Summer Recap

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Both my twins were home together the past two weeks. One just left today, and will be starting up her studies at Smith College soon for her senior year. My other twin goes back next weekend to Bryn Mawr College for their senior year. I will miss them both!

Vermont Vacation

Earlier this month, my family and I went up to Stowe, Vermont, for a few days. It was our second trip to this beautiful mountain town. We stayed in a lovely pet-friendly Airbnb Stowe townhouse that was just one block from Main Street—every morning we walked up the block to the local Black Cap Coffee and Bakery, where I fell in love with their chai tea!

We enjoyed the townhouse’s beautiful living area with its full kitchen, and the two large and lovely bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. There was even a lovely desk area in the upstairs hallway where one of my twins completed her final exam for her remote summer university class.

One of my favorite day trips was taking the Stowe Gondola SkyRide up Mt. Mansfield—the views were so gorgeous at the top of the mountain! We even were able to take our pup with us in the Gondola. In fact, the whole town is very dog-friendly; most stores allowed him to shop with us, too.

While we were in Stowe, we also visited the Cabot Creamery Store in Waterbury Center—I love that store! We got a few cheeses, including an aged cheddar, a Habanero cheese, and my favorite, a blue cheese. Back at our rental, we spread them on crackers with a blueberry jam, a very delicious combination. I got the jam at the Cabot store, where they served cheese samples topped with jam! With the cheeses, we also enjoyed some deli meats, also from the Cabot store.

Our last full day in Stowe was a bit cloudy and rainy, so we drove the Smugglers’ Notch scenic drive, which winds through the mountains. We stopped to dip our hands in a cool mountain stream, and drove past a few beautiful waterfalls. I think the fog rising from the mountains made the scenery more beautiful!

Summer Flowers

When we got back from our trip, I was happy to discover that my zinnias and sunflowers were faring well, since it had rained most of the week we were away. As it turns out, I had replanted them twice because earwig bugs kept eating my seedlings! After planting my seeds the third time, I finally learned that I could keep the bugs away by putting a plastic sleeve over them (created by cutting the tops and bottoms off plastic half-gallon, iced tea containers). Thanks to all my hard work, a bunch of zinnias bloomed before my trip, and after I returned home, three of my sunflowers had opened up too!

These are my beautiful zinnias. I also have a bed of zinnias growing next to my sunflowers, but most of those haven’t bloomed yet.

I used these sunflower and these zinnia seeds to grow my flowers. I plan to grow them again next year.

Vegamour Vegan Hair Products

I’ve always had very fine, thin hair. But lately, now that I’ve entered menopause, It’s been feeling even thinner! So I am glad that my friends at Vegamour have gifted me a few of their hair boosting products. I plan to start using them this week and share an update in two months—so be sure to check back to see the results.

GRO Revitalizing Shampoo and Conditioner: Sulfate-free and color-safe, this duo is designed to encourage thicker hair with natural, plant ingredients. I am really hoping it will help to thicken up my fine locks!

GRO Hair Serum: A 2022 Shape Beauty Award Winner, this vegan hair serum promises to produce thicker hair in less than 90 days—I am looking forward to seeing that!

HYDR-8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask: I have been swimming at the local pool a few times a week this summer, and my hair has already become a bit dry, so I’m looking forward to using this hair mask to give my hair a deep conditioning.

Delicious Mocktails

Also, this summer, my friends at Better Than Booze gifted me with some of their mocktails! I was able to share them with my twins—we all love a delicious beverage. They really enjoyed Better Than Booze’s unique spirit-free combinations: Rosemary Grapefruit Paloma, Mint Mojito with Lime, and Elderberry G&T, and found them to be quite refreshing!

Avocado Snugibles

My kids will be off to the final year of college soon, so I though it would be fun to gift them them with the Avocado Snuggle Duo Pack from Plushible.com! They both love avocados, so I knew they would love them! (Here I am wearing one of the cute, wearable blankets.)

These Snugibles are awesome because they are super comfortable to wear, and when they aren’t in use, can be zipped up into a comfy pillow! These will be really useful when it gets chilly for my kids in their dorm and off-campus apartment.

Check back on Saturday when I will be sharing and reviewing a brand-new juicer I just got!