Things I Love Thursday // 8.1.19

• Photo Box - If you're looking for a gorgeous way to keep/display memories from a favorite trip or event, I couldn't recommend this Photo Box from Artifact Uprising any more. It's very well-made and the simple style is eye-catching and unique. The front photo is on full display. It holds up to 50 photos (5x5 squares). Artifact Uprising prints your images on beautiful, thick paper. I find that thumbing through a "deck" of photos is a refreshing update on the memory book or album route. The set can be a little pricey ($60 for the box + $22 for 25 prints or $44 for 50 prints) but I think the product really showcases and celebrates a special time. This would also be an amazing milestone birthday gift for a family member or friend. 
  
  
  
• Re-reading a few great "trashy" (?) novels - This is funny. I know. The thing is, sometimes it's nice to indulge in some mindless entertainment. While at the beach a few weeks ago, I found an old copy of Bloodline by Sidney Sheldon in a thrift store. It was 25¢ (no tax). I remember reading it when I was about 15 and that it was the first novel I read that had such an unexpected twist that I felt my brain do a little somersault at that passage. I wondered if it would still "stand up" and entertain me like it had before. After several flight delays and an unplanned overnight at the airport hotel on our return leg from the beach, I decided it was the best quarter I ever spent! I was engrossed. After posting about it on Instagram, several friends recommended other "trashy" reads and I've plowed through since: including Master of the Game (another Sheldon --boy, does he have some weird thing with powerful and twisted women!) and Twilight (I know. --but only the first book in the series!). Fun, fun! I'm about 1/4 of the way through Forever by Judy Blume (which I never read as a teen) and I'm considering revisiting Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews. Do you have any other trashy recommendations? Please comment below!
  
  
  
• The Library - You guys! (Aside from that quarter at the thrift store, I didn't pay for any of the books above.) The online library situation is legit. If it's simple and user-friendly in Charlotte, then odds are it's pretty great where you are too. Digital loans are so convenient and couldn't be easier. Do you have a Kindle? Then you have an unlimited number of free reads right at your fingertips! If you have a kid between the ages of 8 and 28, chances are they can help you navigate the borrowing system and show you how to transfer your loans to your device (an if not, I'm certain a librarian would be very helpful). Game-changer. Our library also has an audio book option and you can listen to your loan right from the app on your phone. Brilliant. 
• Flower Child - Apparently this fresh, plant-forward (plenty of protein additions available) restaurant started in California. Makes sense. Charlotte just got one and the lines are out the door and down the street (or they were at lunch this week when I was there with a girlfriend). Not to worry, the line moved fast and there were plenty of spots inside and on the patio. Parking was not as abundant so if you can, carpool, light rail, walk, or ride. Don't miss the Tomato Toast. I can't wait to go back and try All Of The Things. 
  
  
  
• Target Jumper - Here's another cozy/lounging alert! I love, love, love this super-soft jumper from Target. I found it in the lounge/pajama section and it's great for when my caftan is in the laundry {wink}. I have worn it out of the house (on the return flight from the beach I wrote of earlier) and it was great with a colorful sports bra. Usually an 8 in bottoms, I bought this in a medium and it's just right. I feel like this is something I should buy a second one of... for when this one gets a little worn and I'm sad it's not available anymore...
• Sitting with this guy on our porch - No explanation needed. ;) 
  
  
  
• Golf Outings - Double-date golfing is super fun! Though, I do have a few requirements: 1. Moderate weather; 2. 9-hole maximum; 3. Icy adult beverage; 4. Not keeping score; 5. The option to pick up my ball (hopefully, it's "findable") and throw/drop it wherever I want on the fairway or green; 6. The understanding that if I swing and miss my ball completely, we behave as though I was taking a practice swing. Ta-Da! SO fun! Let's play. 
  
  
  
• Egg Thins - I literally just made an entire post about these versatile little wraps that substitute for bread or tortillas. In case you missed it and you're a person who cares about carbs and sugar intake, I'm mentioning them again.