We’re in peak summer right now! I just love this time of year. Spending as much time outside as possible, visiting with neighbors, playing in water, plenty of daylight and warm weather–it’s all so sweet.

Here’s what’s up for me this month!

Current books Just Add Water by Katie Ledecky, Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors, and Sadie and I started a new chapter book series.

Current kid product Solar Buddies sunscreen applicator. Life changing! I used to use spray sunscreen but Mordecai was afraid of the sound of it. He loves using the Solar Buddies applicator and the rest of our family uses it as well. You just fill it with your liquid sunscreen of choice and then roll it on. I love that it doesn’t get my hands all sunscreen-y.

Current drink We’re finishing off the last of a bag of coffee beans from Charis Coffee Company that we purchased in Manteo last month!

Current food Peanut butter granola. Love having it mixed with a few different types of cereals and milk every night before bed.

Current home product I ordered an auto emergency rescue tool that I hope I never have to use. I guess it’s not technically for the home, but close enough!

Current baked good I got a split decision pie pan for my birthday, so I’ve been having fun with that! Also baking chocolate chip cookies, American flag pies, and doing plenty of chocolate covered Oreos!

Current cuteness Mordecai playing with his toy car while laying with Niva and sucking his thumb. Total contentment 🤎

Current need Once again, Mordecai needs shoes! He has one pair of sneakers, one pair of sandals, and just needs a pair of dress shoes that fit him. I need to stay on top of these things because he wore sandals to church last week 😆

Current laugh Niva caught and killed her second groundhog in our yard this week and let me just set the scene for you. I texted Jimmy (he was at work) to tell him what Niva did and he said to make sure to get the groundhog off of her so she didn’t get sick. So I go outside at like 7:00 am yelling “Niva! Leave it!” While carrying a shovel. She left it alone but I could not pick the groundhog up. It must have weighed 15 lbs and was all floppy. I let Niva in the house and she immediately flipped out and jumped at the door to go back out (waking up Mordecai in the process). I got a snow shovel and used the regular shovel to flip the groundhog into the snow shovel. Then I heaved it over the hill behind our house. I walked back to our garage and our neighbor was sitting on her front porch watching me 😆 Just another day at the Zottola Zoo!

Current joy Spending summer days with Sadie and Mordecai. They’re both so open to whatever adventure we get up to.

Currently looking forward to An amusement park day! We purchased tickets to visit Kennywood, so we’re hoping to go sometime this month or next month.

Current question Do you have any good bee sting remedies? Sadie has been stung on her foot twice so far this summer and both times her foot has gotten really swollen. We tried ibuprofen, ice, essential oils, cortisone cream, Benadryl cream, and oral Benadryl but nothing has seemed to help much.

Current fun Taking the kids to a local park with a little splash pad area. We made a morning of it one day and we all had a great time!

Current excitement All sorts of baking orders lately!

Current craving Wandering around a store by myself. Does anyone else love to do this?

A look back
July 2017
July 2018
July 2019
July 2020
July 2021
July 2022
July 2023