My Latest Snag: New Nikes.
I have been loving this specific pair of Nike running shoes (on sale; also on sale in different sizes/colors here and here). They are lightweight but well-cushioned, and I like the Flyknit material — it is breathable and contours to your foot like a sock. I recently snapped up a pair of these because they were on sale for $66 (!) and I liked the strawberry pink color. I still prefer the React Infinities because I find them lighter-weight and springier, but I can’t believe my new Nikes were $66 and have been a solid running mate this past week. My Dad (a lifelong runner/marathoner) is emphatic about replacing running shoes fairly frequently, as you wear down the treads and can injure yourself by messing with your gait — which has proven true for me. I thought I had plantar fasciitis earlier this year, and though I’m now not sure what it was because it healed within a few weeks, I am fairly confident it had to do with old running shoes. Anyway, I’ll take this $66 pair for the next stretch of running!
You’re Sooooo Popular: Bobbi Brown Lip Tint Trio.
The most popular items on le blog this week:
+My beloved Bobbi Brown lip tints.
+Sweet little lounge set for a little one.
+My secret tool for keeping a tidy nursery.
+A must-have for your little one’s stocking.
+Sweet dollhouse for a little one (under $100).
+Reversible Patagonia for a little love.
+A red Christmas dress that wears like a nightgown. *Chef’s kiss.*
+New Balance sneaks — love them in the navy.
+This velvet trim lady jacket!! J’adore.
+Mr. Magpie’s favorite joggers. (Your man will thank you.)
+Bunny slippers for tiny toes.
Weekend Musings: On Remembering the Deceased.
I was startled by my family’s reaction to this somewhat out-of-the-blue remembrance of my grandfather a few weeks back. He passed away twenty years ago, and yet I received at least a dozen notes from aunts, uncles, and cousins thanking me for honoring his memory. One of my uncles wrote: “Thank you for so vividly giving me a chance to be almost physically with my dad again. While it’s never hard for me to picture him, your portrait really put everything into vivid technicolor and Dolby sound.”
I have danced with this theme in posts past, but it bears re-statement that I find writing rather specifically about loved ones who have passed away — especially my high school girlfriend E. — heart-rending but helpful. I have lost her, but I have not yet lost all of her details, and putting them down on paper, sharing them with you, shores up against that erosion. And to think that my remembering might help another in grief — even twenty years after the passing — is a lovely return as well.
Today, I want to invite you to remember in words — the more specific and narrow the better — someone who has passed away, whether by sharing a comment here or in a private text or email to a loved one. It feels good to remind myself of the toasted provolone-and-tomato sandwiches my Italian grandmother used to have waiting for me in the kitchen when we arrived in their Painesville, Ohio home, or the way my friend E. would flick her keys around her Visitation lanyard, or the weight of my sweet baby niece curled up against me in her carrier. It is good to remember.
Post-Scripts: Pencil Skirts + Crib Skirts, Too.
+OK, this tailored pencil skirt is giving me major Kate Middleton vibes and I LOVE IT.
+A traditional-style crib skirt for $20!!! You can’t beat that price. I find crib skirts are usually super expensive.
+PSA: Slip eye masks are on sale for 50% off at Nordstrom Rack. I know people love these! Also intrigued by this hair tie by the same brand, also on sale!
+Another suggestion for a gourmet gift — I am thinking of sending these fancy flavored cheese crackers to some friends! More ideas along these lines here.
+WOW – so much good information on retinol/retinoids in the comments section of this post.
+On trend dramatic collar sweatshirt for a little one.
+Can’t get enough tartan this season. Love this cardigan!
+More tartan here.
+Perfect plates for your holiday tablescape.
+This gorgeous gleaming-buttoned camel blazer (on sale!) belongs in this roundup of timeless classics.
+Oo la la, love the pattern on these towels.
+This tablecloth — swoon! Love everything. Is it wrong that I put this in my basket with Easter in mind?
+This statement coat — wowwww!
+Love these metallic-thread ribbed tights for little girls. Such a good price, too!
+$20 traditional pajamas for little ones. Petite Plume vibes for less!
+Wow — this dresser is so unusual and chic!