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If you heard a big sigh of relief yesterday, it was me as I pushed send and sent my finished manuscript off to my editor. I cannot even tell you how happy I am about it. And, best of all, I really like what I wrote.

I mean that’s not to say I won’t hate it later because I absolutely will hate it when I go back through it to edit it and all that business, but for now I love it and adore it and am just so happy that it’s finished. I really didn’t know if that would ever happen.

So if you need me this weekend, I will be somewhere with a margarita in my hand.

Here are some cute things I found this week:

1. ipomoea tunic

I love the length on this. It’s long enough to wear with leggings but would be cute over some skinny jeans. It’s on sale for $39.95.

2. crochet tunic dress

I saw this in the store and it is so gorgeous. I really wanted to buy it but I have no need for it. But I’m hoping someone out there does because it’s so lovely.

3. caravan block border poncho

Love the blue and white in this. Would look so great with all white.

4. off the shoulder top

I have decided that off the shoulder tops aren’t for me. I hate the whole bra situation. But I really am tempted by this one and I love that it appears to be a good length.

5. embroidered boho tank

I do love basically anything embroidered.

6. dainty hammered hoop earrings

Sometimes I like to wear earrings to the pool, but I don’t want to wear good earrings. These are only $8 and super cute.

7. veracruz dress

I love this as a dress or even to throw on over a swimsuit.

8. gap plaid popover

This plaid top is so cute. It’s at Gap and comes in several different color options. I’ve discovered that I like to sometimes order Gap tops in the tall size to ensure that they’re a little bit longer. Just a little tip.

Although I think this one is plenty long enough either way.

9. j.crew summer plaid shirt

I bought this a few weeks ago and have worn it constantly. I love the colors of the plaid and it looks cute with everything from my jeans to a pair of shorts. It’s on sale for $38.50.

10. gap v-neck stripe swing dress

I love easy dresses like this for summer. And it’s easy to throw on a denim jacket or sweater with it when needed.

That’s it for today.

Have a great Friday.

Well it is officially summer here.

Caroline and I left for Nashville on Sunday night. We are here for a little bit of work and a whole lot of fun. And look at the sunset that welcomed us as we landed.

We made our way to our hotel, bought a whole bunch of junk food and spent the rest of the night watching Parks and Recreation since it was already pretty late by the time we settled in. And we had a little glitch because I thought the air-conditioning wasn’t working properly in our hotel room and that’s a deal breaker for me. But in a delightful turn of events, they were able to get the air fixed and gave us a box fan for our room. It may be one of the greatest hotel moments of my life.

Monday morning we slept in, grabbed coffee at Frothy Monkey and then drove to LifeWay to film a webcast with Sophie and a whole bunch of other fun people.

The webcast will be available to watch later this week so I’ll keep you posted on that, but in the meantime Sophie’s new book, Giddy Up, Eunice: Because Women Need Each Other, officially releases today. It’s my favorite of all of Sophie’s books because it is the perfect blend of her humor and stories combined with reminding us how much women need each other at all stages of life.

You can find it at your local bookstore or online here at Barnes & Noble or here on Amazon and it’s only $9.70.

It’s the perfect thing to kick off your summer and a great read for the beach or the pool or sitting in the air-conditioning with a box fan in a hotel room.

That sound you heard yesterday was us limping across the finish line into summer. Hooray and yay and all that business. We will now commence with all the doing of the nothing for the next three months to celebrate.

If you need me I will be here not packing a lunch.

Here are some cute things I found this week:

1. edie swing dress

I’ve had my eye on this dress and it’s now on sale. It also comes in black. I like that it can really be dressed up or down depending on what you do with your accessories.

2. cottonwood swing dress

This is not on sale. But I saw it and now I am in love. The end.

3. lola cocoon tunic

This also comes in red, but I am partial to the black. It is made of the softest, non-wrinkly fabric ever and is so flattering on. And it can totally transition from day to night. I love a good versatile dress.

4. decorator in demand top

I think this color is so pretty and perfect for summer.

5. girl about easton tunic

This also comes in plus sizes. I love the red and blue. It would be a fun 4th of July top without being too excessively stars and stripes forever.

6. speechless print dress

I stumbled upon this on the Nordstrom website and love it. Perfect dress to throw on all summer long and it’s only $48.

7. treasure and bond cuffed denim shorts

Last week someone asked about denim shorts and it caused me to do a little research. I have a pair from Gap that are two years old that I love, but I also think Nordstrom has some good options. These are on sale for $39.90

And these treasure and bond boyfriend denim shorts are a good longer option.

And also the its distressed rolled denim boyfriend shorts for a longer option.

8. dot lace peplum tee

Loft is having a big sale right now. This top is $34.99 plus an extra 50% off with no code needed. It comes in white, navy or gray. I love them all.

9. shirred back tee

And this shirred back tee is also $34.99 plus an extra 50% off with no code needed. It comes in white or navy.

10. j.crew factory popover tunic

I like these popover tunics because they can be worn with jeans or leggings or even thrown on as a swimsuit coverup. It also comes in chambray and olive green and is on sale for $44.50 plus an extra 30% off and free shipping with the code CUTESALE at checkout.

That’s it for today.

Happy Summer and have a good Friday.

Listen.

We are a day and a half away from summer and I can’t even.

I have one more lunch to pack and, honestly, Caroline will be lucky if it’s not just a granola bar and a Ziploc full of marshmallows with a note that says, “Good luck!”.

This picture of Caroline and one of her best friends totally sums up my mindset right now.

It’s time for summer.

And here’s what I’m thinking about. Caroline and I both revert to total night owls during the summer months and we have big plans to watch a lot of T.V. in between reading all the books we will read. As of now we have Gilmore Girls (which I’ve already seen but want her to see) and Parks and Rec on our list.

So my question is what are some great shows on Netflix? Especially those that might fly under the radar? I feel like it’s important to set goals for the summer and mine are to teach Caroline to do her own laundry and watch a lot of quality television.

We have almost reached the finish line to summer. And I will spare you my thoughts on how it is so dumb that we have to go back to school for two and a half days after Memorial Day weekend. Except to say, it is so dumb.

But we will survive.

In the meantime, there are some good Memorial Day deals to be found and cute clothes to be bought.

Here are a few things I found this week:

1. summers wedge sandal

I have loved these for a long time now but never purchased because I felt like they were similar to other shoes I already own. But now I’m thinking it’s time to take the plunge because they are currently 40% off and just $39.90.

I happen to love the cork, but they also come in a couple of patent colors, a stripe pattern and a floral.

2. ray-ban high street sunglasses

I adore these sunglasses. They are now 30% off and just $107.98 which is a great price for a pair of Ray-Bans.

3. gap jacquard tank

I ran in Gap the other day and saw this top and thought it was so cute. It comes in blue or pink. Plus Gap is offering 35% off with code EVENT at checkout. They also have all their t-shirts on sale for just $10 so it’s a great time to stock up on basics.

4. ingleside wide leg loungers

Anthropologie is offering an additional 30% off all sale items. I am a sucker for some new lounge pants and I am also a big fan of this brand because everything they make is so soft. These are on sale for $39.95 with an additional 30% off taken at checkout. No code needed.

5. ruffle trim tank

This is another Anthropologie sale item. This is great by itself or under a jacket. It’s $39.95 plus an extra 30% off.

6. cloth & stone side button tunic

Okay, I actually bought this. I have been looking for just a basic white button up shirt. I love this brand because it is so soft and this shirt has three buttons on each side that you can button or unbutton depending on how you want to wear it. It looks great with jeans and shorts and even some of my skirts. It’s a great basic and it’s an additional 30% off.

7. folk duo tunic

Well, this is just the cutest. It would look so great with a pair of white jeans.

8. topshop lace up coverup caftan

Toyshop has some really great coverups and this is just one of them.

9. zella live in crop leggings

Nordstrom has a ton of stuff marked 40% off, including these Zella leggings that are now just $31.20. I told Gulley yesterday that I think Zella leggings are about the best out there. And this is a great price. The ones I have wash and wear so well and are so comfortable.

10. j.crew leather fringe sandals

I love these fringe sandals from J.Crew. They are on sale for $49.00 and also come in black and white. Someone also emailed me and said that if you use the code ALMOSTSUMMER at checkout on purchases over $100 that you get another 20% off.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Have a good Friday.

This week has been like most weeks in May. By which I mean insane. The only comfort I have right now is that it’s almost over and we have a long weekend ahead of us with not much on the schedule.

I’m also so close to finishing my book that I’ve reached the point where I can’t sleep at night because it is all-consuming and I know exactly what I have left to write and my brain really doesn’t have an off switch at the moment. But that’s okay. I’ll sleep in June.

In the meantime, I did manage to cook dinner one night this week and the recipe is worth sharing. I think you can probably tell from all the fishing pictures, but we have a lot of fish at our house. P makes the best fried fish in the world, but he doesn’t always have time to do it and yet we still want to eat fish for dinner. Thus, I needed to find a way to cook the fish.

(I realize I could fry it but the process intimidates me for some reason. I worry that I’d burn it or undercook it and we’d all get salmonella or e.coli or an amoeba or something.)

Then I found a recipe on my friend Ruth’s Living Well, Spending Less blog and decided to give it a whirl.

It was delicious. And so easy.

So in case you’re looking for a good fish recipe, here’s Crispy oven-fried fish bites with homemade tartar sauce.

A couple of notes:

1. I didn’t make the homemade tartar sauce. HEB makes a good tartar sauce and why reinvent the tartar sauce wheel?

2. I will use more Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning next time. Like at least twice or three times as much. Because we like our fish just a little bit spicy.

3. The best part is that this is an easy way to make fish to go in fish tacos. And this fish taco recipe with yum yum sauce is my favorite. It’s yum yum. Just like the name says.

4. You could totally do this with whole filets if you are so inclined.
Edited to add since people have asked: We used fresh trout, but I think it will work with just about any type of fish.

5. It was so good that I have no doubt I will continue to use it as a go-to recipe until I never want to eat fish again.