Currently…

I was playing around on my iPhone the other day and took a series of selfies for no good reason.  As I was flipping through them later in the week, I realized what a perfect snapshot they were of my life at the moment.  I look tired but happy.  I’m wearing my current daily uniform, equal parts practical (nursing friendly overalls FTW) and on-trend.  My hair air-dried instead of blow-dried, and looking a little worse for the wear.  I’m sitting on the couch in our breakfast nook, where I spend 90% of my time–working, nursing mini, watching TV in the evenings, napping, reading, talking to my mama on the phone.

They aren’t great pictures of me but they are SO me right now.

So true to my life as a 32-year-old mother-of-one in a house I love, with a family I adore, in a body I’m coming to terms with.

Not pictured: the hole Tilden chewed in the sofa I’m sitting on, more recently hidden by a deftly sewn slip cover my mother in law made for us after seeing the atrocity on her visit.  A little bit of chaos in the form of baby gear exploding all around me.  The enormous glass of water sitting to my left that I’m constantly trying — and often failing — to remember to drink.  Fiery orange tulips reminding me it’s spring even when The Weather Channel tells me it “feels like” 39 degrees outside.  Mr. Magpie thudding around upstairs as he lugs soil and other gardening accoutrements to the roof.  The Kacey Musgraves Pandora station playing over our Sonos sound system, which is starting to feel a little stale.

In that vein, I thought I’d share a little list of what else is au courant chez Magpie.

Currently Wearing…

Most days, my uniform is joveralls and either a button down or striped tee.  Overalls are such a great nursing hack!   For footwear, depending on the weather, I’ll wear with either my Supergas (mine are gray) or Hermes Oran sandals (mine are light brown leather).

Currently Playing…

As I’ve been easing back into running, I’ve been listening to a lot of top 40.  I love that song “Issues” by Julia Michaels in particular, and also “Bounce Back” by Big Sean and a fair amount of Chance the Rapper, too.  (As I mentioned recently, some of his songs give me the chills.)  At home, my go to is the Madeleine Peyroux Pandora station, or Kacey Musgraves, depending on my mood.

Currently Eating…

Breakfast is coffee with frothed soy milk and a banana.  For lunch, I’ve been into a simple PB + J situation.  Mr. Magpie made the most outrageous strawberry jam from scratch last week and it is INSANE on a  pb + j.  I always have a coconut LaCroix at lunch, which is good in a bad kind of way (kind of tastes like sunscreen — and therefore like a vacation).

For dinner, it’s always an adventure.  In the past few days, we’ve made a Moroccan chicken tagine with couscous (we added apricots and golden raisins and almonds to it) and then ribs with potato salad and asparagus and salad harvested from Mr. Magpie’s farm.  We always make enough to have leftovers a second night in a row.  Then, last night, we ate the second best burger in Chicago — Owen + Engine’s.  (The number one spot goes to Au Cheval.  Such a scene, but well worth the wait.)  I also made these peanut butter blondies and we’ve been eating those for dessert.

Currently Watching…

We just finished the second season of Master of None and I literally DIED over the last two episodes.  In my opinion, the season was uneven.  Charming, but uneven.  But even the unevenness is lovely in the sense that you just know Aziz is exploring, playing, trying new things.  I love that.  It reminds me of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel, This Side of Paradise, which he wrote at the age of twenty or something insane like that, and is in some ways amateurish–you can tell he’s finding his voice and some bits are overdramatic and overflowery, and he corrects for those indulgences in his later works.  There are times in This Side of Paradise where Fitzgerald breaks narrative and bursts into a screenplay or a poem, and it’s almost as if the novelistic convention is too narrow for his undeniably expansive creative energy.  So, it’s all charming on a meta-fictional plane in that you feel the force of his creativity, you see him working through different modalities and you love the author for it.

Aziz’s show is the same way.  I love that he’s trying new things.  Breaking conventions.  Artfully interrogating the process of finding love in the modern world.

But then he really slam dunks the last two episodes, which are like a delightfully moving romantic comedy!  I actually wanted to re-watch these last two episodes immediately after finishing.

I ALSO just started watching Gilmore Girls.  I’d never seen it before (I know, I know) and it is GOOD.  Perfect late night nursing companionship.

Currently Reading…

Just started How to Murder Your Life.  I’ve also been reading a lot of articles in The New Yorker recently, and this one left me deep in thought.  The author’s writing style is intense and, in my opinion, almost over-layered.  There’s a lot going on.  A lot of metaphor, a lot of emotion, a lot of allusion, a lot a lot a lot.  Too much maybe.  But I couldn’t help but ogle at the author’s daring — juggling so much and admitting so much and packing so many tropes into the space of a single essay.  Almost a fire hose of creativity.

Currently Coveting…

These slides ($125) — can’t decide if I want the denim or white.

This pink lace dress ($425) for an upcoming rehearsal dinner.  But do I need it?!

This for mini.  Might buy it for her for a future summer when she’s bigger.

A new pair of Chanel flats, as an investment shoe for the fall.

Currently Putting My Face On with…

I haven’t changed much since sharing my secrets for looking awake on minimal sleep, but I did recently rediscover my Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder ($44) and it is AWESOME for setting under-eye concealer.  Non-cakey and it really reflect light well.

Currently Burning…

Tocca Cleopatra.  It smells like a bubble bath to me.

Currently Loving…

+Spending time with mini — she smiles and coos a lot these days.  She loves her Sophie the Giraffe, beaming at it constantly, and also one of her accompanying books.  We’re also reading a lot of Brown Bear, Brown Bear in this house.  Too much, maybe.  Mr. Magpie and I are constantly singing it to each other without realizing it.

+Packing up all of our heavy boots and coats in these ginormous bins to stow away for next winter.  See yaaaa, winter.   You overstayed your welcome.

+Tulips.  I almost always have a bouquet in our breakfast nook.

+This Mario Batali cookbook.  An oldie, but a goodie.  I’m about to attempt his walnut pansotti recipe.

+Pale pink but OPAQUE nail polish, especially the OPI Gel color I raved about.  You can see it in my selfie.

+Talking to my mom every day on the phone.

+An Ulla Johnson tunic dress I’ve been wearing a lot lately, similar to this one.  Not nursing friendly but oh so chic.