My apartment building elevator selfies may be a thing of the past, but the Hill House trellis-print nap dress I’m wearing above continues to get ample wear in Bethesda, MD. This is my absolute favorite nap dress I’ve ever owned — the color and pattern are so unusual and fun for me (I own nothing else green!), the cut is perfection (I specifically like that it has sleeves and a tie in the back so you do not ever need to adjust the neckline/sleeves/etc), and it is simply the most comfortable dress for everyday wear. Case in point: I chose to wear this dress the day we moved out of NYC, which involved a lot of running after the children, sweating in the sweltering July heat, moving bags and boxes, and then sitting in a car for four hours. Lightweight, demure, feminine, the perfect length. J’adore.
Due to popular demand, Hill House is bringing back their trellis print from earlier this year today, so the exact print and style I am wearing in the photo above will be back today at 12 EST. I would size down if in question — the sizing runs generously. They are also bringing back a lovely variation of the print in white/pink in the Ellie dress style along with a range of other amazing botanical print pieces, which you can scope out in the line sheet below. The bedding would be so sweet in a girl’s room, and that robe!!!
Do you consider yourself an adventurous eater? Has your level of culinary daring varied over time? I was thinking about this the other day when I was describing Mr. Magpie to a new friend and mentioned that he was “the type to order the wildest thing on the menu.” (Which is true and not true — he’s not the type to do anything to impress anybody (i.e., this is not for shock value), but he likes to try things that are difficult to come by or prepare, as he is such an excellent cook that he can pull off most menu staples handily at home. As an example, he will usually order fried artichokes or calamari if they are on the menu because they are both painstaking to clean/prepare on your own, and frying anything is an undertaking, and if there is anything with squid ink or morels or ramps — ingredients that have short seasons or are just difficult to find — he’s all over it.) My friend then asked: “What about you? Are you an adventurous eater?” I had to think on this. I am in general less of a risk-taker than Mr. Magpie and would never consider myself a daredevil in any category, but I have to say I believe I am a fairly adventurous eater, mainly thanks to Mr. Magpie. We both eat and drink nearly anything put before us.* I am specifically recalling anguilas (tiny, tender eels served as pintxos on bread) in Barcelona; just-barely-set fresh tofu with caviar at our last meal out in NYC at Contra; and a variety of forcemeats and sweetbreads and the like at the outrageously inventive Le Cou Cou (including their near-iconic navets en guise d’escargots, or “turnip, mussel and sea urchin disguised as snails”).
But I was not always this way. Before we were married, I was so hyper-aware of calories and so firmly on the salads-all-the-time bandwagon that I had tunnel vision looking at any menu. As we began to seriously date, I learned that Mr. Magpie eats three square meals a day, and likes to have a protein, a starch, and at least one vegetable on his dinner plate. I slowly began to venture out of my comfort zone and then, almost overnight, our new marriage permanently varied my diet, as I wanted to be able to sit down and break bread with my new husband at the dinner table every night, and this meant accommodating his more balanced and diverse approach to meal-planning. I grew more comfortable with eating red meat and fried foods and all the things of which I’d deprived myself in pursuit of what I perceived to be a healthy lifestyle, and now here we are — a pair of omnivores willing to eat their way through any destination.
What about you?
*Except for beer. I am simply not a beer drinker, despite many attempts. I wish I liked it! It feels like the appropriate beverage for so many instances — seafood boils/clambakes, ballgames, porch sits, camping excursions — but it is just not for me.
**I always get requests for weeknight menus/meals/recipes. It is so hard to serve this up to you since Mr. Magpie does all the cooking at this point and so many of his recipes are blends of three or four sources, or his own creation, and he is very difficult to pin down on the specifics, I think because he is a perfectionist and skittish about mis-sharing the exact proportions or offering up a recipe before it’s tried-and-true. I’ll keep working on him because I think a “Mr. Magpie Cooks” series would be SO fabulous. In absentia, I will share the last few meals he’s created:
MARINATED SKIRT STEAK, ROASTED POTATOES, GRILLED PEPPERS IN VINEGAR AND OIL
EGGPLANT PARM, SAUTEED BROCCOLI RABE WITH GARLIC AND ANCHOVIES
GRILLED BURGERS ON SESAME BUN WITH THINLY SLICED RAW ONION AND ONE SLICE OF AMERICAN CHEESE (KRAFT), OVEN FRIES WITH MALT VINEGAR TO DIP, GREEN SALAD WITH GARLIC EXPRESSIONS DRESSING (IYKYK)
PASTA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BASIL FROM OUR GARDEN — INSANELY FLAVORFUL…HE IS SO GOOD AT MAKING SAUCEY PASTA; IT’S SOMETHING ABOUT DEEPLY SEASONING YOUR PASTA WATER WITH SALT AND THEN RESERVING THAT STARCHY WATER TO MIX IN WITH THE COOKED PASTA
SERIOUS EATS’ FAJITAS AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS, INCLUDING HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE (LANDON LIKES HIS WITH TOMATILLOS IN IT), BLACK BEANS, RED RICE
+Just added one of these Stoney Clover-esque pouches to my cart for mini’s school backpack, for keeping her glasses, eye patches, bandaids, etc in one place.
I ALWAYS GET QUESTIONS ABOUT A FUR-TRIMMED UTILITY JACKET I BOUGHT FROM HARVEY FAIRCLOTH A FEW YEARS AGO — THIS ONE IS STARTLINGLY SIMILAR (AND JUST SO CHIC)
HOPING TO INVEST IN A STATEMENT MONCLER THIS WINTER — SOMETHING IN A FUN COLOR OR CHIC SHAPE (LOVE THIS ONE IN THE PINK) OR BOLD PRINT OR WITH GREAT DETAILS (LIKE THESE POCKETS)
P.S. More chic fall finds here. No. 6 clogs are flying already — I’ve had a few readers reach out to say they can’t find their size anywhere! Jump on these while you still can…
P.P.S. A full review of my favorite facial moisturizer and a few other well-hyped products here.
I’M A PEARL GIRL — WEAR PEARL STUDS ABOUT 90% OF THE TIME — AND ADORE THESE PALOMA PICASSOS WITH THE LITTLE BOTANICAL JACKET AND THESE CLASSIC MIKIMOTOS
A: Congratulations! This $40 ASOS steal is beyond adorable. I like that it’s white so you could splurge on a spiffy pair of dramatic shoes, or a patterned headband, or statement earrings, to totally customize the look. As an example, imagine it paired with these floral mules and these fun earrings in the blue.
In general, though, I tended to prefer non-maternity dresses that I could wear again post-pregnancy. I would have considered…
However, if the shower is later in your pregnancy, a proper maternity dress may be the only way to go. A few I like aside from the ASOS first mentioned:
A: So extra, I love it! I would pair with any white dress or white top/jeans situation in your closet, but especially things that look floaty and feminine to balance the heft of the shoes — something like this, this, or this. If you are more into prints, I would pair with this dress, this one, the Hill House mermaid print, or this SEA.
Q: Dress for early September wedding at a winery in rural America.
Q: Throw blankets that look good draped on a club chair but are actually soft and comfy.
A: I love the ones from my girlfriend Christina’s boutique, St. Frank. They are so elegant, come in great colors, and very soft! They are rather thin, though, so if you’re looking for something to curl up under, check out Chappy Wrap. People absolutely love these. (I’m eyeing one for my mom for her upcoming birthday to see what all the fuss is about — she loves to read in the afternoon and I thought this might be a cozy addition to her routine.). I especially love this Hermes-looking one. I also like the look of these thermal-knit throws in the pretty blue or ivory hues — I feel like I would never get out from beneath it! — and then of course there are weighted blankets that people LOVE. The ones from Bearaby are chic, too!
Q: Comfy sandals for trekking around D.C. Trying to get out of a sneaker rut!
A: I have honestly worn my Hermes Orans close to every single day this summer. I’m like a broken record, but these have been such a good investment for me in classic saddle brown. They go with everything and soften with time. For something less expensive, I haven’t worn this exact style, but I have a pair of flip flops from the same brand that I swear by, and I love the elegant/understated look of this pair. They would go with everything from shorts to dresses and just blend in.
Q: A weekend trip to NYC in September — looking for outfits that are pretty but practical.
A: It will probably still be warm, so I’d pack midi-length dresses (maxis can be tricky in the city, i.e., going up and down subway steps / avoiding puddles and street muck) that you can wear with flat sandals during the day and heels/statement earrings in the evening. NY is great in that you can literally wear anything and feel totally at home (no one will ever eye you as if to say, ‘why are you so dressed up?’), so feel free to dial up the flash factor — try a print if you usually do solids, try a tiered style if you’re normally a little nervous about that, etc. A few dresses I’m loving at the moment:
If the weather does drop, pack a statement cardigan to wear over any of these (I shared a bunch of great ones here) or this adorable denim jacket that is currently in my cart.
P.S. If you’re looking for recs, our favorite restaurants are at the bottom of this post, and some favorite destinations here.
Q: A toddler boy (size 18M-2T) daytime wedding outfit in the fall. Attire is cocktail.
A roundup of adorable children’s finds for you today, mainly inspired by the aesthetic of the Banwood Bike (seen above) my parents-in-law just bought mini! She is four and a half and we decided to totally skip the balance bike (seen below) and go with a 16″-wheel bike, which comes with training wheels. My MIL and I could not resist that precious wicker basket in the front, and the great saddle leather seat — the bikes come in such good colors! Beyond. They bought micro the IIMO balance bike in red, which has a slightly sportier vibe, but is equally stylin’. Anyhow, a few other pieces inspired by this throwback/neutral vibe:
+Mini owned this dress in a different print and I was devastated when she outgrew it — the scalloped collar and cinched wrists! Meep! I bought her a size 2T and then had her wear it with leggings when she was 3 to extend its life.
Imagine for a minute some alternate universe in which everyone was invited to a year of cost-free, compulsory education at some point in her adult years with a guarantee that you could return to your current job at the end of it with no penalty, if you so chose. What would you elect to study? Something to advance your current career path? Something to help with a complete career change? Something hobby-oriented? Something you wish you knew more about? Something you always regret not studying?
I half-wish I would say something practical, like accounting, which might be technically helpful as a self-employed entrepreneur. And I half-wish I would say something esoteric, in the realm of philosophy or theology, which might challenge me to think outside of the constructs in which I move so comfortably.
But I would 100% go back for more literature, possibly high modernism again or maybe fin de siecle or less predictably Gothic, which has long interested me as a mode rather than a period of time. (There are several first-rate Gothic novelists that write now, Ruth Ware chief among them. And looking a few decades back, many consider “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” a quintessentially Gothic text. There are entire conferences about it!)
My brother is a published academic (you can find his book on Herman Melville and ecology on Amazon!) and when I read what he writes, it’s as if gears in my brain are slowly creaking into motion after years of rust and disuse. It would be invigorating to oil that machinery, to rescue it from obsolescence, to more nimbly move between text and theory, to draw from a deeper well of reference and critical thought. I think a year of focused study would inform and improve writing work, too: when I read great books, I find, to borrow from Seamus Heaney, “the air around and above me alive and signalling.” Everything, in the words of Nora Ephron, becomes copy. And I mean that in the least clinical of interpretations. When I read well, the world around me swells with invitation. Metaphors present themselves. Stories unfurl, unbidden. I tumble into the open-handed wideness of language.
What about you? What would you study if a year of no-strings-attached, elective, cost-free education presented itself?
Post-Scripts.
+I see this query as distinct from my earlier thoughts on what I would study in college if I could do it all over again. I am still unsure on whether I would advise my children to pursue a degree in the humanities. English is not wool-gathering, but it makes for a challenging transition to the working world. I do still so value the great gift of my degrees in English, the “or maybes…the accommodation of a multitude of narrative possibilities. English trained me to look at a single word and ask: “but why this one?” and to recognize a certain rhyme scheme and ask “what if it were another?” I am forever shaped by the way those questions both exact and forgive.”
+These coasters are brilliant — they absorb condensation! Come in tons of patterns/prints, but I love the sea creatures. I discovered these via my friend Grace.
+Wanted to update on the toddler backpack search — I shared some initial finds here, but I think I’ve narrowed the options for mini down to this Paravel (which you can have personalized, or personalize yourself with patches like these) or this Cam Copenhagen. I like that both are small and super lightweight on their own. And, of course, blue for my blue-loving gal.
+Now on my makeup lust list: Saie’s Sun Melt (cream bronzer).
+Outdoor side table — comes in a great blue, along with a few other colors. And don’t forget this $120 set of two patio chairs and table! Love the colors!
+These are my favorite dishes for children — microwavable, dishwasher safe, with sections that are the perfect depth (deep enough to hold applesauce/yogurt/soupy things). Come in the best colors, too!
During a delicious nighttime porch sit with my sister last week, I mentioned that we’ve all been going through an adjustment with the new schedules, new spaces, new nanny, new school, etc., and that it’s been hard for me to set work-related boundaries with my children without feeling guilty about not being there for them at every moment during this enormous transition. More narrowly, I have been struggling with whether to keep my office door open or closed. I want to be available to mini in particular if she needs me, but I have also been finding it impossibly difficult to get work done during the week given a lot of interruptions followed by ambling chit-chat, which is lovely, of course, but also highly disruptive. I can’t tell whether it is better for me to draw hard lines and empower our new caregiver to totally own the daytime, or whether I should be flexible, popping in and out throughout the work day, available whenever needed, especially since mini will be starting school in a month and it’s really not such a long time. Maybe making this a softer transition would be better? Maybe it’s making things messier? There have been days where I have told myself: “Jen, you can catch up on work later. The most important thing is to be there for your kids right now.” But I can’t tell whether I’m just muddling expectations, or setting myself up for stress, of disempowering our new nanny.
My sister listened intently and then offered two powerful insights. First: as a parent, I cannot expect myself to solve every problem. That is, mini might well be accommodating a lot of conflicted emotions about this move, and I might well be struggling to get work done for that reason, but I can’t expect myself to solve every wrinkle in that equation perfectly, or scaffold a perfect emotional transition to mini’s new life here without a hitch. Her feedback made me realize that I have been imagining that if I can get the situation just right — be just available enough to her, be just focused enough on my own writing — I can ease everyone through this change with minimal strain. Ha! This new refrain (“I can’t solve every problem!”) has already been helpful in galvanizing my attention to focus on specific priorities and then accept that other areas will be bumpier, or out of my control, or by necessity left alone for the moment. Her second piece of advice was to have an open and honest conversation with mini, and to help her feel comfortable sharing all of the different emotions she has had about the move. I think Mr. Magpie and I do a good job in general of encouraging her to give herself permission to feel however she wants to feel. I can’t tell you how often we respond to her by saying: “It’s OK to be frustrated / it’s OK to be upset / etc.” before offering her some suggestions about how to work through whatever she’s feeling. But I don’t know that I’d taken the time to specifically ask her, head-on, about how she feels about this move. Perhaps I have mistakenly assumed she is still too young to fully articulate what she is feeling. When I asked her, though, she replied, unequivocally: “Sad.” (Heart breaking in her immediacy!) I replied: “That’s OK to feel sad. I understand. I feel sad about leaving New York, too. I also feel happy about having our new house and living so close to our family. Sometimes I feel two or three or even more different ways about something.” She nodded. We talked then about what she misses about New York, and she talked about the Natural History Museum (ha! her first reply!), our apartment, her school, and her nanny. She has been asking a lot about our former nanny in particular, and we have FaceTimed her a couple of times. A few nights ago, she asked: “But when we will see her in real life?” It was hard for me to say: “Probably not for a long time.” But there it was. I think the magnitude of this move is sinking in for her.
I have accordingly been trying to think of ways to help her realize it’s OK to celebrate our time in New York, to miss it, to revisit it, while also encouraging her to enjoy all the wonderful upsides of our new life here in Bethesda. It dawned on me the other day that it might be helpful to build a New York City scrapbook together and then look through it whenever she misses Manhattan. I just ordered her a scrapbook (in blue, her favorite color), photo adhesives, and a few packs of NYC stickers, and am going to print a bunch of photos of her and her favorite places and people in New York City (including some from our family portrait session, seen above). It might be cathartic for yours truly, too…(Note: for a more general scrapbook, this kit looks cute!)
At any rate, the scrapbook project has also led me to slowly begin to make my way through re-organizing all of our art supplies to accommodate our new space, and I realized we’ve run low on a lot of craft materials and need some new storage solutions. I am contemplating buying an art cart for a lot of our materials. I’ve bought several pieces of utility furniture/gear from the brand Seville Classics over the years, and am consistently wowed by the quality, so I’d probably go with their style (in a fun mint green!) and rest easy that the quality will be impressive. However, this one and this one come in even more colors, are around the same price, and get great reviews, too.
Below, sharing a few other favorite finds along these lines…
OUR FAVORITE TRAYS FOR ACTIVITIES OF ALL KIND (PERFECT DEPTH AND SIZE, AND GREAT FOR KEEPING GLITTER/BEADS/GLUE/PAINT FROM SPILLING ALL OVER THE TABLE)
LOVE KEEPING MARKERS, CRAYONS, PENCILS EASY-TO-ACCESS (SOME ARE ALWAYS OUT ON MINI’S PLAY TABLE)! — SOLUTIONS INCLUDE THIS LAZY SUSAN, THIS RAINBOW CADDY, OR THIS PORTABLE CADDY, WHICH COMES IN TONS OF COLORS
I THINK ONE OF OUR BIG CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR MINI THIS YEAR WILL BE AN EASEL — LOVE THIS STYLE AND THIS ONE FROM KIDKRAFT, WHICH IS THE BRAND USED IN THE ART STUDIO AT CAMP TOY STORES…SUCH A FUN DESTINATION IN NYC
CONTEMPLATING BUYING THIS SET OF LIFT-TOP BINS FOR ORGANIZING ITEMS IN SMALLER SECTIONS (CURRENTLY WE HAVE FOUR BIGGER TUPPERWARE, BUT THIS MIGHT KEEP SUPPLIES EVEN MORE EASY-TO-ACCESS — ALSO LIKE THAT THEY ARE CLEAR (EASY TO SPOT THE CORRECT ONE!) AND THE TOP LIFTS EASILY FOR LITTLES)
THIS MIGHT SOUND STRANGE, BUT THIS BABY FOOD FREEZER TRAY HAS BEEN A TOTAL MVP FOR CRAFTING — KEEPS SMALL THINGS LIKE BEADS/GOOGLY EYES/POM POMS IN SECTIONS, CAN BE USED TO DYE DIFFERENT COLORS OF VINEGAR/WATER FOR SCIENCE PROJECTS, CAN BE USED FOR PAINT, ETC.
LOVE THIS PAPER ROLL DISPENSER — SOMETIMES I TAPE A LONG SCROLL OF IT TO THE GROUND AND WE DRAW AN ENORMOUS VILLAGE, OR STREETS, AND DRIVE PLAY CARS OVER THEM
THIS ROSARY BRACELET WAS A TOPSELLER ON LE BLOG FOR A FEW WEEKS EARLIER THIS YEAR — SUCH A SWEET GIFT, ESPECIALLY FOR MY MOM, WHO PRAYS A ROSARY ON HER WALK EVERY DAY
P.S. Interesting to re-read some of my anticipatory thoughts about moving, written before we left Manhattan. The move is still too close in the rear-view mirror for cohesive insights, but so far, I feel mainly relieved. I’m not sure whether this is because moving is…the worst, and I’m just glad we’re done with that, or for some deeper, more existential reasons. I do think living in New York during the first wave of the pandemic was among the most challenging chapters of my life, and perhaps I’ve unfairly lumped the entirety of my experience in NY with that period and so leaving has felt like an unburdening, or a loosening of the leash on that parcel of gritty memories. We shall see…
+Great striped basic tee for micro’s fall wardrobe. $6! Love it in the olive/white. I also have to say I have bought multiple batches of the face masks from Old Navy for mini over the last year — they are inexpensive, come in fun seasonal prints/colors that coordinate nicely, and I find they are the easiest for mini to wear. I think they’re the perfect mask for everyday use at school. Not so precious you’ll cringe at buying replacements, too! Will be buying a new set for fall!
+Love this simple gray rug! I almost impulse-ordered it for my office, but I’m still not sure what color palette I want in here.
+Mini has proven to be highly prone to carsickness. I have heard children’s dramamine works well, and I might consider that for longer car rides, but this is a case where sometimes we’re just driving twenty minutes and she starts complaining that her stomach “feels funny” and I don’t want to give her dramamine all the time. Any suggestions? I did order her these anti-nausea wristbands to try — when I was having my c-section, the anaesthesiologist had Landon press down on the same pressure points on my wrist to help with nausea/shakes, so I’m willing to give it a go. I also found these anti-nausea lollipops but I have a feeling she’ll claim she’s not feeling well all the time if it means a lollipop is at the other end? (In the meantime, I did order emesis bags for the car, and THANK GOD for her washable carseat!).
+This cleansing oil is an instant-reorder for me as soon as I finish a bottle. I use it every single morning.
UPDATE: I just added a new section of my shop with many of the fall finds below and a few others.
A Magpie reader summarized my aspirations for my early wardrobe best: “Feels like my 1996 wishlist all over again, in the best of ways.” I’m talking clogs and sweaters…with a couple of statement cardigans thrown in there, too, because I’m not yet ready to leave that feminine trend. I’m taking notes from the general vibe of the snapshot above — love the straight denim, slouchy dimensions of the sweater (is it ultra-coveted Khaite?! — look for less with this), and slip-on shoes.
P.S. “I think, in short, that good writing is about understanding the rules well enough to break them on occasion — but only certain ones, and only when handled thoughtfully and usually in the name of meaningful style. And I think the same thing in life, though I am nine times out of ten following the rules at any given moment. But that mish-mash of experiences set against the backdrop of childhood summers spent so close to nature and therefore, in my opinion, closer to the essence of life, abstracted from the trappings and complexities of modernity, well — they remain touchstones in my understanding of ethics, both of the linguistic and personal sort, and it startles me to think how often the two have converged in my life. Art and life and art and life in an endless mirroring of one another.” More here.
