Happy end of the month! July has been full of weekend trips, home projects, new starts, and hot hot summer sun. Summer time is my favorite season (right next to Christmas), and I want to be sure I’m enjoying it as much as I can before the busy of the fall starts to settle in next month. It’s still going to be crazy hot here in Jacksonville for the next few months so there will no shortage of beach days, but once August comes around, it starts to feel a little less like summertime as we prepare for football season and the holidays.

Full disclosure, I kind of hit a wall at the end of June with a weird mental exhaustion. I was having so many stressful, overwhelming thoughts from all different directions that everything bubbled up to the point that I knew I had to make some changes. I wanted to write a post about my favorites from this month as I do with every other month, but also wanted to include some of the best, most life-giving things that have helped me so so much in July. It was a blessing to be forced to make some adjustments. Keep reading to hear about those!

We will start with my favorite finds from this month. Gosh, so many things to tell y’all!

July Favorites

K18 shampoo – My hair gal got me onto this and I love it. I can go a very long time between washes, my hair is growing faster and isn’t breaking.

Buxom Lipgloss in color Briana – A cooler toned red/pink. My current go-to!

LAKE pajamas English Rose collection – The most beautiful, girly pajamas! There are so many styles to choose from that are all classic.

Luxe Unfiltered Tan drops – I put a few drops in my moisturizer at night every few days and I get a natural glow.

Tkees – My fourth purchase. These are just precious and easy to throw on with anything.

White + Green Midi Dress – Gosh, this is the perfect transition into fall dress. The embroidery is perfect

Ikea Love Seat – We got another couch for the front room since I moved the original into our bedroom bay window. I just love them. They look so much more expensive, so easy to put together, clean up quick, and comfortable.

Magnesium – Religiously take this every night and it helps my sleep so much. This is the brand I like.

Local Fare Jax – A local, organic farmers market delivery service in Jacksonville. We have loved this in the month of July, and are so happy to support local farmers. Each week, we get a few staples like farm fresh eggs, milk, chicken, and a ground beef. We also have get the basic produce package that changes a little each week depending on what’s in season. It’s been so fun to have some surprise produce to use for the week that I normally wouldn’t!

Hot Pink Feather Kaftan from Tela Mercantile – The most stunning dress!

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer – A lightweight foundation that’s got a bit of a glow to it to make your skin look refreshed.

Under eye patches for dark circles – Love these and these.

Brunch Dress – This one is a classic. Size down one

Mental Health

Next month, I will be celebrating my 27th birthday. It’s a blessing to keep growing older and learn new things about myself and the world. I realized after my “hitting a wall” moment that I’d gotten out of the routine of being intentional with my habits, trying new things, and going out of my way to do what I enjoy.

Being in Europe earlier this summer and watching their culture simply enjoy their lives and slow down was such an encouragement for me. I came home and signed up for a paint class that meets once a week, started cooking more meals at home with John, put my phone away more often, went back to therapy, started spending more time with friends and outdoors. It’s all such small, no-brainer things, but gosh I needed to be reminded to slow down and live. I am prone to worry, and being careful with where my thoughts are is something I’m working on. <3

I ended up trying Pure Barre a few weeks ago and after the first class, I loved it so much that I immediately got a membership. It’s been so good for my mind and body to workout in this way! It’s very challenging, but actually very calming to me. Being in a kind, joyful, all female environment has been so good.

While working from home, I usually like having a Podcast playing. I mix in a few different topics: mental health / self work (The Place We Find Ourselves), influencing + social media trends (Influencer Confidential), pop culture (The Popcast, Be There In Five), and faith based (The Bible Binge, Beth Moore). It rather obvious, but what I’m ingesting for content effects me so deeply (this goes for social media, too!). I decided to take a break from some of the other podcasts that were starting to be distracting or stressful. True Crime, Heather McMahan… I’ll catch you later!

Boundaries by Henry Cloud – This has taught me so much, I can’t even begin to explain. Everyone should read this book.

Anyways, I just wanted to share a few deeper things with y’all that I hope encourage you or at least let you in on some of the things that aren’t often shared on social media.

Love y’all! <3

Looking for something? Here’s my Amazon storefront with all my finds.

For more style inspiration and home decor ideas, be sure to follow me on Instagram and LiketoKnow.it for regular updates and tips.

Here’s how to make your house feel like home.