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6 things I’m loving for early summer

Thanks to Talbots Summer Book Club and their “Give a book. Get a book.” book exchange for sponsoring this post.

Every once in a while I like to share the little things I’m loving these days. Here’s my list for early summer.

1. Fashion tape.

This stuff is genius; I’ve been working on the same little tin for years. I hardly ever use it over the winter, but I dig it out of the drawer when the temperature rises to keep pesky bra straps out of sight for barer warm-weather apparel.

2. One-shoulder styles.

I don’t understand the appeal of the cold-shoulder look (you can’t raise your arms!) but I love the one-shoulder styles. (With fashion tape, of course.) Like this swimsuit, this dress, or this top (which I just wore to Hamilton—and can’t you see I needed fashion tape on both shoulders?),

3. Cold brew.

It’s that time of year, finally! I love how it’s SO EASY to keep it prepped in the fridge and pour for my 2pm coffee break. Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Iced Coffee is a standby, and when I’m feeling lazy I lean on Grady’s Cold Brew.

4. Farm box.

We’re doing a CSA for the first time in years. (It’s delivered straight to my husband’s work, which made it almost too easy to resist.)

We’re definitely having to get back in the habit of doing a ton of veggie prep on delivery day, but the early spring offerings have made it more than worth it already. Strawberries! Asparagus! Snap peas!

5. Old books.

This time of year I always feel pulled back towards the old stuff. Right now I’m tackling the giant stack of books I picked up at a local used book sale earlier this spring. I won’t read them all, but it’s the stack I’m pulling from for my bedtime reading, and I’m loving it.

6. Little libraries.

I feel like every time I turn around, I see another library—sometimes in the most unexpected places! That photo above is from Talbots.

This summer, Talbots is launching a Summer Book Club with a “Give a book. Get a book.” book exchange. Bring in a favorite book to your local Talbots store and pick up another one that someone else has enjoyed and recommends.

You can also pick up adorable bookplates in stores and online that encourage you to write a note about why a certain book is a favorite before you pass it along. It’s your chance to play librarian for the next reader who comes along.

Plus, if you are looking for a new summer read, Talbots is partnering with best-selling Random House authors, including Nancy Thayer, Fannie Flagg, Lisa Wingate, and Susan Elia MacNeal, to introduce their latest books through exclusive interviews, sneak peek chapters and special offers.

Visit talbots.com/summerbookclub to learn more.

7. Outdoorsy-ness

My family loves doing outdoorsy stuff together … but we don’t do it all that often. I think we get out of the habit during the colder months, and then forget once spring rolls around.

So on Memorial Day Will wanted to pack everybody up—that’s all six of us—and go paddleboarding and rowing at a nearby lake. I thought he was crazy—we didn’t have time for that, and would it even be fun?

Long story short: we did it and we all had a blast; it was great family time (and great exercise). And I also noticed that the next day I got so much more done than usual—I felt like I could think better. Maybe it’s coincidence, but I hope it’s because leaving my phone in the car for eight hours was good for me. (Thoughts?)

What little things are YOU loving right now? I’d love to hear all about them in comments. 

19 comments

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  1. Leslie Dupont says:

    Wow! Thanks Anne for the Talbots recommendation!! I literally have a Talbots a couple miles from my house. I’m going to take advantage of the book exchange. I’m excited as we are moving from southeast Texas to Springfield, VA this summer and I’ll FINALLY have access to truly GOOD farmer’s markets and joining a CSA. I love summertime garden harvest!

  2. Kim Jackson says:

    this is my last summer of childcare so I am loving getting them out & about as much as we can. walks, field trips to city or county parks, visiting & doing activities w/the Assisted Living Residents, & using up the craft supplies we have.
    my husband & I enjoy taking our pups in our little camper to a nearby campground every other weekend for some quiet time.
    filling my deck with plants.
    filling my flower beds with native Iowa plants for the next owner to enjoy fuss-free.

  3. Kathleen says:

    I went phone-free for two solid days last weekend when I attended a Cub Scouts Overnight Camp with my sons. It was glorious and I feel like I’ve been more productive and calm this entire week. I’m thinking about making it a regular thing, maybe on one weekend day.

    I’m loving sitting on our back porch with my kids after dinner, reading books, watching them play on the trampoline, and enjoying the long days.

  4. Lori says:

    I so relate to these!!

    I’ve been taking the “back roads” to work recently since it’s highway construction season in Michigan – ugh. But I absolutely LOVE all the green I see on those farm roads – off the freeway. So refreshing, I just drink it in.

    AND – I have a Talbots gift card burning a hole in my pocket -and I too live very close to a Talbots and absolutely love their stuff! Need to get in there (I hate shopping!) Maybe they have a little library, too! What a great idea!

    AND my first iced coffee of the summer is always reason to celebrate. At Panera and Starbucks I ask for just one pump of chocolate with it – yum, yum! I need to work on a good home recipe; have wanted to try the PW’s. Maybe now is the time…

  5. Jennifer N. says:

    I’ve been using plain old double-sided tape for my fashion needs for a while (namely, button-down shirts) and it works great – though probably not as great for the fabric as tape specifically made for the purpose. I also really need to get back on the making my own iced coffee train. I’m sure McD’s has enjoyed my business, but homemade iced coffee is SO much more cost-effective.

    One of my goals for the summer is to take the kids on more weekend adventures. We also have a pool membership this year that I intend to make full use of. My oldest is in year-round school, so he only has one week off during the traditional summer months.

    What am I loving this early summer? The mornings have been cool enough that I don’t need air conditioning for my morning commute. My car’s AC tends to turn it into a freezer box, so comfy outdoor temps make that morning drive so much more comfortable.

  6. Jenny Wells says:

    Just curious if you’ve heard the Little Library angle that it serves the neighborhoods who don’t need them. Not meaning to be a downer at all. I just found the perspective interesting. I’m trying to figure out how to get books into “book deserts” and I wonder how Talbot’s might be doing this.

    • Lauren says:

      I agree. I live in an area with such fabulous libraries (3 in our suburban town alone!), and I would love to find ways to help especially kids who don’t have access to books of their own. It would be great to find a way to get titles into their hands every week or two.

      • Lauren says:

        Care to share? I have often pictured myself driving the bus in the Reading Rainbow ads from my childhood!

  7. Sarah K says:

    Things I’m loving right now: It’s warm but still cool enough to enjoy being outside. My garden is thriving with minimal effort because it’s still raining regularly. Pulling out my summer wardrobe bit by bit – it’s like a new wardrobe for free! Birkenstocks and Chacos whenever I’m not at work. We joined a neighborhood pool this year and it’s been so great! The kids really enjoy it and I love the social aspect because a ton of our neighbors go there too! (AND – they let us bring in food and booze!)

  8. We’ve been doing CSA for about 5 years now. We started with the veggie box and now get fruit, veggies, eggs, and meat every week. Feels great to know where your food comes from, support a local farmer, try new veggies and experiment with recipes. Totally worth it and the produce is organic and the animals are free range..win win win

  9. Annette Silveira says:

    Hey everyone-
    Duluth Trading Company has some tank tops the little straps inside the shoulders that you can snap your bra straps into. No more wayward straps! I don’t think every tank has this feature, but I have a few of them and they are fantastic.
    I’ll be checking out the tape option for the couple from another brand with not straps.

  10. Angela says:

    I found an old book for $1 in my library’s book sale corner. It’s titled “Applesauce Needs Sugar” and I have no idea what it’s about! It’s hardbound, but no more sleeve. The spine is beautiful and the title intrigued me. It’s on my TBR summer stack. Old books FTW!

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