I just returned from spending two weeks in Paris with my husband and son. It was my first time to Paris and my first trip overseas in 20 years. The last time I was in Europe, I used an MCI calling card to call home…on a payphone. Obviously a lot has changed since then, not least of all myself.
It was such a treat to see my son, who is 11, experience his first proper trip and to be reminded of the importance of travel not only in shaping your sensibility and how you see the world, but also how it can foster gratitude for home and your own day to day life.
We ate, and walked, and saw art. I practiced my French and saw my French teacher twice, a delight after only knowing each other through the screen for the last several months.
Before we left Seattle I spent a lot of time figuring out what clothes to pack: how things could go together, how I could wear something over and over again, how I could be comfortable but also look pulled together and feel like myself. I have never planned my wardrobe quite this thoroughly and it was a really enjoyable experience. It made adjusting to the shifts in weather, activity, or mood a piece of cake.
Here I am heading to the airport doing my best layering for temp regulation, options, and depth (one of the many things I’ve learned from Amy Smilovic this year). Some of those layers became a scarf, a pillow, or a blanket on the trip over, plus it saved room in my luggage…
Speaking of luggage, we bought The Medium from Away just before the trip which was the perfect size and I used my small carry-on as well…
My favorite simple go-to tote is this Baggu crossbody duck bag (seen below) which I used nearly everyday. It has an adjustable strap and hugs close to the body, and easily fit our umbrellas and jambon et beurre sandwiches…
Also from Baggu, I usually have one of these standard bags folded up in my bag (not just while traveling but at home as well) just in case…
The most important thing I brought with me to Paris were my Brooks Ghost 15 shoes. I also packed my Nike Jumbos which are no doubt “cooler” but since I knew the primary thing we would be doing is walking on concrete, I built my wardrobe around these shoes.
I walked at least 18,000 steps every day for two weeks straight, and my body felt fantastic. It solidified what I already know, that walking is incredibly important and necessary for us humans and something I am going to double-down on and prioritize at home.
Something else that I wore repeatedly and worked well with the Brooks style-wise were a slouchy pair of trousers. I scored these Tibi Stella ones on sale (and then took them to Nordstrom to be hemmed) and they are a fantastic pant. The current ones can be found here…
Unsurprisingly, we found lots of delicious things to eat.
We enjoyed a magnificent food tour in the Marais with Paris by Mouth. Our fantastic guide Faye (a Brit and now Parisienne for 14 years) was so delightful (she also showed up wearing a Wu-Tang beanie) that it was one of the highlights of the whole trip. And my son, who at home I’d classify as a picky eater, tried it all with gusto - the stinky cheeses, the pâté, the wine…
We had a spectacular lunch at Mokonuts, which had been on my list after reading this article about them in the NYT a few years ago…
Petit Bao was also great. We visited twice to get our fill of dumplings. And I had the best smash burger of my life at Blend (which we also visited twice)…
But the front runner was our incredible Lebanese meal at Kubri…
Everything was so bright and flavorful and complex but accessible that even my (now formerly picky) son was wowed. At his request we made a reservation for lunch the following week…
Another highlight was my son searching for Invaders. I first learned about Invader through Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop, but was reminded by my friend Omar about the FlashInvaders app that tracks the Invaders you find. We would make a point of taking the long way to the restaurant so we could wind through the streets and look for them. After dinner one night in Saint-Germain it was pouring and dark but we spent some time walking around before catching the metro home and were rewarded by finding a very cool Chewbacca and C-3PO. It was fun in and of itself but as a parent raising a human in this time of constantly being cajoled into looking into your screen instead of what’s around you, I was especially proud when he said “Can you imagine if you were just walking around the street looking at your phone, you’d never see them!”
And now it feels wonderful settling back in at home, seeing my clients, and re-stocking the fridge and thinking about what to cook. I am making time for that daily walk, looking forward to seeing my French teacher once again on the screen next week, and am paying gratitude for this life I get to live.
I will leave you with this from James Clear’s always insightful weekly newsletter:
Historian and author, Howard Zinn, on the importance of what you choose to emphasize:
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
Happy spring! It’s still very chilly here in Seattle and I’ve delayed starting my garden, but the birds are singing, the light is returning and I just finished a big spring clean-out at home…
While I wait for my Piet Oudolf inspired perennial backyard to make its return I’ve been paging through Piet’s new book which is full of inspiration…
Speaking of inspiration, my friend Jessie introduced me to Amy Smilovic’s amazing book The Creative Pragmatist. It’s the most favorite thing I’ve purchased for myself in a long time...
Continuing on the topic of fashion, I just bought these superwide-leg jeans from Madewell that I love and feel great in…
And I wore these new Adidas Always Original pants to the studio this week and four clients asked me for a link so they too could get them. You can’t tell in the photo but the stripes are sheer. They do have a très bizarre “whale tale” insert (why?!) that you can see in the photos, but I just took a pair of scissors and cut it out and now they are a normal but très cool pair of pants…
My husband needed a new speaker for his studio and selected this compact but mighty (and beautiful!) Marshall bluetooth speaker…
For a long time I used to make my own almond milk which isn’t difficult but it is time consuming. I just discovered this almond milk concentrate from JOI (it’s made with just almonds so it’s essentially a blanched almond butter) and it is so good and so easy I will never go back. Available directly from JOI or Amazon…
Over the last several months I have been learning French. We have an upcoming trip to Paris later this year which gave me the nudge to start, but I am continuing with such devotion motivated purely by my own enjoyment of practicing and seeing it slowly come together. It makes me so happy to practice and it has been such a treat to learn something completely new at 40+ that is not related to my work. There are so many great resources out there if you want to learn a language. Here are a few of my favorites:
Fluent Forever is great for ear training and pronunciation.
My son heads back to school tomorrow. It has been a wonderfully laid back last two months but we are all ready to step back into the daily routines of school-life. I have been neglecting my yard as a whole this summer in order to focus on other parts of my life. But earlier in the season I did plant a jasmine which is now happily making its way up a defunct utility pole outside my kitchen window…
And I did get my vegetable garden planted…
It was my first time growing lemon cucumbers…
I also gave our front entry a little facelift. I painted the front door a new shade and changed our house numbers to these Asbury house tiles from Schoolhouse Electric that are ever so charming on my little 1940s house…
Another summer highlight was making this gorgeous merengue (my first ever!)…
Which was used to make this gorgeous pavlova which we shared with our neighbors. Nigella Lawson is an excellent guide if you’d like to try it…
My husband finished his Remember You Must still life series which I think is just incredible…
It has been a proper fall weekend, dark clouds and lots of rain. We all slept in this morning with the turning back of the clocks and I spent all day sorting, tidying, lighting candles, and doing a little baking. My soundtrack through it all was the Max Richter radio station on Spotify. It was a good day.
A few favorite things to share. I love my new Everlane camo jacket. I want to wear it every day…
Also from Everlane, these buttery soft chelsea boots are so good. They are incredibly comfortable and look super sharp…
I recently stocked up on these Banana Republic ribbed tanks which are perfect in cut, weight, and price. And now they’re an extra 40% off…
I made these flourless chocolate cookies for friends a few weeks ago. I received a text that night from the husband that it was “the most favorite cookie” he’s ever had. (They also happen to be the easiest cookie to make.) Just make sure you don’t overbake. I baked a single one as a test first and mine were perfect in 10 minutes.
I’m getting excited for Thanksgiving which we will celebrate again with our wonderful neighbors. I ordered a new linen tablecloth from H&M for the occasion. I bought gray but this pink beige one looks lovely…
I’ve been using these Food52 compostable sponge cloths everywhere I’d normally use paper towels. I have yet to wear through one and I toss them in the washing machine with my other dishtowels…
We were eagerly awaiting the new Dune film and it did not disappoint. The cinematography is stunning. If you’ve seen it and didn’t read the novel, this long rundown of the backstory is really helpful…
“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
September is the month of Italian plums, my favorite. A friend gifted me over 10 lbs of them and I straight up devoured 5 lbs within two days. The rest I cut and froze for the coming months of fall and winter baking. There will likely be several Marian Burros plum tortes made but also a new favorite tart using the press in crust from my gluten-free baking bible Alternative Baker and the frangipane from Aran Goyoaga’s (my other gluten-free baking guru) book Cannelle et Vanille…
Last year I had zero desire to shop (which maybe was a common thread for a lot of us during that first year of pandemic life) but this fall I’ve been craving a few new additions to my wardrobe. I just bought these Dr. Marten 1460 mono boots…
“We do so many things for the attention, to feel important or praised. But what if you had so much attention and so much praise that you couldn’t possibly want any more? What would you do then? What would you stop doing?
We do so many things for the money, whether we need it or not. But what if you had so much money that you couldn’t possibly want any more? What would you do then? What would you stop doing?”
Ever the valuable resource, my friend Omar has a helpful post on living with covid-19 these days with links to masks and at-home testing options. We also like the Evolve Together masks for our whole family.
The temp has dropped here in Seattle and now it really feels like fall. I am learning how to build a proper fire and chop wood. The wood chopping needs some work but it is super satisfying. I snapped this shot on my way out yesterday…
You can’t see them well in the photo above but my super cool Vans are these from Hedley & Bennett…
We have this beautifully simple, made-in-Seattle Filson log carrier to haul all that freshly chopped wood…
Over these last several months at home, I lost the desire to drink alcohol. I didn’t make any big decision, it just happened. And when I thought about it further it became clear that my desire for a cocktail to mark the evening or enjoying a beer after working all day in the yard was about the ritual or celebration and not the alcohol itself. However, most non-alcoholic beverages seem to lack that special something that a proper drink has when it comes to marking an occasion.
With perfect timing, Julia Bainbridge’s excellent book Good Drinks came out last month…
She writes in the introduction: “It can be difficult to snap a backbone onto a mixed drink without wine or spirits. Alcohol provides structure and complexity, and it’s often pleasantly bitter and bracing. Remove it from a cocktail, and you’re left with sugar, acid, and some cold water…Until recently, nonalcoholic mixed drinks have been treated as afterthoughts. A higher level of effort and care anoints them as proper drinks. Good Drinks.”
“You get something sweet, tart, in some cases savory, and in some cases tannic, all in one pour,” says Ricker. “You don’t have to make a simple syrup or add a botanical to it or muddle anything.” SOM and soda make a fantastic savor-worthy beverage…
A few other things bringing me joy these days…
YNAB! You Need a Budget. I wrote about YNAB here four years ago and have mentioned it a few times since. I am an unabashed YNAB pusher and think everyone should use this amazing life-changing tool…
We are going through a lot of soap these days and this everyone foaming hand soap is our favorite for the bathroom…
The Dream Pant from Everlane is really good. Soft, midweight fabric and an excellent cut makes for great loungewear that is really pulled together and smart looking…
Over the summer we made a lot of pizza. We’ve had a little Ooni pizza oven for the last few years but only really pulled it out one or two times a year which was a shame. It is so easy to use and we really put it to work this summer. Even with the cooling temps we plan to keep her firing all through the fall and winter.
We have an older model but this Ooni Koda is comparable…
And Joe Beddia’s Pizza Camp is my pizza bible. The perfect dough, sauce, and technique are all found here. In fact the technique he teaches uses a standard home oven so if you don’t have a pizza oven definitely don’t let let that stop you. We use both the Ooni and our kitchen oven with excellent results.
One of the many restaurants to close in our city due to the pandemic is the acclaimed Tilth. I thought chef Maria Hines’ words in The Seattle Times were beautiful…
But Hines also holds hope for the future. Of “the heart and soul” of an enterprise like Tilth, she says, “My love and my creativity and my desire to share happiness with the world through my craft - all of that still is there. It’s just that the vessel is going to change. Whatever form that takes, you can’t take that away.”
Seattle fans who’d like a last taste of Hines’ shared happiness in its current incarnation can still try for takeout or day-of patio reservations, weather permitting, through Oct. 30. Then Tilth goes dark. But Hines calls the restaurant’s last days a celebration. She continues, “There’s this sense that it’s ending - that there’s a finality to it… we really need to look towards the light, and think about all that light we still have in us. Don’t let the temporary darkness block that out.”
Ken Lambert - The Seattle Times
And I’ve been thinking about this quote…
“Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom—poets, visionaries—realists of a larger reality.”
After several weeks of rain the sky has cleared and the temperature has dropped. If the forecast holds, we are looking at pretty perfect conditions for trick or treating this Thursday…
Both soups mentioned above are also pureed which means they are perfect for sipping out of a mug (which comes in handy if you want to deliver something hot to your rad construction crew on a cold day)…
I have a pair of black patent leather Loeffler Randall boots from a few seasons ago that I would like to put into more regular rotation. I just ordered these white Everlane straight leg crop pants to create the look below…
One of my clients told me about this No. Green deodorant from Corpus which is my new favorite. It smells amazing, works like deodorant should, and has no white residue…
These little Mighty Patch hydrocolloid patches are amazing. If I have a blemish that needs extracting (or I pick at my face more than I should) I put one of these on the "wound” before I go to bed. They prevent unsightly scabs from forming and they speed the healing process…
Those little patches work so beautifully I added these hydrocolloid bandages to our first aid kit…
I’ve been creating more time to read these days and recently finished Deep Work by Cal Newport. I first learned about Cal several years ago when he was an MIT student and wrote about deliberate practice on his blog. Deep Work is full of well articulated ideas that you’ll want to write down and think more about like this one…
“People who multitask all the time can’t filter out irrelevancy.”
Fall is still my favorite time of year - the change in weather, la rentrée and the fashion. Here is a list of some staples, a few new additions, and plenty from my wishlist starting with these two Clare V bags, the midi sac in black croco and the foldover clutch with the shoulder strap…
Purchased last winter (and mentioned here), I still love my Salt Strap (seen below on my standby Clare V Gosee bag). It is the perfect length, super comfortable and I get stopped and asked where to get it nearly every time I’m out…
I picked up this super affordable and aptly named Perfect Rain Jacket at J.Crew a few weeks ago and it’s still on sale!
I love the goldenrod color that’s been popping up the last few fall seasons but it doesn’t suit my skintone. But thisEverlane sweatshirt caught my eye this morning. I might just be able to pull off that deeper mustard shade…
Also from Everlane, I picked up this silky cotton oversized shirt (I sized down for a slightly less oversized look)…
And lastly (and arguably most important) denim. These two from AGOLDE have been my staples the last few years. I think they are perfect in every way. Jamie High Rise (see also here)…
School is out for the summer and we couldn’t be more ready for it. I’m thrilled to have a break from making school lunches and am looking forward to more leisurely mornings.
We had a real scorcher into the mid 90s this week and I’ve been grateful to have these bamboo roll up shades on our exterior west facing windows to cut the heat. They really do the job but I also love the diffused light they create inside the house too…
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything here because I’ve been spending most of my free time reading (or sewing). A few months ago my son D got hit hard with the reading bug and on a family trip to Palm Springs he brought a book wherever we went. Waiting for his food at the restaurant, waiting for the rental car, sitting poolside. My husband and I exchanged knowing glances of “It’s happening.”
I’ve been waiting for this day and as children often do, he is helping me to be my best self. His new love of reading has helped me make time for my own love of reading and I’m making it a priority and letting some of the less important things on my to-do list slide. Together we are in deep with Harry Potter and these illustrated versions are just beautiful…
D was also just gifted these super rad Gryffindor Vans from his very cool aunt and uncle…
I can sit here working away for hours without eating or thinking about anything else. I’m so enjoying the process of learning something completely new and remembering how wonderful that feeling of “flow” is…
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…
