Hey there, it’s Monday! How was your weekend?  I hope you ate lots of watermelon, grilled far too many ears of corn, and drank your weight in pretty drinks with paper straws.  We are well into May and that’s really the only way to weekend, in my opinion.  

As we prep for Summer (which, in my mind, always begins before Summer Solstice), I wanted to share a few of my warm-weather essentials, as well as a couple of pretty things I’ve got my eyes on.  I’m looking at you, fancy lipstick. 

1.  First, Summer requires a special kind of bag, one that can easily transition from 'weekday purse' to Saturday morning’s vegetable and flower bag.  I bought this bag last year and I absolutely love it.  It’s far too big to be my every day, running errands kind of purse (for that I use a small clutch that just holds the necessities), but it is perfect for the days when I’m carrying magazines, my “real” purse, and a picnic blanket.  It also adds 50% more cuteness to your farmer’s market ensemble.

2. I went to Ulta this weekend and semi lost my mind with this Unicorn Tears Lip Cream.  It changes colors on your lips!  While it appears to be a strange blue pastel color in the tube, it actually goes on as a bright, super shimmery pink!  My five-year-old self would be screaming with delight, my twenty-one-year-old-self was not exactly dissimilar. 

3. I just bought this cookbook and I am ready to start cranking out piles of fried chicken and fluffy, buttermilk biscuits.  Going southern for summertime.  I’ll likely be sharing one or two of my favorites over the next couple of weeks so stay posted for the goodness. 

4. Throughout the year, I wear Prada Candy, but for the warmer months I switched to this lighter, more floral version and I think I may love it even more than the original.  

5. If there was one quintessential summertime kitchen accoutrement it would be a pretty pitcher.  Why?  Because 1., they hold all manners of deliciously refreshing drinks, such as this one.  And 2., they can function as vases for all those pretty flowers you are harvesting from those lovely, blooming plants that you definitely did not kill.  They are functional and pretty - the two requirements for Summer dishes.  I really love these options... One, two, and three.

6. I just bought this dress and I really want half a dozen of them in varying colors so I can wear them every single day.  They are light and breezy, but structured enough to transition from work to dinner out.  I’m in love. 

7. Summer is the time for pie, and this server is the most adorable way to dish it up.  

What are your summertime favorites?  Tell me, tell me. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie