I feel like I’m starting to get a hint of what this summer is going to look like. It may not involve summer camps, playgrounds, or museums, like last summer did…but our neighborhood pool is officially open. We’ve had a few friends over for social-distanced evenings under the twinkle lights on our back porch. We’re still going for lots of walks and have met a few more of our neighbors that we’ve only waved to from afar. We’ll even get to see different family members every two weeks until August!

An especially exciting development in our family this week is that this summer will also involve something very, very special…ice cream! After a three-year-long journey of navigating Charlie’s dairy allergy, he passed his milk challenge at the allergist this week!! I was literally sobbing with joy as Dave was texting me about Charlie’s progress. I had let go of so many dreams I had had for his childhood that involved dairy products, from cake at birthday parties, to family pizza nights, to summer ice cream cones. I am still in utter disbelief and complete gratitude that this prayer has been answered! (If you’re not familiar with our experience of navigating Charlie’s food allergies, I shared about it extensively in this post.)

Gardenias from our yard!

1. As promised, reporting back with my thoughts on Beautycounter’s new Skin Twin foundation…and I am happy to share that it is amazing. This sounds terribly vain, but on the first day I wore it, I found myself thinking about how good my skin looked every time I caught a glance of myself in the mirror, ha! It feels super lightweight and breathable, blends easily, and has a great finish that’s not too dewy or too matte. Best of all, it comes in 18 shades–find yours here (mine is Light 210).

2. One of my favorite recent small business discoveries is a Charleston-based shop, The Tiny Tassel. All of her pieces are so bright and cheerful! I think this dress would be nursing-friendly, so I’m eagerly waiting for it to come back in stock. In the meantime, I need to decide between cornflower blue gingham and the adorable Rainbow Row print…

3. I’ve mentioned the Promptly childhood journal I’m using for Azelie a few times before, but I wanted to share a beautiful initiative they’re doing right now through June 16th. For every journal purchased, they’re donating a journal with prompts and questions designed specifically for fathers who are incarcerated, as a meaningful way for them to connect with their children through prison walls. While Promptly is known for their childhood journals (and I really do love mine!), they also carry heirloom-worthy blank journals, travel journals, gratitude journals, and more.

4. My friend Kristin (who you surely already know and love if you originally found me through Southern Weddings!) finally launched her blog! This girl is the real deal–genuine, generous, loving, and wise as they come. I can’t wait to follow along.

5. I’m itching to paint Charlie’s room lately…we’ve been spending a lot of time playing in there and the dark beige walls are such a bummer. I’ve heard amazing things about Clare Paint, a zero VOC paint that looks like a much safer, cleaner option than many conventional wall paints. Charlie’s favorite color is green, so I’m trying to decide between Chill, a light gray-green, and Dirty Martini, a bolder pale olive. What do you think?

This could be a Love List item on its own, but since it inspired my question for you for the week, I’m putting it here instead! This essay called “How She Takes Her Coffee” resonated with me a lot, especially as I’ve been praying recently about how to become a better friend. So, how do YOU take your coffee? At home, I do a light splash of oat milk vanilla creamer, and at coffee shops in the summer, I’ll always order an iced lavender latte if it’s on the menu! Let me know your go-to below and I’ll randomly pick one commenter to send a Starbucks gift card to :)