July Lately List
Here’s the monthly lately list of fun fiction series to read, instant pot dishes to try, and popsicle recipes (because always).
You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.
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Reading
Fiction
With Kindle + Audible, I was finally able to finish two different series I’d started a while back. These were so addictive!
The Harbinger series by Jeff Wheeler
Since I tend to ramble when describing stories, I’ll let the publisher describe it instead:
Theirs is a world of opposites. The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society.
Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family.
Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity.
Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing.
But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.
The Harbinger Series (5 book series)
The Evermore Chronicles by Emily R. King
So intriguing! I think the publisher describes it best…
Everley Donovan is living on borrowed time. The lone survivor of her family’s unexplained assassination, she was saved by an ingeniously crafted clockwork heart. But the time she was given won’t last forever. Now, every tick-tock reminds her how fragile her existence is and hastens her quest to expose Killian Markham, the navy admiral who shattered her world and left her for dead. But Everley’s hunt for justice will be a long and hard-won voyage.
Her journey takes her to a penal colony on a cursed isle, where she will be married off and charged to build the new world. It is here, and beyond, that hidden realms hide, treasures are unearthed, her family secrets are buried, and young love will test the strength of her makeshift heart. When Everley discovers Markham may not be who he seems, her pursuit for truth is bound to his redemption, her tragic history, and her astonishing destiny.
The Evermore Chronicles
Making and Tasting
In January, I set a goal to try 3 new recipes each month by shopping in my own pantry and not going out of my way for bizarre ingredients.
And… it’s been a really great way to use up random ingredients (before they expire!). Here are some scrumptious options you might want to try, too!
- Butternut squash macaroni + Italian sausage + butter sauce
- Instant pot strawberry jam
- Applesauce granola – another Yummy Toddler food favorite
- Chocolate gravy – because we’re healthy like that… and I really needed to use up a lot of milk quickly
- Instant Pot potato soup
- Instant pot chicken curry
- Strawberry popsicles – I skipped dipping them in chocolate, but they’d probably be delicious that way, too!
- Easy Oreo mint chip ice cream cake – Our mint Oreos were about to expire (What is wrong with my household??), so we decided to give this a go. Amazing.
Other posts related to the Lately List
Wrap-Up of the July Lately List
You’ve seen what’s been on my lately list… what’s on yours? Book suggestions? Foods to nosh on?
Let’s talk in the comments!
P.S. Want some crazy simple steps to start living intentionally? Grab the Embrace Your Potential Playbook. It’ll help you zoom in on your God-gifted personality and give you practical tips to be more intentional, passionate, and purposeful as God’s beloved so you can become the best version of yourself.
I’m Cortney, a recovering over-achiever and God’s beloved who loves helping fellow Christian women like you embrace your God-given gifts so you have the confidence to live authentically.
I’m also a full-time mama to two sweet little boys, wife to my best friend, motivational speaker, and part-time Christian life coach. Chai lattes, strong coffee, podcasts, yoga, dance, and fairy tales nourish my soul and add sweetness to life.
Discovering the joy of embracing my God-given gifts and who He created me to be was a game-changer—a journey that brought freedom, unexpected delights, and relief from guilt. Finally, I felt free to be myself and ditch the pressure of being someone I wasn’t.
Incorporating those gifts into my day—from weekly planning to deciding on commitments, nurturing my marriage, and parenting—transformed everything. Now, I can’t imagine life without the perspective of fully embracing who God created me to be. I was missing so much without it!
