Life Lately | August 2026
I heard the nicest thing a couple of days ago: summer is only half over.
You guys! Hallelujah. I know some people just really love fall and they get excited about it early in the same way that I - a real summer gal - will be chirping about summer in March. Valid! You do you, boo. But as for me, I’m just so grateful to have a solid month of real, hot, sweaty summer left, and then most of September too. Girl paid rent until September 22 and she ain’t moving out early, okay!
August is looking so good, btw. We have county fair week coming up (!!!!) plenty of beach days ahead, and I’m making a list of all the local outdoor patios that I want to hit up before the season comes to a close.
What are you up to lately?
Some random favorites -
Napping on the patio couch.
Windows open at night.
Every single meal al fresco.
Going for a walk at 8pm and it’s still light outside.
How good pastel nail polish looks with a tan.
Listening to ABBA with the windows down.
Always driving with the windows down.
Crazy hair from driving with the windows down.
Stuff I wore with my sunburn -
Sun Bum Lip 30. Burned my lips (!!) one time this summer and baby, that will never happen to me again. This goes on like a gloss but protects like SPF.
Beetles Gel Polish in Lemon Cheese. Yellow polish with a good tan - tres chic!
Alternatively, for an easier manicure, these press-ons are great and I got a solid 2 weeks out of them.
We will all remember summer 2026 as the year of jelly everything, right? I got my hit of the trend with these blue jelly flippies from Old Navy. The look for less, if you will.
I became a hat girl for the sake of my skin and eyes, but an unbranded hat girl. For $3!
Misc. Purchases
Bubly Melted Ice Pop + the Target brand of the same flavor are entirely resposible for keeping me hydrated this summer.
Xtra Milk Dedtergent. Makes your clothes smell divine! Buy it from Amazon or Sephora though because the brand’s customer service leaves something to be desired.
Bought this bedazzling kit for myself, but my youngest has gotten the most mileage out of it. Attn moms with kids in the 8-12 ranges: this consumes hours of quiet, diligent attention. Personally, we pop on a podcast and sit quietly together for an hour or two bedazzling everything in our house!
Consumables // watched, read and listened to -
Season 2 of The Four Seasons. Watched it start to finish and then did a full rewatch of season 1 and coasted straight into season 2 all over again. I’m just so into this show. The characters are a little older than me, but I just feel the resonance of long marriages, long friendships, and middle age burnout.
Kacey Musgraves, Middle of Nowhere. Wow, such a great summer album. She never really misses, does she? It’s been on repeat at my house, in my car, etc etc.
Boring History Podcast. I think this is purposely supposed to put you to sleep, but I just really like the host’s soothing, monotone voice describing low-key, anti-climactic bits of history. I promise it’s more interesting than I’m making it sound - haha!
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. A Pulitzer Prize winning novel that is almost certainly the standout read of my summer. A large cast of characters, but predominantly follows Thomas, the watchman at a local factory, and his niece Patrice, each with their own big problems to solve.
I also read and liked The Wedding People, Remarkably Bright Creatures (and promptly watched the movie on Netflix), and Mary Jane. The latter features peak high summer vibes.
Summer look book -
There is nothing better than summertime meals, imo. Boat Sammies. Beach Sammies. The way salads or an ice cream cone can constitute an entire meal. Leftover burger patties, cold out of the fridge. Watermelon! August tomatoes!
Literally my credit card bill is basically ice cream cones and 12-packs of Surf Sides to share.
Honestly a coffee and a walk is therapy for like, $7.
