A Wildwood Story

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” -Dumbledore

Music

A Little Collection of Recents

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∇ Recent favorite read by two people I know and admire:

The Miracle of Working at an Ice-Cream Shop

∇ Recent finished books I can’t stop talking and thinking about:

∇ Recent pair of new shoes that I love and expect to wear for the next 50 years: Black solid flats

{And if you want to order a pair for yourself, let me know and I’ll send you a referral code for $20 off!}

∇ Recent song that used to be an old favorite and is now back in my listening rotation:

This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world to me.

5 Favorites From July

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July was a month of illness for our family, which shouldn’t be allowed in summer yet here we are, still blowing our noses and coughing up unmentionables. Thank you, modern medicine, for your merciful assistance. Thank you, essential oils and Vitamin C, for making me smell like an apothecary but also feel better.

Here you are, my five favorites from July!

∇ Essays on The Art of Simple. It’s where I go for self-help direction (ahem-always need more of that), life encouragement, and recommendations on all sorts of things. Here is one that I really needed to read: Transform Your Relationship With Your Teen…

∇ Birkenstock sandals. Up until this spring, I thought Birkenstocks were an ugly relic from the 70’s, but I was young and naive and now I am still young but also wiser. Wiser because apparently there are many styles of Birkenstocks and you don’t have to wear the kind your hippy aunt is still wearing from her flower child days, if you don’t wanna! My sisters Naomi & Keturah each bought their own pair and since they loved them so much and I want to be like them and do everything they do, I bought my own to try. I’d been wearing super flat sandals which just aren’t meant for constant wear and were causing my feet and legs to hurt. My Birkenstocks are a world of difference in support and I literally wear them constantly. {The first link is to the exact pair I purchased as an online-only special, but you can also find a variety of styles on Amazon.}

∇ Trendsend by Evereve. This July I received my fourth (fifth?!) box and while I’ve kept an article of clothing from each one in the past; this time it was a simple tassel necklace I adore.

∇Sniffle Stopper from Plant Therapy: this {kid-safe} essential oil blend has long been a favorite; everyone notices an improvement in their breathing when we diffuse it. LOVE

∇ Old favorite, often on repeat, thank you Ingrid dear:

You can find my June favorites here.

Photo by Brittany Neale on Unsplash

Weekend Favorites

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Closing out this weekend with a few of my favorite things…

∇ Because she is the sweetest, and this music video is adorable:

∇ How to Overcome Comparison: An Open Letter From a Recovering Perfectionist {Soul Scripts}

“My life is not a competition–neither the messy parts nor the marvelous parts are a measurement of my worth.” I’ve been following Jordan on Instagram for awhile; she’s the real deal! Encouraging women to live in their identity in Christ and follow hard after God. 

∇ The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle

Wow, this is a unique wealth of resources. I was first introduced to the bundle last year and was so pleased with my purchase! It has ALL THE THINGS. 

∇ Do you have what it takes to travel the world and be a flavor finder? Noosa is looking for yogurt superfans!

Thank you to my sister, Mara, for bringing this to my attention. I would apply except I have not actually yet tried Noosa yogurt and therefore feel unqualified for such a mission.

{You can see last week’s Weekend Favorites here.}

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a weekend full of favorites to me.

Letter 5 {Super Bowl}

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Dear Candace,

Monday

The Pride & Prejudice soundtrack is perfect for days when the sky feels like a weighted blanket. My candles are lit, my coffee is hot, and the house is blissfully quiet while the children are at their classes.

I should be cleaning. I should be grocery shopping. There are always so many shoulds, aren’t there? Instead I will take this opportunity to read, pray, reflect, write, and perhaps pour myself a second cup.

Last night Tom and the boys watched the Super Bowl.* The Fox Sports app was streaming it live so they were able to watch it for free, yay! As you well know, I have not an athletic bone in my body nor do I follow sports, much, but I am always okay with snacks and family time and the commercials are kind of great.

I put on comfy clothes and worked in the kitchen all afternoon and evening. I don’t usually tackle big jobs on Sunday afternoons, but on Saturday Tom installed LED lighting and the kitchen had vomited into the dining room. Several cabinets had to be emptied while he worked on the wiring, and naturally I decided to reorganize. If we’re gonna have a mess anyway, why not make it a bigger one, right?!? I found those espresso beans you gave me, hidden behind boxes of tea. My limited counter space caused a series of conflicting emotions as I determined what could stay out, what must be stored in a cabinet, what must go. It’s like pulling on a pair of too-tight jeans: I…WILL…MAKE…YOU…FIT…

Being two steps away from the living room meant I was present for the whole Super Bowl event even though I didn’t actually sit down and watch it. That’s the good thing about being in a small house-you’re only two steps away from everything. That’s the bad thing about being in a small house-you’re only two steps away from everything.

Favorite commercial? Definitely Christopher Walken’s bai ad because, well, three things: Christopher Walken, Justin Timberlake’s velvet jacket, cleverness.  Runner up? The celebrity Honda commercial because: sweet, sappy, just-keep-swimming inspiration.

Friday

I made it! This week included 60+ degree weather, -30 degree weather, my kids developing a fascination for skateboarding and begging to do it on the daily, the house across from us being condemned due to structural unsoundness, and my left eyeball swelling nearly closed because of an infection. In other words, the usual.

As part of his school, Drew was required to write a letter to the president. I remember doing the same thing as an elementary student, and the excitement of getting a letter back from the White House! Drew had a hard time deciding what he would write, but in the end he chose to include this in his letter:

“Do you like Harry Potter? The Harry Potter books are my favorite. If you have never read them you should.”

I suspect our Commander in Chief has NOT read them, and this is part of his problem.

Have a great weekend,

Rachel

*Using Amazon’s fire stick which is new to us and quite handy

Letter 4

Letter 6

This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I will receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a stack of letters to me.