1. Summer days are made for waiting out afternoon downpours…

2. Finding a patch of shade…

3. And blowing the perfect bubbles 💖

4. Joseph had another milestone allergy appointment this week – he got to eat an actual piece of cashew and is off of the powder/liquid solution! It’s quite small (0.07 grams) but a huge step in his journey. He is also now eating the equivalent of 3 peanuts for his daily doses, which the doctor said is the level at which if he were to unknowingly bite into something that actually contained peanut butter or peanuts, he theoretically wouldn’t have a reaction. We are, of course, still extremely vigilant with his allergy, but we are just so grateful for the ability to do these treatments.

5. Enjoyed this article >> The Coronavirus Era is the Retro-Future. I totally feel this! Being in quarantine has definitely made me want to purchase umpteen acres of land, live in wide open (and wooded!) spaces, and unplug as much as possible.

6. If you need a quick and easy recipe for the holiday weekend, my red, white & blue berry trifle is a long-time favorite.

7. We have now reached the point where a 1-pound box of pasta is not enough to serve my family of five for dinner. I can’t even imagine what the teenage years will hold!

8. Do you have a “comfort movie“? With three little kids, I pretty much never get the chance to just plop on the couch and catch a Saturday afternoon movie anymore, but some of my all-time, watch-them-anytime-they’re-on movies are: Top Gun, Walk the Line, You’ve Got Mail, The Holiday, A Few Good Men, and anything in the Bourne series.

9. We finished the 5th season of Downton Abbey a couple of days ago and that season finale was almost like a movie, so good!! I’m sad we’re heading into the last season, but will be sure to queue up the movie once we’ve finished with the show. What have you been watching?

10. TGIF! Duke celebrated his 7th birthday this week! The kids and I made him these cheddar-apple pupcakes :)