Words grow thin on the ground today. They’ve all been sewn into my manuscript, or in the hundreds of drafts of the manuscript that live in the cloud and in the penumbra of thought that follows me everywhere, even into sleep. I have woken up dozens of times in the past many weeks with words tucked under my tongue like a prayer, just waiting to be sung on the page. And now those daybreak and high noon and midnight words exist in various phases of seed and bloom across my many versions. Versions of the book; versions of me, too.
What I mean is that I have been thick in the editing process, which is a destabilizing place to be. I have been thinking this week of a line from a Edna St. Vincent Millay poem: “I’m deep in the clay, where the digging is hard.” I’m mucking around with the roots of things. I’m weed-wacking. I’m looking over every leaf and tendril wearing different sizes and shapes of glasses. Candidly, I’m toggling between “this is great work, Jen” and “this is terrible, oh my God” — which I’ve heard is all very normal and natural before submitting a manuscript. I’m also doing hare-brained things like introducing new content to the mix at the eleventh hour. (Why am I this way?)
I must remind myself that this is life, you know? Nothing I’ve not done before. This is another murky middle. Unfinished business. Things incomplete; dangling modifiers. I’ve caught several sneaky, hardy typos in the last 24 hours despite reviewing every letter and mark at least one hundred times. I know these will be caught by the editing team, too, but I am being fastidious, over-precious. Like a first-time parent, maybe? Fussing over the hand mittens.
But anyway – we’re always editing, aren’t we? I’m in the midst of an underscored and capitalized version of it, but when are we not dealing with drafts? We’re always writing better versions of ourselves. We’re always thinking of clearer ways to self-express. Onward!
Sunday Shopping.
First, I had to share that a Magpie reader sent me the cutest thing this week! I mentioned these cool Framebridge frames that can frame absolutely anything (even objects!) and include a chic, custom engraved brass plate beneath, and a Magpie sent me this photo of the coasters she framed from her wedding reception in 2005! How FAB!? What a thoughtful anniversary gift.
A couple of other great finds from the week below, including my new Doen plaid blouse (you can see a little bit of it in the photo at the top of this post). The pattern makes me nostalgic for summers past? It’s very 80s Americana “The Great Outdoors”? It is featherweight and airy, in soft, lived-in cotton. Also comes in a cute dress format. This is part of Doen’s most recent (and fabulous) summer collection — one of their best IMO. All my picks here. I am waiting for these dreamy white nightgown-inspired pieces to become available. Fab for “nightgown summer!“
MINNOW SWIMSUIT // OUTSET HYDRASHEER MINERAL SUNSCREEN // DOEN PLAID BLOUSE // CIELE RUNNING HAT // APL EUPHORIA SNEAKERS // LONGCHAMP TOTE // T3 CURLING IRON (USE CODE FLASH FOR 70% OFF) // UBEAUTY SUPER HYDRATOR FOR BODY // TAYLOR JENKINS REID’S ATMOSPHERE // SPLENDID SWEATER PANTS
Other notes:
+Minnow’s summer collection is also live and I’m in love with this pattern! Their swimwear is great for mom life — full coverage, but with cute/playful patterns. (What other swim brands do you like for mom life? Please share in the comments. I’m working on a post with all my favorites for this season of life but would love to learn more about yours. This one is a classic and staple for a reason — I always see a lot of women wearing it at the baby pool in the summer; it’s flattering and practical (no risk of spilling out of the top, no need to readjust!) and comes in great colors. What other ones do we love?)
+I have tried a ton of facial SPFs already this season and the two I keep coming back to are Beauty of Joseon (a Magpie reader rec — it’s from a Korean beauty company and it takes ages to arrive but is excellent) and Outset’s Hydrasheer. Both go on very sheer but stand up to the ultimate test: sweat from my morning runs.
+Speaking of sweaty runs: a update on my Brooks Glycerin Max shoes. I love them. A ton of cushion but still lightweight. I was initially a little overwhelmed by the heft of them — they are BOATS — and am used to a lower profile look, but they are great. I do find they need to be laced really tight (duh, probably all running shoes need to be) or it tampers with my gait. But I’ve never noticed that with a pair of running shoes before so not sure what that means. I am contemplating testing these APL Euphorias next — have heard great thing about this model and of course obsessed with the aesthetics. Other running note: these are sort of “marathon runner” coded, but I also wanted to share these cooling, wicking, anti-odor, and UPF packed running hats. I sent a link to one of my friends who is training to run up Mount Washington and needs a cool race day fit.
+These classic Longchamps caught my attention in vibrant blue and watermelon for summer treks and overnight trips. They are so nostalgic for me — they remind me of my college days and feel retro in a charming way to me. The backpacks, too! A fun and practical way to add color to your summer wardrobe. And all of them are 20% off!
+Speaking of deals: I bought myself this T3 curling iron while on flash sale this weekend (use code FLASH at checkout for $70 off). I had asked readers for their favorite curling irons and this one came up a ton.
+New Splendid obsession: these striped sweater pants. They really know how to create an elevated but casual pant for post-beach / hanging at home / that sliver of time between the work day and bed time. As you know, I also own and love these gauze pants and these eyelet pants. All of these pieces give me the best feeling of Nancy-Meyers-protagonist-pouring-herself-a-glass-of-rose-in-a-marble-kitchen-that-looks-out-onto-an-Amagansett-beach.
+Testing UBeauty’s super hydrator for body. I love their super hydrator for face — I always think about a Magpie reader who wrote in to say she applied this before her wedding makeup artist started to apply her makeup and was blown away by how well it moisturized and illuminated the skin. It almost acts like a primer, too — it leaves skin with the tiniest bit of stickiness (not in a bad way — I feel like it grips makeup well). Anyway, curious to see how the body hydrator stacks up! They are offering us 20% off sitewide, even for returning customers (something they rarely do) now through June 10 with code JENSHOOP. A great time to test a new lip plasma color for summer, too! Their lip plasmas come in such great shades and really plump and fill the lip!! Rose (pale petal pink) is my year-round favorite but I just pulled out Idol (sheer hot watermelon) for the season.
+Last but not least, I am currently reading too many books but I sort of stopped everything to dive into TJR’s latest release, which just launched this week! An epic romance! I plan to read by the pool this weekend. (All my top pool/beach read picks for the summer here.)
All very normal thoughts. I will say, the stuff that sounds best to me on reread (and is hardest to vulnerably type on the naked page) is when I am most myself. But I think the best fashion, the best home decor, the best books come about when someone is unapologetically themselves. Trying to center around that this summer, to focus on the things that feel like an exclamation point. A good moment for Mary Oliver: http://www.phys.unm.edu/~tw/fas/yits/archive/oliver_wildgeese.html