Hello friends. It has been a minute!
For some reason, I thought that once we had our graduations behind us, we would get back into some kind of routine. But then I remembered that as amazing as summers are, they are never about the routines.
When my children were small, summers completely undid me. It was almost impossible to find activities that they liked, that lasted more than two hours, and that maybe more than one of them could go to at a time. Summer was always this complicated puzzle I could never quite figure out. The kids still love to tease me about how I’d love to make “outings” of things like haircuts, where I would drop them off uptown, give them $10 for a treat at Walgreens, and then have them walk the 2.5 miles home. That could fill a morning! Ha!
But my life this summer is totally different. I have a house that is mostly empty. The boys are back at school for summer football. Annie and Jimmy are home with us, but they both have jobs, and camps, and friends that keep them very busy. So busy that three nights last week, I made dinner for all of us and I was the only one home to eat it.
With that being said, I’ve decided to make a change to my summer blog content. I realized last week that it doesn’t make any sense for me to create a big menu plan when no one is home to eat. So, our summer vibe is going to be winging dinners. But while we’re playing it day to day, I promise to share any good things that I’m making. (I’m making this tonight–looks delish!) Additionally, I’m really trying to personally eat better–cutting out the carbs and sugar and really upping my protein. It seems like a lot of my friends are doing the same, so I’ll be sure to post the recipes that check these boxes in case you’re trying to use the summer to make some healthier choices, too.
Speaking of healthy, my sweet girl Grace is coming home on Friday! I still can’t believe that her year in Madrid is over. She has loved her time in Europe so much that she’ll be going back this fall, this time to London to start her masters at Imperial College. I’m so happy for her and so excited that I’ll get to visit her in another amazing place. Until then, I’ll be savoring all of the Grace time that I can get this summer.
Since I haven’t posted in forever, I have a bunch of things I want to share with you. Let’s go!
Pomeroy: We had brunch at Pomeroy in Winnetka for Father’s Day and it was amazing! So delicious, so pretty–this little French bistro has it all. If you have a chance to enjoy their menu outside this summer, do it. Here’s a link to making a reservation.
Walking with Sam: Grace and her best pal Elizabeth walked a portion of Spain’s Camino de Santiago earlier this month. I was sharing this with a friend and she told me about a new book just out by Andrew McCarthy (yes, the cute Andrew McCarthy from the John Hughes’ movies we loved!) who just wrote a memoir about when he walked the Camino with his son Sam. I’m just a few chapters in, but I love it so far. I may even be convinced to try and take the same walk with Grace next summer.
Magic Carpet Pride: This is so random, but I have to share that last week I had our upstairs carpet and stairs cleaned by Magic Carpet Pride from Lake Bluff and they were the BEST. THE BEST!! Before we had our carpet replaced last year, I often used one of the bigger commercial companies to keep our rugs clean. I’ve called them one time since then and was so disappointed in the service that I knew it was time for a change. So I did a search on the Facebook Services page and saw that Magic Carpet Pride was highly recommended. They so lived up to the hype! They were even able to get a coffee stain out of the stairs that I have agonized over for months. They were a little more expensive than what I was used to paying but their work was so much better. I can’t endorse them enough!
Summer straw bags: I have never met a straw bag I didn’t love and have a minor obsession with them. I did little round out of some of my favorites, even finding a dupe for the Celine bag that is the summer tote of my dreams.
White Jeans: The weather has been so wonky this week that I’ve been reaching for my white jeans over and over. I am loving this pair from J. Crew. They are a slim wide leg, so no skinny jeans vibes here. What I like is they’re not as wide as some, which are super unflattering on me. I also love that they aren’t see through.
CEO Afterglow: I’ve had a few comments on my skin looking glowy lately, which is so nice! I’ll do a bigger story this week about the products I’m using this summer, but I think the biggest game changer has been using the CEO Afterglow Cream under my concealer. It has Vitamin C in it and is super hydrating. I would have thought it might be too heavy for the summer–especially during the day, but it’s really been great. A little goes a long way, too.
Duggar documentary: If you have any interest in TLC’s Duggar Family, I highly recommend this documentary called Shiny Happy People. This family always felt like it had a connection to a cult and this documentary showed that they absolutely did. I have so much empathy for the now-adult children who were interviewed for this piece and feel like the directors of the documentary shared their story with compassion.
Succession: It has been making me crazy that the world had all of these inside jokes about the show Succession and I didn’t get any of them. I have tried several times over the years to get into this show and now half way into Season 2, I’m finally hooked. Very entertaining, but these characters are horrible! I’m hoping there is some redemption for them down the road.
Revlon hair dryer: When we visited Grace in Madrid last spring, I couldn’t get over how pretty her hair looked. She and her roommates had just bought a hairdryer with a built-in brush that was very similar to the Revlon one I bought last year and stopped using. I dug it out of from the depths of my bathroom cabinet and am loving it. I can’t believe how much more volume my hair has.
Hillhouse dresses: The nap dress that became famous a couple summers ago continues to get better and better. I love this, this, and this one for the 4th of July.
Shopbop sale: I know I’ve mentioned my love for Shopbop before, but they are giving an extra 25% off their sale items this week. It’s a great time to check them out (and they have Amazon shipping!).
College packing list: I will be sharing an updated packing list as we begin to get Annie ready for college, but here is the list I’m starting with.
Peanut butter protein dessert: Have you seen this easy protein-packed dessert you can make at home? I swear it tastes like cheesecake and is so much better for you! I will be making this on repeat all summer.
A less healthy chocolate and PB dessert: Grace has requested sushi and a peanut butter chocolate dessert for her welcome home dinner. Here is the dessert I will be whipping up for her.
I think that’s all I have for now. Have a great week!
xo,
The above photo of me is by the incredible Robin Subar.
