Happy Friday Everyone!
One – Autumn’s 8th Grade Graduation
Happy Friday, friends! Quick note: I won’t be blogging NEXT week, but I will be back on July 13th! Well, Autumn has graduated 8th grade and I couldn’t be more proud of my girl! She’s already starting in on some high school stuff this summer and has wrapped up a Mini Camp, week of practices (to prepare for an overnight camp) and pool party with the dance team for her high school. Man does time fly… now to finish up the college hunt and to figure out a photographer for SENIOR (!!) photos for my son this fall.
We hosted a small family party for Autumn to celebrate her graduation over Memorial Day weekend. (Even Hickory, my brother and SIL’s sweet dog came… I’m not sure where he is this photo, but I am sure he is nearby! Ha!). It was a fun party with a delicious spread!
Autumn requested Crumbl Cookies for her party and we decided to go with their catering sized cookies, which are about 1/4 of a normal cookie’s size. I got her a special gift basket filled with some goodies, including her very own monogrammed blanket to keep her warm in the fall during the football games.
Two – Mother’s Day
For Mother’s Day, Brian and the teens surprised me with a couple gifts… I got pink roses (even the babies breath was pink!) and an egg wicker chair from Hobby Lobby. I’ve been eyeing this chair for awhile and I want to set up a ‘reading nook’ downstairs next to my office. I probably won’t get to setting up the space till the fall, but I wanted to share a photo of it with you!
For Mother’s Day, we went to brunch at a new (to us) restaurant called Verita’s. They had a really neat brunch setup where they whole table got an assortment of appetizers, a main dish and then another assortment of desserts. It was really neat and quite delicious! Jeff and Tracy go there quite often, since it is closer to their house… but, I would love to go back there again!
Here is a photo of some of the appetizers from Verita (shrimp, deviled eggs, dip, etc., etc.) and for my main dish I ordered a brioche french toast with fruit preserves over it. SO good!
Three – We’re Going to Ireland!! Nathan’s 17th Birthday & Other Fun Happenings
Brian’s work is sending us to Dublin, Ireland for a week this fall! I CAN’T wait! It is all paid for for the BOTH of us! We are being sent down to learn about the founding of his company and there is a lot of ‘free time’ in-between, so Laura (I do DeClare) who has been to Ireland several times has been giving me some great tips on what to see (thanks, Laura!). I also had another blogger friend send me THIS 10 Day Road Trip through Ireland blog post and it has been SO helpful!
Nathan turned 17 in May!! I was chaperoning Autumn’s class trip to Branson on his birthday, so we celebrated it early at The Melting Pot (one of his favorite restaurants). He got a new gaming system!!
Well, about every 2 years I get summoned for jury duty! I haven’t served yet, but I go in. This time was the easiest yet!! I was there till 10:30 a.m. and then they told us the rest of the trials for the day had been worked out, so we could LEAVE!! Don’t let this photo fool you with all of the empty chairs, I got there early (that’s me, an early bird), but there was 600 or so people in attendance. They only called one trial and it had about 36 people in it. I was so glad I wasn’t picked. AND, my jury duty was the Monday after I got back from chaperoning Autumn’s 8th grade class trip. I was tired!!
We stopped by Eckerts for their strawberry season! I got a custard with a homemade cider donut on top!
Four – Latest Book I’ve Read & Shows I’ve Watched
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver – I really enjoyed this romantic read. Lydia loses her fiancé on the night of her birthday and it devastates her. The whole book is about Lydia being in her present life and then her being in her dream life with Freddie, as if time never stopped between the two of them. Lydia finally realizes that her present life needs her and she finally needs to let Freddie go. I enjoyed the friendship Lydia and Freddie have with Jonah and seeing how Lydia and Jonah walk through grief together as they build new lives. A really good read.
We are still watching this and it is SOOO good!
Five – My Latest Finds that I Love!
Shop These Products:
We did a little shopping day recently and it is always fun to browse Williams Sonoma! I came home with a monogramed spatula and their Skinny Margarita mix (Strawberry & Watermelon). I plan to get the margarita mix out for the 4th of July. Then, I got myself a new belt bag at Lululemon. One of the mom’s on the Branson trip had it and it looked more ‘my size’, since I typically carry the kids inhalers on me and some other things when I’m out and about. This photo shows you the size of the City Adventurer belt bag compared to the smaller ‘Everywhere belt bag‘ that they sell.
Shop These Products:
Maelys Cosmetics was kind enough to let me select a few of their products to try out:
B-Tight – This is a lifting and firming mask for your booty! This will help to smooth out the skin and visibly reduce the appearance of cellulite. This would be a great product before an upcoming beach trip! One note on this product, after you apply it you may start to feel a warming sensation and it’s totally normal!
B-Foxy – This is an inner thigh firming cream, which will help firm and contour the look of saggy skin, giving an all around smoother silhouette.
B-Poised – Get a tighter-looking neck with this clinically proven firming cream that helps tighten and contour the look of the jowl and neck while smoothing the look of lines and wrinkles in the décolleté area.
Shop Here:
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Tula just sent over a few products for me to try and I wanted to share them with you! If you like any of these products, be sure to use my code CURLYCRAFTYMOM to save 15% off ANY product(s) on Tula’s site.
Tri-Supreme Serum (Overnight Serum) – This is a NEW product from Tula! It helps to reduce fine lines, wrinkles (as well as deep wrinkles) while working overtime to help improve skin’s moisture barrier and improve the appearance of skin tone and texture while you sleep.
Filter Primer (First Light) – The Filter Primer is a product I use daily and I love how it smooths out your skin before you put your makeup on for the day. It is great even if you don’t wear makeup, especially if you have oily skin like me, because it leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft. The First Light is the non-tinted base, but they do offer this in a few different tints if you’re looking for a little color.
So Polished (Exfoliating Sugar Scrub) – Reveal smoother, brighter and more even-looking skin with this gentle sugar face scrub that melts away excess oil, buildup and debris without stripping skin. Packed with probiotic extracts and superfoods like sugar, pineapple and papaya, this exfoliating sugar scrub might smell like a beach vacation, but works overtime to polish, soften & renew your skin.
Shop Here:
I’m a little behind on sharing what Pixi has sent me recently, so I have TWO boxes to share with you today:
Pixi On The Glow Bronze Tinted Moisturizer Stick – Swipe on your face for an easy sun-kissed and healthy-looking complexion all year round. These sticks have just a ‘hint of a tint’, so you can easily build up to the color you want with them. They’re also great for lips!
Pixi Clarity Mist – An oil-balancing and soothing mist that instantly purifies and provides a surge of hydration. A blend of Hyaluronic Complex, Cica Extract and Botanicals help to rehydrate, cool and have a calming effect on the skin.
Pixi Clarity Blemish Stickers – I really love these barely there blemish stickers! I don’t get a lot of acne, but when I do get a zit, I love to put one of these blemish stickers on it overnight and then it sucks away all of the gross inflammation and it always looks much better in the morning! They’re infused with Salicylic Acid, Cica and Green Tea to target and treat.
I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend!