The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
01. Leftover fajitas for lunch. Felt like an indulgent gift in the middle of the day. Fajitas are such a celebratory “main character energy” dish, even without the fanfare of being served them on a garish, sizzling platter at a restaurant.
02. Earlier this week, I met up with a girlfriend whom I hadn’t seen since the beginning of summer for a glass of wine. The morning of our date, she texted me: “So many things have popped into my head recently. ‘I need to discuss this with Jen.’ Haha – let’s hope I can remember them all.” I was so touched!
03. Going to bed with my hair wet on Sunday night: a tiny act of deviant joy. I know my hair will be ruined the next morning, and that my pillow will be soggy, and yet there is nothing more delightful to me than climbing into bed freshly showered, in clean pajamas.
04. Landon calling out: “Bonus coffee!” on Monday morning. I wrote about this here, but it’s his way of saying: “I’ve found some treasure this morning,” and “good things are always happening to us.”
05. Sally Rooney’s new book was released Monday! Starting now.
06. My son telling me: “I’m going to be a famous writer, mama.” He has been carefully sounding out words and creating little booklets that he then brings to my studio to staple. His debut novel was titled: “This is a book. No clipping toenails in public.” (Spelling: “this is a buk. no klipe nals in puplik.” He is five and I have to say, his phonetics are stellar. I absolutely delight in his overuse of the letter ‘k.’ Is this his Polish ancestry coming through?)
07. 62, gray, and rainy on Tuesday morning: a perfect fall scene.
08. Texted my sister to ask if she had thoughts about Tinkle razors, and she said: “No and I don’t like the name. Get your tinkle razors away from me and my family.” I could not stop laughing. (But have you heard about them? I think the gals on A Thing or Two podcast first talked about facial razors. The concept scares me but they were raving about how much better makeup goes on, how any errant dark hair disappears, how necessary they are for women over a certain age, etc! Magpies, do you use these? Please share thoughts.)
09. My daughter muscling a pack of boys out of the way while taking the soccer ball down the field at her weekend game. This is the final year of mixed-gender teams in her league, and she and her mainly-girl soccer team dominated a team of all boys. It was something else. After, she said in the car: “I like playing mid-field. That’s where all the action is.” Let’s go, girl!
10. “Let your light so shine.” I have this pack of beautifully illustrated scripture cards from Camilla Moss on my desk that I rotate every so often, and I currently have this one displayed. Every time I’ve looked at it this week, I’ve thought about the Aldous Huxley quote on going lightly. “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.”
11. Driving through Bethesda on a crisp fall morning, windows down. Snapped the above photo of someone’s beautiful driveway to their garage. Inspiration is everywhere.
What are your recent slivers of joy?
Post-Scripts.
+I truly believe that finding and celebrating “slivers” of joy is the way we experience happiness.
+Similar thought: publishing the good news.
+A poem on parenting that I love.
Shopping Break.
DRESS // ZARA TOP // POWER BANK // UNIVERSAL ADAPTER // BEST BRA // CHIC CLUTCH // TWEED BALLCAP // TWEED CAPE
+If you’re still looking for a fall family portrait dress, this one is worth a look — under $200 and very Ulla J. Two Magpies also wrote me separately to say they ordered this Cara Cara I shared earlier this week for their family photos. I also ordered it!
+Ordering this for holiday parties — under $50. LOVE the bow.
+I went into Bloomingdale’s the other day, and this clutch stopped me in my tracks. Loved the red lining, and the gleaming gold hardware, and the shape! A chic alternative to the Toteme t-lock.
+As we’ve discussed many times, my favorite undergarments are wireless bralettes, specifically from Negative, but there are definitely clothing silhouettes that call for other underpinnings. I just recently rediscovered how much I adore my Natori Feathers bras. They are so comfortable and flattering. I have in a few of the nude colors, but just ordered black and this pretty balconette style from the same brand. (More notes on building a great no-skips underwear drawer here.)
+In advance of our trip to Italy next month, Mr. Magpie ordered these phone battery banks and these universal travel adapters. He does a lot of research into these types of purchases, so I’d trust his rec.
+OMG! Alice Walk released their spectacular wool cape in the best fall plaid. I own this in brown and cannot wait to pull out as temps drop.
+Speaking of fall plaid, I saw this Celine ballcap and drooled. The price is $$$$$$ but we can get the look for less with this, this, or this. Another chic fall ballcap option: this cashmere one from Quince.
ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE
+I love this style of sweatpant — classic, cinched hem, slightly boxy. My go-to. Gap does a great look for less that I own in a few colors (navy is my favorite).
+Under-$50 statement jacket for this in-between weather.
+My daughter has thick, long hair and I’ve been looking for a really good detangler for her. We used to use California Baby, but I was looking for something new since she now brushes her own hair and wasn’t crazy about the “baby” marketing. I turned to Reddit and found a lot of people raving about this Unite 7 Seconds product. Ordered for her! I also swear by these $10 wetbrushes for her. They are so good at working through tangles/snarls, and so inexpensive! We have four or five that I keep stashed all over our home (and one in her backpack, per her request!). Last note on my daughter’s hair: these hair ties are our favorite. They actually hold hair in place, but do not stretch out or get stuck in her hair!
+My kids have been obsessed with making cootie catchers (remember them?!). I just found this fun Ooly kit that I’m going to give my daughter, and if she likes them, I think they could be a cute go-to gift for 7 year old girls this season, bundled with something else.
I have a very peach fuzzy face so have been diy dermaplaning for years. I’m convinced it makes my makeup go on smoother and my skincare more effective. I didn’t love all throwing away all the plastic so have switched to this refillable from Billie that arrives with my other razor refills: https://mybillie.com/products/dermaplane-starter-kit?selected=W304107300
A friend also swears by this one (she swears the weighted feel gives a better result): https://www.sephora.com/product/sephora-collection-facial-razor-P458724?skuId=2239929&icid2=products%20grid:p458724:product
Thank you! Love all this on the ground reporting! xx
The best leave-in conditioner/detangler and their products are all “clean.”
https://a.co/d/3pbrOWx
Oo thanks so much for the rec! xx
Hi Jen!
Your comment about your son’s spelling was a delight! I am a reading specialist, so this triggered my interest 🙂 If he is interested in learning spelling rules, there is quite a strict rule in English about when to spell the /k/ sound with c or k. It all has to do with what vowel comes next! C gets a, o, and u, while k gets e, i, and y (although I don’t teach the y part to the youngest children, I add that in after we learn about when/why y can act as a vowel). If you google “cat/kite rule imse” you will find a great video about introducing the rule!
This is good preparation for down the line (first grade) teaching children that c makes the soft sound /s/ when it precedes e, i, and y.
Of course, we do havewords that seem to “break” the rule, but if we look closely at them (kangaroo, karate, skull), we learn they are borrow words from other languages, and thus do not follow English spelling conventions (Australian aboriginal, Japanese, Norse).
So lovely that he is able to hear both the /k/ and /l/ sounds in clip! It can be fun for kids to learn that in English, we always spell that blend with “cl.”
There are other spelling rules at play, and, of course, the most important thing is what you said: that he has well-developed phonological awareness and a willingness to connect that to written production with letter/sound relationships he knows. I just enjoy sharing these rules as I think a lot of grown ups don’t know them! Sending lots of love and joy to your son on his writing journey!
Oo! What a delightful little comment! Thank you for sharing this, and your passion for language! It shone right through :).
Onward!
Ahhhh I love that you’ve opened a portal into the dermaplane convo! I use them somewhat casually but regularly, mainly on my upper lip, which I swear has changed over time (welcome to my 40s?!) I haven’t tried the Tinkle brand (lol) but I can recommend the Flamingo facial razors, which you can pick up at Target, or even just the basic Schick ones that you can get at any drugstore! I’ve never had a problem with them but I am always careful to move gently with them.
Also love Kelly’s advice on not going crazy removing every bit of peach fuzz! I feel the same.
xx
Oo MK this is so fascinating and helpful. I feel like I’m the last woman on earth to know about this?! TY!
xx
I tried the Tinkle (also hate the name, LOL) razors and always cut myself. I switched to this tiny, battery-operated machine (https://www.amazon.com/Facial-Hair-Remover-Women-Rechargeable/dp/B093Q3M8M9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=21BM5ETUZTAOY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qz69Rx_hUehDC_wm3Rmv9V11sBGRd75q2hm-nqrjAYIhzDsFDi9hnP1JQDOeWwSCdlMzL0D_lza6o3pD_LPI9H5PjnYHYJun6A4TDfDQNhGlC_ox7GJvCBzbx4y7d2qJusS5yuFgGbUL_k76ghuDzQan_Ua6dBbQ7w3YZZQ8w0ODJtWbRAVZGB8Q1JeyvJzwkHSRjh2vhaLn_6bvnAl26_hF7Kv90XKEKcx9ZP5ErWFbnmfPwo8y_v2sLPKigeMzJyaff60z5mNExadkn5lvDpOdagHg-R8PiYPBzF9LuHE.SGflXDENDS0DvMnVqTiiijts6NAs4qJRRfAltv1Xbfo&dib_tag=se&keywords=hair+removal+machine+perfect+touch&qid=1727307297&sprefix=hair+removal+machine+perfect+touch%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) off Amazon but also in Target/CVS/etc. and won’t go back!
!! Thank you! This is so interesting. I love this thread SM. It is so on-brand for us Magpies to go from slivers of joy to a deep exploration of dermaplaning. So here for it – thanks for sharing this.
xx
those tinkle razors are the best! no blood! easy to use and so effective! i used to suffer through threading on my face and these babies give you a baby soft face for sure. make up goes on smoother. a must have!
Fascinating – thank you!
Re: Tinkle Razors. I also HATE the name. I do have to say that makeup goes on amazingly and it does clear any dead skin away. I buy the cheapie facial razors from CVS or Target and those work just fine. It’s something I mainly do before big events when I want to feel my best.
A sliver of joy for me was driving up to MA last weekend and seeing all of the beautiful foliage on 84/90 — made an otherwise dreary drive delightful. Bring on fall!
Love the drive up to MA! I could immediately imagine what that might have looked like and it brought me a little moment of joy, too.
Thanks for the upvote on the razors! I’m fascinated!
xx
Have you tried Miracle 10 for your daughter’s hair? My granddaughter has thick hair and this is the only thing that gets a brush through after a shower!
Ooo thanks for sharing this! Haven’t heard of it. Merci!
xx
RE: the best beer, I loved this quote:
“The best reading is, hands down, when you get out of the shower but don’t get dressed yet and decide you are allowed to read naked in bed, preferably in the middle of the afternoon, and then you wind up reading for like three hours and suddenly it’s dinner and you get dressed then stumble out hungry and bleary-eyed.” Via Substack: https://downtime.substack.com/p/bookmarked-with-rufi-thorpe
Love!! xx
I like the stacked skincare facial razor!! It’s $$$. You want the serrated looking blades, not the smaller « precision » ones, those cut me up. My goal is removing dead skin though, not peach fuzz, I use it in my cheekbones and forehead more than anywhere. I read somewhere that Marilyn Monroe had heavy peach fuzz and she embraced the light diffusing qualities it had, and I’ve thought warmly of my own peach fuzz ever since. I only do it in the summer and early fall, my skin is too friable and dry in the winter. Tinkle razors, eyebrow razors etc are pretty worthless to me. I’ve tried them, and they cut me up or break me out.
Woah!! On all this! I feel like I’ve opened the door on a conversation I had no idea about. Immediately reading up on dermaplaning! TY!
xx