Five on Friday - Carolina Charm

Happy Friday!

Let’s catch up for a bit before we dive in! I’ve really missed hanging out with you all in this space and I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you took the time to read my blog today.

We’ve had a camp-free week which I’ve been using in part to knock out back-to-school shopping, dentist appointments, play dates and sleepovers, tons of laundry, unpacking and re-packing bags, and more. One of my longtime besties also came to town and spent the afternoon with us! It was soul-filling to catch up on so much while our kids swam, made slime, and ate pizza. And last night we took the kids to a Cirque du Soleil show which was awesome!

This weekend we are heading down to Florida to spend a few days with my family! It’s been a YEAR since we’ve made a trip home so we are all very excited to spend some overdue time with everyone. I can’t wait! While we are soaking up time with family, I’ve got a few more Day in The Life guest posts teed up for you!! I was so thrilled with the feedback from y’all regarding my last Guest Post Week and love that I get to bring you a few more next week! It’s been so fun reading these and I love how uniquely different each Day In The Life is!

Guest Post Week

Guest Post: A Day In Justine’s Life: She’s a wife and mom to 5 kids (including one learning to drive!!) and lives in Raleigh, NC!
Guest Post: A Day In Gentry’s Life: She’s a wife, mom, full time skincare buyer, blogger and colorful content creator, living in St. Pete, Florida!
Guest Post: A Day In Courtney’s Life: She a wife, mum, and psychologist, living in Brisbane, Australia. So cool, right?
Guest Post: A Day In Megan’s Life: She’s a wife, mom to 2 kids, a Pure Barre instructor, has written a few cookbooks, and lives in Charlotte.
Guest Post: A Day In Lauren’s Life: She’s a wife and mom of 3, an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, an excellent sourdough baker, and lives in Union County.

In Case You Missed It

Recently I shared…

My Top 5 Items This Week

Thought I would try something new this week. Instead of rounding up your top 5 favorite items, I’m going to round up ours! These are all SO random, I know!

Seamless Undies: See #3. They deserve a longer post!
Soda Stream: I bought one of these during Prime Day (the sale is still going, by the way) and even though it’s another appliance added to my counter top, I am using it SO MUCH. I prefer to drink sparkling water throughout the day but have held out on one of these machines because I doubted the carbonation would be as strong, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised!
Wooden Cooking Spoon: I’ve slowly been replacing my plastic kitchen utensils with stainless steel and wood! I recently grabbed this wooden spoon to see if I like it enough to purchase more and it’s great for cooking! It’s one piece of heavy duty hardwood (so no splicing/splitting), and it’s high heat-resistant. Not dishwasher friendly, but very easy to clean.
Swim Goggles: I’ve been buying and sharing these goggles for years. If the goggles are left on the pool deck, Mabel will grab them and chew them to pieces, so these go missing at lightning speed. We were down to one pair so I just restocked our favorite anti-fog, leak-proof, goggles. They are EASY to adjust and have a well-designed clasp that allows kids to easily unclip their goggles with one hand. They’ve got 11.5K+ reviews.
Unbleached Parchment Paper: Restocked on this paper too! I go through a LOT of parchment paper, and buying the sheets versus the rolls is life changing. This pack comes with 200 thick sheets!

Alright, that was a long intro! Let’s get down to the 5!

1. Family Movie Night

We recently hosted our first Dive-In Family Movie Night!! This is one of those dreams I’ve had since we broke ground on our pool and also one of our summer bucket list items!

Our first attempt was a total bust. All week long we hyped up the big night and the kids were beyond ecstatic. We even bought a new projector screen! When it was finally dark enough, the kids hopped on their floats with popcorn in hand…and then we spent the entire duration of the movie trying to figure out how to get the audio to work, only to realize we were missing a cord.

There were tears. It was terrible.

But we redeemed ourselves!

And in perfect timing, Harris Teeter reached out with a partnership opportunity which meant I got to go a little “extra” on the snacks — so the kids were beyond happy. And I filmed a cute video of how we pulled it all together — and shared it HERE!

Movie Night Items: Chaise Lounge Floats / Projector Screen / Movie Projector (ours is old, but here is a really similar one with awesome reviews) / Floating Snack Table

2. Book Review: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Rating 3.5/5: I am so conflicted on how to rate this book! It was a fast paced read and I was completely invested the entire time trying to figure it all out. Up until the last 80 pages, it was 5 stars. But then you go on an insane and wild ride — like TOO twisty, to the point I was frustrated! And I finished it mad. So I don’t know, I guess I’ll give 3.5 stars.

Book Summary:

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

3. Blackened Mahi with Avocado Salsa

Back in 2012, Matt and I ate this meal every week for almost a YEAR! It was our favorite! This week I made it for the first time in more than a decade and everyone loved it — including the kids. I air fried our fish (we used mahi mahi) and then placed it on a bed of jasmine rice and topped it with the most delicious corn and avocado salsa!

4. Seamless Undies (Luxe for Less)

I bought an inexpensive set of cheeky hipster bikinis and thongs to compare with my all time favorite Almost Bare line at Soma (after one of my readers recommended these to me). They have almost 5,000 glowing reviews and are a fraction of the price of the Somas and…I like them the SAME. Let me explain.

Both brands are light, airy, tagless, available in lots of colors and styles, and extremely comfortable. However, besides the price, the main difference is the stretch. Soma is made with 77% nylon and 23% spandex, and basically feels like you’re not even wearing underwear, whereas the DEANGELMON have a slight stiffness and are made with 85% polyamide and 15% elastane, and just barely hug your body.

I haven’t washed the DEANGELMON a million times yet so I can’t say for sure, but I wonder if the stiffness might allow them to hold up longer over time? The Somas feel a teeny bit looser after many washes.

It’s also worth mentioning that based on the Amazon reviews, it seems the DEANGELMON are more comparable to Skims than Soma. I don’t own any Skims so I can’t compare.

The final verdict? I am really happy with both brands. For ultimate comfort, Soma thongs win for daytime wear. However, if you prefer to sleep in undies with more coverage, the DEANGELMON hipster bikinis win as the stretch allows them to stay in place and not slide around (especially if you’re an aggressive sleeper like me). Both brands are excellent, but if you’re looking to restock your underwear drawer and don’t want to drop $12 per pair of Soma, you can get 6 pairs of DEANGELMON for less than $15 (as of 8/1/24 with 10% off coupon).

5. Bi-Annual Oven Cleaning

I did it. I cleaned my Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro this week. I absolutely HATE cleaning this thing but am forcing myself to do it twice a year. Last time I cleaned it I used Dawn Powerwash and while there was a drastic improvement with the help of LOTS of elbow grease, I felt there had to be a more effective method! And when I shared this on Instagram, the messages flooded in with “You should have used EASY OFF OVEN CLEANER!!!!!”

So that’s what I used! And it worked like magic!!!

I sprayed the interior of the oven and let it “soak” for a few hours before wiping it down with a sponge. This stuff is POWERFUL so be careful to spray it exactly where you want it to go.

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