Sunday Summary - 07.03.22

Written By Maggie McMichael

JULY | 2022

Reading

I have this entire week off work and intend to make a serious dent in my summer reading list. I’m currently wrapping up The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews, and up next is Malibu Rising.

The Newcomer

If you’re a fan of beach reads with a hint of murder, I think you’d really like Mary Kay Andrews’ books in general. I read Hello, Summer by the same author, and I loved that the story involved crime without giving you all of the gory details. I’m the opposite of a true crime junkie, so this is my version of an “edgy” beach read. Following her sister’s murder, Letty and her niece, Maya, escape from her ex-boyfriend and ex-brother-in-law-ish (yes, weird) and find refuge at a motel in Florida where she uncovers secrets her sister was hiding for years. It’s a major page turner!

If you’ve already read The Newcomer and are looking for other beach reads, I took the liberty of putting together a little long weekend reading list for you. You can shop them all here!

Cooking

This week I decided to shake things up cook exclusively from Molly Baz’s cookbook! (Not Half Baked Harvest? Shocking, I know.) We had to do a mid-week shopping trip, and I didn’t feel like combing through several cookbooks to find recipes. I picked one off the shelf and committed to finding 3 dinners that would be both easy and delicious.

I always feel bad typing out recipes from someone’s published cookbook, so I’ll just list the ones we cooked, in case you already have the book at home or were interested in the types of recipes featured:

  • B-fast Tacos with Charred Scallion Salsa & Fried Pepitas (p. 127)

  • Spiced Chickpeas & Smothered Pita Chips (p. 135)

  • Graziella’s Pasta al Pomodoro (p. 142)

Want some recipe inspiration that doesn’t involve a cookbook? Check out these 3 easy dinners.

Summer Shopping Brain

Is it just me, or does your brain also tell you that you need everything advertised to you in the summer? (I know I’m not alone, because my friend Ashley and I talked about it this week!) I typically get the shopping bug twice per year - once in the summer and once in the fall. The rest of the year I truly don’t pine after much, and while I feel like my shopping habits have improved drastically over the last few years once I discovered the joy of clothing rental services, sometimes the craving for something new just hits harder than others.

For this year’s summertime spree, I decided to limit my search to one store and committed to getting pieces that I could mix and match with things already in my closet and that could be worn incessantly. I shop pretty much exclusively online, and decision paralysis is super real if you try to search the world wide web end-to-end. I chose this store because they offer petite and short sizes in ~99% of their styles. That’s HUGE for someone under 5’3” who often finds shopping off the rack a bit discouraging.

What I Got (and kept!)

For reference, I’m 5’2” and my normal size is XS or XS Petite, if offered. Right now the entire site is 25% off, and you’ll get an extra 15% off if you use the code FIREWORKSAF.

  • Floral Midi Dress (XS Petite) - Loved the pattern on this dress, and I’ve been on a dress kick lately as I look ahead to summer vacations. The top part is smocked, and I personally think smocked styles look best with a patterned fabric.

  • Most flattering romper (XS Petite) - I have a shorter torso than most and often struggle with rompers that have elastic waistbands. Because of how thick this waistband is, it totally eradicates that problem. Super light weight and comfy!

  • Button maxi (XS Petite) - I waffled between the floral print and plain blue color in this dress and am happy I ended up with the blue. If you have a small chest, you don’t have to worry about finding the right bra for this one, and I think this will be worn often this summer. I also love the paprika red!

  • Flowy pants (XS Short) - I’ve been on the hunt for petite-friendly, pull-on, flowy pants for years, and these tick all of my boxes. They have pockets, aren’t see through, don’t need hemming, and are the perfect amount of “high waisted.” I wish they had more colors in my size!

  • Crop top (XS) - This was an adventurous purchase for me, but this is a super tasteful and flattering crop top. I thought it’d be great with those pull-on pants, high waisted denim shorts, or some black high waisted shorts to make it look like a set. The sleeves aren’t “80s puffy” either - huge win!

What I Returned

  • Ruched Bodice Puff Sleeve Mini Dress (XS Petite) - I’d seen this on other people and thought it was adorable, but I looked like a cupcake. The sleeves were a little too puffy for my taste, but it did fit really well overall. I ordered it in white and probably would have liked it better in a darker color!

I also snagged these sandals from Amazon while I was on the hunt for neutral, comfortable, waterproof shoes. They’re insanely comfortable and wash off really easily — an important thing to note since I ordered the color Stone, a great “off-white” shade without being too yellow. (They have a weird smell when they first come in, but it fades over time!)

I’m a true size 7, and the 7-8 fits me perfectly. If you’re between sizes, size up! Don’t want neutral? They have 20+ colors & patterns!

Listening

I used to never walk Nash and listen to podcasts, but I recently started working it into my Saturday morning walks with him and have really enjoyed it! A couple of great episodes I’ve listened to lately:

The Latest

Moooooore empties! This was the largest bunch of empties I’ve had in a while, and it’s always a fun exercise for me to reflect on the products, recount how they performed, and make the final determination of whether or not to repurchase. If you’ve already seen this video, I’ve got an entire playlist of empties you can check out here.

Enjoy the long weekend, and I’ll see you in your inbox this time next week!

Maggie McMichael
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