Hello hello! It’s wonderful to be back after a glorious beach week, but weren’t Leigh’s guest links fabulous last week? I so enjoyed getting to peruse her collection with a morning cup of coffee, like so many of you do with these regular Friday posts!
This weekend I’m talking with Curtis Sittenfeld (today!) in MMD Book Club, enjoying Friday pizza night at home for the first time in ages, and continuing to plan for an upcoming big trip. I hope you have something to look forward to these next few days, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
The Work of the Audiobook. (Los Angeles Review of Books) Audiobooks sure have come a long way.
Welcome to Colonoscopy Land. (Culture Study) I had my second colonoscopy this week, but I wish I’d been able to read this detailed piece on what the process is like before I had my first one five years ago! (I have already had two because of family history, but the current guidance is for adults with no relevant history to get their first at age 45.)
My family started Brooklyn Nine Nine last week. We’re watching on Peacock, which has a great deal going right now: get one year for only $19.99. (Good through June 12.)
Kwame Alexander Wrote ‘Why Fathers Cry at Night’ for His Daughters. (Shondaland) Great interview! This is a 2023 Summer Reading Guide selection.
You’re Going to Love Camping, According to Me, Your Outdoorsy Friend. (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency) This cracked me up!
I’m looking for summer dresses for a European adventure! Any recommendations? I’m eyeing this linen shirt dress from favorite brand Michael Stars, and this button front dress from Quince.
The Big Impact of Tiny Reparations Books. (Publishers Weekly) I love this relatively new imprint and pay close attention to their offerings.
I just freshened up my tank top collection for the first time in a few years: these are perfect layering pieces, and good to wear on their own on the hottest summer days. I also adore this more durable tank option, especially in classic black and white.
Your phone probably has tons of apps — from your dentist to your hotel room key — that you don’t even remember are there. (Vox) It might be a good time to offload some of these.
The case of the Lego Bandit. (Business Insider) This week’s I Didn’t Know I Wanted To Read This.
My daughter came home from a hiking trip with literally forty mosquito bites. This anti-itch cream is magic. (I’ve shared it before and it’s well worth sharing again!)
What to do about grocery store plastic. (WBUR) “Technically it’s possible to make a salad without packaged goods, but my favorite toppings are grapes (sold in plastic), almond slivers (sold in plastic), and feta cheese (sold in plastic). I wandered around the produce aisle searching for alternatives, but left with only apples.”
I’ve been meaning to replace my ancient air filter for YEARS to help with seasonal allergies, but this week’s poor air quality (and my ongoing lung/airway situation) nudged me to finally spring for this Blueair filter. I’ve heard wonderful things from friends and Wirecutter. So far, so good …
Best Key Lime Pie Bake Off. (The Pancake Princess) I am a big citrus dessert fan and thoroughly enjoyed this super nerdy deep dive. My go-to recipe closely resembles that of the winner … and this week I tried something new and baked it in a tart pan (similar to this 9″ tart pan), which turned out great!
From our archives:
20 fantastic and flavorful food fiction reads. This might make you hungry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
My swimsuit and coverup wishlist. Need to freshen up your swimwear?
15 books to take you on a vicarious vacation. Go on a grand adventure without leaving home at all!
Have a great weekend!
32 comments
For travel dresses check our Texture Clothing–a sustainable designer in Bellingham, Washington. I love her fitted comfy skirt (even a passport pocket). The dress of hers I love is the Jessica dress. I am a size medium in her items–small in tops–5’4 145 pds.
This brand is new to me—thanks for the recommendation!
Mosquitoes love me! One got me through my jeans last night… what?!? What works best for me is this little battery operated heat pen. It’s not so great for kids as it gets pretty hot for a few seconds, but it works wonders! No more itching!
E-BiteRelief Bug Bite Itch Relief Pen, Travel Essential, 2 Gears Fast Treatment After Bite, Natural Electronic Healer for Bee Sting, Swell and Pain, Chemical Free, No Mess, Easy to Carry and Use https://a.co/d/gteoSgR
I’ve never heard of a heat pen for mosquito bites—thanks for the hot tip! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself 😂)
We went to Paris and Barcelona last spring. We found good shopping so buy when you get there!! The prices were good there and cute styles. Bring the minimum in your suitcase and enjoy shopping! Europe is a little more formal than the US. Bring good shoes for walking, a good day pack and a journal! I love re-reading my entries. Have fun! Where are you headed??
Thanks for the link to the colonscopy article. I had a similar experience on my first one but have some advice for the medically squeamish: at your consult appointment, ask your doc for a mild sedative to take a few hours before your procedure. I am squeamish but wanted to be an adult so I did not ask. When I arrived for my 7am appointment, they were already running behind so I had to wait for 1 hour (no water, of course no food) and then was led to the preop area for IV and dressing gown with the nurses. My anxiety was peaking at that point and my blood pressure would not drop down. They rolled me into the procedure room and the two kind nurses put me on oxygen and told me to relax. Ha! They took my BP multiple times for about 45 minutes while the very kind doctor waited. I am use to relaxing via deep breaths but apparently that is no-no when you are in oxygen. Eventually I calmed down enough (they may have given me a stuffed animal, despite being 50YO) they administered the IV sedative and continued. I do remember parts of exam, the screen showing my colon, and being very relieved when it was all done (and negative)!
Anna, thanks so much for sharing from your experience. I love the general philosophy behind Anne Helen Petersen’s article, which is we’ve gotta talk more about this stuff! I appreciate you doing so.
I love lime pie, but can’t have the milk in the standard Key Line Pie recipe. Instead, I use my “make it from scratch” lemon meringue pie, substituting lime juice for the lemon. Guess what – it has become my guests’ favorite lime pie. And who doesn’t like meringue?
Sounds delicious!
I love dresses from Wool& (wooland.com). Their dresses are all wool blends, very simple, and comfortable.They don’t wrinkle and travel well. Plus they are super versatile. I did their 100-day challenge last year (wear the same dress for 100 days) and had a lot of fun with it.
This brand is new to me—thanks so much for sharing! Wrinkle-free, easy traveling sounds perfect, and any dress you can wear for 100 days is a winner in my book.
Beautiful site! Thanks, Nanette.
Loved the camping article 😂
Here’s a reel of dresses/jumpers I bought for a recent trip to Guatemala-I loved them all
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqA32NtPnJk/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Alexandra, these are adorable! Thanks so much for sharing.
You might consider some breathable longer shorts-style undies that prevent thigh chafing if you’ll be wearing dresses throughout the day while touring (though maybe you’re ok on that front) as it can be SO hot now in Europe in the summer. I got some from Tommy John last summer but I don’t see them on their website now.
Thanks for the tip, JB—I never would have thought of this!
Try either MegaBabe anti chafing stick – looks like a deodorant stick. Or try from Macy’s, Jockey brand, Skimmies, no chafe, mid thigh, slip short.
I second the Jockey skimmies recommendation! These were all I wore around Italy last summer and they saved my thighs. You can get them at Target, from jockey.com, etc.
I love this weekly feature – thanks for helping me discover so many new and interesting corners of the Internet.
Your upcoming European trip sounds fun! If it’s okay to share links, I’d love to share one of my favorite lifestyle bloggers with you – she has adorable style (I think of her as my virtual personal shopper!). https://hisugarplum.com/dressing-room-diaries-84/?unapproved=272986&moderation-hash=5f67179613ae05b33e7cef3e024f3a63#comment-272986
Cotton gauze dress or cotton gauze shirt from Soft Surroundings for Europe or Hawaii (where I live). TheBigMamablog has a gauze dress mentioned today and a long colorful maxi as well that you may wish to check out.
I love that article about camping!! I am a camper, but it’s all true!!
And are you going to Europe?? So exciting. Go with the Quince dress, it’s lovely, the other one is too short. It’s a shirt. Remember, Europe can be more conservative in public-wear clothes. I found that they dress more elegantly to go out, even just to buy bread. Try not to look like an American!
I second this! Just got back from Europe, and sometimes you come around a narrow cobbled street corner and the wind hits you just right. You want the longer dress to prevent a Marilyn Monroe incident 😉. Have so much fun! Europe is dreamy.
Thank you, thank you!
As the mom of a 21-yr-old whose LEGO collection is massive and dear to him and also made up primarily of Star Wars pieces, that article made my heart hurt. I started to read it because I thought it would be something he’d enjoy reading, but I think it would wreck him, particularly since he met his best friend online in a LEGO forum about ten years ago. Yeah, not going to share that one with him.
Kate, it sounds like your thought process closely mirrors my own. I pass on a lot of Lego-related links to my own young adult LEGO lover, but decided not to send this one his way.
I don’t know where you are going in Europe this summer, Anne, but I would suggest you pack lightly- the outdoor markets in Italy and France are packed with cute summer dresses for a fraction of what you are currently looking at. I bought a few super cute ones a few years ago in Florence for 10 euros each and always buy a few in France- smaller towns- for no more than 30. Great selection and a nice souvenir when you come home. Bon voyage!!😀
I had no idea. Thank you!
For travel I love Aday! They have capsule wardrobes and the most amazing fabrics. My favorite is made from recycled scuba gear, definitely check it out.
https://www.thisisaday.com/
The camping article, and specifically the part about food being delicious when you are camping made me laugh so hard because it is so true!
Everything always tastes better outside! (That’s something that we say no less than 10x each camping trip 😂)
I just got this dress at Gap Factory: “Relaxed Linen Halter Midi Dress” for our summer trip to Italy. Sorry I can’t get the link to work but you should be able to find it easily enough. It has a breezy fit which will be perfect in the hot weather and has tall, regular and petite sizing.
Regarding plastic in grocery stores – I personally do not buy pre-cut fruit or veggies mainly due to cost and freshness. However I have heard that for people with physical disablities having pre-cut produce is a way to make cooking easier/ more accessible. Being eco-friendly is good but some people may need those products.