Reading
I stayed up late (LATE) finishing The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan and I still can’t stop thinking about it. It’s hands down the best book I’ve read so far this year. The second I finished it I wanted to talk about it so Jeff generously listened to me summarize and break down this dark, complex, “what if” story about motherhood.
My book club read the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis which was the perfect comfort read after The School for Good Mothers. I listened to and thoroughly enjoyed The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, a thriller about a couple and their unconventional therapist. I finished Shauna Niequist’s new book I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet in four days. While it’s not my favorite of her books, I really enjoy her work and am glad it’s on my shelf. I know it’s one I’ll come back to.
WRITING
This interview for Live Today Well’s Women at The Well series was an absolute delight. I spent a lot of it talking about what self-care actually looks like in this season of life and it wasn’t until I was writing it all out that I realized 1. How much I care about transparency and normalizing self-care in all its forms and 2. How well I’m caring for myself right now.
Listening
I discovered some new to me music this month and that’s been a delight. John Van Deusen’s alternative sound is a welcome change to traditional praise and worship music. I was initially drawn to his style but his lyrics (All Shall Be Well is a favorite) are on repeat like prayers in my mind.
I’m also listening to a lot of NEEDTOBREATHE. Yes, because they’re my favorite band, but also because they’re coming to Ohio this summer and you better believe I’ll be there!
Watching
Jeff and I still watch Below Deck every Monday night. Sometimes my brother and sister and their plus ones join us which makes it even more fun! We’re slowly making our way through Inventing Anna. We’re only a few episodes in but we’re enjoying it. When I’m doing chores without littles underfoot, I’m watching Gilmore Girls in the background, an old favorite. I happened to watch the episode where Richard and Emily renew their wedding vows on what would have been my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. Watching Richard explain how he chose their first dance got me all in my feelings and you better believe I cried into my LaCroix.
EATING
Lucy and I baked cupcakes from a Trader Joe’s box mix and Lucy’s face says it all. Right after this she said “I yove making tuptakes wif you”. Later she told me “I’m proud of you fo making tuptakes wif me.”
We tried and loved the Cheesy, Beef, Black Bean and Rice Skillet from Half Baked Harvest Every Day.
I made the Penne Allá Vodka in pasta bake form from HBH Super Simple and it was a perfect work night meal. Jeff popped it in the oven and it was ready when I got home. There was a ton leftover for lunches and Abby (our nanny) loved it, too!
I’ve also been making a lot of “Country Club Pasta”. When I was a kid, my grandparents belonged to a country club and my nana and I both loved a pasta dish that was essentially bow tie pasta, grilled chicken, asparagus, butter and Parmesan cheese. That’s it. So when asparagus is on sale, I make that probably once a week and when it’s not, I use broccoli. It’s easy, delicious and makes great leftovers.
Buying
After many (many) droppings, my earbuds were on their last leg. So I splurged and bought a pair of Airbuds Pro. The fact that they were on sale for 30% off was definitely a push in the direction of impulsivity. This is 100% the kind of thing my Papa would have done so in his honor and to test the quality of the audio experience, I spent the afternoon listening to The Rolling Stones. They passed with flying colors and I found myself wishing I could have had him try them. He was probably chuckling and raising a glass of red wine to my rare moment of recklessness.
We have lots of weddings coming up, and I love the hymn tea towels from Little Things Studio to have on hand for shower gifts. They’re lovely and I may have thrown in a couple for our house, too (In Christ Alone, Be Thou My Vision, All Creatures of our God and King)
Contemplating
“If you need fireworks and perfection in order to crack a smile, you’re going to be disappointed over and over when life fails to be spectacular on command. I want to live with an extremely low bar for delight. It takes almost nothing at all—a good song, a ripe piece of fruit, a perfectly packed tote. You are allowed to love tiny, daily, ordinary moments in your life. You’re allowed to feel wild joy for the simplest and smallest of reasons.”
- I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist
