10 Summer Essentials

top 10 summer essentials

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the weather so far this summer – it’s been warm for pretty much all of June, which never happens in PA. We’ve been able to do tons of fun summery things already, and it’s only been “officially” summer for a week, so I’m excited to see  With summer now in full swing, I wanted to put together a quick list of all the things I consider to be my “summer essentials”. From swimsuits to beauty products to water bottles, these are all the things I made sure to have for summer! I’ve linked a few products in each category in a variety of price ranges, so you can pick something that works for you.

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Striped Swing Dress

Striped Swing Dress Outfit for Summer

Striped Swing Dress Outfit for Summer

There are a couple reasons why I love dresses, especially in the summer. First of all, they’re a nice way to keep cool and still look put-together. But mostly, I love dresses because there is no matching involved – just throw one on and your outfit planning for the day is done. I recently bought this striped swing dress from Old Navy and I’ve been loving it. It’s really easy to just throw on, it’s super comfortable, and I think it makes a really nice “everyday” dress.

Striped Swing Dress Outfit for Summer

Striped Swing Dress Outfit for Summer

I paired the swing dress with a floral necklace, some chambray slip-on sneakers, and a floral shirt tied around my waist for an easy, summery outfit. I love to have a shirt tied around my waist, especially for swingy dresses like this, since it can give my waist a little more shape. It also comes in handy if you’re going to be out in the evenings when it may get a little cooler and you might want some long sleeves!

Striped Swing Dress Outfit for Summer

Striped Swing Dress Outfit for Summer

These are the exact shoes I’m wearing – they do run small, so if you go between sizes, I’d suggest ordering the larger size! (I ordered my normal size and they were small, but I was able to stretch them out by wearing them with a pair of wool socks for awhile.)

You can shop everything I’m wearing below, as well as similar options for things that aren’t available anymore. (I also linked a similar dress that’s on sale, comes in tons of colors and patterns, AND has pockets! It’s going to be hard for me to resist buying it, to be honest.)

I’ve linked this post up here and here.

Lately / Meal Plan

This past week has been really fun! Scott and I both got to celebrate our birthdays, and we really spread out our birthday festivities. (I think we had about 4 or 5 days of celebration!)

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Birthday present setup – I got Scott this silicone wedding ring and a shaving kit (this soap set, a double sided razor, and blades). A silicone ring is a perfect gift for any of you active folks – Scott really wanted one to wear when he was drumming, playing sports, or traveling. I got him this one and it looks almost exactly like his “real” one!

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On Friday we went to the car cruise at our church (it was corvette night) and then had movie night with my family. I’m not really a car person, but it was fun to wander around, drink lemonade, and see all the rows of cars lined up!

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Yesterday we went to the drive-in, which is one of my absolute favorite things to do in the summer! If you haven’t ever been to a drive-in movie, then you’re definitely missing out. We’re lucky enough to have a nice one pretty close to us.


Meal Plan / Week of 6-20-16

  • Monday: Easy Stir Fry
  • Tuesday: Pizza and Wings at the Drive-In
  • Wednesday: Steak and Potatoes
  • Thursday: Southwest Casserole
  • Friday: Eating Out or Waffles (from this cookbook)
  • Sunday: Taquitos and Rice