And just like that, we’ve reached the end of July. While the kids still have over a month before they head back to school, it feels like we’re beginning to amble down the runway toward academic routines. That’s mostly wishful thinking on my part. I try not to wish summer away—I really and truly love it—but I’m also finding myself longing for schedules and predictability.
At this point, that’s mostly needed for Indy’s sake. Belle is relatively self-sufficient at this point. If she’s not babysitting or volunteering at camp, she’s likely to be hanging out with friends.
Speaking of Belle, it felt… strange to be at the lake without her. She was in another province living her best life, doing the teenage summer thing at camp. We have so many family memories of summers spent at the lake: bedtime tuck-ins, zipping up life jackets, smearing on sunscreen and tying on broad-brimmed hats, covering windows and skylights with heavy blankets to block out the sun at nap time. How I dreaded getting kids settled for bed at the lake!
And now Belle puts herself to bed and is responsible for brushing her own teeth. Aside from a few texts during her afternoon breaks, I had zero parental involvement for the better part of a week. It’s a natural progression in the mothering relationship, and it didn’t leave me feeling sad, per se, but decidedly reflective.
When we went to visit my parents, I left our return date open-ended. I needed to be back in time to collect Belle from camp this afternoon (John flies home from Europe today, but not early enough to do the pickup). Had the weather been good yesterday, we would have stayed at the lake. Instead, we woke to high winds and rain.
We puttered around for the morning and enjoyed one more of Mom’s home-cooked meals: Indy’s favourite meatballs and rice, plus a giant bowl of fresh beans we had just picked from the garden. Then we headed home.
The drive felt long. Instead of the usual four-ish hours, it took closer to five. It rained heavily, so I crawled along with my hazard lights on for about an hour. It wasn’t treacherous enough to pull over, but I was still cautious and on high alert. Eventually, the weather cleared and the remainder of the trip was uneventful. That said, I was very relieved to get home.
I emptied our luggage, turned the water back on, and plugged in the basement dehumidifier. Indy took a shower, we did a few odds and ends around the house, and then I collapsed into bed—and started writing this post—because I didn’t sleep overly well at the lake and driving through heavy rain is exhausting!
While I would expect nothing less of him (he’s neater than me in many ways) John had left the house in tip-top shape before heading out on his work trip. Coming home to that was a Happy Thing!
And with that segue, let’s get this Happy Things party started, shall we?
LIGHTHOUSE ART
Reader Julia sent me this note earlier in the week:
After commenting on your post this morning, my husband and I had the chance to do a date night in Camden, ME. Such a cute town, and the library is really unique, built into the ground with a stone surround. We popped in there for a bit after dinner, and found a neat display of quilts by a local woman who passed away somewhat recently. One of her quilts was Canadian Lighthouses, and the one in the center of that was Peggy Cove- so of course I had to take a picture for you!
(If you’re not familiar with Peggy’s Cove, it’s a must-visit destination for anyone coming to Nova Scotia.)
Julia!!! Thank you so much for thinking of me and for taking the time to send me photos of this beautiful quilt. I’m not 100% certain, but I think I recognize a few other lighthouses, too.
The middle one on the left looks like Louisbourg Lighthouse, and the one on the bottom right looks like West Point Lighthouse in PEI.
Oh, and the top right might be Cape Forchu?
TIME AT THE LAKE + SOLO TIME WITH INDY
What a special place! I feel so fortunate to have gotten to spend at least a tiny part of every summer since the year I was born visiting this little slice of natural paradise.
It was a special time with Indy. I’ve never been to the lake with just one kiddo before, and it was definitely a unique dynamic. There were zero behavioural hiccups the entire week. Not even the slightest hint of any contrarian attitude or complaint or disagreement. He was polite and cheerful and mostly eager to help (he did try to shirk dish duties a few times, but who can hold that against him?).
It really is amazing how distance from siblings can make… a very big difference.
He and I were talking on Wednesday night about how he’s going to cherish memories of the lake. I was sitting beside him on the rocks, reading a book out loud while he took fish off the hook. The lake was calm and the sun had just set. He agreed that someday he would tell his own kids about coming to the lake and fishing with his mom and it gave me warm fuzzies.
Will I be so ready to see the school year start and to have some distance from full-time mothering? YES. But it was pretty darn sweet this week.
THE WEATHER
When I first talked to my parents, the weather was not looking great for our time at the lake. The weather makes such a big difference. Having access to the water for fishing and swimming and boating is great. Being cooped up inside while it pours is decidedly less fun.
But every day we woke up to relatively clear skies, calm (and warm!) water, and sunshine. There was a burn ban in place, which is the norm these days. So, no s’mores. But, aside from that, it was basically a picture perfect week at the lake.
In a way, I was happy to see the rain on Thursday, too. It made the decision of when to go home easy and, while I don’t enjoy driving through rain, I know forest fires are a constant issue now and rain brings much-needed relief to the firefighting efforts (and to farmers).
FAMILY TIES
This week my cousin—who used to spend a chunk of time visiting me at the lake each summer—was able to come up with her husband and four kids. Did I mention all four of her kids are BOYS?
It had been 7 years since we were last together and you’d think these boys (technically second cousins) saw each other every day. There was an immediate connection and it was very sweet to watch them play together.
My cousin’s parents (my aunt and uncle) came along too. My uncle is an accomplished baker and spoiled us with a batch of delicious brown sugar fudge, which happens to be one of Indy’s all-time favourite treats. He also brought cranberry/lemon scones (good, though I’m admittedly not a huge fan of cranberries), and incredible blueberry muffins (he shared the recipe, though I haven’t had a chance to make them myself).
We went swimming and the boys fished for hours and did trick shots and played all sorts of games in the water. My cousin and I got to sit and talk for a long while, which was lovely. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding back when I was pregnant with Belle, which feels like… yesterday.
Where does the time go?
DAILY GRATITUDE PRACTICE STARTS TOMORROW!
My August gratitude practice kicks off tomorrow! I’m very excited to get started. It’s been a while since I’ve been intentional about tracking daily gratitude in a structured way. This is going to feel good!
I hope you’ll join me.
Download the August gratitude printables.
MY EASY MAKEUP ROUTINE
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I am a minimalist when it comes to skincare (water and a facecloth and, occasionally, some coconut oil or nighttime moisturizer). I know some of you are (likely rightly!) horrified by my lack of investment in this area and I’m aware I may someday regret this nonchalance. BUT, for now, that is where I land.
Even still, I seem to fairly consistently get comments about my skin. Most specifically, that it looks glowy.
I am here to share my secret(s). I took these pictures a few weeks ago after someone commented about my skin. These pictures are straight out of the camera in a windowless bathroom (no filters or natural light).
I’ve written about my minimalist makeup routine before (here’s that post), but I will quickly run through my process again, mentioning a few new products that have made the cut!
NYX Face Glue Primer. I have tried the “viral” e.l.f. Power Grip Primer and while it was good, I still felt like I wanted to continue my search! I did some research and landed on NYX Face Glue Primer and I will be buying a new bottle the instant this is gone. It IS tacky. If you do not like that sensation, do not buy this primer. It holds things very well; while I find it light, there is no mistaking the fact you are wearing primer.
After letting the primer rest for about 30 seconds, I swipe on the Maybelline Lifter Stix (I use Shade 20). They discontinued the old stick (at least for resale in my local pharmacy) that I used (Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation). I’ve been using foundation sticks for over a decade and it’s what I keep coming back to!
I swipe it on and then blend it in using the e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush. This brush offers great bang for buck. (Belle also has the same brush and loves it!)
Next up: e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter. (I use Shade Light/Medium) I love this stuff. That said, it is fairly sheer, so don’t expect a lot of coverage. It blurs pores and adds a bit of a… well, glow. I also think that using a primer is KEY. The Halo Glow rubs off quite easily without a primer, but has much better staying power with a sticky base layer. I don’t use a setting spray or powder, but I assume it would last even longer with those? A bottle also lasts a long time. A little goes a long way, and I just use the doe-foot applicator to apply little swipes as pictured above, before blending it in with the same blending brush.
Once the Halo Glow is blended in, I dot on Essence 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick (05 Pink Blush). I use this off-label because I do NOT ever put it on my lips. I find this product works great as an inexpensive liquid blush. The price point seems to be higher now than when I bought it at a local pharmacy 6 months ago. Inflation? I’m not sure. You could get the same effect with just about any liquid lipstick, I’m guessing! My go-to blush for the last 15+ years has been lipstick of some sort and I’d say the 8 h Essence has been one of the best. (I use the e.l.f. Complexion Duo brush to lightly sweep it into my cheeks, swiping up toward my temple).
It’s eye time! First up, e.l.f. Brow Laminating Gel. This is okay. It does the job and helps tame my brows and give them some shape/hold, but I think I’ll either go back to my preferred e.l.f. Brow Lift (so good, but they were sold out the last time I was replacing it at the drugstore) or maybe consider something else? Maybe a tinted eyebrow gel so it’s one-stop shopping?
Essence Wow What a Brow Pen (Shade Light Brown). For now, I use a pencil and it is SO cheap and works… fine! I love that I don’t need a sharpener and will never go back to old-school pencils.
e.l.f. Lash Xtndr (Shade Deep Brown). I love, love, love tubing mascara, and please do not let me ever purchase anything but tubing mascara for the rest of my life. Does it give the biggest lashes? Probably not. Do I love, love, love never having raccoon eyes? Yes! Do I love that my mascara doesn’t flake off during the day? YES.
The next picture shows my left eye/eyebrow (reflected on the right side!) done and my right undone. It’s fairly subtle.
I tend to flip-flop between black and brown and can’t decide which I prefer. For now, I’m wearing Deep Brown. Removing tubing mascara is an art, not a science. You need to warm up your lashes by putting very warm water on your fingertips and squeezing over your lashes until it “melts.” It will come off in tubes and looks weird. I know people have mixed feelings about tubing mascara and if you hate it, no problem! But I am a convert.
Here’s the finished look. It takes me about three minutes!
Here’s a side-by-side (again, no filters and no natural light). It’s subtle, but I feel more put together. And I would hazard a guess that my glowing skin is largely thanks to a little product called Halo Glow 😉
One other note. For years and years (my whole life until the last 18ish months) I used my fingers to blend in makeup. There are pros and cons to this, but now I exclusively use brushes and really prefer it. I use the e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush (for blending in the Lifter Stix and Halo Glow) and e.l.f. Complexion Duo (for blending in whatever lipstick I’m using as blush); I rarely put anything on my eyelids, but if I do, I use the little brush on the opposite end of the complexion duo. Part of me is considering getting a second blending brush and using it for blush, as I prefer the blending brush the complexion duo but… it works perfectly fine so I likely will only do that if/when my Complexion Duo needs replacing.
PLANNING
August feels quite nebulous. Our summer was front-loaded and now I’m staring down a month with… a lot of white space. Which sounds delightful, but can feel a bit overwhelming since John and I work from home, have limited structured childcare (for Indy, Belle mostly does her own thing), and some company coming toward the end of the month.
When I broke things down a bit, I was relieved to recognize I only have two weeks to fill. One of those weeks, Indy has an hour of tennis lessons each day. Which admittedly isn’t a lot of time, but it does provide some structure. I might sign him up for another morning sports camp at our church. He’s not a big fan, but this is the last year he’s eligible to go (based on age) and it is such a treat to have him occupied in the mornings. It really does make my life run more smoothly.
One day this week, while Indy fished, I sat by the lake and did a bit of planning. I made some calls I’d been putting off. I literally counted down in my head and forced myself to dial. The calls were NOT a big deal, but putting them off had made them feel like a big deal.
On a very Happy note, Heather, the creator of Sprouted Planners, asked if I’d be interested in having my own coupon code to offer my readers. Obviously, the answer was yes!!
I realize planners are a very personal choice and they are NOT one-size fits all. Sprouted has been perfect for me. I adore Heather’s planners. The layouts. The paper (no bleed-through; clouds part and angels sing), and I love the various dashboard options. I had extremely limited space going to Europe and you’d better believe my Sprouted planner came with me!
If you’re on the hunt for a few planner and are curious about mine, use the code ELISABETH15 to get 15% off your first Sprouted order.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- Snail mail! I received delightful messages from Julie (a postcard of a painting done by Monet in Venice!) and Stephany. Thanks to both of you for bringing a smile to my face.
- Cold water. So refreshing on a hot summer day.
- Audiobooks. I’m not generally a huge fan of audiobooks, but Indy has been wanting to read Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright and it was included in Spotify Premium, so guess what we listened to on our car ride home yesterday!
- Speaking of Indy and books, he LOVED the first Percy Jackson book and was constantly asking me to sit down and read to him. I’ve already requested the second book in the series from the library. The sheer amount of overlap with the Harry Potter series is staggering, but I’m keeping an open mind and have to admit I really enjoyed reading it with him.
- Coco and her family recently went on SUCH a cool trip in Brazil. I’ve never seen anything like Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. The giant sand dunes and freshwater lagoons look truly incredible and I want to see it with my own eyes one day!
That’s it from me for the week. Happy Weekending <3
Your turn.
- Tell me your Biggest Happy Thing from the last week.
- When do schools reopen in your region?
- Who’s planning to track daily gratitude in August?
- Tell me your favourite makeup brands/products.
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
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