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We’re back with our favorite series — Magpie icebreakers! (Past editions here and here.) Pour a cup of coffee and then copy and paste the prompts into the comments section to share your answers. These are so fun for me to read. (Mr. Magpie and I often read them aloud!)
A good outfit begins with…
The most difficult paycheck you ever earned.
The first job each morning:
Explain your job to a five year old.
Something that surprised you recently.
Something you wish you’d learned a long time ago.
The band you’d want playing at your funeral.
What are you kind of snobby about?
Talking pets or talking babies?
If you had to rename yourself, what would you choose?
***
My answers below —
A good outfit begins with…a good blow out and well-fitting garments. If I’m fidgeting and adjusting, I hate what I’m wearing all day long!
The most difficult paycheck you ever earned. Direct sales for the HR tech business my husband and I founded. Sales is incredibly challenging. I have the utmost respect for a good salesperson. I was decent at getting the meeting, but horrible at closing. It’s not in my nature!
The first job each morning: Digital prayer circle with my mom and sister (we send a praying hands emoji to each other first thing in the morning), then washing my face.
Explain your job to a five year old. I write stories.
Something that surprised you recently. Mother Nature continues to astound — I was transfixed by this video on the electromagnetism of bees and flowers. (Did you know plants carry a negative charge and bees carry a positive charge, and when they come in contact with one another, they cancel each other out, which leads to all of these tiny and helpful results — including that pollen literally jumps from the flower onto the bee, and that other bees will know that the flower has recently been visited?!). The intricacy and intelligence of the natural world reminds me that nothing in life “works” without fine-grained, fine-tuned detail. The small things matter.
Something you wish you’d learned a long time ago. To trust myself. I was thinking about this today while driving my children to school: how I’ve been able to get through stressful and intense times in recent years by telling myself: “you got this, you’ve done this before” and “you can do anything for 24 hours, I’ve seen you do it” and “you know your own intentions.”
The band you’d want playing at your funeral. Fleetwood Mac. Both the soulful stuff and the get up and go.
What are you kind of snobby about? Cocktails! We’ve gotten so good at making them at home, I find myself not interested in ordering them while out unless they have ingredients or preparations that are difficult to come by at home. I am also guilty of assessing the imbalances in a cocktail — too much sweetener, not enough booze, too little citrus, etc. Ironically, I drink more wine than cocktails but am much less discerning in that area. I know generally what I prefer (Old World reds, especially Italian), but am pretty easy to please.
Talking pets or talking babies? My gut reaction was babies but then I think part of early motherhood is learning your child’s cues and getting comfortable with trial and error. In a certain way, that phase of listening and noticing primes us for the complexities of raising them when they’re older? So I guess pets? I would have loved to know what was in Tilly’s shoebox head.
If you had to rename yourself, what would you choose? Lucia. My Italian great-grandmother’s name. She permanently left her family and home for Ellis Island when she was 20 or so — I am astounded by her bravery. I cannot fathom making that decision myself. And yet she did it, and here we are, enjoying the shade of trees she planted. (I also think the name Lucia is beautiful and poetic.)
Your turn!
Let’s Go Shopping…
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+These lab-grown diamond drop earrings are on their way to me. I usually wear pearls on a daily basis and have been wanting something a little different. While we’re talking Dorsey, just noticed that they’ve restocked their Clemence collection! This is my favorite necklace of theirs — so easy to mix and match with other pieces, and easy to dress up or down. I also think this bracelet version would be such a good gift for any milestone on the map — graduation, maid of honor gift, mother’s day.
+Love this raw hem linen shirt dress!
+While we’re talking J. Crew, how amazing is this popover paired with these shorts?! Love the all-denim look.
+Cute gadget for a curious little one. My son would flip over this!
+Another very chic East-West-style handbag — this one $229 but looks far more expensive. (More trendy bags for spring here.)
+These pants are SO fun. Pair with a white tank and simple sandals and let them do all the talking.
+I’ve been hearing good things about this concealer brush. I do need one. I’m currently using my Merit brush for everything, including undereye, which is a bit too bulky for that area. I’ve also heard good things about the Hourglass one, but it’s almost twice the price. Any recs? (P.S. If you’ve not tried the Merit brush, you need it!! Absolute magic! I use it for foundation, concealer, highlighter, cream blushes and bronzers. This $8 Amazon brush is a really good dupe for it, too.)
+This trio of cosmetics bags are so chic! Love that they are wipe-clean and can be personalized. I also absolutely love my Julia Amory cosmetics bags — they go with me everywhere. For travel, I find their softness/fabric easier to squeeze in to bags. (Look for less with this.)
+Speaking of J.A.: she just re-released her very popular Carolyn tops in black and white. They may already be sold out by the time you’re reading this – they always sell like wildfire. A good basic. More cropped and tailored than our beloved Everything Shirt — there is room for both, though! (Reminder that EMESE15 gets you 15% off the shirt. Thank you Emese! She’s the one who sold me on the Dorsey drop earrings I mentioned above, with this blog post of hers.)
+Two really pretty dresses from lesser-known brands: this white swiss dot from Never a Wallflower and this coral blockprint from S.Z. Blockprints.
+Chic guest towels.
+Mr. Magpie and I are huge fans of Fellow brand coffee gear / kettles. We have and love their bean grinder and electric kettle, which are not only thoughtfully designed and high-functioning but chic enough to leave out on the countertop. They just released a larger-capacity kettle without the gooseneck, and it’s on its way to us, too. This will be handy for other applications (the gooseneck spout is optimal for pourovers but can make it very time-consuming if you’re using for cooking, adding to instant soup/ramen/oatmeal, and even for pouring tea because the water pours out so slowly).
+I ended up getting the Luka duffel in the monochromatic pistachio color! I think this will be a perfect sports bag / weekend trip bag for my kids.