A week from today, Annie and I will be in Greece. Neither one of us can actually believe this trip is finally happening and we probably won’t until our plane touches down there. We’re flying directly from Chicago to Athens and will then make our way through Paros, Mykonos, and Santorini. We’ll be moving quite a bit–four hotels over six days–but I want Annie to get a little taste for this part of the world so that someday she can go back and really dig into it.
I’m always a little bit uneasy when I’m leaving some of my family behind. It was torture when they were little–trying to build a schedule and find the right sitters so the kids wouldn’t even know I was gone. It’s so much easier now, especially being on a summer schedule and having Grace hold down the fort. I’m kind of curious how her vegetarian recipes will go over with Jimmy and Ed but I’m so grateful that I don’t have to leave a fridge full of ready-made dinners.
Anyway, you can tell that there is a lot of excitement over her this weekend–packing and finishing up my to-do list. But I do have some favorites from the week that I want to share with you!
March Fourth Hat: Yesterday at the Lake Bluff Farmers Market, the incredible March Fourth team had a booth and was selling merch that they’re using to fundraise for their gun law reform lobbying efforts. I bought this cute hat, but they had lots of other cute things to choose from. This sweatshirt is adorable!
Summer dinner recipes: My family told me that I made one of their favorite dinners of summer this week and I didn’t even have to try very hard to do that. I paired these easy pork chops with this delicious peach and avocado salad. And I made the whole dinner in less than 30 minutes! The sauce for the pork chops was so good–wondering if it would work for chicken. If anyone tries this, please let me know!
Cute looks for Greece: I’ve tried to be good about not shopping for this trip to Greece, but I have picked up a few cute things. Here’s my packing list.
Shirtdress summer: If you sum up my summer wardrobe in one word, it would be “shirtdress.” I saw this cute one just in at J. McLaughlin and I think it would be a great piece when it’s time to transition to fall…not that I’m thinking about that!
New favorite Instagram follow: I recently discovered Amy Guzzi on Instagram and she is my new favorite go-to fashion girl. She has the most amazing dress collection and does a great job of mixing high and low (like a La Ligne dress and an Amazon sweater). Often, if she posts a pricier dress, she will then share a more affordable option. Yesterday, she posted this under $40 dress from Old Navy that is so cute. Check her out!
American Scandal: When Grace is home, I become a whole lot smarter because she tells me all of the things she’s listening to. This week, we’re both listening to the American Scandal podcast about the opioid crisis. It’s very similar to the story told though the TV series Dopesick, but it’s still pretty compelling. It’s unimaginable that this actually happened.
Keeping Families Covered: Last week, I got to meet Ann Marie Mathis, the executive director for Keeping Families Covered. This organization provides diapers and other basic needs to families in Lake and McHenry counties and southern Wisconsin. Ann Marie told me that last year they gave out more than one million diapers and are on track to distribute even more than this year. I have to check this fact, but I think she said that they purchase 80% of the diapers they give away through grants and financial donations they receive. So to say there are opportunities for our community to help them is a big understatement. If you would be interested in volunteering with them or hosting a diaper drive, visit their website for more information.
That’s all I have for this week! I hope the sun comes out this weekend and you enjoy it all.
xo,
