Gifts,  US Travel

September Updates: A Little Bit of Everything

Hi and Happy (official) Fall! Here are some September updates including a new book, baby gifts, a gift for our home, a quick trip up north, and things that have caught my eye recently.

**This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you click and purchase, I may receive some compensation at no extra cost to you. Just click on the bold links and/or photos. Thank you!

September Updates: A New Book

William Kent Kruger is a favorite author. I read This Tender Land a few years ago and just finished reading his newest book, The River We Remember. His writing style and character development are captivating. In both books, there are sensitive topics so just be sure to read the descriptions before purchasing. The River We Remember takes place in Minnesota in the late 1950’s. It involves the murder of a town’s most powerful inhabitant. There is an element of mystery surrounding the murder but I also found myself wrapped up in the mystery and stories of all of the characters. 

September Updates: A Quick Trip Up North

Sleeping Bear Dunes Trail

Dunes Trail Sleeping Bear Dunes Sleeping Bear Dunes Trail Lake Michigan

A couple of weekends ago, we headed up north for a quick trip. We stayed at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. The kids enjoyed the indoor pool (the outdoor pool was still open), a buffet breakfast, and general hotel lounging. R and I were able to sneak away to Aerie for an anniversary cheers at night.

We arrived Friday night, and after pool time, headed into Traverse City for dinner. The Little Fleet has been around for quite some time but this was our first visit. It was perfect for a casual Friday dinner after a long week. We all were able to get the food we wanted from various food trucks. We then strolled though downtown. The kids designed their own tourist gear (and wore it out of the store) before we popped into The Cherry Republic. (More eating options can be found in this blog post.)

The next day, we hiked the Dunes Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes to Lake Michigan and back. We are all in pretty good shape and had been walking on sand all summer, but this trail was still quite challenging. The kids definitely rose to the occasion! Arts Tavern in Glen Arbor was our reward. Then back to the hotel, dinner on the golf course, and leaving the next morning to get back for soccer and tennis.

September Updates: A Gift for Our Home

Living in a 1920s home, a mudroom is generally not part of the design. We, and often guests, enter though our side door. This is also where tennis and soccer bags, cleats, sneakers, etc are dumped. As you can imagine, these are not the smells that you really want to be greeted by lol. I recently purchased a Pura diffuser. In the past, I have found plug in scents to be overwhelming and leading to headaches. I like this diffuser for several reasons, one of which, is the ability to control the intensity of the scent and the timing of the scents. For example, I set ours via the Pura app on my phone for 5-6am in the morning and again from 2-3pm in the afternoon. The intensity is typically set to 1 or 2 (the lowest settings). This week, I wasn’t home yet and one of our kids invited a friend over so I quickly started the diffuser before they got there. The first two scents I chose were Big Sur and PCH to remind us of some of our favorite places. Pura has several brands that I trust and will try next like Studio McGee, Nest, and Anthropologie. I linked a few below.

September Updates: A Baby Gift

November is going to be a big month full of new babies (to be clear– not mine) and I cannot wait! A recent discovery of Little Sleepies has me buying all of the baby zippies. They are so soft on baby skin, and the zippies for the littles have fold-over covers for their hands and feet. As the name not-so-subtly suggests, there is one zip, which is perfect for late night changing when buttoning can feel impossible. Below are the links to the zippies and some other options from Little Sleepies.

September Updates: Things that Caught My Eye

This summer, I started sharing Things That Caught My Eye on Like to Know It (and share on Instagram on Fridays. Here is the most recent compilation. Things That Caught My Eye

Striped Sweater | Plant Pot | Knit Coat

Floor Mirror | Wallpaper | Home Scent

Coffee Table Book | Fall Wreath | Patchwork Pillow

Coming Soon

I’m hoping to share our new exterior house paint color (I love it so much!), fall decorations, a (hopefully!) weekend trip to Virginia, and spooky-but-not-gory Halloween decor.