Happy Monday! We had nice weekends around here - Eloise went to two lacrosse games, supervised lots of trampoline time while gardening and reading outside, finally hung the LED lights that her girls got for Christmas (their bedrooms now look like mini clubs), and got to Annapolis for shopping and dinner. Dinah had a very busy Saturday that ended with a double date at Little Donkey, one of her favorite restaurants in Cambridge, and then had an impromptu Sunday Funday with two friends, enjoying the spring weather by meeting for drinks by the water.

Monday Missive: April 19

What We’re Reading and Watching

• The new season of Younger is here! I’m so happy that this show is back. I started watching the newest season on Hulu this weekend and I swore I was only going to watch one episode a week to draw it out, but before I knew it I had watched three-oops. I guess I’m a sucker for the Charles-Liza-Josh love triangle and I still want to be Kelsey when I grow up. -E

• The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict is a fictional imagining of what was going on being the scenes during the real time that author Agatha Christie disappeared for eleven days and resurfaced after a massive manhunt with no explanation for her absence. It’s a fun and suspenseful story that’s even more interesting for being based in a true story. -E

• I’ve been reading Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, which I was excited about because it seemed like a sci-fi version of Red, White and Royal Blue… but to be honest I am about halfway through and not going to finish it. I’m not engaged in the big mystery of the book, I really don’t understand one of main characters and I have other things I’m excited to read. - D

• Late to the game on this one, but I finally watched Ted Lasso and it was amazing! I haven’t liked a show that much in a long time, and can’t wait for the next season to come out. It’s also a great show to watch with your husband/boyfriend - or your friend who is obsessed with British things (which we all know is me) - D

What We’re Buying

• I went to Hobby Lobby for the first time, in search of crafting supplies for the school play, which it had in spades. But I also got drawn into the home section for a long time and found so many good things! Raffia placemats, napkins in red and white picnic check, rainbow plates that would be perfect for kids outdoors. I stocked up on outdoor entertaining supplies, and now I just need the weather to cooperate. -E

• Speaking of outdoor entertaining, I also ordered blankets from Chappywrap in fun prints for the summer. I think they’ll be perfect for cooler nights by the fire pit or out on the boat. -E

• My spring wardrobe needs a serious refresh so I went to Primark for a little bit of fast-fashion to add to some of the nicer pieces I am eyeing. I came home with this blue checked dress, which will be a perfect addition to my ever-growing collection of daytime dresses (I just hate shorts so much), but can also be dressed up for a casual dinner. - D

What We’re Making

• I’m always looking for ways to spice up grilled chicken, so I was very excited to try the Half Baked Harvest Lemon Chicken Skewers, and they didn’t disappoint. I made all kinds of substitutions (peppers instead of asparagus to be more kid friendly, we just tossed it on the grill instead of putting it on skewers, and I skipped the sundried tomatoes in the dressing). I poured the dressing over butter lettuce and cucumbers and served it all with naan and it was a perfect family dinner. -E

• My go-to this week has been a big batch of chicken meatballs. I loosely based them off of this recipe, but didn’t have a few of the ingredients so kind of freestyled. They turned out surprisingly well, and I’ve been enjoying them with zoodles for dinner! - D