All I can say is thank goodness their DIY haircuts grew out before their class pictures. Phewyyy!
This whole week felt a bit like a blur which is often how the week after travel feels but I think we’re finally feeling like we’re back in the swing of things. A weekend close to home is just what we’re craving right now and with decent weather on the forecast, I have a feeling it will be a good one.
I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy today’s roundup of favorites from the week!
Things I’m Loving Friday
(Black Fade Aviators + Baby Rhett in my belly!)
Last summer, when I lost my favorite pair of aviators, I found a pair of aviators on Amazon that looked just like Quay aviators but for a fraction of the price. Since I know myself enough to know that expensive sunglasses are not a wise choice for me (I lose them, sit on them or scratch them too easily), I bought a two-pack of the Amazon aviators (black + black fade) and fell in love! I just ordered another two-pack a couple of weeks ago (rose gold + another pair of the black fade to keep in my car) and, once again, love them so much. They’re very comfortable and you can’t beat the price point — $23.99 for TWO!
-
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
When I saw Gina refer to this book as a standout book that she would not have chosen on her own but loved thanks to her book club, I was instantly intrigued. I love it when books you might typically look over at the bookstore surprise you and The Lost Apothecary was definitely a winner!
In eighteenth-century London an apothecary named Nella has a secret side-business catering only to women who need her help. She discreetly dispenses poisons to her clientele that leave men dead and has always held fast to her rule that she will never use her talents to harm another woman.
When her most recent customer, a vibrant and hard-working 12-year-old girl named Eliza, shows up at her back-alley shop, a series of unexpected events unfold and Nella’s secret apothecary business finds itself in turmoil.
Fast forward to present-day London and Caroline Parcewell is alone in London on her 10th wedding anniversary, her marriage in turmoil. Once a passionate history student before she gave everything up to work for her parents’ business, Caroline finds herself surprised to feel her former love of history come alive again when she discovers an old apothecary vial near the river Thames. Her discovery leads her on a whirlwind investigation into the previously unsolved “apothecary murders” from London in the 18th century and unveils a connection to Nella and Eliza that may prove dangerous as Caroline becomes determined to find the truth behind the mystery.
-
Waterbean Temple of Heaven Tea + New Tea Infuser
Waterbean Coffee, a local Charlotte-area favorite, makes a Temple of Heaven tea that was a go-to for me and my fellow small group members back when we were meeting at Waterbean. Every other Monday, the majority of us would order a hot mug of the tea to sip on as we chatted and I only recently realized they sell it in loose-leaf form so you can buy it and make it at home. Woop! It’s such a delicious fruity tea that brightens up any afternoon. I know it’s something that might only interest locals but still wanted to share in case you’re ever in the CLT area and are a tea lover.
I also must recommend my new tea infuser if you like loose leaf tea, too! My previous infuser always left little particles of tea in my mug and it wasn’t until I used my mom’s infuser when we were in Jacksonville last week that I realized I needed an upgrade. I went with an infuser like my mom’s that has 16,000+ positive Amazon reviews. It’s a winner and leaves no tea behind in my mug other than the delicious flavor from the tea I’m brewing.
I’m sharing this one for anyone out there with teething babies who need relief! Rhett is teething like crazy and just had his third tooth break through last week with his fourth shortly behind. We’ve had a lot of fussiness over here so I’ve been desperate to find some things for him to safely chew on to ease his teething pain. He took to these teether tubes immediately and I now have them stored in various places — one on the changing table, one in the car, one in the stroller and one in my diaper bag — so I have one with me at all times. Also, one of the reviews said to freeze them for additional relief so that’s up next for me with this awesome find!
-
ShopBop Sale Finds
The ShopBop sale is here BUT it ends today at midnight so if you’re eyeing anything like I was, get on it ASAP! The code STYLE will get you 15% off any orders $200+… and 20% off orders $500+ 25% off orders $800+ if you’re really looking to go crazy. Here are a few items that stood out to me from the sale (and a few that I personally own) that I think would make a great addition to any spring/summer wardrobe:
Denim: AGOLDE (love this brand so much — I have these shorts and just ordered these) /
Shoes: Madewell Side Walk Low Top Sneakers (I have these and they’re the perfect white sneaker — so comfy!) / Color Pop Slides (love a comfy pair of slides and this blush color is lovely)/ TKEES Sandals (simple but beautiful)
Dresses + Jumpsuits: BB Dakota Dress (so feminine and love that this could be dressed up or down) / Madewell Jumpsuit (something about a linen jumpsuit screams vacation to me!)
Accessories: Madewell Beaded Bracelets (a great layering bracelet duo) / Madewell Stacking Ring Set(I’m a big-time sucker for stacking rings!) / Baggu Triple Set Bags (I have these bags — they fold up to be teeny — and keep them in my car for groceries/emergency use. So handy!) / Hat Attack Day to Day Raffia Hat (love that this one looks like it would be great for the beach or pool but also styled with a cute summer outfit) / Hat Attack Beach Bag (cutest pom pom detailing) /
-
Friday Flashbacks
10 Food Blogger Recipes I Make Again and Again (1.5 years later and I still regularly make every single one of these recipes!)
Favorite Beauty Shortcuts (Throwbaaak! I need to do an updated version of this post because sometimes I feel like my life is all about beauty shortcuts these days.)
Question of the Day
Tell me about one thing that made you smile this week!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
This may seem off topic but a few weeks ago you were looking for a travel mug that didn’t ruin the taste of coffee! I agree that stainless steel makes hot drinks taste off. I FOUND THE ANSWER! Ceramic interior/lined and stainless steel exterior! The ceramic keeps the taste, the stainless steel keeps the temperature AND prevents me from breaking a pretty ceramic tumbler.
I found Asobu brand travel mug at target and LOVE IT! It doesn’t fit in my car’s cup holder so now I’m searching for one that does! It looks like Amazon has several options and shapes too. I had to share because I’ve been searching for a travel tumbler that fits this bill too!
Thank you for sharing!! I have two ceramic mugs ordered with different exteriors and am hoping something works! I’ll definitely report back ifI eventually find a winner. 🙂 I’m determined!! Ha!
TGIF! Hope you have a wonderful weekend Julie. Two things that are making me smile this week are; 1. Our daughter will be home in 15 days after her Freshman year at college. She has had an awesome year (small private college so all in person classes this year) and was asked to be a mentor next year for the Honors program she is part of. She is so excited and we are so proud of her. 2. We are re-doing our backyard. – new patio, patio furniture, gas grill, landscaping and swingset for our special needs son. The project is gearing up with the removal of the old swingset done, new swingset going up tomorrow, patio furniture and grill just arrived and new concrete patio and landscaping will be complete in 2-3 weeks (dependent on how well the Chicago suburban area weather cooperates). We have wanted to do this project for a few years but had other house projects that took priority. We can’t wait to enjoy our new backyard this summer.
I’m so, so glad your daughter had a great first year of school! And so happy for YOU that you get to see her so soon!! And your backyard project sounds amazing — and perfect to get it done in time for summer. Enjoy!!
Thank you Julie. We were so fortunate she chose to go to school only 90 minutes from home. So we have also been able to see her regularly throughout the school year. But we can not wait to have her home for the entire summer. This is our oldest and first off to college and it was a big adjustment for all of us. Its exciting to see her pursuing her passion to become a high schools special ed teacher (influenced by her brother who has Cerebral Palsy) but often this year we would say how is it even possible she is already in college? Time passes way too quickly! Our son is just 19 months younger and his big sister is his best friend. He has spent the year missing her so much so he is very very excited for May 1st and her to be home!!! Have a wonderful weekend Julie.
Heading over to order those teether tubes now!! Our 13 month old is teething like crazy and the only way he has been able to sleep through the night lately is if we give him infant motrin, poor bubba. Hopefully these teethers help him out; thanks for the rec!
I always forget how bad teething can get until it happens again! We got spoiled with our oldest, who wasn’t too bad when she was teething and seemed to get a ton overnight.
I love that you share the books you’re reading–this week’s especially sounded interesting! I’m about to finish The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (sad, but good), and I’m excited to dive into a lighter read next (The People We Meet on Vacation). Happy weekend!
I LOVED The Lost Apothecary! I got it through my book of the month club subscription and read it in a week (and I’m a sloooowww reader).
I’m loving the Think Dirty app, which operates a lot like the EWG in evaluating products by their toxicity, but I found a thousand percent easier to use. I’ve recently replaced a few of my beauty staples and sunscreens with products I found through the app that are a 0! The setup is really easy to use and within each product, you can see how every ingredient was rated, why they were rated that way, the studies or resources they used and even if the product was manually vetted (specifically looked into by their team of scientists and professionals vs. a rating assignment based solely on their data analysis of ingredients). I found it easy to shop right from the app and they even occasionally link to Amazon, which is convenient.
Hi! I love your bathing suit in the picture you are pregnant. Do you know where it is from or have other pregnancy bathing suits you recommend? Thanks!
Hi!! The top is Old Navy from last summer and the bottoms are super old BCBG. I’m big into two-pieces when pregnant because I could never find great maternity swimwear so I typically just look for supportive tops and use old bottoms (that are typically a little bigger than my usual size). Check out aerie — they often have adorable and affordable options!!
I bought those tea infusers a while back and sadly they fade pretty quickly to a gross rusty color 🙁 they still work perfectly, but definitely don’t look as good as they did when I bought them! For that reason I don’t recommend them really.