As an introvert, I’m a big fan of parties with a purpose, and my recent book swap party perfectly fit the bill: gather with likeminded friends, eat dessert, and head home with an armful of new reads? Sign me up!! Here’s a recap, if you’d like to plan something similar!

The venue: My friend Katie graciously agreed to host this soiree, which couldn’t have worked out better: her husband is an author, so their home is filled with books and was therefore the perfect backdrop! Her first floor is also a more traditional layout, with several distinct rooms, which helped with the flow of the evening.

In addition to playing hostess, most of the adorable details you see here are the work of Katie’s hand – she is incredibly crafty and a genius hand letterer!! She made the book table runner, the adorable treat bags, the “library cards,” and more. (She also makes AMAZING wedding invitations and other fun things, so please email her to talk about a project!!)

The invite: I sent out an invitation on Paperless Post (this one). We had an almost 100% RSVP rate, including a few EFM readers I had never met before! :)

The swap mechanics: My research turned up all different ways to host a book swap – some people do a Yankee Swap, or a Yankee Swap with wrapped books for extra mystery. My goal, however, was to clear out my shelves, pass on well-loved books, and get several new books in return, so I allowed gals to bring up to 5 books to swap that they already owned. (One book was totally fine, too! I’d say most people brought about 3.)

Any kind of book was welcome – fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbook, coffee table book – the only requirement was that they had to be GOOD! Something you’d recommend to a friend, not something you’d put in the recycling :) At the end of the evening, you got to bring home as many books as you contributed.

The food and drink: Guests arrived at 7:30, so we did light appetizers and a few sweets. We served feta dip and chips, pigs in a blanket (my favorite!), sausage tarts, fruit salad, cheesecake brownies, and warm chocolate chip cookies. For drinks, we had wine, lemonade, and sangria. I made some of the food myself and asked a few friends to bring items, which worked out great!

Okay, I know those cookies don’t look the most beautiful, but they were DELICIOUS! You can’t beat warm chocolate chip cookies :)

The activities: When gals arrived, we asked them to fill out a “library card” for each book they brought, pitching it to a new owner, then “shelve” their selections (we had tables for fiction, non-fiction, and miscellaneous scattered throughout the first floor). This was a great way to break the ice and give people something to do right away! Download your own library cards right here!

We also had a jar for each gal to drop in her all-time favorite book she thinks everyone should read (the answers are coming in my next post!!). Download your own suggestion cards here!

After everyone had had their fill of food and browsed our makeshift book shop, each gal introduced herself (we were 17 strong!), explained one of the books she’d brought and why she loves it, and drew and answered a bookish question on a little slip of paper. Here are the questions Katie and I brainstormed – wouldn’t these all make great conversation starters?!

The favors: We tied up gummy worms from Target in little glassine bags – book worms for the book worms :)

All in all, this was SUCH a fun evening and something I think might be a new annual tradition!

Since I’m all about the theme party, I’d love to hear if you’ve been to or hosted another fun “party with a purpose!” My favorites include pumpkins and soup, a favorite things party, and showers, of course!

Alright, here I go – a simple and sweet post for your Monday! :)

This weekend we celebrated Shep’s first birthday as a family, and our treat of choice was a chocolate raspberry pavlova. This is one of our signature family dishes – I was introduced to it almost 14 years ago by John’s older sisters. At the time (high school), it seemed an incredibly intimidating and incredibly elegant recipe to try at home, especially compared to the box cake mixes that were more my family’s speed. (No shame in that game – I still contend there isn’t a homemade brownie out there that is better than Betty Crocker’s!)

June is incredibly into cooking and baking these days, always pulling up a chair next to me! :)

Having since made this pavlova dozens of times for special occasions big and small, I can confirm that it is, indeed, incredibly elegant (and delicious!), but hardly as intimidating as I once thought. In fact, it’s actually quite simple – the only tricks are being patient as you whip the egg whites, allowing enough time for the pavlova to cool in the oven, and adding the sugar just one tablespoonful at a time.

The chewy chocolate base, the pillowy cream, the tart raspberries – it is, as Nigella says, “a killer combination.” If you’re looking for a delicious treat to celebrate something special this summer, here you go!

I’d love to hear: what’s your favorite birthday treat? June has requested ice cream sundaes and vanilla cake with sprinkles the last two years, respectively, and has already put in a request for strawberry cake next January. John’s July birthday go-to has been an ice cream cake since forever. My favorite is a chocolate raspberry layer cake, and we always celebrated my Dad’s birthday (August 7th) on the Island with banana cream pie growing up!

Friends. Not only am I posting this update a day late, but… I did not check off ONE of my goals in July.

Here’s the thing: I know why (it’s pretty simple). I didn’t keep them in front of me, and so other things took priority. And, between recovering from our beach vacation, 10 days in Maine, three social events on back to back nights the week before we left for Maine, a major photo shoot the week we got home, and two family birthdays, I hardly had a chance to do the dishes, let alone make progress on “extras.”

There is grace for that. I’m calling July an unofficial summer break, and moving on to August (when I’m going to keep my PowerSheets open on my desk)…

On my calendar this month:
— My friend Maghon’s book launch party at the Carolina Inn!
— Camping with five kiddos under five!! Yes, it’s time for our annual camping trip with the Rays!
— Celebrating the wedding showers of two dear friends: one in Connecticut, and one here in NC

What I’m loving right now:
— I started the new Fruit of the Spirit Write the Word today and am planning to journal in it every day this month! This volume is especially close to my heart since I chose the scripture for it.
— Have you watched Always Be My Maybe on Netflix? I thought it was funny and so sweet – the kind of rom com they don’t really make anymore! John and I both enjoyed it.
— I usually prefer my own Spotify mixes to albums, but I have been playing People by Hillsong United over and over and over for the last few weeks. It’s the perfect backdrop for a morning or evening at home, and I also like it for longer trips in the car.

What I read in July:
— Mere Christianity: Like To Kill a Mockingbird, I like to read this classic every year or so. When God starts to feel complicated, C.S. Lewis reminds me He’s really very simple.
— Normal People: This novel has been getting rave reviews everywhere and so I eagerly took it to Maine with me, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

August goals:
— Ride bikes 3 times a week in prep for the MS ride
— Send out a fundraising email to family + friends
— Edit June in June, Volume 4
— Choose a standing lamp for behind one chair
— Book Asheville accommodations and October flights
— Bring June to Sunday School for the first time!
— Plan and carry off Shep’s first birthday party!

Question for you: as a reader here, do you prefer more frequent, shorter posts, or fewer, longer ones – or do you not have a preference/like them both? (Shorter example, longer example.) I’m eager to pop in here more frequently but often get hung up on bringing mini novels to completion! Would love your thoughts, as always!

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