Hi friends. July has gone by so quickly that I am only starting to put this together in the last week of the month! Usually I add little bits through the month and then just finalize at the end of the month, but this time the end of the month snuck up on me! To recap the month: the fourth of July, and surrounding few days, were horrible. Poor Remi was even more stressed out than usual even on medication, and the fireworks kept me up late a few nights too. Maybe next year we will try to escape somewhere quiet? Later that week, I left on a 9 day trip by myself to California. It was full of friends, memories, mumus, laughs, swimming pools, a party boat, a murder mystery party, loads of good food, inside jokes, etc! I really am enjoying this summer and wish it could just go on and on and on and on! Let’s move on to stuff I liked this month!
Food!
I didn’t do a ton of cooking this month, or nothing worth mentioning, but I did make this Easy Veggie Quiche which was gobbled up and declared delicious by all who ate it. I used store-bought gluten free crusts and it worked out great!
Special shoutout to Strawberry Shortcake for being the easiest and most delicious summertime dessert!
Books/TV/Movies!
Firstly, books!! https://bookshop.org/shop/michelleflook Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy is the best book (audiobook) I read (listened to) in July. Though the title is a bit controversial, and I am sure that just reading the title some of you may be appalled, but I fully support Jennette and am glad she was able to tell her story honestly! This memoir is billed as comedic and though it has some funny moments, overall it is dark and sad and upsetting.
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair is a memoir that will be released in October. The writer is a poet and this memoir was really beautifully written, both upsetting and inspiring.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker is a very interesting non-fiction book about a family with 12 children, half of whom were diagnosed with Schizophrenia. The book delves into a lot of the history of this diagnosis and other related mental health disorders, research related to treatments, as well as telling the story of the family.
Platonic on Apple TV+ is a funny and cute show that we zipped through. Two former best friends kind of spiraling out together, it’s pretty entertaining. Seth Rogen used to really irritate me but I sort of like him now.
The Crowded Room on Apple TV+ is a “psychological thriller,” limited series, inspired by a true story. Matthew and I both really enjoyed this one, and every week were excited to watch the newly released episode! (The series finale was released 7-27-23, so now you can binge it in one go if you want!)
Asteroid City! Definitely a fun one, if you like Wes Anderson, you will like this movie.
Barbie! We went to see this movie for a friend’s birthday in a private screening for just our group, and it was so so so so so much fun. I strongly urge you to check this movie out, even if you don’t care at all about Barbie dolls. It’s a wonderful movie and I laughed so hard that I cried!!!!
Projects!
I started making a new quilt but haven’t taken any pictures of my progress yet. Maybe I’ll just keep it a surprise until I am finished.
I had the idea to make and sell mini quilts inspired by book covers… do you think this is a good idea? Let’s take a poll:
I am going to plug my shop again because I have added a few things since I last shared it. Buy hats/t-shirts/coffee mugs/stickers/etc. designed by me on RedBubble, with designs like:
Miscellaneous!
I went down to California, and got to visit with loads of friends, which was loads of fun. But most importantly, I also got to see my sister. We had such a great time, stayed in a fine hotel (two and a half stars), laughed a lot, and ate really good food! I am so proud of her and just love her so much.
Remi!
I commissioned a painting of Remi for our upcoming anniversary (8/1/23 is our 8th wedding anniversary!) and we love it so much!
Goodbye, until next month!
xoM