Things have been a bit crazy over here for the past month or so. We went to Scottsdale for spring break at the beginning of April, my daughter had her junior prom in the middle of April, and my middle son graduated from college at the end of April! All good things, just a jam packed month. I’ve squeezed in a couple of cabinet jobs in there as well, so it’s been busy. Now with May, we have lots of birthdays and Mother’s Day thrown in for good measure. How about a weekend 5+1? This post contains some affiliate links.
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
One upside about working on cabinets is that I have more time to listen to books, and Someone Else’s Shoes is one that grabbed me early and dragged me in. It’s a story of how a mix-up brought together two lives in very different ways. It’s fast paced and funny, while also telling a great story of two very different women.
“Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.
That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag–she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.”
Box Cutting Scissors
I don’t know if you’re in charge of the Amazon box breakdown, but that task always seems to fall to me. Some weeks are worse than others, but when we have a lot of boxes (or bigger boxes), these electric box cutting scissors get the job done. I got them after having an unreasonably large amount of big boxes to break down, and they make fast work of a big task.
Packing Cubes
After our nightmare spring break travel experience in 2023 (flights were canceled and we got stranded in Houston and had to drive 17 hours to get home), I swore that I would not check my luggage again if at all humanly possible. Packing cubes make carry-on luggage a no brainer. I packed more clothes than I even wore for this year’s spring break and I love how organized and compact it makes everything. They fit into your carry on like a puzzle. Two major thumbs up on these!
Great Carry-On Luggage
While we’re talking about luggage, can I just sing the praises of my new carry-on luggage set? I’ve been on the hunt for a set that handles everything that I need, and I think I found it. I love that the upper piece slides over the handle of my larger carry on, and it fits perfectly under the seat on the plane. Mine is a navy plaid and it’s great!
Smooth as Butter Roller Covers
This one is for the paint nerds out there. A fellow painter friend recommended these Staalmeester roller covers and they are unlike anything that I’ve used before. And I’ve tried just about everything. These lay down the paint so smoothly and beautifully, I was seriously blown away when I used them on my most recent kitchen cabinet job. Great option for furniture as well!
My +1 for the week – People watching videos in public without headphones
My daughter and I got mani/pedis this week, and a woman in the waiting area had her sound full on with videos blaring, oblivious to how the noise was affecting others. I don’t mind when people watch videos with the sound at a low/reasonable level, but this was almost as bad as a toddler watching a show on an iPad full blast at a restaurant. I’m just asking for a little self-awareness, which seems to be in short supply these days.
I hope you’re all having a great Mother’s Day weekend and celebrating in a way that makes you happy.
Jenny
2 Comments
Peggy
May 15, 2023 at 9:22 amI’m interested in the roller covers. I’ve tried many also, with varying results. What was the paint you were using?
Francine Valderrama
May 15, 2023 at 12:33 pmBeautiful photo, Jenny! I love to get your 5+1 in my email!