At the beginning of each month I pause and reflect on the month prior. Reflecting on July has me so full of emotion! July was a beautiful month for me full of releasing, realizations, time with friends, physical body healing and so much more. I find that this practice of reflection and focusing on the things that I loved really helps to ground me into a gratuitous mindset. More often than not, the things featured each month are the little things. And when we can find gratuity for the little things – it opens the door for more abundance to flow in. Here are the things I loved in July 2023.
All Things 🌞🌺SUMMER🌺🌞
Oh, Summer! I just love this time of the year so much. There are certain moments that can only be experienced in summer. The way the sun feels on salty skin after an ocean swim. The ocean breeze. Collecting seashells at the beach. The smell of summer rain at the same time a glorious sunset puts on a show in the sky. Spending the day poolside. A full moon sitting on the horizon over the bay. Before I dive deeper into the things I loved about July 2023, I just want to appreciate the moments of summer from July.
Flower Power 🌸
Flowers are one of the simplest ways to my heart. While July didn’t have heaps of flowers the way May and June did.. the flowers that July had were beautiful nonetheless. I LOVE hydrangeas -they’re some of my favorite flowers and I stumbled upon the most beautiful blue/purple hydrangeas in July. I also made the prettiest bouquet of pink roses and pink Gerbera daisies.
I also stumbled upon a bee stuck on the second floor of the parking garage at my gym. She was so lost and confused amongst the concrete so I carried her downstairs and brought her back to some of the flowers outside of the gym.
Summer Fruits
Fruit is one of my main food staples. I LOVE FRUIT. And even further: I LOVE SUMMER FRUITS. I opt to eat with the seasons, meaning: if it’s not in season, I don’t eat it. So, the only time I get to enjoy my favorite fruits are during the summer. I’ve been eating tons of cherries, watermelon, peaches, plums, berries, tomatoes and cucumbers. I eat them ripe or turn them into salads, juices and smoothies. Either way = they’re delicious.
I wrote about this delicious fruit juice that I made, pairing it with magnesium and salt, to cure a headache in my article What is Intuitive Eating + More Importantly: How To Do It.
I like to store my summer fruits (cherries, berries, tomatoes) in glass jars to preserve them for longer. The shelf life of cherries in the plastic bag they come in is about a week but they can last for up to three weeks in a glass, airtight, jar! Seeing figs in the store made me so happy! They’re not easy to get my hands on, especially local and organic, so I cherish the times I find them!
I’ve been leaning into different juices and one of the juices I’ve been loving for the summer is a Watermelon Refresher. I wrote up the recipe here!
Skincare, Haircare + Manicures
Skincare is one of my favorite things. I love making new products. I love trying new products. I love falling in love with new products. I love stumbling upon concoctions that just work for me. While I try to live a mostly organic lifestyle – I also live by the 80/20 rule. 80% “good”, “organic”, “clean”… 20% “whatever else”. And generally, when it comes to that 20% … it’s skincare.
I stocked up on my Viori Rice Shampoo bars in July. I also wrote a review on Twitter about the rice shampoo bars in my Natural/Organic Haircare Thread because I am OBSESSED WITH THEM. You can read the full review here:
And to balance out the organic shampoo? I use K18 leave in hair mask. I like to justify the use of the K18 because it doesn’t touch my scalp – LOL. Pairing the Viori Rice Shampoo bar with the K18 hair mask has done wonders for my hair! My hair feels so soft after using this duo and the best part is how lightweight it feels, as well.
I also stocked up on my favorite Tallow Balm from the lovely Autumn and had a moment with all my pretty summer skincare essentials.
Earlier in July I wrote about why I love organic tea rinses for my hair. One of the best parts about July is being able to go to the beach and rinse my hair out right there with a giant bottle of tea!
If you’ve read any of my “Things I Loved” articles prior – you know I love a good manicure. I had one of my favorite manicures of the year in July 2023: a mermaid manicure!🧜🏼♀️💅🏼
Light💡✨ & Color🌈🎨
I always love the way light hits. From different patterns like the reflections I loved in March to different colors – the beauty of light never ceases to amaze me. I have different lights in my bedroom (purple, orange, pink) and the way they shone this month was like never before! It was a proper pretty moment. I also sat down and painted for the first time in a few months and it felt SO GOOD. I love playing with paint and color. It’s extremely therapeutic for me.. giving me a peace of mind as well as space to get some deep emotions and feelings out.
Signs & Synchronicities
I always love to see the way that God chooses to talk to me through different signs and synchronicities. I find that the deeper I go within myself – the more signs and syncs I stumble into externally. One of the biggest signs I received this month was stumbling upon a bedazzled number 5 while walking my dog. I mentioned in January’s Things I Loved that I’m in a personal “5” year. Stumbling upon the below number 5 (in front of a floral bush no less!) felt like a shiny confirmation that I’m right where I belong.
Dragonflies have spoken to me for the last few years on my journey of transformation. They have been known to symbolize happiness, new beginnings and change for many centuries (and in many cultures). Finding this little dragonfly, who posed for me perfectly (with teal and purple, my two favorite colors behind her) felt so synchronistic.
Leaving the beach one evening I saw this cute little cruiser with a beautiful basket and the message, “You Make Me HAPPY” and it made me happy!
Eats, Treats & Sweets
I love food.😋🤤 Nearly every month there’s a little something “food” on the list of the things I loved. July was no exception! We started harvesting some of our garden in July. From tomatoes to potatoes, zucchini to herbs – produce picked right from your garden just tastes better. I harvested potatoes one morning and then mashed them up for dinner, topping them with an onion and mushroom “gravy”. It was TO DIE FOR.
Summer salads happen to be one of my favorite food groups. I love playing with the different produce thats in season and pairing them with different meats, cheeses and even fish! I made an arugula and watercress salad topped with grilled peaches, a touch of balsamic, and burrata cheese (below left). I also made a cold seafood salad using raw salmon, cooked (but chilled) octopus, cucumber, mango, tomato, cilantro and red onion.
One of my favorite summer salads is mango, peach, cilantro and red onion and it happens to pair with seafood PERFECTLY. The farm that I get my weekly raw milk and meat delivery from happened to have fresh, wild caught scallops so I had to oblige. Lightly searing the scallops and pairing it with the deliciousness of the mango and peach salad.
I love summer peaches and turning them into a delicious dessert doesn’t hurt, either. I tossed these peaches with cinnamon, some oats, pecans, a touch of raw cane sugar and a few tablespoons of raw milk and then baked it to make a delicious summer dessert.
I used to drink multiple espressos per day until kicking coffee back in the beginning of 2022. I knew that the healing my body required of me – required me to ditch caffeine. While I don’t need to rely on coffee for energy the way I once used to, I do still LOVE a good coffee. Especially in the summer. Especially an iced latte. I made a delicious salted honey cardamom iced latte with raw milk in July that DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
July was a special month of sun, sea, healing and feeling. Full of joy and, as you can see above, lots of beauty. One of the best things about rounding up July was that all of my favorite moments were free. It didn’t cost me anything to appreciate the sunset. Or to go for a walk without my phone, being super present with the moment, when I stumbled upon the bedazzled number 5. Noticing, and loving, the way the light hit my bedroom wall didn’t cost me a dime.
July was a beautiful reminder that peace and joy exists where we seek it. If we seek it in the everyday – it will find is, everyday.
Like it? Pin it!
