Monthly Roundup: September Favorites

I feel like I say this every month, but how in the world is it already the end of September?! I seriously blinked and we’re already almost to October. Craziness.

Christmas is so close!

Too soon? Okay, I’ll wait.

September has been a great month of trying new things, checking off to-dos, and adjusting to doing homework every night again. I love summer and all, but there’s something exciting about the start of fall and getting back into a routine. Here are a few of my favorite things from this month.

{ONE} Stitch Fix

After a year and a half (almost to the day), I’m heading back to the office for the first time next week. I’m excited to get back into the swing of things but will definitely miss working from home every day. I love working from home. Since it’s been a while since I’ve had to dress professionally, I decided to try Stich Fix, and let me tell you, I am in love. My friend encouraged me to check it out (shout out to Gwen!) and I’m glad I did.

Here’s how it works: You take a free style quiz. You sign up. You pay $20. A stylist looks at your quiz results and selects 5 items for you. She sends them for you to try on. If. you like anything, the $20 goes into the final purchase price. Anything you don’t like, you send back free of charge! You keep the joy of shopping all from the comfort of your own home.

My first Stitch Fix box arrived a few weeks ago and included a super cute jumpsuit, a sweater, and some other basics. I kept the jumpsuit and the sweater. I know they are going to be great additions to my fall wardrobe. If you want $25 off your first box, check out my referral link for more info.

{TWO} Grammarly

I’m not sure why I never used this before but I discovered Grammarly this month and it is truly a gamechanger. If you’re unfamiliar with Grammarly, it is a Google Chrome extension that identifies grammatical errors and improves your writing as you go. You can use it for digital writing (for example, I have it turned on right now to notify me if there’s a spelling mistake). Or, you can upload documents for it to check manually. I’ve been using it with my academic research papers as a way to proofread them before I submit them for grading. It’s like I have a personal editor.

{THREE} Shang-Chi movie

Luke’s birthday was September 6 so we saw Shang-Chi in theaters. It’s a Marvel movie and oh. so. good. I wasn’t expecting to love it but it really was awesome! It also ended in a way that I think there may be a sequel.

{FOUR} Papermate Flair Felt Tip Pens

I have a confession: I geek out over stationery items. Like, I used to love back-to-school shopping and stocking up on all my favorite notebooks and pens. This shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve been here for a bit. Well, as a present to myself for starting my grad class this semester, I purchased a 24-pack of my all-time favorite pens: Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens. I shared this on my Instagram Story and was surprised to hear that many of you love these pens, too! I have found my people. These pens are the best.

{FIVE} Bloom Planners Timed Daily To-Do Pad

Y’all know I’m basically Bloom Planners’ #1 fan. Lately I’ve been loving their Timed Daily To-Do Pad (this one specifically) for time blocking my day. Being able to visually see how I’m spending my time is critical to being as productive and efficient as possible. Especially now that I need to make time for homework, I’ve found myself using this to-do pad to keep everything straight.

{SIX} Our backyard setup

Last summer, Luke built a pergola for our backyard, which I shared here. We love spending time in the back grilling, playing with Lucy, etc. We even had an outdoor movie night for our neighbors last October. I’ve been on the hunt for a furniture set so we can really make use of the outdoor space. Thanks to a Labor Day sale, we found the perfect set! I’ve already spent lots of time reading out there, writing blog posts, and enjoying the cooling temperatures. Lucy loves it, too!

{SEVEN} The mums are back!

We planted mums in our yard last fall and they’ve been green bushes all summer. The other day I went outside to get the mail and they had bloomed full force out of nowhere! Fall is officially back!

{EIGHT} Little French Cafe

Earlier this summer I mentioned I created a coffee shop bucket list for myself. Any chance I can, I visit a new one on the list. I stopped by The Little French Cafe in Newark a few weekends ago and it was lovely! Such a cute little shop and their lavender latte was delicious.