I honestly thought life couldn’t get much crazier than it did in April… until May happened. I’m still not sure what to say– or how to say it, so I’m just going to quote Nelson Mandela. “It is in your hands, to make a better world for all who live in it.” As we all return to our normal lives (and, in my case, regularly-scheduled content), I pray we can all keep that sentiment in the back of our minds and hearts moving forward. I also hope that all my cocktail recipes and shameless dog posts help put a smile on your face and serve as happy little distractions from the every-day chaos that is 2020. 

With that in mind, please forgive me for posting my Things I Loved roundup over a week late. I muted myself all last week, but I’m excited to hopefully help bring some fun, color, and light-heartedness to your screens over the next few weeks. So, without further ado, here are 10 of my favorite things I found this past May–

1. Power My Future Course– Kyle actually found this Power My Future course on Facebook, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s totally free for 30 days and designed to help you “launch” a life you love using simple, easy-to-use tools. Seriously, if you’re wanting to make any changes in your life after quarantine, this is a great place to start!

2. Lululemon On-the-Fly Joggers– I’m normally partial to Amazon loungewear over Lululemon athleisure (primarily for budgetary reasons), but these joggers are just too good. They’re ultra comfy and could easily be styled with a button down and worn to the office. I own them in black and gray, and they were worth every penny.

3. Drunk Elephant ‘Bare With Us’ Kit– Drunk Elephant is a pricier cruelty-free skincare brand, so I try to order their products in kits instead of full-priced bottles. The Bare With Us kit is $100 and includes a handful of generously-sized mini products meant to tackle “unhappy” complexions. Highly recommend if you’re looking to test out a bunch of Drunk Elephant’s most-talked-about products at once!

4. Birkenstock-Inspired Sandals– Kyle just ordered a pair of black water-friendly Birkenstocks, and I don’t have the heart to tell him that there’s a way cheaper version available on Amazon. These are under $20 and come in over two dozen colors! If you’re partial to Birkenstock, though (and I don’t blame you– I love Birkenstocks), theirs are under $50.

5. Shoe Organizers– Our house is tiny, so I’m always looking for smart organization hacks that save space. These shoe slot organizers have been a game changer for neatly storing my flip flops and flats! 

6. Gardening MasterClass– We finally figured out how to get MasterClass on our Smart TV, and we killed Ron Finley’s (aka the Gangster Gardener’s) Gardening course in one sitting. It’s incredibly helpful if you want to grow your own food, keep your plants alive, or just get motivated about gardening in general.

7. Pink and Gold Filing Cabinet– I recently rounded up all my favorite affordable pink and gold home office finds, and I loved this cabinet so much that I couldn’t resist buying two for myself. It’s under $175 and comes in classic white and gold, too! Full disclosure– it’s kind of a pain to put together, but it’s still the prettiest filing cabinet I’ve ever seen.

8. Motivational Water Bottle– Y’all… I’m actually drinking enough water for a change! The marks on the side help keep me on track, and since it’s huge (one gallon, to be exact), I don’t have to get up and refill it multiple times a day, which was my lazy excuse for being dehydrated before. Seriously, if drinking more water is a goal of yours, this water bottle is a great place to start!

9. Watermelon Margaritas– Not sure what to do with all that watermelon juice? Make some watermelon margaritas! They’re ultra refreshing and so darn easy to whip up. I’ll be posting my recipe on my blog within the next few days, but it’s basically watermelon juice + tequila + lime juice. In the meantime, Southern Living has a pretty good watermelon margarita recipe. I’m not a fan of watermelon simple syrup (it tastes too much like a Jolly Rancher), so if you follow theirs, you may want to leave it out. You can also substitute with regular simple syrup instead. 

10. Collapsible Dog Pool– Who knew foldable dog pools would be all the rage during quarantine? I love this one because it’s easily storable and ultra durable. I ordered the XXL for Nala and Nellie, and it makes me feel significantly less bad about not living on a lake. This pool flies in and out of stock quickly, though, so snatch it up while you can!

That’s all I’ve got for y’all today! Stay tuned for some fun summer and 4th of July-inspired content over the next few weeks. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you’re all well and healthy!