Monday 5+1 (5 Things I Love + 1 Thing I Don’t) – 7.22.24

Things have totally gotten away from me and I have so much I want to share! My daughter graduated from high school, we had a grad party (much different for girls vs. boys, FYI), we were invaded by honeybees, took a mother/daughter trip to DC, took a family lake trip, and now we’re in the throes of getting ready to send her to college.  Oh, and both of the boys moved out in June. Good thing we’re going to Italy in the fall, so I have something to look forward to there.  So, a LOT going on.  All good things for the most part (honeybees aside) – it was insane.  I need to dedicate a post just to that experience – it was so fascinating, and I learned so much in the process.

Now that I’m on the cusp of an empty nest, I have the urge to do redo things around here.  Let’s face it, now that the kids are leaving, we can have nice things again.  They’re looking to take some of the stuff we don’t need, and that gives me an opportunity to take things in a new direction.  

But for now, let’s have some fun with a 5+1, even though it’s Monday. This post contains some affiliate links.

Jo Malone Scents

When my daughter and I were in DC, we saw a Jo Malone shop, but didn’t get a chance to go inside. But I’ve heard so many good things about her scents, I jumped at the chance to do some smelling when I was at Nordstrom.  I’m very much into clean/fresh scents, and I found some that I love.  My favorites at this point are Silver Birch & Lavender and Blackberry & Bay.  I never would have thought I’d love the Blackberry & Bay as much as I do, but it is so lovely.  My daughter has been swiping the Silver Birch and Lavender, so that speaks volumes to me because she’s picky.  The Wood Sea & Sage is also a favorite.

New School Supply Ideas

I don’t know why Sharpie didn’t think of these sooner, but I’m here for it.  Since my daughter is highly organized, we were shopping for school supplies on July 4th weekend – the best time to shop, there was no one there.  But we spotted these Sharpie pen/highlighter combination pens, and I thought, “Where have you been all my life?”

Travel Backpack

I mentioned that my husband and I are going to Italy this fall, so travel gear has been on my radar a lot lately.  I’ve found some luggage that I love, but I’ve been looking for a good carry on piece as well.  I found this travel backpack and I think it’s going to be a great one to pack a lot of stuff, without taking up a ton of space.  

Aura Frames

My kids really hit the mark this year for Mother’s Day by giving me an Aura frame.  It’s a frame for digital photos, but the beauty of it is that you don’t have to mess with memory cards or anything like that.  There’s an app where you can easily upload photos from wherever you are, and you can give access to multiple people.  So now, my kids can update the photos on the frame anywhere, which I love.

My WOW Window Box

Last year I splurged on adding a window box to my dining room window.  My husband thinks I’m crazy that I get so much joy from it, but I do.  I’ve been looking forward to the summer flowers, because that’s what drew me in to getting them in the first place.  It has not disappointed!  The WOW Windowbox team comes out and plants the flowers, and there is an irrigation system in it that is tied to my outdoor hose, which means zero work on my part.  If you’re in the Dayton/Cincinnati area, I highly recommend them.  I’m contemplating adding planters, because mine just don’t compare.

My +1 for the week – The return of digital cameras

Apparently the year 2000 called and is bringing back its digital camera.  For real.  My daughter bought a small old-school digital camera, before the advent of the amazing iPhones that we all now have in our back pockets.  One of my friends told me her daughter brought one on their family vacation and brought it everywhere, taking tons of pictures.  Make it make sense.

As always, thanks for reading and supporting my tiny corner of the internet.

Jenny