Happy Friday! We are so close to consistent spring weather over here I can taste it, and I love that feeling of newness when the seasons change. It’s been a good week of girl time, with having my friend Leslie over for lunch on Wednesday and a great moms’ group of “share and prayer” time yesterday, so this extrovert is feeling pretty filled up. Just to keep me humble, though, we did have to spend some quality time at the auto body shop this week fixing a broken windshield and faulty windshield wiper thanks to the late March snowstorm. Oy. But on to having friends over for dinner tonight and our best attempt to catch the cherry blossom peak bloom!
Victoria and I treated ourselves to a Whole Foods run and some chips and guac at District Taco after our afternoon in the waiting room of the auto body shop yesterday. Aren’t these hydrangeas the happiest? Can I plant hydrangea bushes in my yard? Would they bloom in the next five years? So many questions.
Here are some highlights and things that are making me happy from this past week!
/ONE/
Victoria is Draper James Insta-Famous 🙂
Obviously a big highlight of our week was when Draper James posted this photo I took of my best girl in the cute box Draper James happies come in! Reese must not have seen it, because she didn’t like it, but we can’t have everything in this life.
UPDATE: Reese has now liked her photo. She was on vacation. Love you, Reese.
/TWO/
Keeping Things Old School Over Here
I took the above photo right before we headed out as a family to run some errands in Annapolis, and guys, we picked up an Easter ham from Honeybaked Ham and then went to a real mall and ate dinner at a chain restaurant, and it made me so happy. I don’t think it’s just nostalgia or being a mom and wanting to create a certain kind of childhood for Victoria. (Although the incentive to keep her away from screens helps!) To me it’s about looking for opportunities to use all our senses. We’re trying to keep our lives as rooted in real, physical, simple things as much as possible lately. This is not just about putting our phones down. This has involved physically shopping in brick and mortar stores where you can touch things (we ordered a Sactional from LoveSac for our basement and actually got to sit on it and try it out!). It has involved looking up recipes in real cookbooks. It has urged me to buy magazines in the check-out line and call people on the telephone for advice. Our neighborhood has a very 1950s feel, and I am excited to continue looking for ways to get back to experiencing life outside of our screens as much as possible.
/THREE/
What I’ve been Listening to and Reading Lately
I’ve been listening to a lot of audio books lately while I do housework, and it’s really a win-win. I find I’m more productive with laundry and dishes and whatnot if my brain is occupied, and it helps stave off that temptation to look at my phone when I’m bored. Plus, I get to “read” things I wouldn’t have time to otherwise. I’m a huge Jen Hatmaker fan, so of course, I loved listening to Of Mess and Moxie and For the Love. They’re both just full of her thoughts on random topics from very light-hearted comedic pieces to very deep musings on free will and sovereignty.
I’m trying to read a little bit (in physical form) every day and also to stick to one book at a time until I actually finish them (guilty of starting 30 books at once and not getting all the way through them). I’m enjoying tracking what I read on Good Reads, so I can motivate myself to finish a book and put it on my “read” shelf and also so I can look back and see my log of reading progress. Feel free to follow along!
/FOUR/
Beach Towel Finds
No one is more shocked than the two of us to say that we are pool owners! Yes, it’s a real in-ground pool. (That’s always the first question I get.) So in addition to needing a lot of help figuring out how to maintain a pool and getting Victoria into Infant Swimming Resource classes ASAP, I’m picking up cute pool things as I see them. I found these adorable beach towels at TJ Maxx, and they were $12! There were so many cute ones it was very hard to reign myself in, but I was reasonably responsible and got two cute girly ones and a masculine one so Will doesn’t have to use the flamingo towel. I wish I could get all the Lilly for PB outdoor furniture, but Dave Ramsey says no.
/FIVE/
Upcoming UK Adventures!
Finally, shout out to the US government (you don’t hear that a lot, do you?): we got Victoria’s passport in just over two weeks from our trip to the post office to submit our forms, and it wasn’t even expedited! Why, you ask? We’re going to Scotland and England in June! We had already planned a group trip with our dear friends the Porters and the Mostellers (the Porters went to St. Andrew’s so they know their way around). Then, as luck would have it, I find out the Phillipses are moving to London for a year! Talk about the perfect coincidence. So we will be spending three days in London with them at the end. (You should follow along with Erin here!) I can’t wait to show Miss Victoria Jane her family’s (on both sides) British heritage!
What’s Been New on the Blog This Week:
I took a little maternity leave, but blogging is BACK, friends! I missed it, and I love it, and that’s the only reason I’m here. It’s refreshing in a world of hustle and responsibilities to have a creative hobby that is just for me. Thanks so much for reading. Anyway, here’s what I posted this week.
Our Easter weekend celebrations!
Our Weekend Getaway to West Virginia
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I hope you have a great weekend!
