Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! I’m actually wondering if anyone is home to read this post today. This is the first spring break in a while that I feel like everyone is leaving town. We haven’t even had that terrible of a Chicago winter–I just think everyone is needing a break. That’s definitely how I’m feeling. I think we’ve been in high gear since Christmas. We’re heading to Cabo and I can’t wait!!!

My big project of late was a fundraiser I helped co-host for our high school athletics department last weekend. It was a huge project, but I worked with some great women and it was so well received–it was all worth it!

We’re also in the middle of the college decision process for my daughter Annie. You would think that by the time I got to my fourth child, I would have this figured out. But everyday I realize how much I still have to learn. When we get back from spring break, we have some more college visits to take. I was able to come up with a plan for us this week and it’s amazing how much peace of mind a good plan can create. Annie has to make her decision by May 1 and I think we’ll all breathe a sigh of relief when that’s behind us.

Finally, you might notice that I’ve tweaked my blog yet again. It’s so important to me that you have a good experience when you visit my site and I just wasn’t happy with how my blog was organized or how the search tool was working. For that reason, I pushed the pause button on any new content until I got my blog in better shape. I still have some things to recategorize behind the scenes, but I think I’m much closer to where I would like it to be. I have lots of fun content coming up–not to mention sharing the important Lake Forest mayoral candidate interviews I conducted earlier this month.

So needless to say, I’m looking forward to that incredible Cabo sun, a comfy poolside chair, and a stack of books. I’m actually bringing five with me (which sounds a little insane!), but last year I read everything my daughter and I brought and ended up staring at the back of the seat in front of me on my flight home. This year, I’m planning ahead!

But before I tap out to pack my suitcase, I have a few favorites to share with you this Friday. Let’s do this!

• Spring break packing list: This is going to be the spring break of dresses! When I went to my box of summer clothes, I was so happy to see the dresses I bought for all of our graduations last spring. I still love them so much. I’m bringing a bunch of them to Mexico with me, along with a few other things that I share in this packing list.

• Reading stack: I always have a good book stack going and my one for spring break may be my best one yet. Here are the five books I’m taking to Cabo: Daisy Jones & The Six, Lessons in Chemistry, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Kingdom of Prep, and The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. I promise to report back on how these go!

• Travel hack: When we went to see Grace earlier this month in Madrid, I brought a face mask I’d read about to fight how dry my skin is after a flight. It’s called the Jet Lag Mask from Summer Fridays. This mask is packed with all of these great, clean, hydrating ingredients. It was amazing! On our first night there, I washed my face before bed, put this mask on, and slept with it on. When I woke up, my skin felt so much better. I repeated the same steps on our second night, too, and when we got home. Highly, highly recommend. I’ll definitely be bringing this with me to Cabo!

• Fun lip colors: I did a quick run to Nordstrom yesterday and picked up two very pretty lipstick colors for our trip from Mac–Lady Bug and TNTeaser. They’re from their LustreGlass collection which is more moisturizing, but I was pretty impressed with its staying power when I tested them yesterday.

• New openings in Lake Forest: Spring is definitely in the air in Lake Forest! Hometown Coffee–one of my favorite places for breakfast and lunch with locations in Glencoe and Winnetka–is opening in Lake Forest this Monday! This is such a get for Lake Forest! Located in the old Caputo’s space on Wisconsin Avenue, be sure to check them out if you’re home next week. Additionally, two of my friends bought The Lake Forest Shop from the Stirling Family. While they will be preserving the things that made this historic retailer iconic, they are infusing it with their fresh and stylish perspective. The store will now be called Caleta Lake Forest Shop. Follow them on Instagram to stay on top of all that’s to come from this beautiful space.

That’s all I have for this Friday! Happy Spring Break to all!

xo,

Photo by Robin Subar Photography

My pajamas in the photo above are from Printfresh. Enter ANNMARIE at checkout for 15% off.