I hope you’re having a great week!  We’re wrapping up a great summer trip to the Outer Banks (so no, we weren’t affected by the power outage), which means the reality of back to school is just around the corner.  I’m trying to figure out where the summer went!  Until then, I’m going to try and live in the now, and not get ahead of myself.  Let’s kick off the weekend with this week’s Friday 5+1!  This post contains some affiliate links.

I Liked My Life

Summer vacation is probably the one time of year that I read an actual book vs. listen to one via Audible like I normally do.  So, I downloaded I Liked My Life on my Kindle, and have been plowing through it ever since.  I’m not quite finished with it yet, but I’m really enjoying it, even though it’s kind of an odd premise.

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch…until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.

100 Years: Wisdom From Famous Writers on Every Year of Your Life

I heard about the 100 Years book while listening to a podcast, and thought it sounded interesting enough to share, given how they described it in the podcast.  It’s a snippet of wisdom for every year of your life, that’s supposed to be fitting based upon the year.  I think it would make a great gift for a milestone birthday.

Blue Q Socks

Ok, I know I shared some of these hysterical Blue Q socks last Christmas, but I spotted them again in a store, and they are worth the re-share.  If you have a White Elephant exchange at Christmas, or are looking for a fun stocking stuffer or gift for a friend or family member – look no further!  Here are a couple that I thought were funny.

These socks made me laugh, only because I think this is the mode my kids operate on during the summer half of the time.

This pair of “bossy socks” reminds me of my daughter.  And then if you have friends and family that aren’t easily offended, you can check out the pair next to the bossy socks.

Nursing Pod

Ok, I’m far from a nursing mother, but I spotted this Nursing/Pumping Pod in the airport in Atlanta, and I can appreciate the idea and the effort to install one.  I didn’t peek inside, but I can see where it could be a great escape for a nursing mother to get out of sight and eliminate distractions while traveling. 

Big Little Lies – The Soundtrack

If you liked watching Big Little Lies on HBO, or even if you just read the book, you’ll enjoy the music.  A great Pandora station that gives you the same type of music is the Leon Bridges station.  Thanks to Rachael from This is Our Bliss for turning me on to it!  Give it a listen.  Another alternative is the Big Little Lies soundtrack on Spotify.  But I’m kind of liking the Leon Bridges station.  Good stuff, because I really loved the music from the series (and the book was great too).

My +1 for the week – The Abyss between my driver’s seat and the center console

I swear to you, stuff that falls into this gap is gone.  Forever.  In my old car (Honda Odyssey), that was one of the complaints about the car – you literally couldn’t reach stuff that fell into the gap.  No joke.  I’m pretty sure I could buy some nice shoes with the spare change that fell down there, and if I got stranded in a winter storm, I could feed my family for a day or two.  If only I could reach it.

Have an awesome weekend!

Jenny