July was a lovely month here at Casa MBB. Quite a few things happened!
1. I chopped off my hair
I’ve been on the fence about it for months. I knew it was time to finally do it when the stylist said, “It’s just hair, and it will grow back,” and my heart leapt with excitement. Next thing I knew, there was a massive pile of hair on the salon floor!
2. Marnie graduated from a dog training school program
She now knows some basic commands, and we as a family are better equipped to communicate with her. We took her to Mary’s Dog Angels in San Rafael! If you’re looking for some solid basic training, Mary is great.
3. I found a new-to-me boba place
It’s Teaspoon in Corte Madera, which is about 15 minutes away from my house. I asked the person behind the counter what the most popular flavor was, and he said Thai tea, so I went with that. The tea was tasty and the boba was fresh. I ordered mine with the classic boba balls and a sweetness level of 50%. It was purrfect!
4. We spent time next to the water
Any day you get to see the ocean is a good day. I spent fourth of July at a barbecue at a friend’s house on the bay, and we went to the beach a couple times with Marnie.
5. I fell in love with Marnie a little bit more
This little love had a REALLY hard start in life, and she’s still carrying it with her. Did I mention that she is a rescue? Apparently she spent her puppyhood in a backyard with very little socialization, and unfortunately that’s shaped how she currently experiences the world around her. She’s anxious and needs a lot of reassurance. Every day, though, I can see her confidence growing, and it’s so wonderful.
6. We all enjoyed fresh tomatoes from our deck garden
We enjoyed eating the tomatoes, Rosie enjoyed chillin’ in the plants, and Marnie enjoyed digging up the dirt in the pot. Sigh.
7. I found a new fun thing to love
Um, and it’s vintage jewelery! I have no plans to buy any of it, mind you. I just like looking at old pieces and imagining the history behind them. My favorites are Jewels by Grace and Erica Weiner Jewelry.
8. I spent absolutely nothing at the Nordstrom anniversary sale
But I did buy a dog crate on Amazon prime day!
9. I realized a big thing that may be helpful to me in the future
I don’t know why this took me so long to learn, but apparently I can allow people in my life to be — gasp — totally and completely wrong about me. And in turn, I don’t have to correct them. I can just let them continue to be wrong, and I can continue on as my sparkly self. Hmm, does that make any sense at all? In my mind I swear it’s logical, LOL! Anyway, This revelation has been very freeing and very helpful to my peace of mind.
Did any good things happen for you in July? Big or small, I’d love to hear about it.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Almost all Texas residents hate summer, so I say “good riddance” to July. August is starting out really hot, and even though we got 13″ if rain in May, we really need rain now due to the heat and wind. The clay soil cracks like we had an earthquake when it dries out, especially after what we went through in May. Only positive I have is my zinnias reached peak bloom and are really tall (some over 5 feet tall). Rabbits ate them last year, but they’re okay this year. I think it was a baby rabbit that ate them last year – they say baby rabbits will eat anything until they figure out what they prefer to eat. Zinnias usually aren’t popular with rabbits.
I love your hair! I want to cut mine that length again…its been a few years. It feels so much better when all the length is removed.
Thai tea is delicious. My husband’s family is from Thailand…and Thai tea was one of the first things he introduced me to.
July was great because I actually had some time off. My husband and I both used two weeks of vacation and just hung out with the kids and did little projects around the house. We also went to an indoor waterpark (Gaylord Opryland) with the kiddos and they had a great time.
I turned my landscaping into a hummingbird paradise and love watching them. I could watch them for hours. Beautiful little creatures. I love fall (my favorite season), but I will miss my little birds.
Exercise…I love it for my mental health. I recently started forcing myself to get back on track. I had to let go of the belief that if I didn’t have time to dedicate a full hour, than it wasn’t worth it. I am trying to fit it in when I can (even if I only have 20 minutes that day).
I was listening to a science podcast recently where they said that 20 minutes a day is all you need to hugely reduce your cancer/dementia/diabetes risk so you’re doing good!
“Teaspoon” – what a cute name for a tea place!
July was awesome and all too fast. I am back to work as of August 1st so July was my last month of freedom! We spent time with family at the lake, went to a small town parade and fair, and hit up the farmers market in town. The girls and I have been looking for monarch caterpillars on milkweed down by the river (I have found them there in the past) but haven’t had any luck. I told my boss I was looking for some and she said she has tons of milkweed by her house and she brought me some little tiny caterpillars! The girls are having so much fun watching them grow and we have to check on them often and say goodnight to them every night, lol. They will be so surprised when they turn into butterflies!
Love love love your new ‘do 😍😍😍
Just looking at that water photo did me good..!
Such sweet pics of Marni and Rosie!!!! Also, that tomato sandwich looks DELICIOUS! I’ve been wanting to try growing tomatoes and think I will next year.Glad you had a good July 😊
Your hair is frickin’ fabulous! It looks stylish and is so flattering! Great choice! You are just beautiful!
Congratulations to Marnie and your family! I have to say that, to me, I think family pets are the greatest gifts of all, and just a delight in every way. So forgiving, loving, excited to see you no matter if you just left the house. Plus the Fritos-scented dog toes are one of my all-time favorite scents. We got my Nola (not from a rescue, but from a family who didn’t socialize their dogs) at 10 weeks old and she was not socialized and was afraid of everything — garden gnomes, garbage trucks, skateboarders, fireworks — even though she is a Rottweiler. And so you did her a solid by getting her trained and her confidence up! Smart thinking! It was the best investment by far.
Your tomatoes are also very beautiful by the way. OMG. Looks so delicious!
I’m glad your family had a great July! Thanks for sharing bits of your life with us, your adoring fans.
Your hair looks great!❤️
I love the haircut! Makes you look even more gorgeous!
Glad to hear you’re making progress with Marnie’s training. I think having a steady, LOVING and consistent presence in her life is probably benefitting her as well. I am sure she appreciates all the love you’ve been giving her!
Your hair looks fantastic at this length. It always looks great, of course!