Here I am, reinvigorated with time and energy to give to this blog. I’m likely barking up the wrong tree, refusing to move over the Substack because I want this to be my corner of the internet. Perhaps I’ll even get a wild hare and pay someone to make this page look beautiful or help me with a rebrand. We’ll see — I’m sure it’s forthcoming in a 2026 goals post. But, until then, I’m going to start sharing snippets like this in between the longer posts.
Left to right: The bible of holiday decor; A snapshot from the Urbanna Holiday Home Tour; Getting my cards out early (on time?); The last stand of pumpkin baking
- I’m certainly late to the game here, but I finally picked up Ina Garten’s memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens. A few friends and my sister all raved about it in recent months, and, hey, the advantage to buying something late is that you can typically find it for a great secondhand price. This felt like one I wanted to own rather than grab at the library.
- I’ve been in search of recipes that I can easily make for late night sustenance. If I don’t have something semi-healthy on hand — or if the snacks I have are too healthy — I’ll end up reaching for whatever Trader Joe’s holiday treat I’ve decided to have in my cabinet currently. I used this Nutella Energy Bites recipe as a base, made some tweaks, and I found a winner.
- With some time on my hands where I don’t have use of my hands, I’ve been diving into the pop culture that’s eluded me in recent years thanks to a busy schedule and a millennial-coded focus on productivity. Among my favorites: catching up on the massive backlog of Homeworthy episodes waiting for me and catching up on With Love, Meghan a year or two late. And, yes, my hot take is that I love every minute of that Montecito kitchen set, and I think those that hate it are simply looking for something to hate (or, worse, jumping on a bandwagon).
- I have yet to buy any holiday wardrobe items this season, and, honestly, I likely won’t. I love the pieces I have, and truly, I don’t need anything else. However, I have picked up this sweetheart neckline sweater and this darling sweater jacket this fall, and I’m smitten with both.
- I keep it minimal when it comes to consuming baby content, but I did, of course, read Bringing Up Bébé. You know I’m a sucker for anything French. But, if you’re someone who, like me, must have a visual and deep background context on every person mention in a book, then you’re in for a treat. I googled the author’s husband because, why wouldn’t I? And, whew, his claim to fame (beyond his journalism career) is his starring role in the essay the author wrote a few years ago. Who didn’t read this at the time?! I just didn’t expect they were also the couple behind a parenting book.
- For years, I’ve simply stuck our holiday cards in a bowl and called it a day. But, with our house finally “done,” I wanted to come up with better holiday decor solutions. A simple ribbon over a door is bringing me so much joy. I’ll share the incredibly easy way I did it at some point on Instagram. Tip: the DIY blogs overcomplicate it.
- Speaking of holiday decorating, this is the bible. I won’t believe anything else.
