Even though it’s been a whirlwind few days catching up on work after our vacation, I’m still really feeling the summer vibes this week. We took Jane to a fun outdoor concert and had a picnic dinner (and tested out these cute new bento lunch boxes!). I shared a fun mermaid-themed movie night on the blog. And I brought home this sweet beach painting by Ashley Provencher from Elburne Home Decor on the Cape and styled it next to some pretty hydrangeas. It’s all that good summer stuff and it makes me so happy. The summer fun continues this weekend with some birthday celebrations for my dad and my husband – picnics, boat rides, and margaritas! See more of what’s been happening around here below: New Recipes. I have been so busy with work projects this week that I haven’t shared too many new recipes, and instead have been relying on some of my old staples (like my sheet pan cauliflower gnocchi!). One new recipe I shared though was for a perfect warm-weather meal: summer corn and sausage pasta. It uses a little bit of pesto (my cookbook has my classic pesto recipe in it!) and corn that cooks down in butter and wine for a creamy sauce. I made it with Southern Living’s Buttermilk Tomato Pie and it was so delicious (warning though: the recipe took forever to make, I’m trying to recreate a less complicated version to share here!).

Beach Reads. I got some good beach reading in during our Cape Cod trip and finished two suspenseful books! The first was The Mother In Law, by Sally Hepworth which had a great storytelling rhythm between the two main characters and left me guess right until the end about the mysterious circumstances of the mother in law’s death. I also read Cambria Brockman’s Tell Me Everything — Cambria is a local author and friend of mine, so I was so excited to dig into this. It also had a murder-mystery plotline, but it was also a deep look into the main character’s own complicated history and growth. The ending had some unexpected twists and revelations! Both were perfect summer beach reads — and I’m ready to tackle another good summer book next: Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of ’69!

Cozy PJs. Guys, my obsession with my new Lake Pajamas is REAL. I countdown on the clock each day until it’s socially acceptable for me to change into them. They’re having their annual summer sale right now, and they rarely discount, so hop on it! I have the pima cotton shorts set, and a pair of the short-long pajamas that are perfect for cool summer nights! And on the topic of super cozy sleepwear, this darling kids brand Sammy + Nat sent us some pieces for Jane and their nautical pajamas are so soft and snuggly.

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