A few of my absolute favorite possessions right now…
MY REVLON ONE-STEP DRYER AND VOLUMIZER — HAVING A GOOD BLOWOUT MAKES ME FEEL SO GOOD AND THIS DARN THING HAS CHANGED MY LIFE…! (FULL REVIEW)
ORIBE VOLUMIZING SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
FRESH FLOWERS — MR. MAGPIE RECENTLY SENT A HUGE BOUQUET OUT OF THE BLUE
OUR TECHNIVORM MOCCAMASTER COFFEE MAKER
DORITOS
AUDIBLE SUBSCRIPTION (MORE ON MY NEWFOUND LOVE OF AUDIOBOOKS HERE)
OUR COFFEE TABLE — THOUGH WE HAVE A LOVELY FORMAL DINING ROOM, MR. MAGPIE AND I OFTEN EAT DINNER RIGHT HERE, AND IT FEELS INFORMAL AND COZY AND PERFECT RIGHT NOW
EVEN ON MY MOST MINIMAL MAKEUP DAYS, I WEAR THIS EPIC MASCARA, THIS PERFECT BRONZER, AND THE BEST CONCEALER KNOWN TO WOMAN (THE FIRST TWO ITEMS CAN BE SCORED AT A DISCOUNT WITH CODE SPRINGSAVE)
JUSTIN’S PEANUT BUTTER AND GOOD MAYONNAISE (IF I MUST HAVE SANDWICHES NEARLY EVERY DAY FOR LUNCH, I’D LIKE MY FIXINS TO BE TOP-NOTCH)
LE PENS AND MY NOTEBOOK FOR LIST-MAKING — I KEEP A RUNNING LIST OF TODDLER ACTIVITY IDEAS, MEALS, AND WRITING PROMPTS HERE
EVERLANE CASHMERE CREWS — MY UNIFORM ON COOLER DAYS WITH WHITE DENIM
NEW ORGANIZING GEAR – – JUST SNAGGED A FEW SETS OF THESE FOR OUR INSANE COLLECTION OF BRONZE-CUT DRIED PASTA, ANOTHER ONE OF THESE FOR OVERFLOW BULK ITEMS, AND SOME NEW CHIP CLIPS
DIOR LIP GLOW — CAN BE APPLIED WITHOUT MIRROR; GLIDES ON LIKE BALM BUT MAKES ME FEEL POLISHED
USBORNE STICKER BOOKS FOR MINI
MARGARITAS OR PALOMAS AT COCKTAIL HOUR — BEEN IN A TEQUILA MOOD
THESE 8X6 CUTTING BOARDS — WE HAVE TWO NOW, AND THEY ARE IN CONSTANT USE…PERFECT FOR DICING CHILDREN’S MEALS, MAKING SANDWICHES, OR PREPPING CITRUS FOR A COCKTAIL…AND SO MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN THAN ONE OF THE BIG BOYS
MERMAID TUB STICKABLES — MINI NOW BEGS ME FOR BATHS, AND THESE EXTEND BATHS FOR A GOOD TEN OR FIFTEEN MINUTES
And, of course, pretty new spring things to cheer my day and make me feel stylish, many of which I rounded up here. Most days, I have been sharing my daily looks on Instastories, and, in the more recent weeks, have enjoyed pulling out summer dresses to make myself feel better and remind me that this, too, shall pass. A couple of other stunning recent finds to bring me into summer:
SARAH BRAY’S NEW LINE OF SUNHATS WITH VINTAGE RIBBONS
THIS PRECIOUS SMOCKED ROMPER (IF ONLY EMORY STILL FIT…)
ATTRACTIVE BLOCKS FOR THE NURSERY
ULTRA ORNATE AND INCREDIBLE PLACEMATS
A CHIC WAY TO STOW OUTDOOR TOYS ON A PATIO (IF ONLY I HAD A PATIO…)
DYING OVER THIS DESK (THOUGH VERY ATTACHED TO MY FLIMSY OLD ONE, AT WHICH I’VE BEEN WRITING FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS)
P.S. It’s been a minute since I last wrote a book club post. What are you reading? Frankly, neither of the last two books I read are worth comment. (#Harshbuttrue)
P.P.S. Some musings on this horrible pandemic here and here, and a post about grief that makes me cry every time I read it.
P.P.P.S. A recipe you really must try!
Ahh, I need to pull out my Revlon dryer again! Thank you for the reminder. I’ve been very lazy lately and have just been air-drying with generous spritzes of Ouai Wave Spray. Haha!
I hear you on the simpler pleasures of quarantine life — Justin’s PB is a staple around these parts as well. For Doritos, do you like the Nacho flavor or Cool Ranch? If it’s the latter, you should try Trader Joe’s Elote Corn Chips — they taste quite similar, but with a lot of spiciness!
I’ve been reading Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires and have been enjoying it a lot, even if I don’t pick it up at all on some days. It’s been slower going in that respect, but I love Lee’s writing. I am also reading More Than Words by Jill Santopolo and can tell that it will be forgettable, but was in the mood for a fluffier read when I began it.
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Thanks for the tip on those elote corn chips — my mouth is watering thinking about them. (I actually like both flavors of Doritos.)
Thanks for the book rec, too! Wasn’t familiar with Lee!
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I’m enjoying her work! Next up (eventually) will be Pachinko — you might have heard about that one, since it was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2017, the year in which it was published. Free Food for Millionaires was published in the mid-aughts and is set in the early 1990s in New York. 🙂
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Ah yess! I knew the name was familiar. Good to know. Keep me posted!!
Can you describe what makes the recliner pants so great? Thanks!
Hi Holly! Yes. First, they are made of the softest, most luxuriously silky material. The waistband does not cinch or pinch and it falls just at the natural waist. The material hangs in this lovely, easy, drape-y way that you never need to adjust. And then the ankles are tapered so everything feels secure — nothing that needs to be hemmed or adjusted or messed with or dragged on the ground. Finally, it’s lightweight and breathable AND it has pockets (so helpful for a mom often toting a baby and multiple little toys/hair ties/a phone/a spare wipe in her hands in the morning). I am just obsessed, honestly.
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I just finished “My Dark Vanessa” Also the link to the bins is also to the Everlane crew. (Which I am so happy to see in so many colors!)
Thank you for the rec — and for letting me know about the faulty link! Updated, and here is the correct one:
https://bit.ly/2zr487G
xoxo
I just finished reading “The Things We Cannot Say” and LOVED it!
I also read the other “Say Nothing” by Brad Parks and liked that too. It has been a few months honestly.
I love to climb into bed, at the end of a long day and turn on an audio book. It helps take my mind off of all my worries and I helps me fall asleep much more easily.I
Enjoy the solitude!
Thank you for the recs!!
Not a book recommendation, but since you have written about your love of Prune–you must read this piece, which had me in tears today:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/magazine/closing-prune-restaurant-covid.html
!!
This gutted me. Thank you for sharing — immediately told Mr. Magpie about it. I so admire her, especially for her brutal honesty in these intense and uncertain circumstances.
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I just ordered a Sarah Bray hat – they’re perfection! I love the ribbon choices!
Aren’t they amazing?!? Which ribbon did you choose?
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I try to read one nonfiction book a month and just finished Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. It’s about a therapist in therapy and how she and her patients evolve. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at her mind in a session—the thought and care that goes into each response is astounding!
That sounds fascinating — thank you! I like your approach, too, of reading one nonfiction piece each month. I wish I did the same!
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I recently finished Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, and it was astonishing. A nonfic that reads like a thriller. The pacing, the framing- everything about it was amazing. It’s about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and specifically about a mother of 10 who was disappeared by the IRA. While it’s certainly not light, it was transporting and ended up being exactly what I needed right now. I read it in a single weekend.
Hi! This was actually the pick for a book club I am in with my sister before the pandemic started but we all decided we needed something much lighter — good to know it earned such amazing reviews! Thank you!
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