Hi friends and happy Friday! I have a feeling you could tell a lot about my week by looking at my Google search history. You will find everything from a search for used black pickup trucks to apartments in Connecticut to how long it takes for a bad buzz haircut to grow out! You can take a guess to what search belongs to which child. (Ha!)
Earlier this week, I shared that my plan for this summer is to just focus on the day I’m in. My goal for this summer is to try and do all of the little things as well as I can. So far so good. It’s been a busy one so far, but we’ve had lots of laughs, too–including the football camp by boys have hosted the last two weekends. It’s been so cool watching them work together and having a number of their cousins be a part of it. I really love summer!
Even though last week flew by, I was able to put together a fun list of things I want to share with you. Let’s go!
Father’s Day gift ideas: Father’s Day is next week! Here are a few ideas if you need some inspiration!
Beautiful planters: I was recently introduced to Jim Broccolo and his mom Mary Beth, the masterminds behind Gemini Designs. Gemini Designs offers full design services and specialize in container gardens for all seasons. Jim and Mary Beth offered to do the planters on my front porch in exchange for my honest review. I definitely got the better part of that deal! To say that I LOVE the planters and I LOVED meeting Jim and Mary Beth is a huge understatement. Take a look at this little reel to see how they brought it all together. Jim and Mary Beth are doing a pop-up at Peach Tree Place in Northfield on Wednesday, June 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will be selling some of their favorite garden planters and vintage garden finds. Definitely worth a visit!
Julia: Have you watched this show on Max? I didn’t know this series about the incredible Julia Child even existed until I was flying home from London and was able to watch the first few episodes. I then quickly binged the rest of the two seasons of this show (sadly, I heard there won’t be a Season 3). I loved this show for many reasons. First, it’s incredibly well made and cast–like a movie! Next, I didn’t really know the story of Child, that she launched her career as the French Chef in her 50s. When she pitched the idea of her TV show, she didn’t even own a television. And the love story between her and her husband is one for the books. It’s fun to watch a love story about older people once and a while! Julia is just great, feel-good, totally-worth-watching program!
Summer cookbook: One of my favorite people to follow, Julia Dzafic from Lemon Stripes, has written the most beautiful cookbook called Garden Grown. It’s organized by vegetable and I know I will be making many of her recipes this summer. This is a must-have if you love summer cooking!
Favorite sunscreen: Annie has promised that she will do a post with me next week on all of her favorite beauty products. One that she’s turned me on to is the Cerave Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen. I have used more expensive brands and I think this one is among the best I’ve tried. It works beautifully under makeup–not too greasy or oily. I love it! I can’t wait to share Annie’s other favorites with you!
Perfect bronzer: I love this stuff!! A little goes a long way. I love applying it with a thick brush like this one.
Cute white sundress: This popped into my shopping cart today. I always love a cute white dress and you can’t beat this price.
Spanx jumpsuit: I am a HUGE fan of the Spanx Air Essentials line and have worn it on pretty much every flight I’ve taken in the last year. Spanx just launched this jumpsuit in black and camel and they are AWESOME. I have it in both colors! You might be thinking that a jumpsuit is the last thing you would want to wear on a long plane ride, but it was so comfortable and easy to manage. It has two little buttons at the neck, so trips to the bathroom were no problem. And I like that nothing comes untucked.
New little library: For Mother’s Day, I asked my family if they could build me another little library for children’s books. Our original one that went up in 2021 was just bursting and it seemed very wrong to have Peppa Pig books stacked next to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy! (Ha! Ha!) We have tons of new young families in our neighborhood and I love to see the little guys excited to come by for a book. Here’s the story I wrote when my husband and son built the first one. The plans are included, too!
5 favorite things to do in London: Speaking of travel, I did a little roundup of my five favorite things to do when I visit my daughter in London. We don’t do anything fancy and I love it. I never got to be 24-years-old in London, so I’m channeling my inner Grace every time I go to visit.
Before I let you go, I just want to tell you one more thing. At the end of May, I celebrated five years being alcohol free. I only share this in the hopes that it might help someone who is trying to make a similar change. When I stopped drinking, it was always reassuring to know that someone had made it through to the other side. Here is a story I wrote last year of all of the things that were helpful to me. Feel free to share if this can be a resource to someone you care about.
Okay…that’s it for this week! Enjoy the weekend!
xo,
Disclaimer: If you purchase an item through a link in this post, I do make a small commission–almost as if I were your personal shopper. I only share what I love and I promise to let you know if I’m specifically working with a brand to help promote their products.
