Timeless graduation wisdom, the case for hobbies, and a bubble hem dress I love!

Sunday Scroll #141

May 17, 2026

Hi, friends! Happy Sunday. It’s been a busy week here. I travelled to High Point, NC for photos for Simplified’s 18th Birthday (how!) and am now busy preparing for a fifth grade Bake Sale tomorrow (Caroline’s making M&M cookies and Tyler’s making my pumpkin muffins from The Simplified Cookbook) and an all-boys end-of-year pool party Tuesday to say farewell to two buddies moving away. After that, school is OUT for the summer for the Leys (onward to camp!) And that will be a wrap on elementary school. Wow. That happened fast.

Hope you’re having a great weekend. Enjoy your scroll!

I read this book on my flights to and from North Carolina this week. The co-authors narrate and do a great job. Fantastic book if the title speaks to you in any way like it did to me.
This was a really interesting peek behind the curtain of sample sales (specifically, at Hill House). Nell opens up about the more emotional side as well: “Every sample sale haul I watch on TikTok is somebody’s inventory mistake.” Oof, I feel that!
Pool safety is something we do not mess around with — less so now that our kids are older, but especially when we had little ones (and a brand new pool in our backyard). Reading this brought tears to my eyes, but it is such a good reminder that it only takes a second.
Bubble hems are back and my millennial heart has never been happier. Wore this dress for a special Simplified shoot and it was perfect.
Graduation season is in full swing and I’m in denial that will be us in a few short years. This is a really (really) sweet round up of timeless wisdom from five iconic graduation speeches (there’s a funny line about sunscreen…which speaking of, Supergoop is 20% off right now and this SPF stick is a Ley family household staple!)
Hobbies may be the key to a satisfying life, only fueling my desire to keep diving into needlepoint!

Quince linen A-line dress / Washable silk maxi dress

I can confidently say everything I own from Quince has lived up to the hype. I really don’t mind investing in quality pieces, but sometimes I just can’t bring myself to spend $400 on a linen dress that will be put through the wringer come summer. This checks all the boxes, and is under $100. A win in my book. (Also kind of loving these polka dots?!)
Maycember is in full swing, friends. For what it’s worth, some of these decisions have helped to keep the chaos to a minimum.
Can having a dog boost your longevity? The research says yes…reason 3,458 we love our Walter! (If you’re curious, we feed him this and he loves it.)
The sweetest story about a man who teaches his 77 year old neighbor how to cook. “Cooking with Rudy”

Coming next week:

Caroline and Tyler are moving on to middle school starting next year, which means I am having all the feelings about Saying Goodbye to Elementary School. Looking forward to putting (metaphorical) pen to paper and sharing more, because I know a lot of other mamas out there are in a similar boat. I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again, where does the time go?