Hello, hello! I’m so glad to be checking in! It feels like I’ve been checked out the entire month of May. It’s been a crazy one. That said, I’m sad to share the news that my sweet Grandma, who turned 100 this past February, passed away earlier this month. She was nothing short of a superstar. Independent, wise, and so sharp. A lifelong learner, travel adorer, early adapter (she always had her iPad nearby to play brain games, surf Facebook, and read the blog!) and fierce lover of her family. She went to college at a time when women often didn’t, and worked outside the home when being in the kitchen was the norm. Grandma loved her roses, Klondike bars, Lawrence Welk, attending lectures and seminars, being social and staying active, and especially her 6 grandkids and 11 great-grandkids. I could write a book.
I feel fortunate that the kids and I were able to Facetime with her several times in the weeks leading up to her passing when she was in good spirits. This may be an oxymoron, but seeing as though she was 100 years old and in relatively good health, she seemed somewhat invincible to me and I hadn’t given serious thought as to what it might feel like to not have her here. It’s surreal that’s she’s not, but her legacy will last generations. She will never be forgotten and we are all better people for having Alice as our Grandma. <3
My family and I stayed at her house in Ohio with my cousins, aunt, and uncle last week and, oh my goodness, the memories we have of all being there together! Fierce ping pong matches, cots lined up in the basement for sleepless sleepovers, hammering away in my Grandpa’s tool shop, intense games of Scrabble, badminton in the backyard, warm evenings on the porch, Christmas mornings in our PJs, and everyone crowded around the table for my Grandma’s signature Chicken Noodle Soup. Absolutely priceless.
Needless to say it’s been a bittersweet month but my Grandma would want us to focus on the here and now. Ben’s youngest brother is getting married this weekend so his family has been trickling in all week for the festivities taking place through the holiday. Memorial Day – I cannot believe you are already here! So anyway, that’s what’s been going on in my neck of the woods. I apologize for the sparse posting – poor Instagram, I’ve all but abandoned you – but of course I know you understand.
Not sure how ya’ segue from that, but here we are! It’s been a couple months since my last Currently post so I thought we’d catch up today. Let’s do this!
Time and place: 1:35pm in my office aka bedroom. #glamorous The little boys and Ben are playing with relatives in town for the wedding and baby G is sleeping off a bug she caught while traveling with me to and from Ohio. She’s got a fever and everything – it’s so sad. :( I’m hoping to catch up then sign off in the next couple of hours before the wedding weekend begins!
Loving: Trey Kennedy. Pleeeeease tell me you follow Trey Kennedy on YouTube/Facebook/Instagram?! His weekly videos are one of the highlights of my week! I’ve probably watched his “Moms” video 50 times and it never, ever, ever stops being funny.
Wearing: Ali & Jay Pleated Jersey Dress. Fellow Moms with a little baby pouch (hi three kids!) I can confidently say I’ve found THE LBD!! I ordered this dress for the aforementioned wedding and will wear it for every formal event until it falls apart. The band and draping at the waist completely hides any lumps, bumps, or pooches and the material is so, so comfortable. It’s also 40% off the moment – cannot beat that! It find it fits true to size.
Recommending: Makeup. I have three makeup products I’ve been using for awhile that I feel comfortable recommending! The first is Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. I’ve actually been using this product for almost 2 years now and it not only works as a concealer but I also use it as a light foundation by swiping on a few stripes across my cheeks, nose and forehead then blending with my fingers. Great, buildable coverage for a drugstore price.
Thrive Cosmetics Instant Brow Fix. I admit to buying this via Instagram (darn ad targeting!) but I’ve been really pleased with the product. It’s a semi-permanent brow tint that over time leaves color on your brows, which I really need. I use this over eyebrow pencil – see below.
Anastasia Brow Wiz. I asked my eyebrow guru, aka my friend Laura with KILLER brows, for a pencil she loves and this Anastasia product is her favorite. I like it because it’s natural looking and comes in many shades. I buy at Sephora.
OH, also, I recently tried a sample of Beautycounter’s Dew Skin foundation, which everyone seems to be obsessed with, and I hated it! I think it’s the SPF in the formula, as it was very thick and my skin felt like it was suffocating. It also had zero coverage, imo. That said, I also tried a sample of Beautycounter’s Tint Skin foundation and LOVED it. Great coverage and it felt like I was wearing nothing. I’m going to purchase a tube with my next order!
Researching: Coffee Pots. I tossed my Keurig last year after watching some disturbing videos on YouTube showing how mold grows in the internal tubes, and have been using a Chemex pour over at home ever since. That said, we need some sort of coffee machine for when family and guests are staying with us. Got a recommendation for me? I don’t need anything fancy – in fact, the more basic the better. Less to go wrong, right? Thank you in advance!
Anticipating: Feel Good Foods “Pizza Rolls”. I am capital O-bsessed with Feel Good Foods’ line of certified gluten free frozen foods – their chicken and chipotle taquitos (which are killer with my homemade ranch dressing,) and chicken pot stickers are always in my freezer – and so I was thrilled to find their new pizza roll inspired snack bites at Super Target the other day. I don’t make it a habit to eat frozen, processed foods often but you cannot beat this company’s ingredient lists. And anyway, gluten free pizza rolls?! The 90s teen in me is totally into it. ;)
Saving: Butcher Box Ultimate BBQ Bundle. Heads up, Butcher Box is having a summer sale for new members right now. Sign up between now (May 24) and June 10 and you’ll receive 2 New York strip steaks, a slab of baby back ribs, and 2lbs ground beef for FREE in your first box. We love their ground beef so much I just ordered a “ground beef blast” – aka 10lbs of ground beef – to be included in my next shipment. Ugh, so good! You can click here for the deal >
Using: pacifier clips. As I mentioned, Gwen flew with me to Ohio for my Grandma’s services last week (baby girl won’t take a bottle!) and these pacifier clips saved us while traveling. Neither of the boys used pacifiers past 4 months when I took them away so they could find their fingers to self soothe, but G never found a thumb so here we are. Anyway, I got these clips to double as a safety net between her mouth and the disgusting airplane floor, plus something fun for her to play with too. They worked so well!
Sniffing: Lilacs. The air has smelled SO amazing over the past three weeks as all the area trees and lilacs have bloomed. It’s such a mood booster to step outside and feel as if you’ve stepped into a perfume shop. We have a giant bush/tree/unidentified plant on the back side of our house that I’ve 95% killed over the past 5 years by over trimming (I have the BLACKEST of black thumbs) that I’d like to dig out and replace with an old fashioned lilac bush. Does anyone know, have I missed my planting window this year?
Cooking: Crock Pot White Chicken Chili. I made dinner for Ben’s family a couple times this week and one of the evenings I turned to my tried and true Crock Pot White Chicken Chili. This is SUCH an easy dinner recipe and smells so good that even my neighbor commented on it – ha! I always make a double batch and skip the thickening step at the end – it doesn’t need it. I should really just edit the recipe… Anyway, pairs perfectly with tortilla chips and guacamole!
Replacing: Pyrex 16-Piece Set. I fiiiinally got rid of the last of our plastic gladware containers in favor of all glass storage. I was almost there then fully switched over when my favorite 16-piece set went on sale recently and it feels so, so good. If you are new to the gluten free world, this would be a great set to purchase as gluten can stick to the surfaces and scratches in plastic food storage containers.
Crunching: Bubba’s ‘Nana Chips. I picked up a bag of these green-banana-based snacks at the store the other day – ummm, SO GOOD!!! Love the buffalo flavor, especially, though the garlic and nacho flavors are awesome too.
Making: Memorial Day-friendly recipes. As I mentioned, it’s hard to believe this weekend is Memorial Day! This month totally flew by. If you are planning a party, potluck, or get together, here are a few of my favorite festive recipes:
Grilled Corn and Avocado Pasta Salad
Easy Baked Ribs (in case your grill out gets rained out!)
Secret Ingredient Rose Sangria
Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake
(Unbelievably Juicy!) Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Pick a “Currently” category and fill me in! :)
So sorry for your loss; your grandmother sounds like a wonderful woman. May she rest in peace <3
So many loves in this post.
1) Maybelline concealer…it’s my jam
2) tint skin…love it too! Switched to Maybelline dream fresh bb cream for summer cause I like the super light stuff when I’m outside more, but those are my go-to’s (just turned 39 and always love makeup that doesn’t settle into my “new” creases)
3) the pizza rolls! Yesss!!! Isn’t it funny how you haven’t eaten something in YEARS, but now that I’m gf and can’t have it I want them SO badly. We love that brand egg rolls and potstickers. We order sushi for pick up and I make those to go with our take-out
4) my grandma passed away Christmas Day. She was 108. It’s so strange joy to have the matriarch around anymore. The saddest part to me is that I know my connection with other family members won’t be as close because she’s not here to bring us all together. But we had a great time reconnecting at her funeral and LOVE knowing she is at home with Jesus!
Happy summer! I’m grilling a pork tenderloin tonight, thanks for the inspiration!