Friday Favorites

Hi friends. And happy sunny Friday! I’m sitting at the kitchen table with the door open and this is my ultimate happy place. Listening to the birds, the rustling of the wind, and the sounds of Leo washing his truck! It’s the best.

It’s been a minute since I’ve written one of these Friday Favorites. Life has been a little lifey. It’s crazy to think that two Fridays ago I was wandering around Paris with Grace. When I got home, I picked up Annie from college and helped her get ready to leave for a summer program in Milan. (You know it’s killing me to be here and not there with her!) And then we had Mother’s Day and my Dad turned 80 on Tuesday, so it’s been lots of family and celebration. All good things, but it’s left little time for writing.

So I’m very happy to be back at the kitchen table and sharing my list of favorite things from the last couple of weeks.

Princess Diana’s favorite pizza place: Grace read my recap of our Paris trip and she noticed there was no mention of Princess Diana’a favorite pizza place–Da Mario. This was an absolute highlight of my visit with Grace, but Da Mario is in London and the trip recap was of Paris. So… I decided I would write about it here. Da Mario is a must if you loved Princess Diana like I do. The restaurant feels like an Italian family welcomed you into their home. They have Princess Diana photos all over the restaurant and her name on the front stairs. They also have her favorite table now placed in a window (as the restaurant has been renovated since her passing). Our food was wonderful, the service was fantastic, and it being one Princess Diana’s favorites made the evening so special. You do need a reservation to dine here, so be sure to book that before you leave for London.

Dianaworld: Speaking of Princess Diana, my always-in-the-know-pal Becky tipped me off to the new book out about the global obsession over the lost Princess called Dianaworld. My copy is being delivered tonight and I promise to report back.

Original Sin audio book: I’m not sure if I’m alone in my fascination with what happened to the Democratic party in 2024, but there is a new book out next week called Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. It’s written by two outstanding journalists who followed the election closely. I pre-ordered this book in the audio format to listen to when I’m getting my steps in next week.

Bindu dresses: Right before spring break, I received the loveliest summer dress from Bindu, an online clothing retailer that specializes in the most beautiful blockprints. I was corresponding with Bindu when I was on my way to visit Grace, and it turns out the person who reached out to me is based in London. When she heard I had a daughter living there, she wanted to make sure I passed along her information so she would have a local mom on standby should she ever need one! Isn’t that the sweetest? The icing on the cake is that Bindu makes beautiful dresses at a great pricepoint. I wear a medium. Be sure to check them out!

Showhouse magic: If you haven’t get visited the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, don’t miss your chance! This is the last week you can get a peek inside what I think is the best showhouse that has ever been done. The designers seemed to work in such a way that the house is so beautifully cohesive–it’s just spectacular. I was lucky enough to take my Mom for Mother’s Day and she hasn’t stopped talking about it. The price of admission goes to such an incredible cause–treat yourself to a tour next week.

Graduation gift list: It’s graduation season and I updated my tried-and-true gift list.

Black Barn Apiary: I received the nicest gift package from Black Barn Apiary, a bee “farm” located on 20 acres on the southern edge of the Kettle Moraine in Southeast Wisconsin. They specialize in all different kinds of honey and gifted me a sampling package. This would make a great teacher gift, or since their honeys are popular for grilling–great for Father’s Day, too! Such an original idea–tuck this one away as a good gift idea to keep in mind! Their packaging is darling, too!

Boden’s newest drops: In Boden’s quest to take all of my money (ha!ha!), their newest summer drop is darling! This, this, this, this, and this are all currently in my cart.

Madewell cuteness: This darling eyelet blouse from Madewell is so good and back in stock in all sizes. It’s also on sale for $99. I would grab it if I were you. There’s nothing better than a cute white blouse.

Okay, friends, that’s it for this week! I’m off to celebrate my little brother’s 50th birthday and then we have all of the prom fun tomorrow night with Jimmy–a fun, busy weekend on deck for sure.

Happy Friday!

xo,

Disclosure: If you make a purchase through one of my links, I will make a small commission–almost as if I were your personal shopper. I appreciate your support!