Are you “red-dy” for the weekend? (See what I did there trying to tie in my cute red jacket?) These days, I feel like it’s Friday or Monday. I have no idea what happens to the days in between. While I’m grateful for all of the things that are keeping me busy, I do wish that time would slow down just a little bit.
If you can believe it, tonight is the last high school home football game of our regular season! We’re celebrating the seniors tonight and I have the biggest lump in my throat when I think about doing this for our Jimmy next year. (Isn’t he still 5?) I definitely waffle between being heartbroken that these high school years are almost over and excitement to finally have time to work on some things for myself. I guess this is proof that two things can be completely opposite and true at the same time.
This week, I was able to fill my cup and do some blog writing! It always happens that I have my biggest bursts of creativity when I have absolutely no time to execute any of it. But I made a commitment to myself this week that if I had an hour here or there that I was going to sit down and do some writing for this space. It made everything else on my to-do list feel better because I had made time to do this.
With that said, here’s everything I’ve been wanting to share with you this week:
Ina Garten’s memoir: I am so sad that I finished this wonderful book. I listened to it in my car and while I was doing busy-work around my house. I’m not even a big cook or collector of Garten’s cookbooks, but I loved her memoir–Be Ready When the Luck Happens. I’m super curious about the stories of other creators and she is a fascinating one. Garten had so many wonderful nuggets about friendship, business, feminism, and marriage. It was fantastic! I can’t recommend enough that you read this. And if you’re going to her event in Chicago this November, I am so jealous!
Nobody Wants This!: This is a must-watch series this fall from Netflixx. It’s light and sweet and the main characters have incredible chemistry. They do talk a little about s-e-x, but they don’t show anything so it’s safe to watch with older high school and college kids.
Fall makeup and skincare: This week I recapped my current makeup and skincare routines. I also did a short reel showing how I do my makeup in less than five minutes.
My trip to Greece with Annie: A lot of you saw the story of my trip to Greece with Annie in the September issue of Forest & Bluff (our local magazine in Lake Forest). We took that trip in July 2023 and it took more than a year for the story to finally be published. I’m so grateful to Forest & Bluff for running it! In case you missed it, I posted the story this week on my website. It might be a good resource if you’re looking to plan a vacation to Athens, Paros, or Santorini. We loved this trip so much!
Varsity Pickle: I received the coziest sweatshirt in the mail last week from Varsity Pickle, an athletic wear company that celebrates all levels of pickleball players. The company was founded by two best friends, one who lives right here on the North Shore. If you love pickleball, you have to check out this company. Or, if you love to look cute in pickleball clothes, Varsity Pickle is for you too!
Notre Dame (or other college!) gift idea: One of my favorite people who said “yes” to being the freshmen football mom for me gifted me with this beautiful Notre Dame scarf. It was designed by Olivia Cleary, a University of Virginia alum who majored in architecture. She launched The Clearly Collective, a line of scarves that depict different architectural design details for the organization she’s creating for. Cleary created the most beautiful Notre Dame scarf and has done the same for lots of other colleges and organizations across the country–so impressive for someone who is only a few years out of college. This is such a unique gift idea and one to keep in mind as you start your holiday shopping.
The best jeans: I couldn’t believe I could find a pair of jeans for $44 and that they would be so great…but these ones are! (Size up if you’re between sizes. They also come in tall.) In case you missed me talking about these jeans earlier this week, here is a little reel I did in how I styled them with this and this from J. McLaughlin. It’s the perfect way to mix high and low and feel great!
Red lady jacket: I saw Amy Guzzi (@amyguzzi on Instagram–you will love her!) style this jacket last week and I knew I had to have it. It was 50% off when I snagged it. It’s only 30% off now with the code SALETIME, but still so cute. I anticipate wearing this on repeat over the holidays!
All right, time to hang up my blogger hat and put on my concessions apron! (Ha!) I actually have a whole post planned about the lessons I lhave earned in concessions. I’m not kidding! It will be something along the lines of wanting to leave it better than I found it but having to accept that some things are just good enough. It’s still a developing idea….😉
Happy weekend all! Go Scouts and Go Irish!
xo,