It is Spring! The chives and tarragon in the garden are pushing through the dirt. I have my work cut out for me with the insane amount of weeds to pull but with the beautiful days we’ve been having I hardly mind.
Lucas’ Papaw Ointment is my new go-to multipurpose salve for chapped lips, cuticles, scrapes and garden splinters…
I’ve been transitioning my winter clothes out and adding a few new things to the mix like this Clare V midi sac that I can’t stop wearing…
This Patagonia woolie pullover has been wonderful for cutting the chill when it’s too warm to wear a jacket…
One of the biggest highlights this month is I finally started taking sewing classes at Drygoods Design. My husband gave me the trilogy class series which was on my personal xmas wishlist. The space is gorgeous, the fabric selection is killer (see the Japanese cotton I bought for my tote below) and the small classes are a delight…
If you go check out the shop in Pioneer Square I’d also highly recommend going to Elm Coffee Roasters for a latte with their house-made hazelnut milk, maybe swing by Jujubeet Cafe and order the avocado toast on the gluten-free bread from Nuflours and then head up Jackson to Kobo in the International District. Last time I was there I picked up this rad nightlight for our bathroom made by Boy Designs…
He is spot on articulating what I personally believe and try to embody on how making seemingly inconsequential small adjustments every day can be incredibly powerful and help us become our best selves.
“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action.”
This sentence is my favorite:
“Progress requires unlearning. Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your believes and to upgrade and expand your identity.”
And for an incredible example of how small things lead to big things and how we can expand the limitations we often set for ourselves on what is possible, go watch The Dawn Wall on Netflix…
It is pouring today, a proper Seattle-in-October rain. When I took my son to preschool this morning we suited up in our rain boots and raincoats and carried an...umbrella. I had to chuckle as we stood there waiting to go into school when I realized we were the only ones. This may seem strange to anyone else that does not live in Seattle but the majority of Seattleites do not carry umbrellas. My entire four years at UW I never owned an umbrella. I would walk with the masses of umbrella-less students all over campus in my REI parka, hood pulled tight over my head, drenched everywhere but my torso and unflinching. Growing up here you kind of learn to be one with the rain.
I finally became a habitual umbrella carrier somewhere in my late twenties, and it was probably more of a sartorial decision than a practical one. I finally decided I didn't want to wear the same outdoorsy rain shell from REI with my work clothes or heaven for bid dress clothes (another sure sign of a Seattleite).
So alas, if you are in your thirties and still find yourself braving the rain without an umbrella this is the one to keep in your bag, car or at work. (For home we have this larger stick umbrella.)
And not just for damp days, if you still don't have a classic trench coat in your wardrobe, this is a great one...
Thanks to Swoop Bags, we finally have something that can contain all of my son's Legos. He can see them all at once, transfer the whole lot to his room, the living room and back again. (It's also made in Seattle and ships free locally.)
I first learned about Project Girl Crush when my friend April was featured on the site. Project Girl Crush "began as a reaction to the way women judge ourselves and each other" and features some very cool women in Seattle.
“Project Girl Crush tells a woman’s whole story. We believe that women should connect with one another more, and that the best connections are made through honesty. We believe in a world that listens to a woman’s story, complete with the enviable, the perfect, and also the flawed, the insecure, and the incompetent. Because telling the whole story is how we connect.”
We have a leisurely Father's Day planned for tomorrow, though I know for sure there will be a solid breakfast with lots of bacon (my son's request). Here are a few things on my short list this year to celebrate the dad in our house...
Judd Apatow's new book is a collection of interviews he's conducted with pretty much every comedian you know of over the last thirty years. And fitting for Father's Day, there are quite a few discussions on being dads.
Photo from Food52
Another book, called Lunch at the Shop. Peter Miller Books is an architecture and design bookshop here in Seattle. If you've never been, surely take the time to pay them a visit. Peter cooks lunch at the shop every day. You can see how the daily ritual came to be here.
Lunch at the Shop demonstrates "how to embrace a lifestyle that places importance on every single meal we have and values lunch as a moment of nourishment and pleasure." Something I think a lot of us could get behind.
My in-laws gave me a Thermapen for my birthday this year and that same week my friend Omar wrote about how amazing this little instant read thermometer is. It had been on my wishlist for a long time and my only regret is that I didn't have one sooner. You'll be cooking burgers to order like a pro, along with everything else.
It's not even officially summer but we are already in full swing over here. New shorts have been purchased and my "uniform" hightop Vans got an upgrade in all white canvas. Rosé is in the fridge and a cold brew kit is on the way (brewing instructions from Intelligentsia here).
There have been more than a few evenings of Haagen Daaz on the front steps...
baths al fresco...
and parfaits at Trove (which I haven't been able to stop thinking about)...Rachel Yang can do no wrong.
Seattle, I love you year-round (yes, even in March) but you do summer like no other.
If you have any interest at all in wine you should know about Jon Rimmerman and Garagiste (based locally here in Seattle). Go to the site and sign up for the email list. Apologies in advance if you find yourself clicking away ordering bottles night after night...
We had the pleasure of meeting Jon and his partner Shira a few years back. They are incredibly magnetic and thoughtful and they happily answered all our novice wine tasting questions which evolved into an impromptu tasting of reds, whites and bubbles, ultimately showing us how to taste and be able to discern what you like.
“I don’t think of myself as a retailer or an importer, I think of myself as a writer and a conduit of culture.”
— Jon Rimmerman
And what a writer he is. Read more about Rimmerman and how Garagiste came to be in this NY Times article from 2012.
The holy grail of lip balm. Seriously, this is the best stuff I've ever used. It comes in a tinted version but I am partial to the naked variety in peppermint. It is also beautifully packaged making it perfect for gift giving.
Kari is a local Seattleite. You can read more about her and her products here. The Lip Whip is amazing stuff but so is her simple, beautiful skincare line. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
Seattle has a really great food community. Amazing restaurants, a beautiful Pantry to take cooking classes and many, many, thoughtful food bloggers call Seattle home. Aran, Molly and Shauna to name just a few...
We also have an incredible cookbook shop, Book Larder. It is a dream space for anyone who loves to spend time in the kitchen. It is such a pleasure to touch and flip through the books I've had my eye on and learn about those I never knew existed.
