Stuff I'm loving Saturday #16: Grandpa memories, candles, and books galore

Ahhhh, Saturday. This week has been a tough one for our family, and yet, it still brings lots of things to love.

Grandpa G

(Photo credit: OMG Photography)

My sweet grandpa passed away on Thursday at the age of 90. I will miss so much about him, but he was suffering so much at the end. When we were kids, he taught my brother and I a song in Hungarian (it was about a little boy who went in the oven and got dirty and then got in trouble by his mom... which is super odd now that I think about it!), and if we sang it to him when we saw him, he would give us a dollar. You better believe we capitalized on that! But he quite literally has one of the coolest life stories I've ever heard. He immigrated to America from German occupied Hungary after World War II. His family had been in a displaced persons camp (his father and sister both died there), and he and his mom got to America with little money and knowing no English. And yet he made an amazing life for himself. And despite being in America for almost 70 years of his life, he still never lost his accent. Love that about him. He will be missed. 

The Grotto

(Photo Credit: Cari Hughes Photography)

If you've lived in or ever visited South Bend, Indiana, there's a solid chance you've made your way to The Grotto. Located on Notre Dame's campus, The Grotto is nestled near two lakes and The Basillica. And it's easily one of my favorite places in South Bend. In college, I used to walk there with fellow Saint Mary's students whenever we felt stressed (i.e. finals). Dan and I went there a lot during our courtship and engagement. And we even visited frequently to pray for our baby during my pregnancy. I just love it there. 

Yankee Candle's Jasmine Green Tea scent

One thing I've been doing every day is adding a scent to our home. I either light a candle or turn on our Scentsy warmers, but lately my go to scent has been Jasmine Green Tea by Yankee Candle. It's light and warm and makes our house smell delicious. And these candles seriously last FOREVER! My friend Beth got us some of the large sized ones for our wedding last year, and I still haven't used them all up! So stinkin' yummy! (Pun intended.)

The Little Books Boxed Set

I try to read to Henry every day, and the past few weeks, we've been reading the Little Books Boxed Set over and over! The books tell the stories of Little Oink, Little Hoot, and Little Pea, and each of them wants something not typical for them (Little Oink wants to be clean, not messy, Little Hoot wants to go to bed early, not stay up late, and Little Pea is sad that he has to eat candy, not vegetables, for every meal). They're adorable and very cleverly written, and Henry and I both get a kick out of them! 

Four day weekends with the husband
Dan had a four day weekend over the Fourth of July, and I'm telling you, it was amazing. We both felt WAY less stressed, and it was wonderful to have the extra help with Henry. We both kept commenting that if he could have a four day weekend every weekend, we would get a ton done and probably feel much happier! If only we could become independently wealthy and BOTH be stay at home parents!