"currently", June 2021

 

Happy Thursday, friends! (Doesn't it feel like Wednesday, though?) I'm linking up with Anne for her monthly "currently" series. Here is what I am currently celebrating, collecting, gifting, thinking and trying.

Celebrating: We didn't necessarily "celebrate" this, but we did talk about it, think about all who gave the ultimate sacrifice and prayed for those who have lost their lives while serving our country. I have always loved Memorial day and when the boys were younger, we used to always attend a Memorial day service at our local veteran's cemetery. 

This was something we always did with my dad and stepmom. It was always such a nice service and I love that the boys grew up knowing that this isn't just a day to celebrate the start of summer. The day became a little more personal for me years ago when my childhood best friend lost her nephew while he was serving in Iraq. My mom also had people in her family who never made it home while serving. One thing about me that you may not know is that I am a patriotic and sentimental person. Days like this and why we celebrate are important. I always spend time in prayer for those who lost their loved ones while they served and I always reach out to my friend to let her know that I was thinking of her and praying for them. 

Since it was a holiday, we did go to my mom's and stepdad's house for a catfish fry. It was a fun afternoon/evening.

Collecting: Right now I am "collecting" library books while I read them all. 

I always get a big stack when I go to the library, especially when I'm trying out new authors. I went on Saturday and got all of these and am currently making my way through the third book. 

I judged this book The Canterbury Sisters by the cover and it was SO GOOD. I finished it within a day. 

I did finish Beach Read, but I didn't love the book. It was interesting enough to keep me reading it, but the title is misleading and it was just so so. 

I'm reading the Emily Giffin book right now and am already a fourth of the way through.

Gifting: Well lately it's been wedding season! I love to buy wedding gifts and I usually put a lot of thought into what we buy for young couples getting started. I love buying things I love and use, so I typically use that as my guideline to buy for them as I consider their registry. For the last two couples we've bought for, I did not buy from their registry. That's very strange for me, but I love what I picked out for them. One couple received some pretty pottery salt and pepper bowls that stack and have a lid, a tea towel with the words "Let's stay home" on it and a cute decorative plate and stand that says established in 2021 that is the same pottery as the salt and pepper bowls. I bought those at one of my favorite local boutiques, Bella Vita. This couple was the son of some of our dearest friends, so we spent a little more than we usually do on them because we are so close with them. For the other couple I picked out some really cute small white bowls that can be used for dips and sauces, condiments or for a charcuterie board. I also bought them some really cute and heavy duty chip clips that are also fridge magnets, but I wasn't able to wrap them so I still have them. I will give them to the bride as soon as I see her again.

(These were the wedding venues—aren't they beautiful?)

Thinking: I am always thinking ahead. Right now I'm thinking about my sons traveling with their friends for the second and fourth summers in a row. Drew and Noah are going to Orange Beach this time and leaving on Sunday. They're going with four of their friends and this is the second summer they've done this. I'm excited for them! Graham and Jonah are leaving early Wednesday morning for Daytona Beach. This marks Graham's fourth summer going there for a gigantic truck meet and this will be Jonah's third time to make the trip with him. They always have a blast going on this trip. 

These trips will be Jonah's and Noah's second trip to the beach this summer.

Trying: I'm trying to be more careful in my time management. I love a list and like to do certain things each day to get things done around my house, but lately I've been slacking. I'm trying to watch tv less and read more. I'm trying to keep my house put together and keep things organized. I try to stay on top of cleaning. I've really been trying to keep our fridge and pantry organized, which is quite the task with a house full of people. I need to try to start eating healthier again, since I've fallen way off the bandwagon. I find it easier to do that in the summer, when the fruit and veggies are plentiful. I'm trying not to kill all of our new plants! We bought some more for the deck in the back yard on Tuesday night. I'm also trying new shades of lipstick for summer—more neutral and lighter.

I love our backyard! I love all the flowers we added last night when Todd put them into new planters. I'll show more pictures on another post.

(See? I never wear light pink lipstick.)

This is always a fun post to write—thanks for reading along! Love to all.