Five on Friday

Happy Friday!

We’re getting straight to it today because I ran out of time to write my usual lengthy intro…

In Case You Missed It

This week I shared…

• A recap of our Father’s Day Weekend! It’s been awhile since I wrote a weekend rewind!
• The easiest Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas that are perfect for busy families. This recipe is great for meal prep, freezing, and using up leftover rotisserie chicken!
• My Summer Supper Club! I hosted the girls for a fun and easy lunch, rose spritz cocktails, and mahjong in the pool! I also made a fun Mahjong Pool Reel!! Well, technically our friend Emily captured all the clips — I just pieced them together.
• A Chick-fil-A Treat Discovery! Last week I was running through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru in Waverly with Mabel to grab dinner for the kids and the girl taking my order asked if Mabel would like a special treat. I said yes and was so surprised when they presented her with a cute biscuit bone!! She LOVED it! Anyway, I made a reel to share this new discovery and it unexpectedly went viral. And let me just say, while it can be fun going viral, reaching 10M+ people is bound to bring out a wide range of comments and opinions! Also, according to lots of angry people, this biscuit is NOT available everywhere…so ask your location if they offer it (and please don’t come back and tell me I’m a liar if they don’t)! HA!

Top 5 Reader Favorites This Week

1. Fly Fans: We use these fans all summer long for dining outside! They work so well to keep the flies away!
2. THE BEST POOL FLOAT! Out of all the floats we’ve purchased this summer, this chaise lounge float is everyone’s FAVE! It is so comfortable, has a cup holder, and is available in 3 colors!
3. Makeup Brush Cleaner: I just purchased a second bottle of this highly effective makeup brush cleaner. If you hate washing your brushes, this cleaner is for you. You can tackle this chore in under 5 minutes with this stuff. No water or rinsing is required and my brushes are dry in 5 minutes (gone are the days of laying my brushes out all night to dry)! The cleaner also conditions the brushes and smells good! Highly recommend!
4. $20 Target Linen Cropped Top: I really love this top (pictured below). It’s lightweight and has a button-up closure in the back which is really pretty — perfect for summer. Oh, and it’s only $20 and available in a handful of colors (LOVE the blue)!
5. Classic Stripe Resort Towel: Another week in the top 5! Cozy Earth recently launched pool towels and they are SO luxurious, huge (40″x70″), soft, and beautiful. Available in 3 colors. Use code CE-CAROLINACHARM for 30% off AND a free pair of socks (add the socks to your cart, they will not automatically apply!).

1. CAMP!

We are dropping the kids off at sleepaway camp on Sunday so I’ve been running around all week scooping up last minute camp supplies (liiiiike tracking down khaki pants for Thomas…and getting said pants altered, finding green shorts for Caroline, etc.), labeling ALL THE THINGS, writing letters to camp, etc.

While I never got to be a camp kid (too many of us to send to camp!), I did get to experience the magic of sleepaway camp as a counselor in college and am so grateful that we can send our kids to camp and give them this experience.

Both kids LOVE camp and I am beyond excited for them to live their very best lives in a wild and free environment creating memories, being silly and creative, learning new responsibilities and skills, being away from technology, stepping out of their comfort zones, making friendships, and so much more!

PS – I am really hating myself for not ordering a custom name stamp or custom name stickers in time for camp this year. My hand has gone numb multiple times from writing both kids names 85 times each. Don’t make my mistake.

2. Summer Reading Log

For summer, I created a reading log with prizes to incentivize the kids to read a few books. I had VERY low expectations (we can barely get them to read during the school year so I knew summer would be even harder), and to my astonishment they have been reading a TON!

I polled y’all for book series recommendations for Caroline and ended up getting her the Nancy Drew Starter Set (by far the most popular suggestion) and SHE LOVES IT! I read these books long ago and had totally forgotten about this series. And Thomas has been flying through the I Survived Series. So THANK YOU for the book recommendations!

3. Book Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah

Rating 5/5: The first book I’ve rated 5 stars in 2024! Just like her other books, this one had me hooked from the very beginning and is beautifully written, gripping, and heartbreaking. I loved this book so much that I also borrowed the hardback from a friend and the audio version from the library so I could listen to it during times I couldn’t sit down to read it — and the audio narration is also excellent!!

Book Summary: An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

4. Easy Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches

Re-sharing one of my favorite easy and most festive dessert ideas for the 4th of July — mini ice cream sandwiches rolled in red, white, and blue sprinkles! These are so dang delicious and refreshing on a hot day too.

5. Bumble & Bumble Hair Thickening Spray

I honestly do not share this product enough (probably because I’ve been using it for so long and it’s not a “new find!”). However, if I could only keep ONE hair product in my collection, this thickening spray would probably tie with my Hair Vitamins (WHICH ARE ON BIG TIME SALE) — although they are two very different products that do different things.

Every time I blow dry my hair, I use this spray and the difference in the volume and thickness of my hair is noticeably different — like big time. If you already have thick hair, you probably won’t need this, but if you don’t, I promise you this will be one of your favorite products too. There’s a smaller bottle option if you want to try it out before committing to the larger bottle.

Have a great weekend!