Monday Missive: January 24
With a sick kid and an experimentation with micro needling at my derm’s office that left my skin very red, we were all in for a weekend curled up at home. It reminded me of early pandemic days-we did puzzles, watched movies, went on walks and generally laid low. I got caught up on all the shows and still had time for laundry and house hold repairs (okay, that was mostly Chad!) and helping kids with book reports. We now know everything about sea turtles from Cece’s book report and we’re ready to get back out into the world this week! - E
It’s been moving week at my apartment so I have been madly clearing space and feeling domestic, along with a decent amount of manual labor. Otherwise I have been pretty cozy, watching shows and movies that have been on my list for a while and reading a new book. - D
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What We’re Reading and Watching
I watched the first few episodes of How I Met Your Father on Hulu and it was so cute! I find Hillary Duff to be very charming and the rest of the cast seems solid as well. I hope it settles into something that is as funny and charming as the original (minus the terrible final season). - D
Our lovely friend, Chauncey Boothby was on the Ballard Design podcast this week! It’s such a good interview and she shares a few of her tricks for a perfect room. - D
I was in the mood for something very light and stumbled upon the first few episodes of Pivoting on Hulu. It’s a half hour comedy about three women whose best friend’s death inspires them to shake up their lives. I love the actresses in it-Eliza Coupe from Happy Endings, Ginnifer Goodwin and Maggie Q, and the show isn’t totally perfect but it was light and fun.-E
I was all in on season two of Cheer this week and told Chad that I was going to enroll in adult tumbling classes (and he laughed at me! so rude!). It was so interesting to see who returned to the Navarro team and what effect fame and Covid had on Monica and the kids. Plus we got to know their rival school TVCC much better and follow their journey in tandem as they both fought to come out on top at Daytona. -E ( I also watched this! So good! - D)
I’m so excited for the premiere of The Gilded Age on HBO this week. Created by Julian Fellowes (the man behind Downtown Abbey), it follows a young woman as she moves in with her aunts (Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon) who embody all of the New York old money attitudes of the age. When they get into a social war with their new money neighbors, the New York social scene may never be the same. I love anything about this time period, new money vs old money fights, and anything with Christine Baranski, so I am all in on this show and will report back next week! -E
I read Love, Lists and Fancy Ships this week, thinking that it would be a fun rom com in a Below Deck setting. It was a good read, but there were a lot more emotional journeys and fewer terrible charter guests than I anticipated, and I actually teared up more than once reading it. -E I (I read this too!!!! Very cute, but definitely light on the yachtie drama! - D)
What We’re Buying
My official uniform of the weekend at home was:
Amazon leggings (they are so soft, and they’re very opaque and retain their shape, which I was surprised at since they’re so inexpensive!)
Dudley Stephens fleece alternating with
This Amazon fleece in white. I’ve had it for two years and it’s still so soft and in great shape.
Cozy socks or slippers. It was the comfiest two days ever!
Plus a bunch of face oil and soothing masks to help my skin calm down. - E
I ran out of my skincare holy grail this week - COSRX Snail Mucin Essence and had to restock. I use this as my first step morning and night (unless I’m using an acid, which I will put on first a few nights a week). It gives my skin a super neutral hydrating initial layer, sets it up to absorb my other products, and helps to heal blemishes and acne scars. I frequently change my routine, but this has been part of it consistently for the last 4 years. - D
What We’re Making
I had all the time to make soup this weekend, and I did the classic Barefoot Contessa tomato soup that the girls love, with grilled cheese on the side for dinner one night. I also made this Half-Baked Harvest soup that combines a wild mix of flavors-it’s a little sweet, a little spicy, a little salty, but I love it!
I’m ready to bust out my new slow cooker and make some cozy recipes. On deck for this week is this healthy kale, sweet potato and chicken soup, and then this buffalo chicken recipe from Real Food, Whole Life. - D
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