To us, Happy Hour is a time to sit back, relax, and catch up with friends. It’s a time to chat about everything and anything, and that’s exactly what we bring to DIY Playbook’s monthly Happy Hour.

These monthly posts are a chance to catch up with friends and bring just a little extra happy to your day. So grab your coffee (or champagne) and let’s catch up!

Casey

Sunglasses // Watch // Necklace // Earrings // Jeans // Chambray Top

• Finn and I are heading to Italy in September, so we’ve been spending our weeknights planning for our big trip. After hearing rave reviews, I just got these packing cubes on Amazon Prime Day. I’m hoping they help with my overpacking tendencies. Now the big question for you…what’s your favorite luggage? We’re in need of a medium-sized roller bag and I’d love your suggestions!
• Because of our long trip, I just stocked up on some more underwear. We probably won’t be doing laundry in Italy, so I want to make sure I have plenty of clean underwear! I love hanky pankies from Nordstrom, but they can be pretty pricey! With the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, I stocked up at a much lower price point. If you need some undergarments, hurry and stock up before everything is gone!
• And to keep the Italy theme going, I just purchased this crossbody bag from Madewell for our trip. I wanted something sleek, stylish, and with a zipper (keep those thieves at bay!). I adore Madewell and I’m loving this bag so far.

Bridget

• I jumped at the chance to finally splurge on this travel steamer on Amazon Prime Day. The steamer originally cost around $70 and I was able to score it for around $20, so I was super excited with the deal! And as much as I plan to pack it when I travel, I secretly bought it to steam a few of my challenging shirts at home. I didn’t want to invest in a full steamer because I don’t want to make storage space for that item.      Lace Top // Jeans // Shoes // Ring // Sunglasses // Topknot Tutorial // Purse (Marshall’s)

• I was so happy to see you guys scored a lot of the same pieces as I did at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! It looks like the chambray button-up and lace blouse were some of your favorites, so happy you guys loved them as much as I did.
• Outside the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I haven’t bought much this month because I’m saving up for back-to-school shopping! So many of the blouses out now are so cute, but can’t double to work wear because the arms/shoulders are missing. I’ve been opting out of buying anymore of these summer styles and instead waiting until next month to get a few work staples. I’ll keep you updated on my hunt!

Links

• How to spend a day in bed…without feeling like a sloth <— yes please!
• Tylenol vs. Advil vs. Aleve…when to take each pill. (We’ve both been doing it all wrong)
• One of our favorites, Michelle from Iron & Twine, showcases the toddler room for her twins. Seriously adorable.
• Love this take on being a working mom. Gives us hope that we can juggle family/blog/work someday in the future!
• How to improve your productivity at work
• Happier Comment Policy (as if we couldn’t love Emily Henderson any more. She is the best!)
• Listening to this song on repeat lately because we love the message. It’s pretty amazing to have a song lifting up and supporting strong, beautiful, HARD WORKING women!! Check out these lyrics if you haven’t heard the song yet:
  • “Most girls are smart and strong and beautiful
    Most girls, work hard, go far, we are unstoppable
    Most girls, our fight to make every day
    No two are the same
    I wanna be like, I wanna be like, most girls” -Hailee Steinfeld

Casey’s Updates

This past month was actually a bit challenging for me for two reasons. First, I’ve been having some major upper back and neck pain. I tried just about everything to make it better…yoga, stretching, deep tissue massages, and strengthening my back, but nothing was working to alleviate the pain. So I finally booked an appointment with my doctor. 

Steroids helped bring some inflammation down, but I’m now doing physical therapy twice a week. I think my pain is brought on by having 2 jobs where I’m on the computer (yikes!), as well as a bit of stress. I’m hopeful that the PT will help get me feeling good again! 

It’s always a balancing act juggling both the blog and my full-time job, but during the summertime it is especially difficult. I want to jam pack lots of summer fun into my weekends, so I feel like between the weekday and weekend…I hardly have any down time. I think my back pain was a not-so-subtle reminder to slow down and add some rest days to my calendar. I’m trying my best to do just that.

Bridget’s Updates

July has been a WHIRLWIND for me but in such a different way than Casey. While summer is SUCH a busy time for her, summer is not as busy (in the traditional sense) for me since I’m off work during the summer.

I really feel like I made the most of my time off this month by filling it with lots of travel, family parties, babysitting and summer activities. Not only was I able to sneak away for a girls’ trip to Charleston, we added the boys to the mix and spent the next week relaxing in Lake Geneva, WI.

I’m so grateful for this time together, but I’ll also be excited when it comes time to go back to school in a few weeks. I really feel like I made the most of my summer and realize that all good things must come to an end. Plus, how could I ever complain about going back when I’ve been off for this long?!

I have about 2 weeks to button up a few projects and work as much as I can behind-the-scenes on the blog before I head back to juggling both jobs. Fall is such a busy time for me, but it’s also my favorite time of the year. And I don’t know about you guys but when I’m very busy, I’m SO much more productive so I’m excited for that too!

Bridget&Casey