7.31.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hi, guys!

Amy here. How was your week? I can't believe we're already at the end of July. The. end. of. July. You know what this means? Christmas decorations are going to start crawling into the corners of craft stores, and as soon as Back-to-School is underway, then it'll be a full Holiday Décor onslaught. 

Madness. 

By the way, our local schools are starting this week. 

I know. I know. Let that sink in.

Anyway.

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Full disclosure: I'm on a Rambo-charged organizing kick. I'm not sure why: perhaps my inner neat freak has been inspired by too many Instagram posts of beautiful closets with everything meticulously in place and labeled. Regardless, I'm going to share my obsessions with you.

You're welcome in advance. 

This plastic file box has become home to all of my important documents. I'm telling you, there's no peace of mind like knowing you don't have to sift through piles of envelopes and minutiae to find your birth certificate or a rogue instruction manual—it's all there.

I really like these storage boxes from The Container Store. They're a lovely way to store printer paper or corral craft supplies. They come in all kinds of colors, so you can mix and match to your heart's content.

My closets have become much more manageable with these cloth storage totes. I can divide and conquer my smaller cabinet fare, like First Aid items, pill bottles, toiletries, cosmetics, and more. Gone are the days of the Great Travel Shampoo Bottle Avalanche, thank goodness! (it happened more often than you'd think, trust me—I like free shampoo, ok?)

Book nerd alert! It's a card catalog! I have not purchased this, because I have no idea what I would put in it (so. many. drawers.). Thoughts?

For holding overflow produce or berries on the counter, there's nothing cuter than this little ceramic basket. I mean, come on.

So these napkins don't fall into the "organization" category, but someday I hope I have my life together enough where I entertain with cloth napkins on the table...and have the ability to get the stains out afterward. 😂 Don't you get a Girl Scout badge for entertaining with cloth napkins? Regardless, these are adorable. They remind me of a beautiful flower table cloth my grandmother would use for her spectacular Sunday dinners.

This Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef is my current recipe obsession. I've made it for two weeks in a row and, thanks to a recent Chuck Roast sale at my local Kroger, I might be making it for Week #3, and I don't even care. And thanks to my Instant Pot, I can dig into my roast in 1/3 of the time it normally takes to braise in the oven—and I don't have to turn on my oven, which means my house and I stay cool. Plus I have an excuse to eat avocados with something else. Win!  

This week, I read about the worst book signing of all time. Truly. It was horrible. By the time I was done reading, I wanted to give this author a huge hug and a bag of chocolate.

Lucky us: the brilliant Catherine Coulter's newest Savich & Sherlock thriller is coming out next week! And she's giving away a. ton. of. prizes. Including an iPad mini! Go check out her epic giveaway!

 

And closer to home:

This week's Wine Vixen post brought a delicious Pinot Grigio you white wine-lovers shouldn't pass up!

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That's it from me, y'all. Have a great week, eat some tomatoes 🍅, and I'll talk to you soon!

Cordially yours,
Assistant Amy