Things I’m Loving Friday #518

Good morning! And Happy Friday to YOU! How are you? How was your week? Our week was a good one! I arrived home from Milwaukee on Monday (more on my time in Wisconsin below!) and hit the ground running. Chase and Ryder had farm camp all week while Rhett had a camp-free week and hung back with me. This meant my productivity wasn’t the highest but it was a fun week nonetheless and Rhett was shockingly into some of the organizational projects I had on my to-do list. Okay, so maybe it was just my label maker he was into but at least his enthusiasm over that thing let me clean out some cabinets!

As for the weekend ahead, my sister and her family will be arriving in town tomorrow and staying with us through next Sunday! We cannot wait to have them here (especially for the Fourth of July) and the boys are thrilled for some cousin time!

I’m sure I’ll check in on the blog next week but until then, keep on scrolling for this week’s roundup of favorites!

Things I’m Loving Friday #518

• Milwaukee Girls’ Weekend

One thing I’m really loving this week: The wonderful long weekend I spent in Wisconsin with some of my best friends from college! We made our way to Milwaukee to celebrate my friend Ashley’s 40th birthday at the Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band concert! (Quick side note: We missed a few of our friends so, so much but I have to say the way this trip was planned is how all future girls’ trips should be planned because it came together so easily and didn’t waffle around in limbo land for eternity.

Ashley texted our group of college friends the date of the concert and said it’s how she wanted to celebrate her 40th and whoever could make it could make it. Done and done!) Anyway, my friends Leah, Merri, Krystal and I arrive in Milwaukee ready to don our cowboy boots and sing our hearts out at the concert!

You guys, the concert was absolutely fantastic! Zac Brown Band performed first and killed it with 19 songs! He played his hits, some newer songs and a few covers we absolutely loved! I could’ve listened to him all night. Kenny Chesney is one of the happiest performers I’ve ever seen live and sang all night long with a smile on his face. The whole concert felt like one big joyful party from start to finish and I think I’m just now starting to recover. Ha!

We spent the rest of our weekend in Milwaukee exploring the city, popping in an out of shops and restaurants and just enjoying time together. It was truly a wonderful weekend from start to finish and I’m so glad we could all get together to celebrate Ashley!

• Mini Travel White Noise Machine

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know how obsessed I am with our Dohm white noise machine. I stand by this recommendation as the best white noise machine on the planet because the sound comes from a real fan and not a recorded track. 10/10 best ever ever! Anyway, I say all this to say I’ve been bummed for years that Dohm doesn’t make a mini version for travel (their mini version is NOT mini) and I’ve typically used a white noise machine app on my phone for travel sleep which I don’t love.

And then, as I searched yet again to see if Dohm has come out with a mini version of their noise machine, I discovered this tiny little gem of a find. The reviews had me tempted to try it and with such a reasonable price point, I decided to give it a shot. It charged quickly, played all night long and worked so well during my travels. It’s also a powerful little thing and can get quite loud! I’ll be throwing this mini white noise machine in my bag for all future travels for sure!

• Young Wild and Friedman Sensory Play Kits 

My mom and sister deserve all the credit for introducing our kids to Young, Wild & Friedman sensory play kits! Leslie’s kids have loved them for a year or so now and when they brought one to Chattanooga, our boys were immediately intrigued. They had a great time creating a garden with the garden kit and have loved diving into various kits mom and sister had on hand in Florida. Now we have a few of our own and the boys, especially Rhett (3.5) and Ryder (6), love them so much! (Their favorite is the fishing kit!)

The sensory play kits are all themed and come with homemade play-doh (typically the bane of my existence but somehow these kits make my kids play with it in a semi-controlled way) and lots of little treasures that inspired our kids to make numerous creations and engage in imaginary play. And the boys have thankfully been good about packing the kits back up in their boxes so they stay organized which was something I didn’t see happening but I’ll take it! Anything that keeps my kids entertained and engaged is a win in my book!

• Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

My rating: B+ / Genre: Mystery 

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors. Her books are not scary but they are dark and twisty and instantly enthralling. (If you’ve never read any of her work, my favorite Sally Hepworth novel is The Good Sister and I would absolutely start there!) I love the way her characters often have a little more depth than what you might expect from a suspense novel and Darling Girls was no different. That being said, it’s a tough one to read as it includes child abuse (a theme throughout the novel), and had I not downloaded it to read on the plane, I might’ve abandoned it only because I do not like to read books where horrible things happen to children. I say all of this to say I do think it’s a good book, though a heart wrenching one.

Darling Girls is a novel about three women who were first brought together through foster care when they were children. Norah, Jessica and Alicia met at Wild Meadows, a beautiful farming estate, under the care of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. On the outside, Wild Meadows is picturesque and lovely, but Miss Fairchild has a dark side splattered with conditional love, unpredictability, unreasonable rules and horrific consequences the girls experience regularly throughout their childhood.

Years later, the girls are now adult women. When human remains are discovered under the house they called home as children, they’re questioned and forced to relive their horrific childhoods. But are they being questioned to help uncover the truth about the body or because they are suspects in a murder mystery?

• Friday Flashbacks

Oatmeal Apple Crisp (I know apple pie is a Fourth of July fav, but if you’re like me and prefer a crisp with a crumbly topping, this recipe is my favorite and tastes fantastic with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.)

Simple Summer Pasta Salad (Just in case you’re looking for an easy side dish to make for the Fourth of July!)

Question of the Day

What is one thing you’re loving right now?