Final Friday's Finds for July 2021
Each month, I share some “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” of what I’m using, loving and finding can boost my productivity while bringing comfort and sanity amidst the hectivity of life. This month seems to have flown by for so many of us; yet, amidst all of my home, work, community and self-care goals, my productivity toolbox has proven particularly powerful. Here are my Final Friday’s Fab Finds for July 2021.
The Olympic Games have always been an incredible, multi-sport event celebrated as a global sports festival by people all over the world. Yet, this year’s Olympic Games feel even more powerful with a worldwide community coming together as we all face the impacts of a global pandemic, the related economic ramifications, long overdue reckoning with racial inequities and the results of ongoing climate change. There’s real emotion in watching the incredible athletes representing the United States along with so many other countries worldwide in soccer, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, diving, track & field, rowing, skateboarding, surfing, volleyball, softball, archery, wrestling, fencing, sailing, water polo and much more. Plus, I’m grateful for all I’ve learned about "the twisties” amidst a very important mental health discussion related to what Simone Biles is experiencing. Are you watching the Olympics and, if so, which is your favorite of the summer sports?
Suntan lotion is a year-round necessity, but it becomes a bigger topic of discussion when in the midst of summer’s direct sunlight. Although there are plenty of opinions about 2021’s best sunscreens, my favorite for my face is EltaMD UV Daily Face Sunscreen Moisturizer. In addition to offering SPF 40 protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun, it is non-greasy, includes hyaluronic acid and uses zinc oxide so it’s never irritating to my skin. Beyond simply being highly recommended by so many different dermatologists, this sunscreen has proven effective time and time again so I’m keeping my skin healthy as well as rejuvenated while protecting it from environmental harm. Using this every morning is a winning proposition!
Clean hands! If we’ve learned nothing over the past 17 months, I hope each of us has realized the importance of clean hands… To “easy button” keeping my hands clean while on-the-go, I’ve developed this clean hands toolkit: The WeatherTech CupFone has interchangeable base cups for a snug fit in any vehicle’s cup holder, its adjustable phone holder fits a variety of smartphone sizes in a way that’s easily accessible right beside you, and it has a spot for your travel-sized hand sanitizer bottle to the side of your mobile device; plus, the open access bottom enables charging your phone while it is in place. The carrier bag for my travel-sized hand sanitizer includes a carabiner holder for easily affixing to my keychain and comes in a variety of colors, like my favorite of olive green. Humankind produces a moisturizing hand sanitizer that’s a gel formula with 65% alcohol to meet CDC recommendations and includes optional essential oils, like grapefruit or eucalyptus, which make it so good for my hands; further, the large, 8-ounce bottle is designed to refill 4 travel-sized plastic bottles of hand sanitizer so it pairs well with what’s in the aforementioned carrier bag.
Sunflowers have long been my favorite flowers so I was overjoyed when North Raleigh Florist and Cary Florist spoiled me with beautiful sunflowers all across Wye Hill Kitchen and Brewery for the Greater Raleigh Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Installation and Awards Gala, where I was installed as our 2021-2022 Chapter President. I view the sunflower as a happy flower, seemingly smiling up at me, and many say that sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity, taking much of their meaning from the namesake of the sun itself. I can’t imagine looking at a sunflower and not being overcome by joy because of it being such a happy flower. Now, with over 8 acres of sunflowers planted across the locations of Dorothea Dix Park and the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh is the unofficial City of Sunflowers, providing beautiful backdrops for social media influencers all across North Carolina. For our area’s sunflowers, peak bloom happened over the past week so some of the first flowers are now starting to droop, but there’s still at least another week of beautiful blooms in which you can partake. Beyond Dix Park and NCMA, locally, we have many options from which to choose: Firefly Farm, Cathis Farm, Ashlan Meadows, Lazy Hound Farm, Hill Ridge Farms and Page Farms are just a handful of our outstanding options.
I’d love to know what are some of your fab finds amidst all that’s happening right now. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Or do you have any feedback on prior months' fab finds that you've tried? I’d love to hear from you!
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