Twists on Lemonade

In the summertime I am always craving fruity drinks--especially lemonade. This is my all-time favorite lemonade, but I'm hoping to try some new kinds this summer and find new favorites! I finally planted some herbs over the weekend, which will be perfect for making fresh, summery drinks. Throwing in fresh fruit or herbs adds a fun new twist to lemonade, so I'm excited to try some of these varieties this summer. What's your favorite kind of lemonade?

Rosemary Lemonade

Fresh Peach Lemonade

Lavender Lemonade

Cucumber Mint Lemonade

Watermelon Mint Lemonade

Thyme Lemonade

The Weekend

Aren't three-day weekends just the BEST? Since we were gone the past two weekends with our vacation at the beach, this was the first weekend that we've had at home that has felt like summertime. We soaked up every minute of it! Our weekend was full of everything I love about summertime: SUNSHINE, eating outside, laying by the pool, strawberry picking, tennis, driving our MG around town, planting things in the yard--it was perfect Having such a great weekend makes it even harder to go back to work, but only four days 'til we can do it again. What'd y'all do this weekend?

2013 Goal: Donate My Hair

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to donate my hair. I always get tired of it when it starts getting of any significant length, but about 18 months ago I decided it was time. So, I made it one of my goals for 2013. I got it cut right before we went to the beach, and it feels SO good to have short, healthy hair for the summer. I cut off about 11 inches, and donated 8 of it to Children with Hair Loss, a non-profit that provides wigs for children with medically-related hair loss. I hope my long locks will make some little girl very happy!

Beach Vacation

Last week we were at the beach with Caleb's family. It was a wonderful time to get away, and we really enjoyed our time with the whole family together. Our house was right on the beach so we were seriously living.the.life. Wake up, lay by the pool, head down to the beach, read, eat lunch, back to the beach, a little hot tub action, dinner, relax, ice cream, bed. It was perfect. We had great weather except for one day that was really windy, so we are starting the summer with a tan and feeling relaxed. It's always hard to get back in the swing of real life after such a relaxing vacation, so we spent the weekend taking care of things around the house and trying to get ready for another week. Here are a few snippets of our week, mostly from my instagram since I was too relaxed to worry about getting good pictures. Happy Monday!

Reading, Lately

We're at the beach this week, and I have absolutely loved all of the time in the sun and sand with a book in my hand. So far the books I've finished here haven't been all that great, which is really disappointing, but the one I started yesterday is looking better:) The books below are ones that I finished at home recently and really enjoyed. If you're looking for new summer reading, here's a few I recommend!

The House Girl: This book was incredibly well-written, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. The story bounces back and forth between a slave girl in the 1850s and a lawyer in present day who tries to discover whether several famous paintings were actually painted by the slave girl rather than her mistress who has gotten the credit all these years later. 

One Thousand Gifts: This book has been in the spotlight a million times over, but I really did like it. The writing style is different, and I know that makes it difficult for some people to read, but I really enjoyed it. If you're unfamiliar with the premise, Ann decides to make a list of all of the gifts in her life. The book is her story of discovering joy and thankfulness in uncovering so many gifts around her that she often overlooked. I found it really challenging since I tend to look at the negative and complain instead of giving thanks.

Mary Coin: This book is a fictitious story woven around a famous photograph, written through the eyes of the photographer who took the picture, the woman in the picture, and a man who discovers a secret in the photograph many years later. Apparently I like when stories jump back and forth between perspectives and time, because I also enjoyed this book and looked forward to finding out what happened. It is again written very well and was often quite sad, which makes for a more heartfelt read.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: This book was summer reading at its finest. It was a hilarious book, and I loved it! It's super easy to read, really light, filled with ridiculous characters, and just a really fun book. And with a cover like that you pretty much know it's going to be great:)

What good books have you read lately? I need suggestions!

2013 Goal: Drink More Water

My seemingly constant goal is to drink more water. I don't enjoy the taste/lack of taste of water, but I know that I need to drink more of it. The best way for me to drink more water at home is to add lemon to it. Washing a lemon and dirtying a knife to cut a lemon wedge each time I wanted a glass of water got old fast. But, I found that if I make up a couple of bottles of lemon water, I drink SO much more water. In case any of you also struggle to drink enough water, here's what I do. (I also like having this lemon water on hand for when we have company. The bottles are pretty, too.)

1. You'll need two bottles (1 liter each), a mini funnel, a lemon, and a citrus juicer.

2. Cut the lemon in half and juice just one half.

3. Pour the lemon juice into one bottle, using the funnel.

4. Add water to the bottle to fill it up.

5. Repeat with the other lemon half and other bottle. Store bottles in fridge.

in {my hair}

Do you use Moroccanoil treatment? I started using it over a year ago, and I LOVE it. I've really seen such a difference with my hair: it's shiny, it seems healthier, and it's less frizzy. I usually put it in my still-damp hair and then let it dry naturally, but you can also use it on dry hair to tame flyaways and frizzies. Recently I came across the Garnier Fructis Moroccan oil treatment, and I also like it. It's much cheaper, too, if you're on a budget. And even more recently, I started using http://www.suave.com/product/detail/662735/moroccan-infusion-shine-shampoo-conditioner shampoo & conditioner with Moroccan oil in it. I love the way it smells, and it makes my hair smooth and shiny just like the Moroccanoil treatment. I like switching things up in my beauty routine, so I use these products on rotation for sleek, shiny hair:) What hair products do you swear by?

Moroccan Oil

Garnier Fructis Moroccan Oil Treatment

Suave Moroccan Infusion Shampoo & Conditioner