Aside from navigating potential reflux issues, our week was a pretty good one over here. My mom is leaving this morning which obviously has us feeling bummed but to say we are grateful for all the help she’s provided to us since Rhett’s arrival would be a serious understatement. Her presence, involvement in our kids’ lives and her genuine desire to help, nurture and engage is the biggest gift and we will miss having her here every day!
Though we will all miss Mae, we are looking forward to the weekend and plan to fill most of our days with time close to home and outside (the weather looks great!) and maybe a visit to a favorite local playground now that parks and playgrounds are open in North Carolina again. I’m also hoping to find a moment of quiet to work on a weekend recap to share with you guys so hopefully I’ll have that up on the blog on Monday. In the meantime, below you will find my weekly roundup of favorites! I hope you all have a great weekend!!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but a while back Stitch Fix launched a “shop” page where you can buy items from looks curated just for you. They also pair items you’ve kept from previous Stich Fix deliveries with new items you can buy and I love browsing my shop page for style inspiration and to see if anything they selected jumps out at me. Well, one of the items that immediately caught my eye on my page was this Fossil Leopard Backpack. It looked large enough to hold a bunch of baby/kid stuff and double as a diaper bag and I love all of the pockets I can use for organizing everything in a way that makes grabbing snacks, my wallet, a toy or my phone easily accessible. (There are even pockets on the outside of the bag for water bottles/baby bottles.) This backpack currently functions as a diaper bag for me without screaming “I’m a mom and this is my gigantic baby bag!” It’s cute and practical and something I know I’ll use through the baby phase of life and beyond.
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Farmgirl Flowers
Can we talk about this gorgeous flower arrangement from Farmgirl Flowers? My friends at ALDI sent it my way late last week to congratulate our family on Rhett’s arrival and it is one of the most stunning flower deliveries I’ve ever received. My mom and I said it looks like something that could serve as a centerpiece at a wedding! I love the non-traditional vase and the pops of pink amid a bouquet that otherwise feels very fall. I remember my friend Carrie recommending Farmgirl Flowers before and I’m just kicking myself for not checking them out sooner because after browsing their website, it’s clear they offer a bunch of different stunning wreaths, plants and floral arrangements.
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Creature Man + Creature Man Assistant Hats
As I think any mom out there would agree, when people remember your big kids after a baby is born, it means so, so much. Seeing Chase and Ryder light up when they received special deliveries from my Aunt Laurie and my mom’s cousin Jennie this week melted my heart, especially because the gifts were so incredibly thoughtful. The boys received new shovels and Creature Man + Creature Man Assistant hats (decorated with puffy paints by Jennie) and couldn’t wait to dash out into our yard to put their goodies to use. Digging for worms with their new shovels in their customized hats is kid paradise for these two! Thank you Aunt Laurie and Jennie!!! You made their week!
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The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
If you like a good “who done it” book that makes you second guess yourself and various characters in a novel, add The Girl From Widow Hills to your must-read list! I flew through this book in two days and was so bummed when it was over that I immediately downloaded another book by the same author (The Last House Guest) to begin reading. The Girl From Widow Hills follows the now grown-up girl known for surviving a flash flood that swept her away when she was sleepwalking as a 6-year-old in Widow Hills. Arden Maynor somehow survived the horrifying ordeal but when she became famous for her survival, fans, creepy letters, money and hate mail followed and it all became too much. Arden made the decision to legally change her name before college and is now living as Olivia in a small town where no one knows about her past… and she’s hoping to keep it that way. When Olivia begins sleepwalking again and awakes to find a body at her feet — the body of a man she knows from her previous life in Widow Hills — her plans for anonymity seem to rapidly slip away and questions begin to surface that Olivia is determined to find the answers to, even if some of the questions she has are about herself.
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The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
I am flying through books right now since reading is one of my favorite things to do as I nurse Rhett. Bless the backlit Kindle that allows me to read in a dark room in the middle of the night! I have another book to recommend to you guys today and if you’re in the mood for suspense like I clearly am right now, The Lying Game is another winner! My Aunt Laurie recommended this one to me and I immediately recognized the author, as I previously enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware as well. The Lying Game was created by four friends, Fatima, Thea, Isa and Kate, when they were a tight-knit group of young girls living at a boarding school in the seaside village of Salten and thought it was fun to try to pull a fast one on teachers, classmates and villagers… right up until their lies proved to have life-changing consequences they never could have anticipated. Fast forward and the foursome are all grown women who haven’t seen each other since they left school but that’s about to change when Kate sends a text with three simple words, “I need you.” The four come together in Salten and quickly realize the biggest lies they told may be coming back to haunt them after the remains of a body are found on the beach, bringing back questions from years ago that still remain unanswered.
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Friday Flashbacks
Easy Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Chili (If you haven’t made this recipe yet, add this one to your must-make list this fall! It’s the recipe that claimed the top prize at our friends’ chili cook-off last year!)
Favorite Books for Four-Year-Olds (A flashback post featuring some of Chase’s all-time favorite books!)
Questions of the Day
What is one thing that made you smile this week?
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You should check out the book You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I read it this past spring and could not put it down. It seems right up your alley. Have a good weekend!
I just love your posts! That backpack is so pretty and stylish but also seems very user friendly. I LOVE that floral arrangement! How incredibly sweet of them to send to you, and I understand what you mean about all children being loved on even though you have a baby at home too. It’s so fun to see children grown and develp their own personalities and interests. Thank you so so much for sharing your book recommendations! I have decided to greatly reduce my phone/social media usage, and I want to begin reading more like I did as a kid.
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda is also excellent! It is written backwards, so is very interesting seeing the story from end to beginning.
I read that one years ago and remember enjoying it a lot, too!!
In the first picture of Mae with all three boys …. oh my. First … cuteness overload. But also … I see Mae in Chase and Ryder’s faces SO MUCH <3 Have a great weekend Julie. Thanks for sharing as always!
I bet Chase would love “The Smeds and the Smoos” and “Jack and the Flum Flum Tree” also by Julia Donaldson. They are on high rotation at our house at the moment!