ever expect from network tv. 

I'm jsut ready to see football players walk down tunnels again. 

We watched Into The Fire the other night and it was so good. The book I recommended last week, Forget You Saw Her, was based on this true story. 

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Speaking of murder, we've been murdering a lot of wasps and hornets this last week. We had a nest of some sort of wasp near the pool....3 stings later, Scott ripped out an old umbrella stand and sprayed the nest and solved that problem. But we still had a wasp issue. Generally they just fly around and leave us alone but Wells did get stung once and it's unsettling and became really hard to get the kids to be outside when they were afraid. We couldn't find one singular nest, and we also didn't want to use conventional sprays because they can damage windows and whatnot...you're not supposed to spray them at individual wasps, apparently. 

I saw a reel about washing the outside of your house in Pinesol to keep bugs away. This is usually what i keep around to clean floors with anyway, so I made up a mixture to spray around the outside doors. Scott picked up the bottle one day to spray on a wasp. We discovered it killed them in seconds. 

So now we spend our days/evenings hunting wasps for sport. It keeps the kids from being afraid and it's super satisfying when you hit them. I've gotten a lot better at it. There's strategy involved. Wells treats it like a video game. 

Anyway, that's how country-living is going. 

1 spray bottle (this is 20 oz to the top line, and I fill it to the very top)

2-3 T. Dawn dish soap (probably doesn't have to be Dawn, just don't use some crunchy tox-free stuff)

1/2 cup Pinesol

After you add the soaps, fill to the top of the bottle with water, slowly so you don't create too much suds. 

When spraying, make sure the nozzle is set to "stream" for maximum effect. 

Bonus: it makes everything smell good and won't harm children, property, or animals and it's so much cheaper than buying toxic sprays. 

Disclaimer: Educational purposes only. I'm not responsible for anyone getting stung by a wasp. Also works on any flying insect. Wells likes to practice on flies. 

July Books..A long list and two books I just don't like

We are over halfway through the year and I'm about halfway through my goal of 50 books. Which, given that I was at 12 books a month and some change ago, I consider this real progress.

Okay, so the problem with reading so many books this month is that then I have to tell you about them but then also, I have to admit that there are two books I COULD NOT GET INTO. Two very popular books I'm seeing everywhere and I don't really like them? Thoughts? I really thought these would be 6-star reads based off of what I've seen on social media. Any thoughts on Mad Mabel and This Story Might Save Your Life?

But here's what I did finish in June/July: 

TL;DR-- Read Ask for Andrea if you like thrillers. It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell is a solid new release this summer. 

The Ex by Shalini Boland 4 stars

A domestic thriller that takes place in the UK. Exactly my cup of tea. 

Unreliable narration and the timeline is part of the narrative so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if I was correct in my assumptions. 

It's available on Kindle Unlimited with the audio included so I recommend that. 

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter 3 stars

I can only do so much with a Karin Slaughter book. She's just not for me. This was on some highly recommended list and it was on sale in June so I got it on audio. It was fine, it was twisty, but it was super depressing. More drama than I cared for and too much going on. If you like her books, you'd like it. I think it'd make a good movie or mini-series. 

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston 2 stars

I didn't mind First Lie Wins, her book two years ago. This one was absolutely thrilling for the first few chapters. Then I didn't care. It went off on a turkey trail with other characters and a whole second plot and I didn't know how I was supposed to keep track of it all. It was weak, to be honest. There was nothing I cared about. The first chapter in particular was REALLY good. I couldn't wait to see where it went and then.....fizzle. Nothing. I'm apparently in the minority though with the Goodreads reviews.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 2.5 stars

We listened to this in the car. Wells liked it well enough. 

But. I don't like it. It's famous, sure, but it's actually full of plot holes. And the sci-fi is weak when it comes to visualization. I suppose we could watch the movie (I feel like I told Wells we would do this and then I forgot...). I just don't like it as a book. It's very character-driven, not world-building driven. I didn't know how much more I could take about how hapless and hopeless Meg was and how *clearly* autistic Jamie seemed to be. 

The last 1/3 of the book is so rushed after the first 2/3 was so slow, and it's a very unsatisfying ending. 

The concept: great. The execution: not. I worry that when we insist books like this are classics that kids must read, we're going to disappoint kids. 

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis 4.5 stars

In case you think I have something against children's classics, I don't. The Magician's Nephew was wonderful. We listened to this on audio. I'd never read it before so I downloaded the entire series of Narnia and this is the only one we got through before I needed a break from kids' books in the car (lol). 

This is the prequel everyone needs to read. It's going to be a movie next year and I'm excited for it. I would 100% take Wells to the theater for it. We both really liked it. 

C.S. Lewis is such a good writer that there are no plot holes. It's fantasy and it's world-building and it's about characters but it's about the narrative. I could visualize it so I'm excited to see what it looks like on screen (Greta Gerwig is debatable on what she does with films so we'll see). 

If you've read or watched The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew will answer every single question you have about how Narnia came to be. I admit I have not read *past* TLTWandTW in the series, but The Magician's Nephew should be required reading for elementary school. 

This is a niche topic but I'm counting it. I read Making Words Stick for some summer professional development. It's about best practices on how to teach in alignment with the Science of Reading. I highly recommend if you are a teacher of any grade level or a parent of young kids.

Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding 4 stars

I like Robyn Harding books. They, I think, usually take place in Washington state. Some say that they are over-the-top but I think I've read them all now and I enjoy them a lot. The story moves along quickly enough, there's more showing than telling, they're twisty without being tropey. I recommend this. It's on Kindle Unlimited. This one is about a mom who doesn't fit in and makes friends with the most popular mom at the school. It goes layers and layers deep though.

Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks 3 stars

This was a crazy story. Also a domestic thriller in the UK, told from multiple POVs and it was layers deep. You don't really understand the meaning of everything until you get to the last quarter of the book. I recommend, but there's a lot being thrown at you in this book. 

The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith 4 stars

A UK thriller but much more involved and has a bit of true crime culture added to it. This one requires you to just suspend your belief a bit but it's one of those stories where no one is who they seem. I recommend it for a twisty-turny read. 

Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli 5 stars

Ugh, so good. This was such a sad story but such a GOOD book. Everything about it: the multiple POVs that tie together, the title actually has meaning, and the characters. There were moments where it reminded me of Intensity by Dean Koontz. It was a thrill-ride I had to finish in one sitting. Some of the supernatural bits got to be repetitive but I don't usually do supernatural elements in my books so that's a preference thing. 

Whoever edited this book did their job very, very well. I read it in one day. 

Forget You Saw Her by Noelle W. Ihli 4 stars

The prequel to Ask for Andrea. Also good. Very sad altogether. Again, lots of supernatural elements but the narratives and the multiple POVs all come together and serve a purpose in the end. At the moment, I'm blanking on the title's poingnantness. I don't know if there's a deeper meaning behind it. 

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney 3 stars

I've had this hardcover from BOTM since spring. Mav chewed it up a bit. I finally sat down to finish it after I've seen it recommended over and over again on social media. 

It definitely pulled me in once I got going. It was interesting the way the characters came together in their storylines but.....I think she threw a dart at a trope wall and hit the square that said "everything, all at once". It was too much. I was left confused at the end.  

My favorite by Alice Feeney will always be His & Hers...it's on Kindle Unlimited if you haven't read it!

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell 4 stars

I am a Lisa Jewell stan. This felt like it was a combo of plot points from Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs, both 5-star recommendations from me in years past. 

I really did enjoy it but there was a lot going on. I can see how some reviewers were left confused or like they just got hit over the head with a bingo board of plot points. It was a very busy book. Non-linear timelines and multiple POVs within the timelines: Good luck. 

But, really, I liked it. 

Memes and Honey Lavender Salted Iced Latte

I had to let Instagram go for a couple of weeks for the sake of my own sanity. What that tells me is I need to cull my feed and somehow curate the information I'm getting through that godforsaken app. Easier said than done, right? Maybe that'll be a project for this coming weekend. I miss my friends there but I'm tired of having information fed to me via the algorithm, instead of choosing what I want to see.

 --Things I don't like: whiny moms trying to juggle working with daycare/camp scheduling, moms who send their kids to 4-6 weeks of camp, overdone trend posting with the trending audio, anyone saying you get only 18 summers with your kids, anyone talking to me while they're driving, content creators in general, asmr anything.--

---Things I do like: book recommendations, pet photos, life updates, truly funny reels, and recipes.---

Anyway, I've gotten into finding recipes on there. I adapted this and made it my own. We do have a nespresso but this is better with instant espresso and, dare I say, it's coffeeshop quality for much, much less. I'm not saying I have ADHD but I also am not very sensitive to caffeine...I am able, on any given day, to drink a cup of coffee and go back to sleep. I did this a lot when the kids were very little babies and were up at 5am for the day...I'd have coffee, put them down for a morning nap at 7am, and then go back to sleep for 2 hours. 

All that to say, this espresso powder works for me and has a nice kick to it. Perfect for that 2:00 pm pick-me-up (adrenal cocktail*, if you will). 

Honey Lavender Salted Iced Latte
makes 2 servings, cut in half for 1 drink

4 teaspoons espresso powder
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons honey

2 pinches SEA salt (about 1/4 teaspoon total)

Mix the above ingredients in a mug/cup and stir well (or froth) until the espresso powder and honey are dissolved.

Add to a blender bottle or shaker with:

1 cup milk of choice

2 teaspoons lavender syrup --if you have a pump bottle, do 2 pumps of syrup

Ice

Shake and pour over ice.

These are red wine glasses. Judge away. 

I don't have fancy glasses for iced coffee and I don't like my regular drinking glasses very much. Don't we all just drink out of water bottles/tumblers anyway? On my list for maybe this Christmas since we're settled for a few years is new glasses for such frivolous uses...gin and tonics and iced lattes.

*A health-wellness influencer trend is to not drink caffeine at all and instead have an adrenal cocktail consisting of orange juice, coconut water, salt in the afternoon for a jumpstart. I cannot stop laughing at that. This is the same crowd who is 25 and childless and/or has babies or toddlers who sleep through the night. 

Scott was traveling and went to see The Odyssey. I asked him if he ever read the book. He's like "it's a movie". I said "no, like it was written by Homer" and he's like "oh, no I didn't, did you". I said "yes". 

We read excerpts of it in 7th grade and then I read it again in college for a Greek history class. Does anyone else remember actually reading in college? I feel like I was reading constantly with all of my history classes.

I can't believe we've lived in this place for 2 and a half months. I feel like we moved in yesterday and also it looks like we moved in a week ago in a lot of ways. It's always so much easier to settle into a rental because you don't have to fix/change anything. 

I saw a reddit post saying that influencers are different than content creators and, sorry, I don't buy that line. They are exactly the same. The CCs just haven't made it big enough to be an influencer but that's always their goal. 

A rare Universal Thread Win + Amazon Lately.

Last week, I talked about how I got these flat mary janes because I need some closed-toe, warm weather, kind of business casual shoes. I got them in the mail last Tuesday after I posted and then....didn't love them. I like them, but I didn't like the way they fit and I didn't like how they felt. Also, the look felt off to me. They could be worn, of course, but I envisioned the blisters that would likely result and that was enough to make me return sixty-some dollar shoes. I don't need to bleed all over them. That's for the under-20 dollar shoe range. 

So, I went to Target's app to see what they had. They had a very similar flat mary jane for $35. I was totally annoyed and disillusioned by Target's selection of shoes last fall/summer so it never occurred to me to look there; I ordered these on the app and I think there was a discount so I believe I got them for $30. I threw them into an order with all of the kids' school supplies. 

But anyway, they're a winner:

(This is where we'll take a deep breath and appreciate the groutwork the previous owner did on the tile. He owns a general contracting business. When I show the rest of his handiwork, at some point, you'll continue to be impressed.)

Meanwhile, Pinterest showed me this collage the other day and I almost cried:

It was 100 degrees yesterday.

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Most of our Amazon orders for the past few months have to do with the pool. I can put together a separate pool post if anyone is interested...having a pool is quite a journey and we feel like there's a whole new section of our brains that has grown and filled with knowledge...we literally knew nothing about pools before this summer! 

So here's the other Amazon stuff that's worth mentioning:

Vacuum storage bags. This brand is a winner. I needed them for sleeping bags/comforters. I'm more impressed by this no-name brand than I've been by the name brands. I didn't use the pump, but used the vacuum nozzle.

Celtic sea salt. I heard this was a good brand. We ran out of the last kind I bought over the winter so I gave this to Scott for Father's Day. I started making these honey salted lattes and it's excellent for that. 

I had to give in and buy new rain boots since my costco-made Hunter boots fell apart last year. I always shop with #fall in mind so the plaid was the obvious choice. 

I got this tshirt because it was in a Facebook ad or something and it's fine. It was $7. It's a little thicker than I wanted to get for summer. I'd say it runs true to size. I got a medium. It comes in every color imaginable so it's not a bad deal.

I got these erasable gel pens based on an Instagram recommendation and I love them. They are perfect for my teacher planner. They write smooth, are a fun design, multiple colors, erase well...definitely the best I've found. 

One more find among the actual sea of pool stuff and tools that Scott has been ordering...

Sutton has been dealing with "hangnails" which is anything she perceives as not a perfect fingernail. It's become a bit of a fixation, to be honest, and I'm hoping it's just a phase...she's starting to grow out of it a little, but we were at our wit's end. 

Scott ordered her cuticle oil and called it "hangnail medicine". 

She uses it 5-7 times a day, I'm pretty sure. 

But as long as she's not screeching for help over a hangnail and can solve the problem herself now, I'm okay with it. 

My nails are a disaster so I should start using it too. 

Linking up with Fashion Files!