August Favorites: 10 Things I Loved + Your Favorites Too!

I cannot believe it is already the end of August. The past few weeks have really flown by!

In my last monthly favorites post, I announced that we were moving. That officially happened the first weekend of the month. For those of you who missed the news, we sold our house of the last four years to move back to my hometown, which is where I have been working and Alexis has been going to school for the past several years.

We are officially in the new house, which isn't all that new to me since it's the house I grew up in. We've got a bit of work to do on the house to make it ours (new floors, paint, etc.), but for now everything is there, and we've gotten unpacked enough to actually be living (a.k.a. the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and my office are useable if not actually decorated).

Obviously, that's been a huge focus this past month, but also school is fully back in session. I went back to work on August 3rd, and students' first day was the next week, August 11. So we're back on school schedule but also living in a new time zone. Not to mention going from a mid-size city to a small, rural town. It's been an adjustment, but now that we've been in this new reality for a month, I can see that it was the right move for our family.

So what does that mean for the blog? Not much, honestly, other than me asking for a bit of patience. You've probably noticed a drop off in the number of posts being published the last few weeks, and that's probably going to continue for another few weeks. We haven't gotten all the extras like internet or tv set up yet, so right now I'm relying on my phone hotspot, which isn't ideal when I typically have multiple tabs open at once (I refuse to do this at school). Right now, I'm committing to one post per week, although I will absolutely post more when I can.

And that's pretty much it in terms of what's been happening in my life lately. Now let's take a look at the things that made the month of August a little bit brighter.

My Favorites

L'Oreal Le Shadow Stick -- I know what you're probably thinking: not another eyeshadow stick. But y'all, this one may be the holy grail. It has the best of all the other eyeshadow sticks I've tried so far. It's the easiest to apply, feels like lotion for my eyelids, blends really easily, and lasts all day long without creasing. I especially love the twinkly rose, but I also have the magnetic mauve.

Denim Tote -- This is a great casual bag for everyday use, and because it's denim, it goes with literally everything. I can fit three books in there! Also, my large teacher planner. It's still available and comes in three other colors.

Magnetic Hall Passes -- These, combined with our new school-wide bathroom pass system, just might save my sanity this year. So far, they're much more durable than any other hall passes that I've bought, and the kids like that they can stick them to the bathroom stall doors.

Pink Floral Skirt + Chambray Tie-Bottom Shirt Outfit -- I think this is my favorite outfit of the month. Everything about it is just perfect. I did wear a pale blue tank under the button-down just so that I wouldn't have any accidental skin showing.

Old Navy Platform Sandals (as seen in the above outfit) -- These are surprisingly comfortable for all-day wear, even with maximum standing/walking. I've been wearing these almost every day since school started back. I love that they instantly elevate any outfit, and the taupe color means they go with almost everything.

Brown Dress + Striped Tee Outfit -- This outfit is definitely a close second for favorite of the month. I'm loving that brown is trendy right now. It's one of my favorite colors to wear, and this little dress is so cute. Also, these mary janes are so comfortable!

Blue Skirt + Blue Floral Blouse Outfit -- I think this outfit got the most compliments of anything I wore this month, and it was the one I second guessed the most. I wasn't sure that the different shades of blue complemented each other. I wish I had gotten a picture of the back so you could see the bow; it's the best feature of the shirt!

The Keeper of Stars -- This was exactly the book I needed when I read it. One of the best love stories I've read in awhile.

Atmosphere -- I get the hype, y'all. This one made me cry. So good! It's about the advancement of women in NASA's space shuttle program in the 80s and 90s but also a love story.

The Arcaneum series -- I technically am still reading the last book in this one, but I have been completely sucked into this series. I already have love for this author and the worlds she creates, and this story just reaffirms it for me.

Your Favorites

Wide Woven Belts -- These finally made it to the top of the best sellers list! They really are that good, y'all. I wear mine all the time and highly recommend them.

White Slide Sandals -- I don't own these exact ones, but the similar pair I do own are one of my most-worn casual sandals. This pair will actually probably be the pair I buy when I finally break down and replace mine.

Platform Sandals -- Seems y'all like these just as much as I do!

Layered Initial Necklace -- I've been wearing this a lot lately in various combinations.

Woven Mary Jane Flats -- Two different pairs of these made the top 10 best sellers, so I'm going to combine them into one entry. I've had mine for a couple of years now, and these are the ones that I link to most often when I share them. (option 1, option 2)

Colorful Chain Necklace -- This is one of my favorite necklaces. It goes with almost everything, and I find myself reaching for it on days when I don't know what jewelry to wear.

Green-Purple Floral Blouse -- This certainly is a bright, colorful blouse. I've only worn it once so far, but I predict it'll be in the rotation for a good while. The only thing I didn't like was that the neck ties were really long; I cut them off drastically.

Ribbed Tank Top -- I really need to do a post dedicated solely to these basic tanks. They're really just so good. I own them in 8 different colors!

Brown Scalloped Pants -- These are so cute, right? I especially love the scallop details.

Slip Shorts -- These are so soft. They're also not ridiculously thick, and I don't have any issues with the waist trying to roll down or the legs trying to roll up.

What I Read Over Summer Break

School is back in session, which means although it is still technically summer, the season is unofficially over. So I thought it would be a good time for a reading roundup.

The start of the school year always brings with it a slow down in my reading as I'm getting back into the swing of having a set schedule, a.k.a. not being able to read whenever I want to. Add in the fact that we just moved and are still getting settled into the new house, and needless to say, my books are feeling a bit neglected...especially the ones that are currently still in boxes!

This reading roundup will focus only on the books that I read over my summer break, which ran from May 23 through August 2, so a little more than two months. It does not cover the entirety of the Summer Reading Guide which runs through September 21, although I am happy to report that I've read quite a few titles on that list. Altogether this roundup of reviews includes 11 standalones and six different series. I'll also be sharing the books and series that I DNF'ed at the end of this post.

Before we dive in, you should know that at the time I'm finally getting to finalize this post (I've not had internet for weeks, y'all!) that I've technically read more than what's on this list, but all of those were read after school started back for me. So you'll see those on the next reading roundup or on my socials if they made a big enough impression.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

Author: Kate Fagan

This book, unknown to me when I picked it, is written like a memoir. I didn't know that fictionalized memoirs were a thing, but this book was phenomenal. Cate Kay is the author of a best-selling post-apocalyptic trilogy that's been turned into a movie series. Her real name is Annie, but most of the people in her current life know her as Cass. As a teenager, Annie and her best friend, Amanda, did everything together but especially the theater. They had big plans to go to California together to become actors. Annie had been in love with Amanda for most of high school, but Amanda did not feel the same way, and toward the end of high school things were getting pretty awkward. Just before they were meant to leave for L.A., Amanda was injured in an accident. Annie went to get help and just didn't go back. She ends up in a nearby town where she decides to go by the name Cass. She's living in the coffee shop that she works at when she meets Sydney, who turns out to be a truly horrible person. Sydney convinces Cass to go to New York with her where she helps to create her author pseudonym, Cate Kay. When her first book goes viral and is picked up to be a movie, Cass meets Ryan, the actress who will play one of the lead roles, and the two fall for each other. Hard. But it doesn't work out, thanks in large part to Sydney and Ryan's agent. Eventually the book comes full circle and Annie/Cass/Cate ends up back home.

Shifter Lords series books 1-9

Author: S.E. Babin

This is an ongoing series, but I have completed the storyline for Evie, so it felt like the right time for a review. Evie's books comprise the first nine in the series, which, at the time of writing this post, includes 14 books. Evie is what's known as a floromancer, a witch who specializes in gardening magic. At least, that's what she portrays to the outside world. In reality, she's the daughter of gods and a chimera shifter. She's been living a peaceful life as the local florist, but all that changes when she saves the life of the local Shifter Lord and finds herself the center of some very unwelcome attention. I loved this series, which shouldn't come as a surprise since I love this author. I'm impatiently waiting for Moira's part of the story to be finished so I can continue my journey through this oh-so-interesting world that S.E. Babin has created.

Summer of '69

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

My June book club pick was fantastic. Set during the infamous summer of 1969, it follows the women of the Levin family as they each find their way through some difficult situations. The mother is struggling with her son's deployment to Vietnam, which she believes is her punishment for the role she played in her first husband's suicide. The oldest daughter, Blair, is trying to find balance in her currently unhappy marriage. The middle daughter, Kirby, is rediscovering herself after a terrible relationship. And the youngest daughter, Jess, experiences her first love and first heartbreak. All in the span of one summer. This one has already found its place in my best books of the year. Don't believe me? Read my full review here.

The Wedding People

Author: Alison Espach

Strap in, folks. This review is going to be a bit longer because, full disclosure, I nearly didn't finish this book. And it's because I truly wasn't prepared for what this book is actually about. Here's what I knew going in: a divorced or separated woman (it wasn't clear in the blurb which one) books herself a room at an expensive Newport inn. When she gets there, she realizes she is the only guest who is not there for a wedding. Somehow, she and the bride become friends and shenanigans ensue. That blurb coupled with the glowing reviews made this bestseller infinitely appealing. Then I read the first chapter and said, "This is not what I signed up for."

Here's what the blurb doesn't tell you: Phoebe is a depressed 40-year-old woman who's come to the Cornwall Inn to kill herself. Not gonna lie. When I read the final line of the first chapter, I put this book down for a full three days. I wasn't sure that I wanted to read about a woman who was ready to die. But the reviews! My goodness, this book has good reviews. So when I got the notice that my library books were due back soon, I decided to read a few more chapters, just see how it went. Obviously, I ended up finishing the book. And in my opinion, the reviews are well deserved. This book made me laugh out loud while also think very deeply about life in general, and you already know that it made my list of best books of 2026 so far. So, here's a quick summary that I think will better prepare you for what this book actually is.

Phoebe has been divorced for the past two years. One day she decides that she can't keep doing this same life anymore, so she books a room at the Cornwall Inn for just one night. She doesn't pack a bag; she doesn't tell anyone she's leaving. She just puts on her one nice dress, gets on a plane, and goes. When she checks in, all she has is herself and a bottle of cat painkillers, which she plans to OD with. However, the hotel she's chosen has been booked out for the week for a wedding, and Phoebe shouldn't have been able to get a room at all. On her way up to said room, she ends up in the elevator with the bride, Lila, and ends up telling her the truth of her visit. Lila is determined not to let anything, including Phoebe, ruin her perfect wedding week. She convinces Phoebe to postpone her suicide and personally extends Phoebe's room at the hotel. One thing leads to another, and pretty soon Phoebe finds herself in the wedding. As the maid of honor. Cue the not so much shenanigans but wedding party antics. What happens in between is truly life changing for all involved.

The Examiner

Author: Janice Hallett

All I can say about this book is wow. It had so many twists and turns and led me on quite the chase. As with The Appeal, which was one of my top books for 2024, you go into the book with the knowledge that someone has been murdered -- or in the case of this book that someone either already is or is in danger of being killed. Then you are presented with all the evidence that the investigators have to work with. In The Examiner, our chief investigator is a professor who is evaluating the final projects of a group of six students in a multimedia arts masters program. In addition to the students' final essays, the examiner has all of their coursework grades along with reports from the tutor. He also has access to their emails, message boards, DMs, and digital diary entries, which were all part of the coursework. Interspersed with the evidence is conversations between the examiner and two university employees. Here's the gist of what's going on: six people ranging in age from 21 to 56 must work as a team to create an art installation for a real company as part of the masters course. There are a lot of shady dealings going on: among the students, the tutor, and the company behind the commission. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as it seems. This one kept me on my toes and has definitely found its way onto my best books list for the year.

Pyromancer's Path series

Author: Cassie Cole

I'm 99 percent sure that I've read this series before, although like I stated in my June what I'm reading post, I couldn't find it in my Kindle history or anywhere on my blog. I believe that I read an earlier version -- the acknowledgements at the end of the final book state that the author originally published the series under a pen name but had since reworked it, including the ending. And I must say that the ending I remember sucked (they all died!), and I enjoyed this ending so much more. While there was quite a bit that I did remember about this series as I was reading it this go 'round, I'm pretty confident that there were new scenes and quite a bit more character development. So if you, like me, read an earlier version and was angry disappointed with the ending, definitely give it another go. I was not disappointed this time. For those of you who are new to this series, it follows a bonded group of elite soldiers as they defend their nation from invasion. Alyssa is a pyromancer who survived an attack on the training academy and is bonded into the group after their pyromancer is killed in the same attack. Obviously they have a lot to overcome as the original group do not want a replacement for their fallen pyro, but they're also being targeted by the leader of their nation who sends them on suicide mission after suicide mission in his power-hungry scheme to become ruler of the whole world.

The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Brace yourselves for an unpopular opinion. When I tell you I've picked up this book every single time I go to the bookstore, I'm not exaggerating. But something always kept me from outright buying it, and after reading it, I'm glad that I didn't spend the money. This book has such an interesting premise, but I have to admit that I wasn't blown away by the story. It's a deep and serious topic, but at the same time, I didn't feel like it ever really explored it fully. I also didn't really like the main character. Nora suffers from depression and has basically pushed everyone in her life away. When her cat dies, Nora decides that she can't take anymore and tries to overdose. In the moments between life and death, she finds herself in a library filled with the books of all of her possible lives if only she'd made different choices. She gets to try on a few of these lives until she finds one that fits or decides to return to her 'root life' or dies. The character development in this one was super slow; it literally took the entire book for Nora to evolve. In fact, most of this book felt very shallow to me...which I think was the point, but it was hard to get into the story, and I missed not having other developed characters.

How to Sell a Haunted House

Author: Grady Hendrix

Okay, so when I started reading this one and realized that a bunch of dolls were at the center of everything, I almost backed out. Horror is not my cup of tea, and possessed dolls are absolutely not for me, but I kept going, and I am really glad that I did. In fact, I think this Hendrix book might be my favorite so far, and y'all know how much I loved The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. I have a serious book hangover from this one; I cannot stop thinking about it!

Essentially, Louise returns home after both of her parents are killed in a car accident where she must work with her estranged brother to get their childhood house ready to sell. Except there's something in the house that doesn't want them to. So Louise and her brother, who have been at odds for pretty much their entire lives, must work together to overcome this presence. I don't think I can tell you anything more of substance without really spoiling the best parts of the book. It's worth the mystery, trust me.

Black Veil University series

Author: B.M. Clemton

I enjoyed this five book series. It was refreshingly different from what I've come to expect in this genre. There were some slight editing issues, but nothing that detracted from the story. Danica Knight is a type of elementalist thought to be extinct after the other supernaturals hunted down and killed them all. It's a secret she's kept closely guarded all her life...until she goes to university and meets the men she was forcefully tied to as a child. They've got a lot to overcome and pretty much the entire world to save in the process.

Building the Circle series (reread)

Author: Maggie M. Lily

This is one of my absolute favorite magical series. In fact, this series and the follow-up Peacekeeper's Harmony trilogy made my best books list of 2022. I just love the Trellis family so much. This is my second reread of the main series, but the last time I read it was at least two years ago, meaning enough time has passed to make this one almost like reading it again for the first time.

Cleopatra

Author: Saara El-Arifi

Did anyone else go through an ancient Egypt phase as a kid? Man, I used to be obsessed. This book was published this year, so it's new new. In fact, I was the first person to check it out of my library. This was a quick read for me at just over 300 pages. It is written from Cleopatra's point of view as if she herself is writing her autobiography. It begins with her being crowned pharaoh and the plot from her sister, Arsinoe, and brother, Theos, to overthrow her. It moves through her relationship with Julius Caesar, then her great love with Marcus Antonius, and finally her death. So, final thoughts. I enjoyed this one. I learned some things about Cleopatra that I did not previously know (or just didn't remember). I think this book stayed as true to history as possible, though I have not done a deep dive into much, and I don't want to reveal too much for fear of spoilers. Yes, a book about a historical figure can have spoilers -- in this case, the ending.

I Came Back For You

Author: Kate White

It's been eight years since Bree's daughter, Melanie, was murdered. The suspected killer was convicted in two other murders. On his deathbed, he confesses to those plus two other previously unknown victims but is adamant that he did not kill Melanie. In light of the new victims, investigators reopen Melanie's case and find inconsistencies with her case versus those of the other girls. Meanwhile, the university that Melanie attended is unveiling a memorial to her, bringing Bree and her now-ex-husband back to the place where it all happened, only now they have even more questions than they did before. Bree begins looking for answers that will bring her closure, but what she finds is that maybe she didn't know her daughter quite as well as she thought she did. This one was just okay for me. There was one plot hole that still bothers me (who locked Bree in that office and why?!), and I felt like this one was just a bit boring and predictable. Usually these types of books have more suspense and danger.

The Correspondent

Author: Virginia Evans

This book was phenomenal in a way that I did not expect. Honestly, if you had told me that I would love a story that's told entirely through the correspondence of a 70-something year old woman, I would have laughed at you. But I'm here to tell you that this is one of the best things I've read all year. I want to be like Sybil when I grow up. She was such a spitfire and led a truly remarkable life. She writes to everyone -- her brother who lives overseas, her children, her best friend, authors (who sometimes write back), a young boy struggling to find his place in the world, and one ongoing letter that she never sends. I don't really know how to best summarize this book without spoiling all the best parts of it. Just take my word for it. I enjoyed it immensely and will probably recommend it to EVERYONE.

Beyond the Moonlit Sea

Author: Julianne MacLean

This was my July book club pick, and I'm going to give it to you straight. I was kind of disappointed in this one. The blurb did not prepare me for what the book actually is, so I was constantly rearranging my expectations. It's about a pilot who goes missing over the Bermuda Triangle and all the baggage he leaves behind. I'm not going to go into much depth here, but I did write a full review that you can check out here.

The Keeper of Stars

Author: Buck Turner

I don't typically read romance books written by male authors, but I'll make an exception for Buck Turner. What he did with this star-crossed lovers story was truly exceptional. The trope is familiar: boy and girl from opposite sides of the tracks meet and fall in love. They are torn apart again and again but somehow always find their way back to each other. I really appreciated how realistic this all was: their reunions were not simple or easy or even all that sweet. I loved Jack, and I admired Ellie's ambition, even though it almost cost them everything time and time again. Watching them grow and develop both individually and as a couple was so beautiful.

Now for the books and series I did not finish. This is actually an incomplete list. I am not including the books that I only read the first one or two chapters of. Those don't really count to me. I am including two series that I read the first book in its entirety and the one book that I've been trying to read for most of the year that I finally just gave up on.

• Brighten Magic Academy series -- I read the first book of this series which seemed like it would be a fresh take on some familiar tropes. In the end, I just felt kind of meh about it. It had its moments, sure, but at the end of the book I wasn't really sure what the overall point of the series was. Basically, it's about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to attend an boys-only magic school. She's discovered by her roommates literally on day one, and they're all just okay with it, which is suspicious. Also, and I hate to admit this, I was kind of weirded out that pretty much all of the male characters were fine with being intimate with the FMC while she was in her male form.
• The Midnight Feast -- I finally gave up on this one, y'all. I feel like I've dedicated more than enough time to it at this point. Honestly, more than it deserved. It just did not hold my attention, and I really couldn't tell you what was going on. This one was just weird all the way around.
• Ghost Alpha Unit series -- I don't know why I keep trying with these omegaverse books. I know I don't like them! And although I finished the first book of this series, I ultimately still just don't get the appeal of the omegaverse trope. It's just not for me.

What I Wore the First 2 Weeks of School

It's been a hot minute since my last real outfit roundup, which usually happen every two weeks. I have a good reason for the disruption in the regular schedule, though. We've been moving plus the first week of school, so things have been pretty hectic. In fact, there was an entire week where I didn't take a single outfit picture!

Then there's the fact that I haven't had internet outside of work for more than two weeks (I'm actually still not on full internet as I write this post). Thank goodness for pre-scheduled posts, right?

For this episode of Real Outfit Roundup, I decided to focus just on the first two weeks of school, which is what I would be posting this week anyway if I'd been able to keep to the schedule.

You can check out the last of my summer outfits here.

As a reminder since it's been awhile, you can keep up with my daily outfits as they happen in my LTK shop, and I post weekly roundups on my Instagram and Facebook.

P.S. Ignore the mess in the background. We've just moved, and my office is still not fully put together yet.

Sizing info: I'm 5'2" and about 140 lbs. I wear size 6 or s/m in most clothing and size 7 in shoes.

Top (similar, similar) | Necklace | Skirt | Shoes

We actually had two different open houses this year, but I only took a picture of my outfit for the one on the day before school started. The first one took place in the evening, and it was during the week that we were actively moving while I was working through pre-planning.

Anyway, I've had this blue vest top for a little while now, but I haven't worn it all that much. I really like this top, but I find it hard to style. I do like it with this floral skirt, though. I left it untucked because it was more comfortable that way, but I think it probably would have looked nicer tucked in.

Vest (similar) | Top | Skirt | Belt | Shoes (similar, similar)

This was my first day of school outfit. This skirt is one of those viral, chiffon skirts from a year or so ago. I can't stop buying different versions of them. I really do love them, and this brown floral print is so perfect for fall. The only thing they don't have are pockets.

I paired it with this 'dark pink' ribbed tank top, which looks more pink in person than it does in the picture. I have this tank in eight different colors -- that's how good it is! Then I added my wide cream belt, a dark denim vest, and my tried-and-true basket-weave flats to finish out the look.

Top | Overalls | Shoes

Day two with students called for a fun outfit, and these overalls were just the ticket. I must admit that these were not the color I was expecting when I ordered them, but they're still very pretty and matched nicely with my navy blue, ruffle sleeve blouse that I've had for ages.

Because these overalls are a bit longer, I needed shoes with some height to them, so I wore my new taupe platforms from Old Navy. They were surprisingly comfortable for all day, and I was on my feet a lot. In fact, my feet felt better at the end of this day than they did on the previous day when I was wearing flats!

T-shirt (sold out) | Dress | Shoes | Lanyard

This is, hands down, my favorite look from week one. Everything about this outfit just feels perfect. Unfortunately, this striped tee is now completely sold out, and I can't find anything good to link to as a substitute. It's from Old Navy, so check your local store to see if they've still got any hanging about.

My dress is also from Old Navy. I love these drop waist dresses, and this one is still available in most sizes. It's such a good color for fall, and as you can see can be easily layered. I own this exact dress in four different colors/patterns.

My shoes are the most comfortable pair of mary janes I own. They are sooooooo soft. I want them in every color!

Top | Necklace | Skirt | Belt | Shoes

First Friday of the school year called for a bright, colorful outfit, and this green-and-purple floral print blouse was just the thing. You can't see them in the picture, but the blouse does have ties at the neck, but they were really long, so I cut them drastically shorter. It's also got puff sleeves for some added interest.

I decided to pair it with my white cotton-linen skirt that I haven't had a chance to wear yet. This is one of those skirts that I own in a ton of colors. They're such good basics. I wrote an entire post about them earlier this summer professing my love.

Lace Top (similar, similar) | Tank Top | Necklace | Pants | Shoes (similar, similar)

We spent the weekend unpacking and running errands, and I took a grand total of zero outfit pictures, so we're skipping ahead to the first Monday of school and this neutral but not boring outfit.

I've shared these pants on the blog before, and I still love them just as much now as I did then. You can't see in the picture, but they've got the cutest scallop detailing on the legs and at the pockets. They're a cropped length, which means they're ankle length on me.

I paired them with a solid brown tank layered underneath this tie-front lace blouse that I found randomly at Old Navy earlier in the year. I can't really find anything similar, but I did link to some cool lace tops for you.

Black Dress (similar) | Striped Dress | Sandals (similar)

This is a look that I've shared before on the blog, except this time I decided to button some of the top layer dress instead of leaving it completely open.

The black dress is one of those ribbed Old Navy tank dresses that I bought in every color a few summers ago. I wear this sucker all the time in various ways, but I do really like adding this long striped sweater dress over it. The sweater dress can be worn on its own, but I've yet to do so. Maybe I'll give it a shot once the weather cools off a little.

T-shirt | Skirt | Belt | Shoes

This is my favorite outfit of week two. I found this Schoolhouse Rock t-shirt in the men's section at Target. They have such better graphic tees than the women's section in my opinion. I still get my normal size so that they'll fit a bit oversized. As you can see, I did have to roll up the sleeves so they wouldn't be comically long, but that's really the only issue.

I paired it with my new blue and teal striped skirt. I love the look of this skirt, but I did fight with the liner pretty much all day long. I'm not sure that it needs it, to be honest, so I might just cut it out entirely. Seriously, it was annoying.

White Blouse | Vest | Necklace | Pants | Shoes

These pants are so much fun, y'all...even if one of my students told me they didn't match. Anyway, these are very lightweight and flattering. I wanted to wear them with this lightweight red sweater vest, which is advertised to be able to be worn without anything underneath it. It's a bit low-cut for me, so I definitely wanted a shirt under it. I went with this white eyelet blouse that I've had forever, and I really liked the mix of textures.

Top | Skirt (similar) | Shoes

This is one of my favorite outfits to repeat. This lace-sleeve blouse is a perfect color match to the lighter blue flowers in the skirt, which was a happy accident. What I love about this blouse is that it feels like you're wearing a t-shirt, but it looks like you're wearing something much fancier thanks to the details.

My skirt is one of my favorites, and I wish it was still available, but I've linked to something that's pretty close for you.

Back to School Activity: All About Me Hexagons

The first week of school is arguably the most important of the year. It's when you establish routines and procedures as well as establish rapport with your students. When I was going through my certification program, I had to do an elaborate first five days plan, complete with a script to follow. This plan broke down everything from how I would greet students to when I would introduce routines and procedures and what back-to-school activity I would use that day.

While I don't get quite that technical with my first week these days, that structure definitely helped me in terms of rethinking what I do with those first critical days, and I still use some of what went into that plan (not all of it still applies all these years later). The biggest thing that I do differently now is that I do not plan a bunch of different activities for every day. That's exhausting and doesn't really do much in terms of establishing my classroom routines or expectations. So I designed an introductory activity that does -- the All About Me Hexagon.

I don't remember when I first learned about hexagonal thinking, but it's the foundation of this easy to use introductory activity. For those of you who are not familiar, in a nutshell, hexagons are the perfect shape for examining how things connect. You can apply the concept to almost anything, and it works well for any class, but for this activity specifically, it's all about finding connections among classmates.

All you need is a hexagon that has been divided into six sections (one section per side). You can see the one I made as an example to show students above. The hexagon itself takes up about half a piece of copy paper; I use the other half for the instructions. For mine, I have three requirements:

• Name: I don't require last names, but when I have multiple students with the same first name, they have to put their full name on the back. I do allow nicknames but only after I approve them (full names must be on the back for these students).
• Favorite Subject: I do not limit this to just academic subjects. Our students are exposed to quite a few specials including band and art. I do not allow them to use lunch as their favorite subject.
• Hobby/Sport/Activity: Students must put at least one thing they enjoy doing in one of the sections.

That leaves three sections that students can fill with whatever they want to so long as it tells me something about them (and is school appropriate). This can be other hobbies, sports, or activities they participate in, favorite books or authors, music, quotes, etc. Students have free reign on what goes into each section. They can use words, illustrations, or a combination of the two, but everything is done by hand.

The only other requirements are that the hexagon must be filled and colored and that everything needs to be within the outer lines because they'll be cut out. I do require my students to cut these out before they turn them in.

We work on these in class anywhere from three to four days, depending on what day of the week our first day falls on, but I do not extend this activity into week two. I use this activity to introduce my Writing Center and establish the procedures for how students will use their writing folders throughout the year, then as the week progresses I use it to reinforce the writing center routine. This activity also activates our community supply center routines and shows me how students interact with each other in this environment.

On the final day, or the due date, I allow students to walk around with their hexagons to see how many sides they can connect with their classmates.

So what do I get out of this activity? The main thing this activity shows me is which of my students are more visual learners versus those who do better with words/writing. But also I get to see which students take their time, which ones rush, who would rather spend their class time chatting than working, which ones ask a billion questions, etc. This is truly a community-building activity.

This is one of the few activities that I put up every single student's work -- even the ugly ones. And yes, I tell my students that on day one. I also tell them that they should not finish this on the first day, although there will always be at least one in every class who does rush through it. I display every single student hexagon somewhere in or outside my classroom for a LONG time. One year they stayed up until after Christmas break.

Here are some of my past displays.

Want to try this activity in your classroom?

Click here for your FREE copy of my About Me Hexagon activity

One Woman Book Club Review: Beyond the Moonlit Sea

When I was growing up, the Bermuda Triangle was one of those topics that was seemingly everywhere (along with quicksand and spontaneous combustion -- stop, drop, and roll, anyone?). So when I read the blurb for Beyond the Moonlit Sea and saw that it was about a pilot disappearing over the so-called Devil's Triangle, I had to add it to my TBR. That was three years ago, so it's high time I crossed it off the list.

For all the time it sat on my Kindle shelf, it took me very little time to read this 354-page long story. (The audiobook is just shy of 10 hours if you prefer to listen.) While I was captivated by the story as a whole, I felt like the blurb was misleading. As such, I was not prepared for what the novel was really about, which I think is worth mentioning this early in my review since it is a key factor in my final thoughts.

Here's what I thought the book was going to be about: a woman's husband goes missing while he's flying over the Bermuda Triangle, and in the aftermath she connects with a female scientist who is studying the area to investigate, and they potentially solve the mystery. I didn't know whether this would incorporate some type of parallel universe or whatever, but I was definitely expecting the two women to at least interact.

Spoiler alert -- they never even meet.

The book is actually about Olivia's husband, Dean, who really does disappear while flying over the Bermuda Triangle.  Melanie is writing her physics dissertation on why planes disappear in the triangle, but she goes missing years before Dean's disappearance. Olivia doesn't know about Melanie until her body is discovered in the woods years after Dean's disappearance and detectives question her about Dean having been Melanie's therapist back before they got married.

So this book is really about Dean, but I didn't know that going into it, and I found myself pivoting and rearranging my expectations many times throughout my reading. I also think it's important to note before I get into the nitty gritty of the review that this story is not 100 percent linear. While this works for establishing the main overall conflict of the story, it was one of the bigger contributing factors for why my expectations kept shifting.

As always, skip to the end of the post to avoid spoilers.

***Spoilers**

The story begins in 1990 on the night that Dean disappears. He and his wife, Olivia, get into an argument when he accepts a last-minute pilot gig for a celebrity, and he misses dinner with Olivia's family. While he is flying back home over the Bermuda Triangle, Dean's plane vanishes from radar. Search and rescue efforts turn up nothing, and it's presumed the plane crashed and Dean perished.

Olivia, meanwhile, cannot accept that Dean is dead. She becomes obsessed with the Bermuda Triangle and learning everything she can about it. She finally gives up her obsession when she discovers that she is pregnant and moves back to New York City with her mother. This is all established within the first seven chapters.

For the first ten chapters, we jump back and forth between Olivia in 1990 and Melanie in 1986. In chapter 10, we land solidly in 1986 and stay there until chapter 23. Those 13 chapters are told mostly from Dean and Melanie's points of view until the final two chapters of this section where we move back to Olivia. From there, the remainder of the book is told from Olivia's point of view with the exception of the next to last chapter.

Before he was a pilot, Dean was a grief counselor. Melanie became his patient after the death of her mother kind of derailed her from the work she was doing on her dissertation about why planes go missing over the Bermuda Triangle. It becomes apparent early on in their 'relationship' that Melanie is obsessive, and Dean quickly becomes her new obsession. He resists her advances at first because having a relationship with a patient is illegal and would end his career. But then he suffers a great loss and gives in to the temptation.

Melanie stops her therapy, but there are still rules and regulations about dating a former patient, so their relationship must be conducted in secret. There's no actual love in this relationship; it's all a classic case of erotic transference and countertransference. But Dean is trapped in what has truly become a toxic relationship and sees no way out without ruining his career.

It's during these five or six months that Dean meets Olivia, also through his therapy practice, except she's not a patient. She is a film student working on a documentary about grief, and Dean's boss volunteers him to give an interview for the film. Dean and Olivia's attraction and connection is instant, and Olivia invites him to several different events.

So essentially, Dean is dating Olivia at the same time as he's stuck in this situation with Melanie. When he decides to man up and end things, Melanie goes off the deep end. She literally pushes him out of her second floor apartment and tries to push him down the stairs. Dean grabs her shoulders to try to stop himself from falling, but they both end up going down. Melanie dies in the accident, and instead of calling the police, Dean decides to cover it up and hides her body.

A few days after that, Olivia is confronted by her parents about her relationship with Dean. Her family is wealthy and well-known, and her father hired someone to look into Dean's background. It all boils down to her parents not believing he's good enough for Olivia, that he just wants her for her money. Here's where Olivia earned my respect. She basically tells her parents to shove it, even when her dad tells her he'll cut her off.

She and Dean get married pretty much immediately after that episode and move to Miami where she encourages him to pursue his childhood dream of being a pilot. Fast forward to 1990, and you know what happens. Dean takes the job flying a celebrity to an island in the Bermuda Triangle and never makes it back home.

Olivia ends up moving back to New York City where she's determined to raise her daughter alone. Eventually she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, Gabriel, and they rekindle a deeper kind of relationship. They marry and have two more children.

In 1997, Melanie's body is discovered in a shallow grave in New Jersey. Police suspect foul play. Detectives come to question Olivia about Dean's connection to Melanie, of which she knows nothing about due to Dean never discussing his patients with her. Turns out, Melanie was pregnant at the time of her death, and in their course of their investigation, the detectives have reason to suspect Dean. Although she can't believe Dean capable of such a thing, Olivia agrees to give the detectives a pair of Dean's old gloves for DNA testing to determine if he was the father. The test comes back positive, which causes Olivia to completely change the way she thinks about her late husband.

Then in 2012, Olivia and Dean's daughter, Rose, does one of those ancestry DNA tests and discovers she has a younger half sister in Australia, which shouldn't be possible. Turns out Susie's mother had a one night stand with a tour boat captain and decided she wanted to raise Susie on her own. The description she gives of the man matches Dean. So Olivia and Rose travel to Australia to meet Susie and her mother to try to confirm if it is in fact Dean.

Here's the biggest spoiler of the entire book: Dean has been alive the entire time. Living in Australia operating a tour boat business. While he knew about Susie and that Olivia had remarried and had children, he did not know that Rose was his daughter.

Olivia understandably confronts him about everything -- Melanie and his fake disappearance. Dean admits that he had planned his disappearance in advance and had just been waiting for the right moment. He believed that he wasn't good enough for Olivia and didn't deserve to start a family with her. He also tells her the truth about what happened with Melanie, including that he did not know Melanie was pregnant and his belief that Melanie also didn't know. He agrees to go back to New York and turn himself in and finally assuage the guilt he's been living with for more than twenty years.

The book ends with an epilogue set five years in the future. Dean is serving time for what happened with Melanie; Rose goes to visit him occasionally. Rose and her half sister have become best friends and are working as nurses at the same hospital. And Olivia and Gabriel are still happily married.

***End Spoilers***

Final thoughts -- I would give Beyond the Moonlit Sea 3.5 stars, which is in line with its Amazon and Goodreads ratings. Again, I feel like if the blurb was a little bit clearer, then my expectations would have been different, and my rating probably would be higher.

I thought there was some nice symbolism in this book, although I'm not sure if it was intentional. I felt like the Bermuda Triangle was a nice representation of the toxic love triangle Dean was trapped in. There was also a good bit of foreshadowing, although I didn't recognize it at the time because I was expecting a much different story than the one I got.

There was a tiny bit of history in this book that was interesting surrounding the reason behind why Melanie was studying the Bermuda Triangle. She mentions that her grandfather was in the Flight 19 disappearance, which actually happened. On December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy bombers disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle; thirteen crew members who were part of the search and rescue efforts were lost later in the same day. Oh, and in case you were wondering -- Melanie doesn't solve the mystery of why planes disappear there.

Overall I find myself disappointed in this book and ultimately would not recommend it.