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tossing pennies into the fountain

Linking up with Emily Freeman to share the significant and shallow.

tossing pennies into the fountain

making a wish

Here are 10 things I learned in August, in no particular order.

1. This is not exactly a revolutionary discovery, but it’s new to me: my kids will eat anything with ranch dressing. We don’t do ranch a whole lot: I can’t buy it because of our food allergies; I have to make it from scratch. To make it from scratch, I have to start with homemade mayo. So it doesn’t happen a whole lot. But when it does, I am rewarded with enthusiastic salad eaters. #worthit

(1a. Homemade mayo is not that hard. This is the recipe I’ve been using. I even made it on vacation.)

2. An incredible number of movies are better than their books. I had no idea.

Leather tote from 41 Hawthorne, via Stitch Fix | Modern Mrs Darcy

3. Stitch Fix has bags now. I asked them to send me one in my last fix, never dreaming they’d be able to do it. But they sent me this gorgeous leather tote, with a matching cross-body bag, and I love it. (I’m going to blog about the whole fix, because it was terrific and my cheapest one yet. Even with the bag.)

4. Don’t take a swimsuit on vacation without trying it on first. I packed several swimsuits for the beach that I hadn’t worn since last summer, and when I pulled them on in Florida I found out the elastic was shot. My husband said the resulting look was “very European.” There are many circumstances in which I’d consider this to be a compliment, but never for swimwear.

5. When we go to the beach, we typically leave at the insanely early hour of 4:00 am to miss the worst traffic and get there mid-afternoon. But we pay for it with cranky kids (and sleepy grownups) the first two days, because no one ever goes back to sleep.

This year, we decided to prioritize happy kids over a faster drive time–and the kids were devastated we weren’t leaving in the dark. “Vacation always starts in the dark!” they said. We had no idea that was a thing.

6. When Amazon delivers five or more subscribe and save items to your door at once, you save 20% off your order. (I’m sure you already knew this, but these are things I learned in August.) This was very happy news to me, because now I’ve found even more items I can get delivered to my doorstep, saving me time, money, and precious grocery cart space (family of six, you know). This month we got old-fashioned oats, soy-free tuna, gluten-free pizza crust mix, flaked coconut, and trash bags.

Washi tape = entertainment for hours

7. Washi tape will keep my girls occupied for hours and hours of quiet time (or, thankfully, road trip time). And I found a bunch on a craft store endcap for 50 cents a roll. #score

8. Reusable stickers sound like a good idea. They’re not. They don’t stick very well, so they end up all over the house, but they’re reusable so you feel guilty throwing them away. Just buy the regular stickers.

9.  After using my iPhone for over a year, I finally discovered that swiping a notification on my sleeping phone will unlock it. (I’m sure you already knew this.)

10. I’ve heard great things about the Snapseed photo app, but didn’t want to cough up $4.99 for it. Well, now it’s free.

Marilyn Monroe

11. Truman Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe cast as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Can you even imagine?

This post has a companion: What I’m Into (August Edition). Head here to read more.

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17 comments

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  1. Oh, the wonders of Amazon! And Washi tape! I may use it as an alternative to the reusable stickers that my daughter deposits all over our home :).

    “Very European.” He’s funny. 😉

    Marilyn Monroe!?!? That’s worse than Carrie Underwood as the new Maria.

  2. Leigh Kramer says:

    I received washi tape as a gift but I haven’t found any use for it. Which is strange for me. In any case, I’ll happily bring it for your girls next time I visit! And of course I didn’t know that iPhone trick. There’s so much to learn!

  3. Breanne says:

    That bag is gorgeous. When we’re not in school, I’m adding a subscription to the budget. =)

    Amazon sounds truly lovely, I wish they shipped more then just books to Canada.
    And washi tape sounds like a good buy for my girl for this fall. =)

  4. We used to leave in the dark for our vacations too. My kids love road trips and now we leave in the daylight, it makes for a happier first day and arrival. That bag is awesome, seeing so many people use Stitch Fix. I sent the link to my best friend after seeing Lisa Jo Baker talk about it, but I’ve never used it myself. I used to be a personal shopper at Saks, maybe that’s why. I don’t know. Nice to visit your blog for the first time.

    • Anne says:

      I would love to pick your brain about your experience as a personal shopper for Saks! I would imagine you have some great stories (and some great tips!).

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  5. deborah says:

    I absolutely love your advice to just buy regular stickers. It’s great advice, because the heart of it is that some things are not worth the headache and mental strain they enduce. Oh, and guilt. {I really should reuse these reusable stickers.}

    The European comment gave me a fantastic little chuckle!

  6. Jennifer H says:

    I didn’t even know there was a thing called Subscribe and Save on Amazon, or even that you could buy grocery items. I have 4 on my wish list…I’ll keep shopping till I find the 5th. Thanks!

    • Anne says:

      If I really need a fifth, I’ll buy Electrasol tabs. They’re not any cheaper than they are at Target or Kroger, but they’re not more expensive, either–and buying that fifth item makes everything else significantly cheaper than what I can get locally. (Also I’m getting Muir Glen tomatoes for the first time this month.)

  7. Nina says:

    Anne, I totally agree about Julie and Julia being a way better movie than the book. I couldn’t stand the author, and they really toned her down for the movie. She actually seemed kind of normal!

    I just found your blog and love the name!

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