This week has been full of very ordinary things: deadlines, appointments (why we scheduled five appointments in one week, I do not know!), some procrastinated chores, and, perhaps most monumentally, my first trip to Target with two kids, ha! While I don’t have anything too interesting to report to open up this post, I did come across a beautiful quote this week. It resonated with me in light of all the uncertainty and fears that surround this new school year, so I’d love to share it in the hopes that it might encourage you too:

“If I did not simply live from one moment to the next, it would be impossible for me to keep my patience. I can see only the present, I forget the past and I take good care not to think about the future. We get discouraged and feel despair because we brood about the past and the future. It is such folly to pass one’s time fretting, instead of resting quietly on the heart of Jesus.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

On to some favorites from the past two weeks:

1. A few local friends and I have been meeting monthly for a women’s “study group” for over two years now and it has been such a sweet, encouraging part of my life. We’ve gone through two studies by Endow and The Heart of Perfection, and now, we’re halfway through Henri Nouwen’s Life of the Beloved. I can already tell this is going to be a book I’m going to revisit again and again–it’s both uplifting and challenging, and Nouwen shares his wisdom in a very practical, actionable way.

2. I was scrolling through Pinterest looking for recipe inspiration the other day when I stumbled across one of my favorite summer recipes that I had completely forgotten about: Summer Skillet Gnocchi from How Sweet It Is. I skip the mushrooms since I don’t like them, and often use frozen corn instead of fresh to shorten the prep time a little bit. SO yummy!

3. Dave has been literally rolling his eyes at me for buying these slide sandals, which I will readily admit are outside of my style comfort zone! I hardly ever jump on a trend like this, but they have proved especially handy for going in and out of the yard with the kids. Tuckernuck has the best color selection here–I like the pastels best since they feel a little more feminine.

4. Mamas, what does school look like for your family this fall? Charlie is on track to go back in person after Labor Day and we have so much peace and excitement about moving forward with that. No matter what school looks like for you this year, I know we are all trying to make the best decisions for our unique families with the information we have, and no option is a completely perfect (or imperfect) one. This post by Ashlee Gadd struck a chord with me.

5. A few weeks ago, I mentioned the peel-and-stick paint samples I ordered from Clare Paint, so I wanted to report back with an update! We’re going to go with Dirty Martini for Charlie’s room and Seize the Gray for our bonus room. Azelie’s nursery is the only room upstairs that we’ve painted so far, so I am very eager to bid farewell to the dark taupe walls and make the space feel more like “us.” (If you missed it, I shared some overall home design inspiration last week!)

6. I have been Catholic my entire life, but somehow, I didn’t own a rosary I absolutely loved (I have my great-grandmother’s, but that’s too precious to keep out for everyday use). I recently came across Little Rose Designs on Instagram and was intrigued by the fact that she does custom pieces. We collaborated on the rose quartz and freshwater pearl rosary pictured above and I love that it feels like “me” in rosary form! Take 10% off on her site with the code LISA10.

No specific question today, but I’d love to hear something that has encouraged you lately below! Enjoy the weekend!