Melissa's Must Haves (Summer Edition)

I've been wanting to compile this little list for a while now but I'm using the excuse that I'm too busy to sit down and really put it all together. Truthfully that's just a poor excuse for the fact I'm too lazy to charge my computer to write a list of really no worth whatsoever. I think of a lot of good openers for posts, posts that consist of more than the same blabberdy blah as everything else (my house is messy, my baby is cute/tired/sick/funny/naughty, I am sick, my laundry needs to be done, etc....), I don't ever pull my computer out and start that post. Or if I do I don't finish it and then my good writing moment is gone. Not saying I'm a good writer, just that sometimes it's better than other times. Anyway, this is what I'm calling "Melissa's Must Haves" and this is Summer edition because it's a list of things I've acquired this Summer that I am loving. A lot of it is Summer seasonal stuff but not all of it. If you have a must have list of your own please add it in the comments!

♥ colorful jams. I am referring to pjs for your kids but if you have none, or if you love sleepwear, then it works for adults too! I bought this Gap sleeper for way less than it  is listed on the website, I think I paid $11 for it? Anyway, there is nothing more adorable after a long, sweaty, stinky Summer afternoon playing than a baby who is bathed, lotioned, and dressed in comfy cuties. 

♥ Fresh herbs! I don't know how or why but I've waited until my 28th year (or is it called my 29th since I'm turning 29 this fall?) to plant and grow my own herbs. I've had other house plants that didn't last very long and the Summer before Mad was born I had flower boxes at our condo (they died when we went on vaca in late July) but always had some excuse for not having a little basil plant growing in my window. This year all that changed. I have basil, thyme, rosemary, pineapple sage, mint (mojitos anyone???), flat leaf parsley, and catnip. Aside from being useful in the kitchen (I'll dry some too and store it for the cold months) they smell fantastical on my front and back porches. And they are still alive which is really giving me some gardening confidence.

A fun variety of pots helps too. I have colored pots and some adorable brown terra cotta pots that were basically free at Lowes.

♥ Veggies. I don't have a picture of my vegetable garden, and at this point it's kind of blah to look at, but I'm having so much fun watching the progress on the vegetables we've chosen to plant this year. We only have one box so The Bear just picked a little of everything and we'll see what goes well and keep that in mind for next year. He has high hopes for the watermelon but I'm not going to hold my breath. If you don't have anywhere to grow veggies then head to a local Farmer's Market to enjoy the fruits of another man's labor. 

♥ A place to drink in the evenings. If you don't drink then a place to do whatever it is you do to unwind. As long as that unwinding doesn't include cleaning. I picked up a cute "chat set" for the front patio with an Amazon giftcard we got with reward points. The space has some annoyances, like the uneven surface that makes the chairs sit a little crooked, but overall I love it. The cat loves to stalk bugs and birds while we sit and I like to over analyze all the things that are wrong with my front yard. The Bear plays on his lap top, Ipad, & smart phone all at the the same time.

 

♥ Awesome baskets. Remember my dream pantry? Well, I took another step in the right direction when I found and ordered several wire baskets online. The original organizing job I had done went down the drain a month or so after I finished it all and so I got the bug to get it back into shape, found the baskets, and VOILA! I'm so in love with these baskets! I want more for this space (different than what my dream pantry has going on but better for what I have IN my pantry), and a few to organize my linen closet all pretty. Everything looks so much better in a fun container than it does just sitting all blah like on a boring shelf.

I feel like this looks worse than the first picture because it's so full right now....and the top and bottom is a bit of a wreck still waiting for some TLC. But, in real life it looks way better. I swear!

♥ Flip flops...for obvious reasons. I say one cute pair of sandals and a few go to cheap but comfy pairs that can be worn around the house, in the garden, at the park, & out for errands. My cheap choice is always Old Navy flip flops. The kind that are rubbery and soft so they are so comfy to wear.

♥ Adirondack chairs. I got some colorful plastic chairs from Home Depot and while they will probably only last 2 or 3 seasons before they crack they don't have to be sanded or painted and with all the projects I have going on right now (the projects I'm not actually making progress on BTW) that is kind of important.

♥ Swings. A park swing, a tree swing, or an entire Costco swing set (like us) a swing is a Summer must have for any kid. Mad will spend hours swinging if I will stand there and push her that long. I love that she loves it that much. It's made all the work putting the damn thing together well worth it. I mean, the hard work of watching Mr. Bear do the building of course.

That's not really it but this is getting wordy so I'll stop now! If nothing else this has been fun for me to write. Next up, a picture list of all the projects I'm NOT working on but really do hope to finish in the next month or so if I can just get some quiet time to myself.....

*I just read this to edit it and stuff....cause we all know how much I care about proper punctuation....and stuff.....but despite the several run on sentences and need for additional commas I decided to leave it as is so I could properly reflect the exhaustion I am feeling tonight. Because of the cat. And the mouse. And the ear infection.