week at a lengthy glance

1. Alright, summer 2k19 begins in earnest today and we've got no bucket lists, big plans beyond piano lessons, or even the swimsuits pulled out of storage bins quite yet. It'll be a good one but it needs to stop raining first. I foresee lots of bike rides and popsicle breaks punctuating our afternoons. Stay tuned for the inevitable excitement ...

last weekend during a break in the rain. it was glorious!

2. John Francis (Simon's cousin's son) underwent a rather risky + lengthy surgery on Tuesday and is recovering well! Thank you for your continued prayers! A Chicago news station ran another story on him, his Caringbridge page is here, and his fundraising page can be found here as well.

3. Did you see the Downton Abbey movie preview? It looks QUITE good. Simon and I (or maybe just I, don't tell Simon) are excited to finally watch Isn't It Romantic tonight. We watched Wine Country on Netflix last weekend and I was shocked that it was just kind of ... okay (at best!).

4. I read Meet Cute this week and it left a lot to be desired (although I did fly through it so obviously I didn't hate it). Back to my list of book recs I go for my next victim. Beatriz Williams is a tried and true fave so I might have to go down that road or a book I heard a lot about a few years ago might be worth giving a go - we'll see!

5. It's not surprising but I'm really enjoying Hannah's Bachelorette season so far. I feel like she's proved a lot of the naysayers wrong and it feels more like an old school season than any of the recent seasons have (a good thing, I think!). My faves are Mike and Peter the Pilot. My least favorite of all time is Luke P. Sharleen always serves the recap gold and this season is no different!

6. So many sales, so little time. Everything is 40% at LOFT with code: FINALLY. I'm loving the look of this romper + these striped pants. I ordered + loved + kept these shorts if you need some non-denim shorts!

Everything at Boden is 30% off with code: C7R2. I bought these suits for the girls (the pink + purple) so hopefully they fit and they like them (two very different things)!

I've had some good Old Navy luck lately with both this pair AND this pair of slides. Both very comfortable and cute (I think!). And even though Abe is pretty much always getting into serious mischief these days - this shirt is a cute little oxymoron on him (joke!).

Insane deal (53% off!!) on the most used appliance in our kitchen that I have no doubt will outlive me (really).

7. Nordstrom rarely has sales so when they do I like to comb through as much as much of the new new markdowns as possible. I should've added these to my pink shoe lineup - esp at that price. It might be summer but I'm always on the lookout for the perfect cardigan. I'm really hoping this dress goes on sale soon (did I see former Bachelorette Ali wearing it? Maybe, yes. Of course) but am tempted to try this one (on sale) in the mean time -- similar print, cut, and same brand.

Alright, I'll come back and add them as I see them. I've got to go see about a figurative Lakehouse.

pretty in pink

Not that my finger is even kind of on the pulse of trends or fashion but I do know that sneakers (perhaps you prefer tennis shoes?) are having the moment of all moments. I keep seeing pretty pink sneaks pop up all over the place so after bookmarking several - here we are - blog post time.

1. Vans - truth be told I've been eying this pair of Vans but the pink ones have me rethinking my inaugural Vans purchase.

2. Blush Nikes - perhaps my favorite pair of the bunch because the shade of pink is perfect - like maybe I'll paint a room in the that same color because I love it so much.

3. New Balance - I've never regretted a New Balance shoe purchase and I don't doubt that these would be any different.

4. Adidas - I have this exact pair in white and light blue and really love them. They run about a 1/2 size big which worked out well when they were all that fit my super swollen post C-section feet.

5. Reeboks - I'm wondering if I could find the girls matching pairs of these because that my seal the deal (for me - not them, I'm sure).

6. Adidas NMD - These come in 19 (!!) different color combos but only some of the options are on sale. Boo.

7. Adidas Ultraboost - love these, hate the price.

8. Adidas - appreciate that these can just be slipped on and that they are on super sale (for today, anyway)

Curious if you have a favorite (my allegiance is with two and six)!!

Happy Thursday!!

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1. The sun came out today but the boys thoroughly enjoyed this weeks weather which was just much of the above picture. Sun, hear my prayer/plead and please stick around this time. Thank you.

2. The local news station did a story on John Francis and I think it's making its way around the country to other news outlets. I love how his super sweet demeanor shines even through FaceTime!

3. I have to confess that I'm still slowing making my way through Carnegie's Maid. I'm over half way through and I'm determined to finish but it just hasn't hit that easy stride quite yet. Simon stayed up LATE on a night he had to be up and at work super early in order to finish Where the Crawdads Sing and then said it was "just okay". I would believe him if he hadn't sacrificed his precious sleep to finish it. I still say it's great. I did just get Mary's new book (!!!) in the mail and am excited for the change of pace - it looks GOOD.

4. Simon and I watched the first episode of Dead to Me (on Netflix) and .... we're hooked I think? At least for another episode or two! I don't usually like dark humor but this was light enough to begin with that I think it'll be okay? We shall see! A movie that we did LOVE was Instant Family - it looks cheesy in the preview but it's super sweet and I highly recommend it!!

5. Clement will be five months old tomorrow and he's about to get kicked out of our room which has spurred a flurry of bedroom rearranging (put Abe in with the three older boys? To be determined ... and we're looking at a triple bunk for the older boys room. I've been pleasantly surprised at the variety (love the look of this one too) available but if you've seen or have one you love - let me know!

6. I ordered this dress to see if it would work for some family wedding rehearsal dinners this summer (feels a little too casual for a wedding reception? maybe not!). The color, cut, and sleeve length are all right up my alley. I also ordered these shorts taking advantage of LOFT's 40% off sale. I'll report back on both! I do expect breaths to be held and baited.

7. Everything is 50% off at J.Crew Factory. Simon asked me to buy him another pair of these pants because he wears them almost every time he has clinic. They wash and dry well and don't need to be ironed which is um - a must. He doesn't cuff them like the models but ... baby steps. I'm going on year million of loving a loose peplum anything and this shirt fits that bill quite nicely.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and a happy Mother's Day!

May Day

1. Welllll, it seems that April flowers have given us nothing but May showers thus far - all three days of it but still - we're ready to go back to that utopian spring we had been thoroughly enjoying the past few weeks. If you give a mom some sunshine ... I suppose.

2. Aside from the gloomy weather - the week has felt heavy as we unexpectedly said goodbye (for now!) to our sweet 5yo cousin, John Francis, who is awaiting a heart transplant in Chicago for the next several months (hopefully sooner!). His older sister and Julia are bff+e and have enjoyed a school year of living just down the street and we're already anxiously awaiting their return complete with a brand new heart for John Francis. If you could spare a prayer for them we'd be most grateful! You can read more on his fundraising page as well.

3. Around here, Sebastian has taken to making involved dioramas (I had maybe heard that word once before - ever) for dinosaurs. His littlest brothers reap the benefits during the day while he's at school and baseball practice and something tells me that no shoebox will be safe from his creative clutches this summer. Diorama tutorial anyone? I'm sure he'd gladly oblige.

4. I got to a point last weekend where I couldn't put The Light We Lost down and may have even suggested we go to a later Mass so I could finish it. If you don't like unhappyish endings I would steer clear but gosh - it was GOOD. I've moved onto Carnegie's Maid and it's another slow starter but I've come to learn that those sometimes make the best book. Julia is tearing through Rise Up and her mind was totally blown when I told her I personally know some of the authors - cool mom status 4 one second.

5. Alright, you know I've been a diehard Fitbit user for almost four years and I've never once been tempted by the Apple Watch (aside from the find my phone feature!) but this Garmin is WAY too pretty not to tempt me just a tiny bit.

6. My targeted ads have gotten scarily good at predicting things I'll love and this jumpsuit is no exception. Perfection! Going to give these shorts a whirl since I love the jeans so much and Nordstrom's returns are unparalleled  and my usual pair is a little snug at the postpartum moment.

7. I went into LOFT (yes, Wichita has one!) and decided that online will forever be the way to go - it was probably just a small store though. I did try on and loved this dress but ultimately left empty-handed. I was intrigued by and wanted to try on my very first skort romper but they didn't have it in stock. I have an Everlane gift card to use and can't decide if their new tennis shoes are too orthotic and therefore trendy for me to pull off? Probably! Probably.

Have a wonderful weekend!