We had a little break from the intense dusting of pollen over the weekend when we went to Florida!
We spent as much time as possible at the beach, soaking up every minute we could with my parents and my sister and her family. It was just what we all needed, especially after the past few months.
(Top: Amazon / Jeans: FRAME / Sandals: Target)
As for today’s blog post, I am feeling a little all over the place with my thoughts at the moment, so I figured a “Currently” blog post would be a good one to share, as it’s been a hot second since my last one!
Currently: April 2025
Currently wishing I could be there for… My mom’s radiation treatments
I owe you guys an update on my mom. Thank you so, so much for thinking of her, praying for her and reaching out to check in on how she’s doing. You guys are the very best. She’s doing well, all things considered. Her surgery was deemed successful and so, so many of our prayers have been answered. In terms of treatment, she will need radiation and she’ll go in for treatment every weekday this month.
After her first breast cancer diagnosis 16 years ago, she had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, as well as lymphedema which she has said was even more challenging to deal with than chemo. We were hoping and praying her post-surgery recovery would not include the need for any lymphedema treatment and were even more grateful to learn chemo would not be necessary either. So many answered prayers, I’m telling you.
I’m not going to lie, it can be very hard not living super close to family, especially during the big things like this but sitting next to my mom on the couch last weekend made everything feel a little less intense. It felt comforting and helped put me at ease to have her next to me, chatting away like normal, with parts of our conversations drifting onto the topic of cancer and our worries but always drifting back to our gratitude.
Currently celebrating… Baby #4 for my sister and her family
(Dress: Amazon / Sandals: Target)
If living on this earth for nearly 40 years has taught me anything, it’s that good and bad, grief and joy, celebration and sadness… all of it can coexist. A little over a month after my sister told us she was pregnant with baby #4, we learned of my mom’s breast cancer diagnosis. We’ve all admittedly been a little distracted but a baby is such a gift and when I had the idea to host a small diapers + wipes sprinkle for my sister during our visit to Florida, she seemed excited.
My mom and I planned a small gathering at a local coffee shop that has a gigantic courtyard and invited Leslie’s friends to pop in anytime during a two-hour window to say hi and help her stock up on diapers and wipes. We kept things very simple, buying everyone’s drinks and supplying some breakfast treats, and the whole morning felt laidback but super fun. It was a great fourth baby celebration in that it felt small, intimate, not too “over the top” and wonderfully celebratory for the little boy or girl we cannot wait to meet in June!
Currently reading…
- By myself: Demon Copperhead. Ooph. You guys, this book. I’m three days into reading it (it’s longgg) and every single night since I’ve started reading it, I’ve stayed up way too late reading and then woken up at 3 a.m. all stressed out and worried about Demon. I adore this boy and my heart aches for him and all the while I’m finding myself absolute mesmerized by the author’s storytelling.
- With Chase and Ryder: Cam Jansen. Oh my gosh I cannot tell you how much fun I am having reliving one of my childhood early reader series with the big kids right now. Cam Jansen was a favorite of mine in early elementary school and I adored her photographic memory and her creative propensity for solving not-at-all scary mysteries. This series holds up in a big way and Chase and Ryder love guessing what is going to happen as we fly through each small novel. (Chase can also read this one on his own but it’s been fun to read together.)
- With Rhett: Elephant and Piggie. Hallelujah we are on a break from Daniel Tiger. I never thought it would happen but the Elephant and Piggie series has proven funny enough to woo Rhett away from his beloved collection of “Daniel Tiggie Tigg” books.
- With Chase: The Underland Chronicles Series. This series by Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, is captivating not only Chase but me and Ryan as well.
Currently drinking… Kombucha in a fun glass
It’s been years since kombucha was a regular part of my diet and I’ve missed it. I picked up a bottle on a whim earlier this year and have been adding a couple of bottles to my grocery kart every week since. I’ve enjoying sipping on about a third of a bottle every day after lunch and you all know I am a sucker for fun glassware.
Currently (re)watching… Friends
During my flight home from Scottsdale back in February, my laptop ran out of battery and I forgot my charger. Time I figured I’d spend working blew up in my face but in a way it was a gift because I cannot remember the last time I chilled out and watched a show in the middle of the day. I ended up streaming the Friends reunion show (I had never seen it!) as well as two old episodes and arrived home telling Ryan how much joy it brought me.
Friends has always been my favorite show and is such a “comfort watch” for me. It makes me laugh out loud and Ryan and I are now picking random episodes to stream together which makes both of us happy! I miss the days of 24-minute episode shows because we can watch an episode without it taking over our entire night and still have plenty of time to read before bed. Bring back short TV, pleeeease.
And yes, White Lotus is still on my radar. I’ll get there!
Currently planning… Upcoming travel
Florida again in April (x2!). Jellystone Golden Valley in May. Hilton Head Island in June. And of course our biggest ever family adventure to Alaska in July! I am feeling extra ready for some adventure!
Currently crafting… Rhett’s 100 days of school hat.
This one may be a bit of a fail. Rhett’s teachers sent home hats for all of the kids to decorate with 100 of anything they wished to celebrate their 100th day of preschool tomorrow. We opted for 100 tiny ducks because Rhett’s class is the Lucky Ducks class and he was thrilled with the idea!
After we hot glued all 100 ducks onto his hat, I lifted the hat up and knew immediately this little project may not be the hit we were hoping for, as the bill of the hat felt awfully heavy compared to the rest of the hat. If we could get the hat tighter on his head, I think we’d be in good shape but it’s a little too big for him and falls forward everytime he puts it on. Open to suggestions as to how to make this too-heavy hat stay on his tiny head for the big day tomorrow!
Question of the Day
Pick a “currently” or two (or makeup your own!) and share below!
- Currently wishing I could be there for…
- Currently celebrating…
- Currently reading…
- Currently watching…
- Currently drinking…
- Currently planning…
- Currently crafting…
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Maybe try a counter-weight on the back? You could stitch or even just tie something that weighs about the same (or a little heavier) as the 100 tiny ducks to the back of the hat. I hope it works; the hat is super cute!
Maybe hang a couple large ducks down the back to counter the front weight. It’s a pretty cute project! I’m currently painting a brick to look like a little house on the top half, and the lawn on the bottom half. I decided one side has a laundry line out, the other side a duck pond and not sure about the other two sides, but I’m currently having lots of fun with my little project.
I’m currently reading a pretty spicy book that isn’t really my style, (I get happy painting little duckies….what was I thinking buying this 6 chili pepper book, lol) . Thought I’d go outside my comfort zone, but I think I jumped into the super dark deep end, and it might be a DNF book for me.
I’m currently watching Ghosts, it’s nice and short episodes, and they are usually pretty cute. They do have a little bit of not safe for children wording unless you want to explain things that can definitely wait a few years.
Just have him wear the hat backwards?
Oh I tried! It falls off the back, too!
Bummer!
Wear the hat backwards?
A string or lanyard clipped to the back of the hat and the back of his shirt collar? So glad to hear the good news about your mom!
Thinking of your mom!
Thanks for the book recommendations for kids, keep them coming! I have a 8 and 6 yr old boy and they FLY through books, always looking for new ones!
Can you link to the little ducks? My daughter would love those!
Demon Copperhead was a tough but wonderful book! I recommend following it with “Empire of Pain” which is a non-fiction book about the Sackler family which created the pharmaceutical company that produces and markets opioids. It’s great insight about the “how it happened”. I’m not a huge non-fiction reader, but “Empire of Pain” reads like a novel and it kept my attention.
Have you tried putting a ball cap that fits underneath.? Maybe the brim of the smaller hat will be enough to support the heavier brim.
Praying for your mom! Love following your sweet family 🩷
Praying for your mom and your family during this time–for peace, strength, comfort and healing!
Currently reading… “Rocket Men” by Robert Kurson.
This book came to me at a book exchange party and it had me hooked right away. Though I don’t typically read a lot of non-fiction, this is written in a way that is engaging and very fiction-like. I’ve gained new appreciation for the space program–the odds they faced, the risks they took, the intelligence and ingenuity involved, the courage and drive, as well as the far-reaching impacts of the “space race”. I love that includes insights into their family life and follows the wives as well. It reminded me of the “Astronauts Wives Club” miniseries (which I loved). I find myself nudging my husband and reading tidbits aloud. I highly recommend it!
**I also highly recommend a book exchange! Each person brought three (used) copies of a favorite book. You write your name on three scraps of paper and place them in a hat. We then took turns describing our book choice and drawing three names from the hat to receive our copies. Each person goes home with three new reads (and a bunch of ideas to put on reading lists)!
When you finish Demon Copperhead (such an incredible book!), put The Poisonwood Bible on your list! Barbara Kingsolver is one of my literary idols and both of these are amazing stories. I also just finished All the Colors of the Dark based on your recommendation, and oh my WORD was it a good one! Continued prayers for your mom! xo
Wow – funny how things just happen to seem to happen by chance. I just got back into eating peanut butter trying to be healthier in my 40s and was having a rice cake with some almond butter from Trader Joe’s. I decided that a good Schmear was not quite enough and so I poured some right out of the jar, felt a little guilty and then I thought of your blog and why you named it PB fingers lol – had a chuckle and hopped on here. I have not read your blog in many many years. My mom is also going through cancer treatment and has been for a few years so I understand the impact and I have on the whole family. It’s such a domino effect. Glad you are still blogging! Prayers for your mom And for your whole family. <3 Sarah in Iowa!
Hi Julie, first and foremost praying for your mom and sister during their treatments and pregnancy! Second, Demon Copperhead was such a great book! I’m glad you are enjoying it too.
Oh wow, I feel this so much! Spring is beautiful, but the allergies are absolutely brutal this year. The itchy roof-of-the-mouth struggle is so real. 😂 That April Fool’s joke about a remote learning day for pollen is honestly not a bad idea—at this point, it feels like a legit reason to stay inside! Hope you get some relief soon and can still enjoy those gorgeous blooms!
So so happy to hear about your Mom and her progress! I’ll keep praying for her!
I’m currently reading (or I should say just finished) The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. It was fabulous! It alternates between 1693 and 1991 and incorporates the Salem Witch Trials with modern day. Definitely recommend!
Hey Julie, Your mom is amazing. Praying for her complete recovery. She is truly trusting and believing the Word! Please tell us more about kombucha. I have never tried it but, have heard that it is good for your gut. What does it taste like. What is your favorite brand and flavor? I am just not familiar with it. The boys are really growing up so fast. You are such a good mama. I love to see and hear all about your adventures and fun times with your family. I also enjoy your beauty and makeup tips. I tried a few of your recommendations and have thoroughly enjoyed them. So fun. Keep up the great information. Happy Spring!!