the rec issue #2
favorite things over the last two weeks
My last rec issue was one of my most popular newsletters so this is going bi-weekly! It will be for paid subscribers starting next month, but for now it will stay free. If you would like to support this newsletter and become a paid subscriber you can update your subscription below!
I am on my second stick of Salt and Stone deodorant and I can say I am solidly a fan. It does run out pretty quickly but I feel like it actually works and smells great. I’ve also heard their body wash and hand cream is good so maybe I will treat myself in the future to one of those items.
I have become a person who wears boxer shorts as shorts and cannot see myself in anything else for the rest of summer. I’ll admit it was inspired by this Tiktok and I bought the exact same pack from Target. I have also gotten a lot of compliments on them and they truly make me feel like “me” style wise.
It’s always a good day to donate to my friend and best thing in the world Lyndsey Frank’s GoFundme for their ongoing cancer treatment. There’s also a new update on their page to catch up on if you haven’t already read.
I catered an event a few weeks ago and one of our specialty drinks for the night was a Paper Plane, which on paper sounded disgusting but after trying it I realized 1) it rocks and 2) I have had this drink before and have been trying to find my way back to it ever since. Here is the recipe: Paper Plane – ¾ oz Bourbon, ¾ oz Aperol, ¾ oz Amaro, ¾ oz Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
In the spirit of Joe Kelly making his way back to the Dodgers to pull some more pranks, I gotta recommend his book A Damn Near Perfect Game. I listened to it while training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon this year and really loved it. Unfortunately he doesn’t narrate it but it’s a fun book to listen to for some good baseball stories and thoughts on the current state of the game.
Still can’t believe we got him back I have been fighting some hard to clean stains on my couch (yes I have used the Green Machine) and decided to just relent and throw a blanket over the dark spots. Although I always told myself I would never be a “cover the entire couch in blankets” person, it has made me feel much better seeing my couch so maybe sometimes just throw the blanket over the couch okay??
I did the The Artist’s Way a few years ago and very unpopular opinion, I hated it. Maybe it was because it felt a little too close to when I would do devotions as a teenager but I think ultimately it came down to the fact I hate being told what to do so writing three pages a day did not pan out well for me. But I recently opened my notebook from when I lived in New York for 6 weeks and read some of my journal entires from that time and decided I needed to pick up journaling again and it’s been very nice to journal without a net (I write how much I want and whenever I want, sometimes even skipping some mornings which feels amazing). I love taking the pressure off a task I’m trying to build a habit around because it makes me want to do it more rather than doing it for the sake of being done.
In conjunction with morning journaling, I have reopened my Five Minute Journal that I was making my way through a few years ago. It’s a nice little exercise that only takes a few minutes (well 5 I guess) to really remind myself that despite the fact I don’t have one hundred million dollars or Taylor Swift tickets, that there are many parts of my life that I am extremely grateful for.
I’m sure there are many variations of this (and probably more solid ones) but I’ve been loving keeping this e.l.f. clear eyebrow gel in my purse since my eyebrows never want to stay in place.
I have the itch right now to visit New York (this is my first summer in 3 years I won’t be there for a chunk of August) so I’ve been rewatching High Maintenance. It will always be one of my favorite shows and a show that will always continue to inspire me to write.
I got this earring stand a few months ago on Etsy and really love it! I got the pistachio color and I feel like it’s the first time in awhile I haven’t been frustrated with the state of my earring storage.
Just gotta throw out tangerine cream popsicles from Trader Joe’s!
I took a little break from using Everyday Oil but now I’m back and still love it as a moisturizer. It also reminds me of summer in New York, which is when I bought it and wore it most, so maybe the nostalgic scent of it has been more of a draw but I do like having it back in my rotation.
I can’t find it anymore but I saw a Tiktok about how to get the little metal scratches off of dishes and let me tell you- this method worked. Just throw some Bar Keeper’s Friend powder on it and give it a scrub and they come out looking like this!
At the time of writing this issue I do not have tickets for any of Taylor Swift’s LA shows so here is one of her newer songs I can’t get enough of but can only listen to on YouTube since it’s not available anywhere else.
A fun and free thing to do in the summer in LA is go to the Science Center and see the spaceship Endeavor. I took the kids I nanny here a few weeks ago and it was a fun and exhausting morning for the kids which was a perfect morning in my nanny world.
I really cannot get over this picture of David Hockney painting Harry Styles.
After years of things falling out of my freezer because my roommate and I just stuff things in there, I decided to get a little shelf and it’s been a game changer in the sense that a box of waffles is no longer attacking me when I open the door.
My work has a Nespresso and I’ve become obsessed with their iced espresso pods, which sounds weird since it still comes out hot but for some reason tastes so much better to me than any of the other pods (you eventually throw it over ice).
Probably my most controversial rec (well I guess take) is that I think this season of And Just Like That might actually make sense? Maybe? I still need to think more about it and this actually might be expanded into an entire newsletter but I’m not as mad this season and have been happily catching up and maybe even looking forward to new episodes? I can’t want to recant all of this haha.
Wishlist:
I’m also going to start including a little wish list portion of this newsletter in case anyone has any thoughts/opinions/leads on where to procure stuff that I’ve been holding off of purchasing OR just cannot find anywhere these days:
Green Adidas Gazelle shoes with gum soles: I am desperate to find these in my size anywhere (W 8.5, M 7.5). I think these will be my white whale of 2023, even though the two pairs of Gazelles I do own I love so much and I do get so many compliments on my yellow pair.
After losing my thin gold bracelet last month, I am on the hunt to replace it. I just haven’t found anything that sticks out to me that I’m willing to hit the purchase button on so for now it’ll just be “something to keep in mind” while I’m out and about.
I’m in the process of re-doing my bathroom and have decided to make it a pink and orange theme. I’m trying to figure out the best way to cover up the dingy grey tiles that are currently in there and I’ve never had experience with peel and stick tiles. Has anyone tried them? My biggest fear is that they’ll come off looking cheap or weird but I am willing to invest in some if they are better than what I am envisioning.
I know I wrote above that I made peace with being a blankets on the couch girl, but I am circling the Internet in hopes of either a nice couch cover or even a new couch. So if anyone has a good couch cover rec I would love to hear it!
The flatware in my kitchen needs to be replaced because after 5 years, the Ikea set I bought is now crumbling in real time. I am leaning towards a colorful set but also a part of me longs for the set I had as a kid (shown below).
