I was so disappointed that not one of the three major outlet obituaries I read mentioned Imagination Library, the nonprofit she founded that gifts books to kids around the world every month for the first five years of their lives. It’s an incredible program that so many, including our family, have benefitted from. The program has sent out more than 330 million books over the years and continues on strong. If you would, spare me a moment to praise the work that many of the obits left out.

I think, when it’s all said and done, Dolly’s impact on childhood literacy may well be her greatest legacy. She was a powerhouse in so many fields, but it’s hard to compete with giving so many millions of children the gift of books and exposure to books and stories and concepts they may never have encountered otherwise.

I could give several examples just from our experience with the program, but the one that comes to mind is Oliver asking repeatedly to make a Chinese noodle dish that the little girl in a Chinese family makes with her grandmother. I found a recipe, we went to the grocery together, and made a dish we’d never known existed before. A small thing, a Sunday afternoon spent together bringing a concept from a book to life, and a chance to learn about people different than us, but also so similar. Now multiply that by the massive numbers of books that Imagination Library has sent to children around the world. The impact, truly, is immeasurable.

Every time a book shows up in our mailbox, we talked about how it’s from “our friend Dolly.” Since he turned four in April, I’ve thought every month about how few books we have left before he turns five. I’ll miss those books so much once we hit that milestone, but every single one has been a beautiful gift to our family in a whole variety of ways.

What a gift Dolly Parton was to all of us. May she rest in peace.

And, if you’re so inclined, consider donating to Imagination Library so their work can continue long into the future.

Having Oliver in school five full days last week felt like a revelation. I got so much accomplished. I’m about to kick off two new client projects that will take up most of my September, so it was really lovely to feel like I had a minute to breathe last week, to recover from the hectic balancing act that was summer and begin to settle into routine once again.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

As any gardener knows, mint has a way of taking over any space it’s given. It’s notoriously hard to kill and usually we have an abundance of it. This year, we’ve been in a drought all summer and even our mint is struggling in its pot. However, I managed to harvest just enough to make these Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (Une Gamine dans la Cuisine).

I’m notoriously terrible at making chocolate chip cookies, which, ironically, are the only dessert Kevin truly loves. For as much as I love cooking, I don’t love the precision of baking and chocolate chip cookies always seem to go wrong in some form or fashion for me. I’ve made my peace with it and am happy to buy them, generally. However, this recipe is the magical unicorn that always comes out right in my kitchen. The fresh mint with dark chocolate chips is such a wonderful balance.

Reading:

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley (3.5 stars)

This novel masquerades as a bit of a mystery, but really is a touching story of grief and community. The podcasting element was particularly fun for me — and one of the more realistic examples in fiction of how podcasting works!

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl (3 stars)

Oliver and I finished reading this together over the weekend. As with James and the Giant Peach, Dahl’s work only mostly holds up and I found myself skipping over some words or sentences. We watched the Wes Anderson adaptation after we finished, which I had never seen and I think I enjoyed more than Oliver.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (3 stars)

I was so eager to read this sequel after flying through A Deadly Education. I didn’t enjoy this one as much. With a significantly longer timeline to cover, it felt like Novik was trying to kill time at parts. Or, at the least, that the urgency of the plot was in conflict with the necessary amount of time before the characters could take real action. I still am excited to read the third and final book. This one ends on quite a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see what the world is like for El and friends outside of the Scholomance.

Watching:

Six The Musical Live!

I went to see the pro-shot of Six in theatres last week with a friend and it was so fun! I had listened to the music, but not actually seen the show yet and this was such a great way to experience it. Before the actually film started, they had a mini documentary about the making of the musical and how it became such a phenomenon.

Ted Lasso, season 4, episode 3

I liked this episode! It feels like they are finding their footing in this new season and I remain hopeful about what is to come. The only character not really working for me so far is Rebecca and her relationship with the pilot. It does feel like they will need to dispatch with that guy sooner rather than later, but I’m not convinced yet that the writers know that.

Cooking:

I do my best to cook seasonally and, for the most part, that works really well for us. The one conundrum I have every year is tomato soup. I love tomato soup, particularly the Roasted Tomato Soup from Chrissy Teigen’s first cookbook, Cravings. Yet, when tomatoes are at their best, it’s hardly the weather you want to be eating a great soup and grilled cheese.

Last weekend, I saw a rainy night in the forecast and seized my chance. I snagged some heirloom tomatoes from our local produce stand, roasted them with thyme, and had a delicious soup simmering as the thunderstorms rolled in. It was perfect.

On the Docket:

As I said last week, we’re keeping things intentionally low key around here for the first few weeks of school. Oliver is loving preK so far (although as I’m writing this he is home for his first sick day of the year — yay reentering the germ pool!) and Kevin and I are loving having full working days again. Everyone is settling back into routine and things feel much more in balance.

There’s no real sign of the heat easing just yet, but we’re getting in lots of swimming time still and enjoying the outdoors as we can.

Cheers to welcoming September, which is always a really lovely month here in North Carolina.

I’m writing this at the end of my first truly full working day in months and it feels glorious. I’ve gotten so much done today. I feel like I could conquer the world. Is this how parents always feel at the start of school??

Oliver came home from his first full day on Monday in the best mood he’s been in for months, so we’re off to a great start to the preK year.

Last week, in our last childcare Jenga tower of the summer, I had him for the full day on Thursday. We made an event of it, just like we did last year before the first day of school. This year, I took him to Discovery Place Huntersville, which we hadn’t been to before. I was absolutely fabulous. Five stars, recommend all around if you are in the Charlotte metro and have a kiddo about his age. We were there for 3.5 hours and he played hard the whole time.

Oh, and I did finally make it to the pool for some reading time. I spent a glorious 2+ hours down there Monday morning.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

This is probably the bougiest thing I’m every going to say, but I went to the head spa for the second time in my life for my birthday on Monday. I honestly cannot say enough about it. It’s quite expensive — a splurge for sure — but I haven’t been that physically relaxed at least since last calendar year.

If you don’t know what a head spa is, let me add it to your wish list. You lay on your back (think: massage table with a sink under the headrest) and they wash and brush your hair, along with some head and neck massage. Different places will add on different things like facials, arm and shoulder massages, scalp evaluations, etc. I opted for a 90-minute experience including a facial and it was the best thing I’ve done for myself since the first time I did it two years ago (also for my birthday).

Reading:

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (4 stars)

This was a fun young adult fantasy! There are some Hunger Games vibes and some Dungeon Crawler Carl vibes. It’s been a minute since I read a book and immediately went searching for its sequel. I think Amina al-Shirafi was the last one like that for me.

This magical story of teens in a dangerous magical school was right up my alley and I’m very glad #2 only has a 2-week wait for me on Libby. For once, waiting literal years to pull something off my TBR has paid off.

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (2.5 stars)

Honestly, if I wasn’t co-leading a pilgrimage about this series in 6 weeks, and if there were not another new installation in this series coming out in the fall, I wouldn’t have finished this, To me, this book and its companion, The Black Wolf, are where Penny really falls off for me. I want to like them and I deeply don’t. I think this is the worst in the series so far. I’m a bit dreading reading the last one, but my strategy is going to be what got me through this one: audiobook on 2x speed.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (3 stars)

I’m glad I could be excited about a YA novel just a few paragraphs above, because this one was a reminder to me of how old I am. I had such trouble connecting with this novel that I don’t think I can even judge it properly. But, it wasn’t for me. I won’t read the sequels or watch the TV adaptation.

The Arcane Arts by S. D. Coverly (3.5 stars)

I quite enjoy Dana Schwartz’s podcast, “Noble Blood.” That’s where I found out about her latest writing endeavor, this magical novel written in partnership with another author (hence, the pen name). It got sexier than I expected! I read most of this in the neighborhood pool on my birthday morning, which is maybe not the place for magical light BDSM. Or maybe it is. I tore through it. I was so intrigued to get to the ending, I pulled up the audiobook on Spotify and finished it on my walk home from the pool.

Watching:

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Oliver has been begging to watch the next Star Wars movie since we let him watch Episode IV a few weeks back. We warned him this one was scarier, but he was insistent. I don’t think he understood as much of this one, but he still really liked it.

Ted Lasso, season 4, episodes 1-2

We rewatched the first three seasons to get ready for this. Season three is such a slog. Ugh. I’m really hoping for more seasons one or two vibes here. The first episode is really just a massive reset and love letter to Kansas City. Did the tourism board pay for this first episode?? Once Ted gets back to England and we get our introduction to the women’s team and their coach Alice, I’m in. I see potential here and am keeping my hopes up.

But, I will riot if Roy and Keely don’t end up together.

Silo, season 3, episodes 2-7

I talked about the premiere episode of this season over a month ago. We slowly slogged through the following episodes until we got to episode 5. Unbelievably it took until then for us finally to be hooked. If we didn’t love the books, we definitely would have quit. So, if you haven’t read the (fabulous) books and are exhausted with this series, I don’t blame you.

I have real pacing concerns. I don’t necessarily mind the adaptations they’ve made, but they are down to their last chance with me. They’ve adjusted so much and I have questions about why they wasted so much time in the first half of this season when they have so much ground left to cover. As Kevin said, “the books are so good. Why not just stick to them?” I’m seeing better now why they didn’t, but the picture is still fuzzy and my jury is still out. TBD at the of of this, or more likely next, season.

Rivals, season 2, episodes 1-5

This very soapy British drama based on some very soapy novels is a totally guilt pleasure for me in the best way. I was slow to get caught up on this season because of our summer chaos, but it was great. I still really love seeing sweet David Tennant in the villain role.

The second half of this season is due to drop in November and I’m hoping the holiday season affords me more time to fun, sexy, devastating romp.

Cooking:

Some things that came from my kitchen this week:

• Grilled Chicken Thighs and Corn With Lime-Basil Butter (NYT Cooking) - Really good! Kevin said it was the best chicken he’s had in a long time.

• Fajitas - A standard at our house and we have a lifetime supply of the seasoning we like from Kroger thanks to

• Shells with Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella (long disappeared Martha Stewart recipe) - A summer standard in tomato season. Simple and very kid friendly.

Some of my personal favorites that I rolled out for my (very lowkey) birthday celebrations this weekend:

• Steak au Poivre with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (not disappeared Martha Stewart)

• Sautéed Figs with Slab Bacon (Williams Sonoma) - A new recipe for me. I used figs from the tree in our yard and it was pretty good.

• French 75 - My forever favorite cocktail.

• Bananas Foster (Bon Appetit) - I took some out for Oliver before I added the rum.

• Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Peaches with Arugula & Goat Cheese. (How Sweet Eats) - Gotta make the most of peach season before it ends!

On the Docket:

We’re keeping things pretty lowkey here this week since it’s the first full week of school. I’ve followed long enough to know I shouldn’t attempt anything with my child after the first week. We will be keeping it simple and easy around here until we’ve settled into the new routine of the school year.

It’s also hot as blazes here, so there’s not much we can do outside other than go to the pool. It was so hot this weekend that even the pool wasn’t enjoyable unless you were basically completely submerged in the water.

I adore summer, even in the heat, and I am not ready to give up the pool and summer produce just yet. The fact that Canal Coffee has already rolled out their Pumpkin Spice makes me want to scream. I love fall, too, but I’m not quite ready for it to make its appearance yet.

What about you? Are you totally over summer by this point in the year?

Last week, Oliver had an absolute blast doing camp at the Whitewater Center. If you’ve never been, it’s an amazing facility where the US Olympic teams practice. They’ve built up a whole range of outdoor adventure activities, including ropes courses and zip lines and a massive wooden playground. While it was hard to get many details out of Oliver regarding exactly what he did each day (such a stereotypical boy), he obviously had a lot of fun and we’ll do camp there again, I’m sure.

This week, we’re patching together pool time and Gigi time and some loose childcare available to faculty and staff at the school. Mostly, though, we’re hanging on through one last week of managing an abnormal schedule and intense time demands until we kick off the school year.

This weekend, we also said farewell to our favorite babysitter as she heads off to college. What a very specific grief that is. Oliver loves her and we’ll miss her a lot. We really need to stop recruiting seniors as our babysitters.

She watched Oliver Saturday night while Kevin and I went on our first real date night in I don’t even know how long. I picked La Belle Helene in Charlotte for an early birthday dinner and it was delicious. I took no pictures, but the inside is gorgeous and the food was wonderful. We got the mussels appetizer (the touch of saffron took the broth to an amazing new level), swordfish for Kevin and duck confit for me, and then their signature Le Citron dessert. It was all great and it was such a rare treat for us to actually get into the city and have a nice dinner.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

I posted about it last week, but this easy pasta is my absolute favorite for nights when Kevin is got. I almost always have everything it requires on hand and can usually improvise if I don’t.

Reading:

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon (3.5 stars)

This was a lovely little novel about the appliances which run a smart house in the not so very distant future. A little vacuum begins to break protocol and develop a connection with her humans. It’s a charming book with a lot of heart and a lot of say about the world of AI.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (4 stars)

I read this to Oliver over the last several weeks and we had a lot of fun. As with all of Dahl’s work, some of it doesn’t hold up so well around the edges and I skipped over some words and phrases throughout. Still, the core of the story is delightful and imaginative and he’s a great age for it. Once we finished the book, we watched the 90s movie adaptation together, which I have a lot of nostalgia for but isn’t particularly fabulous on its own. Mostly, this was a fun entrance into true chapter books for the two of us and I’m excited about the whole world of options that are ahead of us.

Watching:

The Devil Wears Prada 2

I wanted this to be good so badly. It’s not bad; it’s just not great either. It didn’t help that I rewatched the first one right before watching this one and so the original majesty was very fresh in my mind.

Ultimately, I think the great failing of this movie is it gives us too much of a window into Miranda. This isn’t the sharp, funny character from the first movie. She is worn down and we see through the cracks in her armor immediately. I can accept that Miranda has changed over the years and we are seeing a different version of her, but letting us see her vulnerability and weaknesses right out of the gate undercuts so much of works well about the original.

The inordinate amount of celeb cameos are fine, although I hated BJ Novak in his role. I loved the line, “You’re not a visionary, you’re a vendor.” Mostly, though, I was just sad that I didn’t think it was that well-written.

Cooking:

We’re keeping it summer simple over here. On Sunday night, after I went to the grocery, we had a rotisserie chicken, some easy microwave-roasted potatoes with a seasoning pack, and roasted garlic and tomatoes with a fresh baguette. Simple, easy, delicious. That’s the vibe for this time of year.

What I’m most pleased about is that our fig tree is producing pretty decent figs. There are dozens of them with 3-4 ready every few days. It’s the perfect pace for me, since I’m the only one in our house who eats them.

On the Docket:

We plan to keep things as lowkey as possible over the next few weeks as Oliver settles into PreK. As any parent or teacher knows, kids are so exhausted these first few weeks and we want to leave lots of time and space for early bedtimes and lazy evenings at the pool.

What’s on your docket as summer comes to a close?

Since having my son four years ago, I’ve come to relish the weeknight ease of a freezer meal. About once a quarter, I make a massive batch of a recipe I know our family enjoys and will get from freezer to table with minimal effort — soups, casseroles, pastas. It’s never a short undertaking and, because I hate giving up my weekends to meal prep, these projects have often happened after bedtime on a weeknight, whenever I can muster up the energy and resolve to bless my future self.

That’s how I found myself in the kitchen on a Monday night cooking, assembling, and labeling seven pans of Lasagna Roll-Ups. Kevin was at softball. Oliver was asleep. I poured myself a glass of wine, turned on a show, and pushed through, internally applauding myself the entire time for my effort and dedication.

Somewhere between labeling my stack of disposable freezer pans1 and starting the extensive clean-up process, I realized I didn’t have to be doing any of this. At least, not at 9pm on a weeknight.

I don’t have a “normal” job anymore. No one was going to be waiting for me to respond promptly to a chat in the middle of working hours. The lasagna could’ve just as easily happened at 9am with no professional repercussions.

It was my first tangible glimpse at how bad I am at freedom.

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In the two months since, I’ve worked incredibly hard and continued to stick to mostly standard working hours. I thought when I quit my job and turned down another full-time opportunity it was going to mean a quiet, leisurely summer with afternoons spent at the pool. I haven’t given myself much space for that at all. I’m still acting like I have a boss, instead of becoming the benevolent boss I can be to myself.

I’m a stereotypical eldest daughter, midwestern protestant work ethic, honor roll student, self-starting high achiever in most areas of my life. I’m not great at knowing how to slow down, particularly when I’m the person the slowdown most benefits.

In making the decision to take full ownership over my professional life, one of my goals is to practice freedom and feel no guilt when I do so. I can take my son berry-picking at 3 in the afternoon and leave my phone in the car. I don’t have to offer Friday meeting availability — or work on Fridays at all. I can go swim laps for my cardio and take a book with me to read by the water once I’m done. I can have a two-hour breakfast with a friend on a Tuesday. I can prep dinner in the middle of the day. My time belongs to me in a way it never has before.

I have a long way to go and there are some real tradeoffs (financial stability, for one), but I’m slowly, slowly beginning to understand why every single woman I’ve talked to who has made a move like this has sworn up and down she would never go back to traditional employment.

I don’t know what the remaining years of my career will look like. I’ve learned enough in my first two decades of full-time work to know I know nothing and should cling to no expectations about what will be or can be or should be. I’m along for the ride and, for right now, very grateful I can spend some time building a business and a life that is truly my own.

In that vein, I have refreshed the About page here on Napp Time. I’m hoping to increase the amount of writing I do here, both about culture and the actual function of how I’m creating free time for myself in the first place. These weekly roundups aren’t going anywhere, but I am ready to take the next step in working my writing muscles and continuing to create a space where we can all think and talk about our free time.

For now, though, we’re soaking in the last bits of summer.

A friend Kevin works with tangentially was kind enough to gift us fabulous tickets for our local baseball team. It was a super rainy night, so the ballpark was mostly empty and we quite enjoyed ourselves. Small town baseball is so lovely because everything in the ballpark is pretty reasonably priced, while still giving the whole vibe I want from attending a game.

Kevin gets on me because I love to read at a baseball game, but I can’t help it. I really enjoy watching the game and am still paying attention, but it’s such a great sport to read at — especially at a low-scoring game like this one was. Ballparks are like airports to me; I just like the vibe and am happy to be there.1

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

This Ricotta and Tomato Jam Jar (How Sweet Eats) is one of our favorite summer treats. I use my immersion blender to whip the ricotta and go for either homemade pesto or a jar of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto2 to keep it easy. The tomato jam is delicious and versatile beyond this dish. The garlic crostini she suggests as delicious, but a bag of little toasts or crackers are also a worthwhile shortcut. Oliver loves this, too, and has fun helping assemble it. It’s a great pick for an easy aperitivo at home or to serve a party crowd.

Reading:

Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb (3 stars)

A friend gave this to me for my birthday nearly two years ago. It’s been on my nightstand that entire time. I’m not sure what took me so long, but I finally picked it up and read it within a few days. It was fun and light. I always love a romance protagonist who is solidly middle-aged and has some life experience under her belt. And who doesn’t want a sexy ornithologist in their summer reading?

Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan (4 stars)

I read a rash of Sullivan’s books back in 2013/2014 and then she dropped off my radar for one reason or another. I was reminded by this work why I enjoyed her writing so much. Sullivan writes so well about complicated families. This book, in particular, really highlights how each person is living their own version of a story and how easily acts can be misinterpreted when there is no family culture of communication. I’m definitely heading back into my J. Courtney Sullivan era after this and can’t wait to pick up what she’s written more recently.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese (4 stars)

This book was super popular when it came out in 2022, but I missed it then (perhaps, just perhaps, because I had a 6mo at the time 😂). Albanese gives us a nearly fully imagined story of Isobel Gamble, a Scottish immigrant to Salem who comes to know young Nathaniel Hawthorne. I tore through this in one day (largely because I read it at the ballpark). Historical fiction like this usually isn’t my favorite, but the many literary threads kept me pulled in (no pun intended, despite the fact that sewing is a huge theme of this book).

Watching:

I rewatched The Devil Wears Prada and have made it through about half of the second one. I’ll share my thoughts on the sequel next week, but that first one really is so great. Worth a rewatch if you haven’t seen it in a while.

Cooking:

Some delicious things I made this week:

• The Best Summer Panzanella Salad (How Sweet Eats) - I’ve been craving salad and we’re mostly trying to stay away from greens right now, so I made this panzanella while Kevin was at softball last night.3 Even though panzanella is basically eating a bowl of croutons, it’s such a treat and this one feels so fresh and summery. That tomato vinaigrette is delicious, too.

• Chicken Vesuvio (America’s Test Kitchen, Cooking for Two 2010) - This was my go-to meal for hosting guests back in the early days of our marriage. I hadn’t made it in forever and it was just as good as I remembered it. Oliver liked it, too!

• Refried White Beans With Chile-Fried Eggs (NYT Cooking) - Breakfast for dinner is always a hit and this was delicious. The whole family enjoyed it.

On the Docket:

It’s hard to believe we’re almost through the summer already (although, it’s been a real “days are long, summer is short” situation over here). Oliver starts Pre-K next Friday and we’re all hungry for more consistent routine and structure. We have a few more summer fun surprises up our sleeves between now and then, including more baseball.

Meanwhile, I’m hoping to find a really excellent book to read on my birthday. I’ve got about a week and a half to find just the right one, so I’ll take any suggestions! I’m not working that day (another perk of being my own boss now) and plan to spend at least part of the day reading. I’m also trying to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of the day. So many places around here are closed on Mondays, so I’m having to brainstorm beyond what I might usually pick.

How do you like to spend your birthday? Any great suggestions for how to treat yourself on a quiet Monday?

I like stability. I like health insurance. I like leaving work at work.

I watched my dad run a small business. He poured years and an enormous amount of work into it. I watched him carry the weight of our family’s security, and the security of his employees’ families as well. I didn’t want to ever be in a position like that.

If you told me a year ago, I would be launching my own small business, I would have laughed in your face. I wasn’t planning to leave my job. I wasn’t job hunting. I certainly wasn’t thinking about building my own thing. And yet —

At the end of May, I quit my job. Absolutely terrifying. I wasn’t entirely confident in what I was doing next, but I knew it was time. When I finally pulled the trigger, I was, at least, expecting to get an excellent job offer any day. And I did!

I got a job offer that was perfect on paper. A phenomenal opportunity to take my career to the next level. Great title. Generous pay. A fabulous team of people. Work that matters.

And then I did the scariest thing: I said no.

I won’t get into the specific reasons I said no, but taking the job would have required two big personal concessions, and I only had one in me. It didn’t feel like the right choice for me or my family, at least for this chapter of our lives. Kevin, my husband, and I agonized over what to do.1 Neither of us is a financial risk taker; we are safety and security people to our core. Ultimately, he said, “If you’re mainly saying yes because of the money, you should say no.”

And so I did. I jumped off the cliff.

I’ve done the thing I never thought I would do and started my own business.

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When, months ago, I started having casual conversations with people in my network about what might be next for me, more than one person asked if I’d considered going freelance. They had seen me work and knew I could offer something fairly unique in the space: strategic and operational support for creators, small businesses, and nonprofits. Basically, what I was doing at my old job, but for more than one person/company at a time.

For nearly my entire career, I’ve been the quiet, dependable infrastructure behind small, mission-driven teams. I build systems, manage relationships, and keep the wheels turning. I’m really, really good at helping creative people with big dreams make their ideas real.

Plenty of organizations don’t need, don’t want, or can’t afford a full-time hire, but still need help. Maybe they need help with a specific project or someone’s parental leave covered. Enter me.2

I have a website now. So surreal.

Two months in, I’m having a lot of fun. I love the diversity of people I’m getting to work with:

• A retiree moving his financial advice newsletter out of Gmail and onto Substack

• A writer and small business owner working to build sustainable community around his work

• A burgeoning public figure figuring out how to frame her Substack launch

• A national nonprofit that’s ready to level up their work supporting women entrepreneurs

Every one of those is a different puzzle to solve. I am consistently surprised by what I didn’t realize I know. I’m stretching my wings as a consultant and strengthening muscles as a freelance and fractional partner. I’m learning new things and getting better at old things every day.

The best moments are the relief and gratitude I get from clients. “This is the least stressful this event has ever been, thanks to you.” “You made this look beautiful!” “I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders already.”

The highs are higher. The lows are lower. It’s exhilarating and terrifying.

It’s also freeing. I haven’t worried about my PTO count in months. I can take my son to a water park on a Wednesday afternoon without feeling the need to check my phone for an urgent message. I can have a two-hour weekday breakfast with another self-employed friend. I am fully in control of how and when I work.

As I approach 40 (I turn 39 in two weeks!), I knew it was time to take a hard look at my professional life. I’ve worked incredibly hard at developing a healthy work-life balance and this is another step in that process. I love work and love working, but I don’t want to spend the next decade in the rat race, no matter how good the money or title is. I want to think about my life holistically — about what actually makes it good, in all the beautiful ways a life can be good.

Freeing, but not free, to be sure. I’m hunting for my own food now. I carry the workload and the financial calculations and the dashboards and all of the ownership that used to be someone else’s weight — or at least a shared load. I’m making less money right now than I made at a job where I was already making less than my market value. With time, I think I’ll make significantly more, but that day still feels a long way off. I’m saying that to say I ran the math and made the trade anyway. And I would make it again.

Almost everything good that has happened in the last few months came because of people who care about me and have showed up to support me.

Bailey. Megan. Bre. Courtney. Jessica. Christi. Maggie. Sarah K. and Matt. Martha. Tracey. Michelle. Niki. Cora. Mike. My family. And more.

I knew networking mattered in the abstract, but the actual manifestation of the network has blown me away. Networking is such a corporate and cold word. What it doesn’t express is how supported I would feel by my network and how emotional that would make me at times.3 People have shown up for me in beautiful, kind ways. I could work incredibly hard every day for the rest of my life, but they are the reason any of this is working.

If you know someone — or are someone! — who has built something good and is drowning a bit in the systems holding it together, I would love for you to send them my way. Point them to alisenapp.com4 or share this post.

(And, if you’re just a person in the world wanting to be more organized in managing the various buckets of your life, whatever they may be, I’m building a system to do personal productivity consulting, too!)

This isn’t a successful happy ending triumph post — yet. This is still scary every day, although getting less so. I lay in bed and run numbers in my head about how quickly this could fall apart. Kevin and I are being way more cautious about our spending.

This may not be what I do forever. I may well take a full-time job again someday. Maybe one of these clients will turn into something full-time. That is how I got my last job, after all. I’d love to have better health insurance.

Right now, though, two months in, I am starting to understand why every woman I’ve talked to who has taken this leap told me she would never go back. The freedom and pride of ownership are so much more invigorating and fun than I expected.

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I thought the movie itself was just fine. I could’ve done without the entire subplot of Buzz wanting to propose to Jessie. But, Jessie’s discovery under the tree made me cry, as any good Toy Story movie should at one point or another. I think I’d rank it above Toy Story 4, but still well below the first three.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (4.5 stars)

I picked up this gothic mystery from a list of books for book lovers. In it, the daughter of a bookseller is commissioned by a secretive, bestselling author to write her biography. From there, a mysterious tale unravels about the author’s childhood on in a great British estate home.

With 150 pages left in this book, I went to bed at 7:30pm (basically right after Oliver) so I could finish it. I thought I knew the twist and wanted to see if I was correct. I was not, which made the twist even better.

This book was published in 2005 and was a bestseller at the time. Unsurprised I missed it then, as I was a senior in high school, but I’m glad I found it now. I found it mysterious and compelling in all the right ways. My main complaint is that it would be the perfect book to read in October for spooky season, instead of July.

Reading:

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (3 stars)

This has everything that should make me like an Inspector Gamache book, but I’ve never loved this one. I find John Fleming so incredibly creepy (good work, Louise Penny!) that the whole storyline gets icky for me fast.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (4 stars)

Another book I read from that list of books for readers. What a lovely surprise this was. Emotional and charming. Quiet and literary in the best ways. Has anyone seen the film adaptation from 2022? Is it any good?

Watching:

Ted Lasson, season 2

We’re still doing our pre-season 4 rewatch. I like season 2, despite its flaws. We’re into season 3 now and that’s where things really fall apart for me.

Cooking:

The biggest accomplishment of our rainy weekend was that we made ravioli as a family. Oliver had so much fun and declared the experience “awesome!” We made both a sausage/ricotta/fresh sage filling and this Roasted Peach + Prosciutto filling (Tim Laielli on Substack). Both were really good. I had plenty of the peach + prosciutto filling leftover and am planning to use it on crostini drizzled with balsamic glaze.

The ravioli themselves were too thick and under-stuffed. However, this is only the second time I’ve ever made ravioli at home. The first time was before Oliver was born. So, I’ll take it for a partial win. If nothing else, this is the longest and most actively engaged Oliver has ever been with a cooking project.

Also this week, we treated ourselves with some crab legs (with lemon butter for me and cocktail sauce with extra horseradish for Kevin) on Sunday night because they were on sale. I also made Golden Hour Chicken (Bri McKoy) again and it was just as good as when I made it for the first time earlier this summer.

On the Docket:

After months of very slow work — I pull out painting stuff maybe once every other week — I finally finished two little paint by numbers for an awkward wall in our kitchen. I’m quite pleased with how they turned out generally, especially the lemon one. Learning to paint is one my list of goals for the next 5-ish years and paint by number seems as good a way as any to start.

I have another, larger painting that requires some more technique already purchased and ready to go. Feel free to check back in 1-2 years when I actually finish it. Haha.

Long before then, though, I’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday with a big announcement 👀

See you then!

We escaped the heat last weekend and headed up into the mountains with my sister and her family. She has three boys — a six year old and 1.5yo twins. Add in Oliver (4) and there’s never a dull moment together. We have a lot of fun and are very tired.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (4.5 stars)

I did manage to squeeze in this beautiful, haunting novel last week. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because I found part of the joy of this book to be the slow unfolding and revealing of the story. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want to leave this world. Harrow’s writing is beautiful and evocative. It’s a more mature, settled approach to some of the genres that dominate popular charts right now. I loved it.

Watching:

In case you missed it, last Friday I posted my thoughts on the end of The Bear:

Cooking:

I made this Big Jam Danish (NYT Cooking) and took it to the mountains with us. It was delicious, but also more work than I typically like to do for something like this. I have a simpler danish recipe (Leite’s Culinaria) I like just as well that I find less labor intensive.

We got some heirloom tomatoes in our CSA box last week that were simply gorgeous and I wanted to do something special to help them shine. I landed on a recipe from Gregory Gourdet’s cookbook (Everyone’s Table) for Tomatoes on Tomatoes with Shallot-Chile Dressing. Oh wow was it perfect. The layers of tomatoes were complex and delicious. The shallot-chile dressing packed a punch and brought a brightness. The fresh herbs sang. It was summer perfection on a plate and I absolutely will be making it again.

On the Docket:

We’re in the home stretch of formal summer now. We’re 3 weeks out from the start of school. These last few weeks before school begins are our most chaotic in regards to summer programming for Oliver. Mostly, he’s been at camps at the school he attends and at which Kevin works, which has made it fairly easy for us. Their programming wraps up soon to let staff prepare for the new school year, so we have Oliver bouncing around to some varied options between now and the end of summer. It’s going to mean much less time for me to get things done, but hopefully some more summer fun to share as well.

To me, the brilliance of this show has always been its precision of emotional execution. The palpable stress of “Review” (S1E7); the quiet peace of “Honeydew” (S2E4); the family tension of “Fishes” (S2E6); the soaring triumph of “Forks” (S2E7). The bonus episode, “Gary”, which surprised-dropped before this finale season, took us to another new, raw, real emotional place with these characters we’ve come to love. No other show on television right now has been able to so adeptly capture such a wide range of emotional tone with such pitch perfect resonance.

Season five delivered the maturation of that emotional development. The Bear grew up and showed us how calm and interdependence were ultimately the necessary ingredients for our team. The chaos of the kitchen in the first season swaps out for a calm mastery that brings an emotional high no less intense than the frenetic panic we saw when we first entered the kitchen of The Beef.

I wrote last summer, reflecting on season four, how The Bear has always been about time. They set nearly the entirety of season five over the course of one day — an artistic challenge I think works much better in execution than the one-act play that was the season four finale. The restaurant staff try to execute a perfect service under the looming specter of The Bear’s financial end.

Even as our crew encounters seemingly endless roadblocks to a successful day, the writers deliver the emotional beats that make the show. The first moment of the season that truly knocked me off my feet was a scene between Sugar and Tina where they talk briefly about the dilemma of being a working mom. As Tina says, your kid wants to see your face, but not a sad version of that face. I’ve never seen the emotional duality of working motherhood framed in that way and I wept.

The writers this season demonstrate time and again that they are capable of giving the same emotional punch with quiet and connection that came with volume and chaos in the early seasons

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A perfect service

Episode seven, “Caramel,” is the pinnacle of the season, the emotional finale despite the wrap-up that happens in episode eight. The episode covers the full dinner service that the team believes may well be their last.

It’s as tense as “Review” in season one, but utterly calm throughout. These characters know their shit now. We get a chance to see everyone thrive and contribute to the ultimate success of the night. Tina’s Brussels. Richie’s pre-service speech. Sydney’s Coke ribs. Pete and the party on the patio. Carmy’s brioche. Neil’s charm. They know their roles and execute them with Michelin perfection.

Most importantly, they play those roles in an interdependent dance with each other. There is no one star of this service, no MVP. They need everyone to make it work. The playing field is as equal in the back of the house as it is the front, where Marcus’s dad is treated with the same respect and care as the suspected critic. Carmy and Sydney, most of all, have finally learned to dance together in a way that highlights their strengths; Carmy knows how to manage the food and Sydney knows how to manage the people. Together, they are balance and trust.

Two specific moments both moved me deeply in different ways. First, when Marcus reveals the caramel sauce candle to his dad and, secondly, when Sydney walks through the dining room clearly believing she is saying goodbye to this experience. Both were so powerful, so quiet, so unspoken but also clear in their meaning to our beloved characters. Once again, The Bear delivers a masterclass in showing, not telling.

Episode seven holds a piece of every single thing that makes this show good. While I firmly believe season two is a perfect season of television, this episode is now my favorite standalone episode of the entire show.

Reservations

I don’t think this season is perfect. I have mixed feelings about how they used flashback clips throughout. The first few episodes dragged a tiny bit at times. Carmy’s monologue in the architect’s office in the finale felt all too reminiscent of the season four finale that I hated, even if this time it mostly works because Jeremy Allen White is so talented.

The air rights storyline felt a little silly and mostly an excuse to show us the financial stakes and give Unc, Computer, and (the delightful addition of) Elsie Fisher as Cheese something to do. I’m sure all of that had been written, at least in part, to include Rob Reiner. His presence and emotional brightness was definitely missing throughout every one of those scenes.

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Last Call

They did more than execute this ending; they gave mastery, emotion, and rich characters. If season one was about a dysfunctional restaurant (and real) family who couldn’t rely on anyone, season five is about how that family (at home and at The Bear) learned how to depend on and trust each other.

I’ll leave it to Richie and Fak to have the last words (from episode 7):

Richie: Any notes?

Fak: Not a goddamn one.

Richie: How do you feel?

Fak: I wanna say thank you.

In the past few weeks, he’s fallen in love with the music from Hamilton after a July 4th listen. He asks me to play Satisfied all the time. (What taste!) I’m reading James and the Giant Peach aloud to him. We watched Star Wars (Episode IV) for the first time with him and he loved it. We’re on the cusp of being able to share so much more of the culture and life experiences that we love with him in a direct way.

Case in point: I finally took Oliver to see Kevin play softball last night. The games are usually past bedtime, but I made an exception last night and it was such a treat for him. He was completely engaged in the game and I even managed to read a few chapters between hits because he didn’t need the constant supervision that has ruled our lives these past few years. Progress for everyone!

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

On a hot summer night, we love this easy recipe for Grilled Pizza from Smitten Kitchen. We don’t have a pizza oven, so this is the next best solution. Keep the toppings light and the dough thin-ish. I always use the fresh dough from the Publix bakery — the balls, not the pre-stretched kind! — when we make pizza, but I’ve done this with pizza dough straight from a Pillsbury can, too, and it’s still a tasty, easy, quick meal for the whole family.

One recommendation: we keep our pizza personal size. Not only does everyone get to choose their own toppings, but it also makes them much easier to flip and get on and off the grill.

Reading:

Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish (3.5 stars)

It’s no secret I think Kish is an absolute delight as the new(-ish) host of Top Chef. It was nice to learn more about her background and the journey that led her to this point. There’s nothing amazingly revelatory in this memoir, but I enjoyed it. I find her smart and charming and interesting — on tv and in writing.

Wreck by Catherine Newman (4 stars)

The sequel to the beautiful novel Sandwich, which I read a few years back (thanks for the recommendation, Mike!). Newman captures the multiplying pressures and realities of middle age with such grace and humor. Even though I’m not quite to Rocky’s stage of life yet, I can see it coming and am glad to have both fictional and real friends holding the lantern on the path ahead.

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny (4 stars)

Despite my weariness with the most recent books in this series, I was happy to come to this one again and enjoyed it even more on this second read. Penny captures the immediate-post-pandemic emotional morass so well. The mystery stays relatively small, despite grappling with big moral questions. It has everything I love about the series and I hope the future installations are closer to this than they are numbers 19 and 20, which I’m dreading a bit to get to in this reread.

Royal Spin by Omid Scobie & Robin Benway (3 stars)

If the name Omid Scobie sounds familiar to you, it’s because he’s the royal reporter who wrote Finding Freedom, the book about Harry and Meghan’s departure from the UK that was wildly rumored to be sanctioned, if not directly informed by the duo themselves. Scobie has transitioned to fiction with this novel about a White House press office up-and-comer who takes a job as the comms director at Buckingham Palace. It’s apparently also in development for TV and Scobie is a writer, co-creator, and executive producer for that effort.

The book itself is fine and fun. It gives some great glimpses into the comms and press world around the royals without actually telling us much at all. Scobie and Benway stay studiously away from any potential parallels to real British royals. I did find there to be a lack of attention to detail in the writing that was infuriating at times. The best example of this is when Lauren, our protagonist, goes to her first day of work at the Palace in a cropped pantsuit (specifically called out by brand) and proceeds to have an entire multi-scene storyline about how she has bare legs and should always wear pantyhose with a skirt.

Overall, though, this is a good pool read for a sunny summer day. None of the characters are very deep. Lauren herself is inexplicably successful for being 28 years old. There’s a bit too much gloss and success on everything she touches. But it’s quick and breezy and a good royal diversion for those of us who enjoy that world.

Watching:

Ted Lasso, season 1

We’re doing a rewatch in advance of the new season coming later this year. The first season of this show is just so good and I was reminded why we all fell in love with it in the first place. If they can recapture some of the season one vibes in the reboot, they’ll have a hit. Also, fwiw in retrospect, Nate’s character arc across the seasons really doesn’t come out of nowhere. The seeds are all there from the beginning.

On the Docket:

We’re headed to the mountains this weekend for a little relief from the heat and time with my sister and her family. It should be a lovely little diversion. We’re also starting to think about the start of the school year, which is only a month away. Oliver will be starting pre-K and I will be starting another year of trying to figure out what in the world to pack in his lunch every day.

Maybe we should do a lunch for littles roundup here at the start of August and we can all share ideas and inspiration for the new year of lunch box monotony! Anyone else interested in that?

We headed up to Michigan for the first half of last week to see my in-laws, who live in a charming little town on Lake Michigan. Summer is the loveliest time to visit and we took full advantage this year. We were down by the water almost every day we were there, including a beach day with Oliver’s cousins. Ice cream cones and sunshine and rolling waves that feel like a glass of ice water — Michigan summer perfection.

This is the first time we’ve ever made the trip in the care rather than an airplane with Oliver. It’s 11.5 hours of straight driving. We managed it in 13 both ways. We split the trip in half on the way there, but powered through in one (very long) day on the way home. Oliver talked our ears off (as he does), listened to nearly every single one of his Tonies, and finally got his hands on the iPad for a movie in the final two hours of the drive home. He was a total champ, although he did note that he’d prefer going back to flying. Haha. Me too, kid.

This was a test run for us for our holiday visit in a lot of ways and I feel confident we’ll drive then, too. It’s so freaking expensive to fly up at the holidays (or really anytime these days) and it was really nice to have our actual car with us instead of having to borrow my sister-in-law’s1. The ability to throw in whatever we wanted or needed to take instead of having to play carry-on Jenga was a game changer for us as well. For the past four years, we’ve worried about mailing gifts in advance and what Oliver would be gifted and how we’d ever be able to fit it in our luggage home. The freedom to release those logistics is a pretty nice tradeoff for a million hours in the car.

Once we were home, we had a quiet holiday weekend. We took Oliver to see his first ever fireworks show. He was so tired by the time they started that he sat in my lap and laid his head on my shoulder for the whole event. He was asleep halfway through our ten minute drive home.

While I am entirely incapable of reading or doing anything productive in the car because I get intense motion sickness, I did get a lot of reading in over the last couple of weeks. We’ve finally found a bit of a summer groove here and I’m remembering why I love this season so much, despite the 100-degree days.

One quick note before we dive in:

An absolute immense shoutout to Tracey for becoming an extremely generous founding member of my little project here. I’ve known Tracey since early in my days at Pantsuit Politics, where she is the OG Executive Producer. She’s the most fun, generous, fierce, kind person you could know and I’m so thankful to have her in my life, even now as I have moved on to a new professional chapter. Thank you, Tracey, for everything, always.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (5 stars)

I know Smith’s divorce memoir is a couple years old now, but I finally got around to it while we were in Michigan. Smith is a poet, so I shouldn’t have been blown away by the beauty of her writing, but I really was. I couldn’t put this down and was so in awe of how she captures her myriad of emotions throughout this difficult chapter. This is a must read if you haven’t already.

Reading:

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (4.5 stars)

I read this for church book club and really enjoyed it. Hannah writes nature so beautifully. I got in bed with about 150 pages left, which was a terrible mistake. I stayed up way too late to finish and then an hour or two after that because I needed to come down from the very intense last section of the book.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy (3 stars)

Have you heard of that new show Off Campus? I haven’t watched it yet, because I wanted to read the book(s) first. This first one is a straightforward romance novel about horny college students. A fun ride, but nothing amazing — at least not to me. I fully realize I’m not the target audience for this. I am interested to watch the first season of the show now and see if that pulls me in more. Looking at the cast on Google just made me feel old.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell (4 stars)

I went with a friend to see Jewell speak at a bookstore event a couple of weeks ago. As part of the event, we got a copy of her new novel, It Could Have Been Her. Jewell talked about how its protagonist is actually a character from this book, so I read it first. Jewell writes engaging, thrilling mysteries and this one fit the bill. It was a fun, quick read while we were in Michigan.

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig (3.5 stars)

This companion novel to the bestselling 2020 novel The Midnight Library is a nice story, but did not capture me in the same way its predecessor did. I’m glad I read it, but it won’t be one I remember much of by the end of the year.

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (3.5 stars)

Still plodding along in my Three Pines reread. We’re to the point now we’re I’m wondering if it’s worth rereading the rest of the series. However, with #21 coming out in October, I think I’m committed! I love the diversion to Paris in this installation (#16), but continue to struggle with the macro storylines and rewriting of some of the family history.

Watching:

The Bear, season 5

We watched all of this and I loved it! I have so many thoughts and am going to work on getting them all into a standalone post hopefully by the end of the week.

Silo, season 3 episode 1

I haven’t talked much about the Silo series by Hugh Howey here, but it’s one of my favorite series. I really loved the first season of the Apple TV+ adaptation, felt neutral about the second season, and am very worried about this third one. We watched the first episode over the weekend and both found it….boring.

My main complaint is the plot change surrounding Juliet’s memory. Part of what makes the series so great is Juliet’s dogged approach to solving the mysteries of the silo and doing the best for the people within it. Taking away her agency really kills the momentum of the story for me. They need to resolve that quickly to keep us engaged.

I’ll watch it through to the end (season four) without a doubt, but color me skeptical. I do like how they are interspersing the flashbacks and think it will make that book two reveal so much more powerful when they drop it. My guess is that will happen at the end of this season.

Cooking:

I made these glorious Lemon Possets (NYT Cooking) for a July 4th cookout with friends. Scooping out the lemons was a very annoying task (that Kevin kindly jumped in and did most of), but well worth it for the end result. I mean, look at those! They were light and delicious and perfect for an almost 100 degree day.

In the last week, I also made:

• Chicken Caprese Salad With Avocado (Joyful Healthy Eats) - Simple and good.

• Grilled Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls (Damn Delicious) - Marinating the shrimp took this over the top into a must-repeat. Even Oliver, who has been largely skeptical of shrimp, ate quite a few.

• Brined Pork Chops with Peach-Ginger Glaze (Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee) - I really wanted this recipe to be delicious, in part because it was so much damn work. Unfortunately, it didn’t really land for us and now we have a lot of leftovers.

On the Docket:

We’re just past the halfway point of summer here. My goal is to be better about carving out some time to personally enjoy it. I’ve mostly been heads down working hard for the public launch of my new work, but I know I need to get myself some solo pool time before the opportunities to do that slip away for the year.

We also really need to get on our family summer wish list, which exists but is still mostly unplanned. We want to see some baseball and do some other activities that require some foresight.

Now that we’re fully into the height of summer, how are you spending your days?

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

Widow’s Bay, season 1

If you aren’t already watching this Apple TV+ comedy horror, get on it ASAP. This is the show of the summer. It’s smart, funny, genuinely scary at times, and so, so well acted and written. I cannot say enough about it. We loved every episode, right through to the finale.

Matthew Rhys is brilliant in it (he deserves an Emmy for this performance) and supported by a stellar cast. The writing is pitch perfect, which is particularly impressive given the delicate balance between laugh lines, character development, building lore, and keeping you on your toes for the next truly scary moment.

Even if you don’t do horror, which I mostly don’t, you should watch this. The few truly scary moments are more than counterbalanced by the rest of it for me. I can’t wait for season two, which I hope we’ll get promptly in time for the next summer season.

Reading:

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (4.5 stars)

The official description of this book starts by calling it “A breathtaking reimagining of Cinderella.” Honestly, the marketing department nailed it. It’s a centuries-old story with versions told across cultures in hundreds of ways. Still, Hochhauser makes it feel fresh with this take, told from the perspective of Cinderella’s “evil” stepmother.

This book is very smartly constructed. It’s a balancing act of hitting the traditional story beats while also setting them up in a way that makes us sympathetic to lady Tremaine. There’s no magic (a choice I loved) and no character is as simple as you expect them to be. Everyone is complicated and messy, which is exactly how I like my characters. The writing is also the right level of self-aware for someone with such a fresh take on such an old story.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (3 stars)

This was a fun little story about a teenage girl who must defend her city with her magic power over baked goods. It’s not long and a nice balance of whimsy and adventure.

Watching:

Rooster, season 1

Steve Carrell’s latest project (on HBO) casts him as an author and visiting college professor to a small, private, liberal arts school where his adult daughter also teaching and is in process of divorcing yet another professor. Kevin and I, who both spent the majority of our careers in higher education but are there no longer, are really enjoying this. It’s a satiric exaggeration of higher ed, to be sure, but also the vibes are spot on.

This show is about loneliness. It’s not in your face about it, but every character is lonely and doesn’t know how to bridge that chasm to the person they want to connect with.

The show is definitely imperfect, but we liked it a lot. Plus, there is a couch fucking joke in a scene that literally includes a random character named JD. How can I not love a show that laid that subtle reference in there for those of us who disdain the Vice President of the United States?

The Four Seasons, season 2

So much Steve Carrell in my viewing lately! No complains here. Although Carrell appears only in a limited capacity in the second season of this Netflix show, his character’s presence is very much felt throughout the season. The cast continues to be fabulous in their portrayal of the complexities of middle-aged relationships and the writing continues to be smart. I didn’t find the narrative structure quite as tight this season, but I still really enjoyed it and was glad to see it got renewed for a third season.

Cooking:

Oliver and I made these Berry Cheesecake Parfaits (recipe long since gone from the internet) for Father’s Day. It was one of the first times he was actually engaged while we cooked together. He loved assembling his own, too. We used all berries that we’ve gotten from our CSA box this summer, which made them extra delicious.

I also went back to a summer standard for us this week: Salmon with Basil Sauce and Tomato Salad (Pinch of Yum) to use up some things we already had on hand in the fridge and our garden. We’re doing our best to keep our expenses down as I am building something new professionally2. Mostly, it’s a pain to be adding costs in my head as I grocery shop, but it’s a good exercise, too. It’s stretching me creatively and it’s been a wonderful reminder for us of how lucky we are to not do that most of the time. I spent most of my life being careful with small costs like that. It’s a skill I’m grateful to have, even if I hope to be using it only for a short time in this season.

In that vein, I’m also doing my best to batch meals for the freezer so we have quick, easy options on nights we’re tempted to order out. I made these Breakfast Burritos (Munchin’ with Maddie) last week and they are really good! I pulled one out of the freezer for lunch today, in fact.

On the Docket:

We’re heading to visit my in-laws this weekend. Between that and the holiday (no summer camp), I’ll be in family mode next week. I don’t plan to post here. You can catch me back here after the 4th. I hope you have a wonderful start to July and that Independence Day meets you wherever you are this year in your relationship to America.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

‘Tis the season and I’m going to repeat verbatim what I said last year about peaches. Since writing this, the lovely Danielle Adair has titled this dish “Peaches a la Alise” and I’ve never been more flattered in my entire life.

Reading:

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (3 stars)

Despite being first released in 2020, this LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game — a new term for me!) series is suddenly taking off. I have several friends who are reading and talking about it, so I picked up the first book and tore through it.

It’s a fun, kooky world with lots of violence and dark humor. It felt like the closest thing to reading a graphic novel without the graphics. I definitely will read the next one, but I am hesitant to buy in on the whole series yet unless Dinniman levels up (no pun intended) his plot twists. By the end of this book, I was already feeling a bit fatigued with the cadences of battles and scavenging. It felt a bit like the Red Rising series to me in the sense that I am just not captivating by reading about physical fighting, so those sections quickly become invitations to skim. I also don’t play video games like this, so I know I’m missing some of the connection to the details of the world that other readers surely enjoy.

However, the characters are fun and easy to root for and I’m glad I read it.

Kingdom of the Blind and A Better Man by Louise Penny (3 and 3.5 stars)

I continue marching on in my reread of the entire Chief Inspector Gamache series in advance of the Common Ground Pilgrimages trip this fall. We’re solidly into the part of the series where things begin to stale for me. Gamache feels foreign in his values and motivations and Penny seems to be spinning her wheels a bit as to what to do with these characters. A Better Man has all the elements that should make it one of the better iterations in this series. Yet, the life isn’t there in the same way.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am right in the thick of the time period when Penny lost her beloved husband of many years, who was the inspiration for Gamache. You can feel her grief and uncertain footing all over these books. Knowing that, it feels unfair to judge them in comparison to the earlier works.

Watching:

Top Chef, season 23 finale

As fun as it was to have Top Chef in our backyard this season, I’ve found this season overall to be fairly lackluster. Even the finale didn’t feel like it had the same intensity and stakes. Perhaps because they filmed it in Charlotte like the rest of the season, perhaps because I wasn’t as invested, perhaps because they didn’t seem as awed by the food as usual.

So much of this season was very clearly affected by budget cuts. I think the production team did what they could to create the same show with more limited resources. What I would rather see next season, assuming the cuts and reduced sponsorships persist, is some creative approaches to keep things feeling fresh. When Kristen Kish started as host, they made some rule changes and adjustments. I don’t want major changes every season, but 23 seasons in, I’m ok if they keep us guessing a bit more.

Swiss Family Robinson

We watched the 1960 classic with Oliver for the first time this weekend. I’d probably cite this as our first real family movie night, in that it wasn’t a selection chosen purely for him but also a movie my husband and I enjoyed as kids. He was captivated and loved all the traps they set for the pirates in the final act. There are certainly some outdated views of women and South Asian people (as exemplified by the pirates), but overall this movie holds up as a really nice, family-friendly adventure story.

Greenland and Greenland 2

Fun fact about me: I love a disaster movie. We watched Greenland (staring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin) back when it came out in 2020. It’s a pretty standard addition to the genre. Not good enough to be great; not bad enough to be great, but a fun ride regardless.

They just released a sequel on HBO, so we watched both this weekend. The second succeeds in being the disaster (no pun intended) its predecessor wasn’t. It’s so bad it becomes good.

If you don’t like disaster movies, definitely skip these. But, if you also enjoy cackling at obvious continuity errors and plot holes while the world (literally) burns, these are fun action adventures to take in on a lazy summer night.

Cooking:

Week two of our local CSA subscription brought us a head of cabbage (which I gave away to neighbors), some pattypan squash (which I’d never heard of!), some peppers, and both strawberries and blackberries. That, plus the explosion of peak stone fruit in the grocery is bringing me lots of summer joy.

I made this Creamy One-Pot Orzo With Corn and Bacon (NYTimes Cooking) last weekend. It was fine, although I don’t think I’ll make it again. I also roasted chicken thighs with our CSA turnips and some broccoli, which turned out quite nicely. I made a summer kale salad with the final bit of our kale from last week’s box (kale, pecans, peaches, goat cheese, some chicken tenderloins, a lime vinaigrette) and that was lovely as well. We also ordered a pizza one night because we just couldn’t with the healthy eating for so many nights in a row. Haha. That’s real life.

On the Docket:

We have very low-key Father’s Day plans this weekend. Kevin has requested grilled salmon and green beans, which is a super easy meal to deliver.

Outside of the family movie night, we’re limiting screen time as much as possible for Oliver this summer because we see such a direct correlation to his ability to handle his emotions and listen well. It makes the long evenings (summer camp ends at 3) a little harder for us, but also has pushed us to get more creative in the activities we do together. Last weekend, we let him stay up late one night to catch fireflies and see the stars. Last night, I took him to the library, then read the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories to him while we laid in the hammock together. He wears us out, but those are the idyllic moments when I’m so grateful to just be present.

So, here’s to more of those moments this weekend and through the rest of the summer.

We were lucky that Niki got us a reservation. When we arrived, there was a line going down the sidewalk for people without them and our server confirmed that’s a nightly occurrence for them. If you’re in the Greenville area, definitely check it out, but do so when you have a table waiting for you!

On another note: Thanks so much to for shouting me out in her piece about Top Chef last week. She shares about her own experiences of being on cooking competition shows in a way I found interesting and smart. She also made exactly the point I’ve been saying about Sieger - don’t bite the hand that feeds you because these are the people who can bring you back for future televised opportunities!

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (4 stars)

I’ve been saving this fourth and final book in Chambers’ Wayfarers series because I wanted to savor it. While I didn’t love it quite as much as the third one (Record of a Spaceborn Few), it was a lovely last journey to this world. If you haven’t read the series, I highly recommend it!

Watching:

Hacks, the finale season

I’ve generally really enjoyed this show and was glad to spend a little more time with Deborah and Ava, even though it’s clear ending with season four would’ve been a stronger move. I did enjoy this season, but found it lacking its predecessors on almost every front. The finale, in particular, was lovely but struck a very different tone that felt discordant from the rest of the show.

The Four Seasons, season 1

Kevin was sick last week and I went looking for something new to watch while he convalesced early. Since the second season of this Netflix show just came out, it was all over my algorithm again and I finally took the bait this time. I loved it. Laughed out loud throughout. Found it moving and relatable at moments. I especially enjoyed the format of two short episodes for each seasonal getaway as a storytelling device. I have mixed feelings about how they ended the season, but am looking forward to watching season two.

Cooking:

We got our first CSA box (of an 8-week summer subscription), which is already doing exactly what I intended it to: challenge me to incorporate more vegetables into my cooking and challenge my creativity. We got kale, red lettuce, turnips, yellow squash, and strawberries.

The squash for quite small (about 3-4 inches in length), so I halved them and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest before putting them on the grill alongside some salmon marinated in soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and garlic. We ate it along a simple salad with the lettuce. It turned out great, was so healthy and fresh, and is exactly the kind of meal I want on a hot summer night.

On the Docket:

The summer heat and humidity has fully arrived here in North Carolina, so we are living at the pool. Oliver and I already have notable tans1 and I’m loving it. We’re finding the big decrease in screen time, as well as the return to some routine with the start of summer camps, is helping his behavior enormously. Three cheers for as little screen time as possible for all of us in the summer.

Perhaps you’re here because you heard I have some new things happening in my life. I wrapped up my work at Pantsuit Politics at the end of May. In the end, the timing was quick because of some logistical alignment behind the scenes, but I’ve been moving in this direction for several months and am excited to be starting a new chapter. I have a few irons in the fire and will have more to say about them soon. For today, though, rest assured that I’m delighted to have some time to slow down and enjoy the summer.

I started this space as a place to talk about the ways I spend my limited leisure time as a working mom of a 4yo. Each week, I share the things I read, watched, cooked, and enjoyed as a person in the world. I’m not on any timeline but my own and mostly want to create a space for us all to share the vast and varied things that bring us joy in the moments we have for ourselves, whatever our lives look like. So, if you’re new here, welcome!

Last week, I shared my experience attending a Top Chef event here in Charlotte, so we have two weeks of marginalia to catch up on together!

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee (5 stars)

I know it’s a bit cliché, but To Kill a Mockingbird has long been my favorite book. I’ve read it many times and really am due for another go. I first read it in a middle school English class. It was the first book that I ever read as literature, talking about themes and author intent and character development and all the things. I had loved books basically since birth, but it was the Finch family that was my welcoming committee to the new world of reading with deeper purpose.

This new release is a collection of short stories and essays that Harper Lee wrote over the years. There’s some rough draft energy in some of it, but that is part of what I found really wonderful about reading this. In the short stories, you can see the early ideas for TKAM begin to form in her mind and take shape on the page.

Lee was such a beautiful, talented writer. We got so little of her work, which is part of what makes it particularly special. This collection gives readers a glimpse into her world, fictional and personal. If you, like me, love TKAM, this is a very enjoyable read.

Reading:

A Great Reckoning by Louis Penny (4 stars)

Armand Gamache takes a new job at the Sûreté Academy to help reset the organization from the roots. A personal connection to a cadet, the murder of a rival, and a mysterious map back home in Three Pines all converge in this 12th installment of the series.

It’s an enjoyable read and also the first time I start to see real cracks in the Gamache of the earlier half of the series. Penny’s real-life inspiration for Gamache, her husband, was suffering from dementia while she wrote this book and would die not long after. As Beth Silvers and I have discussed many times, Gamache loses some of his shine when Penny lost her husband and you can really start to see it here.

Glass Houses by Louise Penny (3 stars)

If you can start to see the change in Gamache in A Great Reckoning, it’s shouting from every page here. Penny lost her husband in the midst of writing this book and, with him, lost the moral center for Gamache. As I’ve written about before, the Gamache of the first ten books in the series feels different than the Gamache of the second ten books (this is book #13). He’s willing not just to step into moral gray areas but embrace them and cross lines he never would have before. Granted, he has been through a lot on our shared journey, but still. I like him better when he is upholding both his morals and the law.

This book also feels like a turning point with the character of Ruth. While she has been drunk and angry and hurt since the start of the series, this book suddenly starts to make her feel crazy, too. I don’t love that change at all. She was already a really interesting, complex character — one of my favorites, in fact. Taking away some semblance of her sanity lessens her for me.

Finally, the massive drug storyline here makes me tired. I don’t want huge international intrigues. I want cozy mysteries in Three Pines or other insulated places where we can really focus on our characters.

If I had started with this book (like my friend Courtney!), I don’t think I would have gone back for any more of the series. What keeps me reading at this point is the deep love I have for this world and these characters.

The List by Robert Whitlow (1 stars)

Read this for my church book club and it was the worst thing I’ve read in a long time. The premise was promising, but the execution and writing were terrible and the whole thing became a protracted sermon rather than anything with a reasonable plot.

The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker (3 stars)

Speaking of cozy mystery vibes, this second book of the Bruno, Chief of Police series is hitting where I wish Gamache still did. Thanks to my friend Mike for the recommendation of this series. While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first, I also am excited to keep going with this series and get to know these characters better. This one centered around wine making and vineyard intrigue, so it had the extra fun layer for me of learning a lot about something I already am interested in.

Watching:

Silo season 3 trailer

I am hella nervous about this. The Silo series by Hugh Howey is one of my favorite book series of all time. I loved the first season of the adaptation. Season 2 felt shaky. This trailer for season 3 - which releases in July - has me very stressed.

Shrinking, season 3

We struggled with the first half of this season, but it found it footing again by the end. I’m eager to see what they do with the reported time jump and reset for the characters in season four.

Three Pines (Amazon Prime adaptation)

At points watching this show, I felt like I wasn’t even watching the same stories I had read. Beyond plot and character changes (some of which I understood from an adaptation perspective and others which made me want to flip my tv), the vibe of the show is wrong. What makes Three Pines special is its ambiance. There’s a feeling of community and care. The best books in the series are the ones that retain that now-industry-cliché feeling of “cozy mystery” and the show missed that entirely. The characters aren’t warm; they come across as suspicious instead of complex. Myrna is sketchy; Gabri lacks his humor; the Morrows are unlikable. The only character who comes off better on screen than on page is Ruth, of all people!

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

I absolutely loved this adaptation of the book by Rufi Thorpe. 5 stars all around. Amazing cast, great writing, stayed pretty true to the book and retained its spirit when it did not. I can’t wait to see this stellar show make its way through awards season.

Cooking:

I’ve been in a cooking slump lately and feel like I broke it this week. Such a lovely feeling. Things I made and enjoyed:

• Farro With Blistered Tomatoes, Pesto and Spinach (NYTimes Cooking) - Really delicious and will definitely make again!

• Golden Hour Chicken (Bri McKoy) - Omg yes. Crispy chicken thighs with a delectable peach and shallot pan sauce. Perfection.

• Turkey sausage and veggies - I threw some turkey sausage on a sheet pan with corn (cut off the cob), cherry tomatoes, sliced zucchini, and some fresh thyme. I hit the veggies with some a Penzeys spice blend got me and threw everything in the oven at 425 for 30 minutes. Delicious, healthy, and a great way to clean out the fridge.

• Lasagna Roll-Ups (Natasha’s Kitchen) - I do a big meal prep once a quarter or so in order to have some easy backup options on nights I don’t feel like cooking. I made 7 pans of these for our freezer. They aren’t glamorous, but they are filling and do the job, especially if you serve alongside a salad and some garlic Texas toast.

• Lidl frozen croissants - I discovered last week that you can buy Lidl croissants frozen and bake them off at home. This is going to be a terrible discovery for my cholesterol because there’s no breakfast I love more than a warm croissant.

On the Docket:

Summertime is officially here and I’m so ready to let it wash over me with its hot days and lazy afternoons at the pool and extra reading time and late, warm evenings with the sun still up.

Getting Invited

Niki and I both filled out an interest form for local residents early in the filming schedule. The production team reached out to Niki and invited her to the episode 12 Appalachian Celebration challenge. She got no information other than a date (September 25), the loose area filming would be (Monroe, NC), and a time range. She had to confirm interest for herself and a plus one. Lucky me, Niki’s husband has food allergies, so she invited me to come with her.

In retrospect, we feel confident she was selected because she lives outside of Asheville; many others we chatted with were from that area as well. That was the part of the state they were highlighting with this episode and challenge, despite the fact that Monroe is on the southeast side of Charlotte, three hours away from Asheville. We had questions about that for sure.

We got confirmation very late Tuesday evening for a Thursday morning filming. We were not given the specific time or location until Wednesday evening. Instructions in that Wednesday email included a dress code and shared that the event would have “upscale food festival” vibes.

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Arrival

We were two of two hundred guests that day. Arrival times were staggered. We had requested to be in a later group because I needed to drop Oliver off at school that morning and it was about an hour drive in morning traffic from my house (where Niki spent the night) to the farm in Monroe where filming happened.

Once we got there, we parked in a field and were directed to a covered pavilion where there were double check-in lines. First, we signed an NDA and had a quick photo taken to file with our names. The second line was clearly some sort of screening as well as a moment to receive a bit more instruction. There was a staffer who pulled a few people out of that line. We never got clarity on why these two lines were separate or why some people got pulled out of the second line other than they were obviously of some sort of interest to production.

On this very, very hot day in late September, we hung out under and near the pavilion for a while until production was ready for us. There were coolers of drinks around and lots of golf cart activity happening around our area and across the pond.

They sent diners in two groups of 100. We were in the second group, because of our later call time, although we had arrived in plenty of time before the first group went. We waited about another hour after the first group went back for our group to be called.

We walked around the pond to a second staging area with a parking lot (they drove any attendees who needed assistance), another building, and pathways into the woods.

We were given clear instructions multiple times to not approach the judges as we were told, “they are working.” We were also told explicitly not to go back for seconds. Otherwise, we did not get a lot of instruction.

Our group had to wait in that second staging area as the crew filmed the judges walking into the woods where service was. There was lots of quiet murmuring through our little crowd as people identified the guest judges from afar and made guesses at how many chefs would be left at this point.

The Event Experience

The event was framed as a benefit for the anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which we had been told in advance. We were encouraged to bring food donations, which they repackaged into Whole Foods bags with a prominent, on-camera spot on the way into the event area. There were also QR codes and a follow-up email to solicit donations.

As we walked back into the woods, it was immediately apparent that someone (production, presumably) had cleared out a portion of a hiking trail so we wouldn’t be in the hot sun. There were string lights and cocktail tables and a video village setup across from the line of chef stations. We got warned about poison ivy multiple times, although no warnings about snakes. Thank goodness. I would’ve lost my mind if that snake had showed up near me.

The locale was beautiful and they really did a great job making it feel nice for a random spot in the woods. You could tell that day that it was going to look so good on camera. We figured it would play on TV as an evening event, but it started at 10:30am with food service over lunchtime hours, so don’t be fooled! I’m sure we started that early to try to beat the heat. Which we did not.

It was really fun to see all the camera operators and often be able to see the shot they were getting and how they were framing it. There were tons of production staff everywhere you turned. It was all a well-oiled machine, albeit one running some well-managed chaos.

Niki and I strategically bounced around to try to avoid getting caught in any particularly long station line. We are both introverted observers who wanted to remember everything. We knew better than to take our phones out1, so it felt a bit like we were (pleasantly) constantly narrating what was happening to each other trying to commit it to memory.

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The Chefs

Our perception of the event was that it was the final eight chefs. What we learned later while watching the season, is that Top Chef production purposefully fakes out attendees at an event like this by bringing in the most recently eliminated chefs to compete as well. So sneaky and so smart!

Oscar, Duyen, and Anthony all had stations tucked into a corner at the far end of the space. Only in retrospect did we realize they were out of most camera lines with fewer cocktail tables and meddling producers down that way.

The five chefs still in competition were Jonathan, Sherry, Laurence, Rhoda, and Sieger. Their stations were lined up in that order along one side of the event space.

Each station had a little placard with the chef’s name and their dish. There were cocktail tables spread throughout the woods with the designated judges’ table right in the middle of the action.

It was so fun to see their personalities and culinary backgrounds shine in their approach to the cuisine. I could really taste the different backgrounds in the food, even with some specific Appalachian ingredients and flavors as a connecting line throughout the dishes.

Eating Top Chef Food

For me personally, there were three very evident tiers of quality, so I’ll use those to guide my memories of the food itself.

You can imagine my absolute dismay that my top two picks were both actually eliminated chefs. I do wonder how much that impacted what they were able to present to us. I can see several different versions of how that could play out for someone psychologically — or even in just how much sleep and stress they have experienced in recent days!

TOP TIER

1. Oscar (steak taco) — This was our easy winner. The steak was amazing. It was strong and balanced. The flavors lingered. My only complaint is that the tortilla completely fell apart; it was too wet. He heated our tortillas to order and they really needed 30 more seconds on the griddle to hold together better. It was the dish I most wanted more of as we left.
   Oscar was also the most charismatic of all the chefs. He was charming and knew how to work the crowd. He told us he was the “rule breaker — you’ll see!” I don’t know that we necessarily saw that come to fruition this season, but there was a lot of other drama to cover, so maybe some of his storylines didn’t make the cut. Or maybe he just likes to think of himself as the bad boy.

2. Anthony (pork w/ succotash) — This was so good. The seasoning was absolutely perfect and so delicious. The pork was super tender. It only suffered from the fact that we had just eaten Oscar’s taco. Anthony was pretty shy-seeming, but we also know now he had just been eliminated, so I’m sure it was hard for him to show up and do the work while still processing his own exit.

TIER TWO

3. Jonathan (trout cake) — We got the last one to split2 of these thanks to Niki’s quick action while I was in line at Sherry’s station! I thought it was good, but a bit over-salted. It was also the last thing we ate, so I wonder how much our perception was accurate by that point. I also wonder, now having watched the episode, if eating it alongside Sherry’s fritter changed our thoughts. We found Sherry’s fritter bland, which could have helped us not be bothered by the imbalance of flavor the judges found in Jonathan’s dish.

4. Duyen (crab curry with butter poached shrimp) — This was very good, but I want this in February, not on a 90-degree day. The shrimp was perfect. Niki thought it didn’t feel like a complete dish and needed rice or something. I don’t totally disagree, but I did like how much crab was in the curry. Duyen was as gorgeous in person as she is on screen.

5. Rhoda (cabbage roll) — I don’t love cabbage, but the flavors were good here. The chili crisp on top was delicious, but I wanted more of that. It needed more texture for me. Everything put the crisp was soft. I couldn’t believe how well Rhoda’s makeup was holding up in the heat.

6. Laurence (catfish sandwich) — This was the first thing we ate. The cook on the fish was absolutely spot on. I was so impressed that he had executed that element so well in the middle of the woods. However, none of the other flavors shone through to me. I loved it at first, but it fell in my rankings as we ate other, more flavorful things. In retrospect, I think I’d rank it higher, especially knowing now that he made the bread!

TIER THREE (no thank you)

7. Sieger (chicken liver) — This is exactly what I wrote that night after the event and woo boy does it hold up after seeing the episode: You know the contestant who won’t shut up and it feels like they are overcompensating for their food? That was this guy. I could be wrong, but I felt like Tom was annoyed with him, too.
   We may not have been right that his attitude was one of overcompensating, as he clearly believed deeply in his food, but I think we nailed Tom’s vibes and Sieger’s general attitude perfectly. That exit — yikes.

8. Sherry (fritter) — This was the most shocking to watch back months later. The judges really liked her dish, but we didn’t at all. Plus, that day, it felt clear to us that she was having a rough day. Now, having watched the season I wonder if that’s her vibe all the time. We remarked when the judges were at her table that she was radiating anxiety. The fritter itself was bland. The shrimp was overcooked. It was the only thing I didn’t have more than two bites of. It was also one of the last things we ate. Maybe it just wasn’t for us, as the judges seemed to like it just fine. But it did feel a little wild to watch them have such a different opinion!

Near the end of our experience, as we were eating Sherry and Jonathan’s dishes, a producer placed a microphone (hidden in a floral centerpiece) in front of Niki and I and asked us to talk about the dishes. Neither of us enjoyed Sherry’s, so that was mostly what they wanted to capture. It was hard to recreate the comments we had literally just said to each other in a natural way. We didn’t end up in the episode as that clearly our thoughts didn’t fit the episode narrative, but it was fun get a taste of that part of the experience as well.

Heading Home

Once Niki and I had eaten all the food and seen what we wanted to see, it became clear that the only reason to hang around was to try to end up in the background of shots of the judges. We’re not those people and Niki had a long drive home ahead of her, so we headed out. There was no formal check-out process at all, but the production team still in the check-in area thanked us as we left.

Once in the car, full and giddy from our time, we frantically tried to recall everything that had happened into some notes so we would remember. We knew it would be would likely be at least six months before this episode aired,3 so I’m really glad we took the initiative to write down as much as we could from the experience.

It was a really wonderful experience and I’m so grateful I got to go. It definitely changed the way I watched this season, but that was fun in its own way as well. Now, for the first time, I’m going into the new episodes with no inkling of what comes next. My money is on Laurence or Rhoda to win, but this season has been a surprising one in many ways, so I guess we’ll all find out together in a few weeks!

I can’t believe we’re already through Oliver’s preschool year. It’s been a wonderful one for him and we’re so pleased with his experience. His last day is tomorrow and then we’re off into the wild world of summer without full-time childcare. He’s going a bunch of camps, but those don’t start until June. Should be interesting!

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty (4 stars)

I absolutely devoured this second book in the Amina Al-Sirafi series this weekend. I loved the first one earlier this spring and grabbed this from the library practically on release day. These books are fun and interesting with great characters and engaging plots. It will be so hard to wait for the next one now that I’ve found the series!

Reading:

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (3 stars)

Upon reread of the series, this book is a turning point. Penny wrapped up a variety of storylines in book ten (The Long Way Home) and comes into this one with fresh ideas, a fresh villain, and a new tone. I can see in this book the puzzle pieces laid out that lead us through the next ten books in the series. Ten books I like decidedly less than the first ten. I’m still glad to be rereading in advance of the Common Ground Pilgrimage Beth Silvers and I are leading to Quebec this fall, but it’s clear to me now that this second set of ten books is different than the first in many ways. I can only hope that when book #21 comes out this fall, it will be another fresh start and take a different path than books 11-20.

Watching:

Big Mistakes, season 1

We watched this new show from Dan Levy on Netflix over the last few weeks and thought it was pretty decent. It’s not amazing, but it’s interesting enough and funny at moments. In short, Levy’s character and his complicated family get mixed up with the NJ mob while his mom is running for mayor of their town. The plot is pretty simple and even episodic at times, but no one writes sibling and complex family relationships with honesty and humor better than Levy.

Plus, it’s a wonderful cast, including a standout performance from Laurie Metcalf as Levy’s mom.

Cooking:

We kept it pretty simple this week. The biggest meal I made was Chicken Saltimbocca (America’s Test Kitchen, Cooking for Two cookbook) on Sunday night with an easy salad and some rolls from the freezer.

On the Docket:

We’re full on into end-of-school-year mode over here. You can find our crew at the pool every available hour until further notice.

The one real downside was that we had planned on doing nice takeout for dinner and I’d forgotten that nearly everywhere halfway decent in this county is closed on Sundays. C’est la vie. I ran to Publix and got us some steaks, creamed spinach, and a nice bottle of wine. That did the job just fine.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage (4.5 stars)

Well, this was a delight. Lexi Villiers is in her third year of residency in Tasmania when her life is turned upside down and she’s returned back to the royal palace under a cloud of family tragedy. Suddenly, she’s the heir apparent to the throne of England and has some decisions to make.

I thought this novel was so fun and a nice twist on many of the royal fiction that has come out in the last decade or so. Armitage clearly pulled a lot of inspiration from the real British royals, but kept things just different enough to keep you wondering and waiting for how she’d roll out her version of their story.

My biggest complaint is that the Prince Andrew stand-in wasn’t actually villainous enough. I get that Armitage didn’t want to bring pedophilia and rape vibes into her story, but it’s hard to have a Prince Andrew character come across as slimy enough for your villain role when the real guy sucks so much.

I almost wish I’d saved this to read by the pool this summer, but am glad I didn’t wait. It was a fun escape at a time when I needed that.

Reading:

The Compound by Aisling Rawle (3 stars)

Lily wakes up in a desert compound with strangers, the kickoff to her reality tv journey. Contestants are forced to pair up and receive increasingly elaborate prizes for completing tasks alone and together. This was an entertaining read with some surprisingly deep moments.

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (3 stars)

This isn’t my favorite of the series and that held true on reread. As book ten, it feels like a real turning point in the series in a lot of ways. I’ve started book eleven and you can feel that Penny was giving herself and her characters a bit of a fresh start there. I don’t know if she meant it at the time of writing, but this book reads like it was meant to tie up some loose ends before introducing new ideas.

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell (4 stars)

Grab this one for an afternoon by the pool this summer. I’ve always really enjoyed Rainbow Rowell’s work, but especially now that she’s carving a lane for herself writing about very normal grown-up relationships and the complications that arise in them. This is romance with the pragmatism and complexity of middle age.

Watching:

Gary, the standalone episode of The Bear

The Bear team surprised us all this week and dropped a standalone flashback episode of the series last week, presumably in anticipation of the upcoming final season (which lands on June 25). The episode follows Mikey and Richie as they take a trip down to Gary, Indiana for Uncle Jimmy. It delivers all the emotional highs and lows we’ve come to expect from the show, along with masterful acting from Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, who wrote the episode.

It’s a hard episode to watch in many ways. Though it’s set five years before the series, all the warning signs for Mikey’s addiction and mental health problems are on display. The emotional peak of the episode has him behaving so much like his mother does in the incredible Fishes episode from season 2. It’s powerful and heartbreaking.

The episode ends with a flashback to the current timeline and a cliffhanger that I assume is meant to lead us into season five. This episode is clearly both a chance for these actors to play in this sandbox a little longer and also an incredibly smart play to remind viewers why they fell hard for this show in the first place and entice them back for the final season. Like many people, I found the most recent season to be the weakest and really did not enjoy the finale. It’s both smart and a bit baffling to put out a standalone episode like this that ends with something that will presumably be a key plot point at the start of the season.

I guess we have to wait 6 weeks to see what happens next and if the strategy paid off.

Hacks, season 5, through episode 7

We’re in the middle of the final season and you can really feel that. While I loved The Amazing Race episode, it mostly feels like we’re getting some filler before we head into the final stretch. I’ve loved this show, but it’s the right time to wrap it up.

Widow’s Bay, season 1, episodes 1-3

This new comedy horror from Apple TV+ has us hooked. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a show where I both laughed out loud multiple times each episode and was genuinely scared. I can’t wait to see what they do with this.

Cooking:

I made these Chicken Piccata Meatballs (The Beach House Kitchen) last week with some chicken meatballs I already had made and frozen. I thought they were decent, but if I did them again, I’d use the piccata sauce recipe I usually use instead. It has no shallots and more lemon and just suits our taste better.

On the Docket:

Right as I was finishing up this post, I got a notification from Libby that my hold on The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty is ready to borrow! You may remember I read the first book (The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi) back in the spring and loved it. I can’t wait to get into this one.

I also really need to find my groove in the kitchen again. I’m feeling my typical end-of-season malaise about all my options. I’m ready for summer produce and it’s not quite here yet. Give me some easy inspiration with what you’re cooking right now! Bonus points if you’re using the grill, because that’s all I want to do this time of year.

I spent most of Sunday afternoon in the yard getting it ready for spring. I deadheaded the first round of blooms on our rose bushes (which get more full and productive every year). I thinned the peachlets on our trees again, still dreaming of sun-warmed peaches with every minute I spent on that. I chatted with Anthropic’s AI system, Claude, about what to do with the remains of our various spring flowers — what will come back, what needs culled, how to get seeds for replanting, etc. I also planted fresh basil since the animals got the seedlings I had started earlier in the year.

It’s cliché but true that time outdoors does wonders for the soul. It was so refreshing to work with my hands in the dirt for a while. It was particularly lovely because our 4yo spent the whole time playing happily on his own inside.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

American Fiction

For our movie date night this month, I picked the 2023 film American Fiction, in which Jeffrey Wright leads an all-star cast as author Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison. The movie got five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but I don’t remember hearing much about it at the time. That was a stacked year for movies and I imagine this would’ve gotten more attention in a different year.

I quite enjoyed the movie. Both the script and the actors were fabulous. It’s a smart and, at times, funny story about a Black author who writes a satirical novel to pander to publishers and progressive white readers and finds unexpected and unwanted success. Meanwhile, he is dealing with complex family dynamics and a new relationship.

If you, like I, missed this one back in 2023, it’s well worth taking the time for it now. I think it speaks to the complexity of American racial dynamics in a post-2020 world really well, while also delivering complicated characters and a compelling story.

Reading:

I hit the Yesteryear conversation just in time last week! You all clearly have polarizing thoughts about it and I’ve seen many, many pieces here on Substack this week about the book. I’ve thought a lot more about the book in the past week.

More than anything, I think what is making this book a hit is how it’s practically a blank slate for controversy. It tiptoes close to giving commentary on so many really interesting aspects of our current culture, but Burke stops short of making many definitive statements. She leaves it to the reader to fill in the colors on her characters’ motivations and what she might have been saying about the world she put them in.

She gave the world an entry point to argue about some of the hottest topics in our cultural conversations right now. I’m certain the dialogue about this book is only getting started and will get a lot hotter as we go. People are going to continue to find this one deeply polarizing with good reason.

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (4 stars)

As much as I’ve been loving this stretch of my Chief Inspector Gamache re-read, this one wavers a bit for me. Penny once again puts Gamache and crew at the center of a conspiratorial plot, the biggest yet. My favorite books in this series are the ones that stay more insular and character-focused, rather than the ones that veer toward reading like a thriller.

Watching:

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, season 1

We finished the first season of this NBC/Peacock show starring Tracey Jordan and Daniel Radcliffe. It was fun. It screams Tina Fey’s brand of comedy, but we generally like her work. If she’s not your flavor, definitely skip this one. I didn’t find it to be anything particularly glorious, but it was fun and easy. I’m interested to see if it is a comedy that gets stronger in a second season as it gets to know its characters better or if it stagnates and the conceit gets old quickly. It could go either way right now, but I’m hopeful.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles, episodes 4-5

I’m still really enjoying this adaptation. It’s striking the right balance of fun and heartful for me. I definitely was not expecting Nicole Kidman’s character to be introduced to us through the wrestling world, but I liked how they changed things a bit to get her into the story earlier. That is the first major story change I noticed; I hope they continue to stay pretty true to the novel.

Cooking:

Sunday night, I made Chicken Francese (America’s Test Kitchen) with mashed potatoes and Charred Snap Peas (What’s Gaby Cooking cookbook). It was so good and tasted like spring in the best way. I could drown in that lemon beurre blanc and die happy.

We also had a special empanada night on Friday. I’m working on a little project with Oliver to expose him to more cultures around the world.1 As part of that, we made chorizo empanadas2 and then ordered several more kinds from a local restaurant. It was so fun to have a variety of empanadas, listen to Spanish music, and talk about how different places around the world all make different types of food wrapped in dough. I plan to do something similar in the coming months with ravioli and dumplings.

On the Docket:

It’s Mother’s Day this weekend and I’m at a loss as to how I want to spend it. What I really want is to sleep in, but my aging body and 4yo are forever working together to keep that from happening. Hopefully, the weather is nice and we can go to the botanical garden. If we do that, Kevin and Oliver can enjoy the kids' activities there while I plant by a fountain and read. That sounds like a perfectly lovely way to spend the day.

We just got a First Watch this week and I’d love to go there for brunch, but it will be packed as everyone in town will also be wanting to enjoy the newest option in a county with few Sunday brunch choices.

How are you spending Mother’s Day? Whether you are the celebrated one or celebrating someone else, I’d love to know what the day looks like for your family.

It was a fairly quiet weekend for us, which was needed and quite enjoyable.

Kevin tore down our rotting deck mid-March. Finally, finally this weekend he finished putting in the boards on the new (bigger!) deck and we have a semi-functioning space out our back door again. There still aren’t stairs down to the backyard or a railing, but we at least were able to bring the grill back to its rightful place. We love grilling as much as we can and walking out our garage and all the way around to the back of the house was not an inviting way to prepare a meal whatsoever. It will still be a while until the full thing is done, but it was a boost to us all this week to be able to start using that space a little more again. I made this grilled chicken again on Sunday night to celebrate.

He had the time to finish, in part, because I took Oliver to his first full-length musical this weekend. The wonderful children’s theatre here in Charlotte put on Frozen: The Broadway Musical. Oliver loved every minute. He told me his favorite part was “the beginning, the end, and the break in the middle.” He sat on my lap for the entirety of both acts and was absolutely bubbling with joy when it ended. It’s so fun to introduce him to this world I love so much.

If You Only Have Time for One Thing:

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (4 stars)

Thanks to your comments last week, I’ve officially abandoned Theo of Golden. I know so many people (including lots of you!) just loved it, but I was so bored. I wanted to like it so badly and just wasn’t vibing with it at all. No shade at all if you loved it; the beauty of books is they aren’t all for everyone.

Another book with a lot of conversational heat right now is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Unlike Theo, this one has me completely locked in. I couldn’t put it down and finished it at 6am this morning, grabbing it from my nightstand as soon as I woke. The basic premise is that a tradwife influencer gets transported back to the 1800s. I was expecting it to be funnier and more satirical; instead, I found it much more complex, which I love. Anne Hathaway has already optioned the film rights and I can see why. She’ll be a wonderful Natalie.

The ending, which I absolutely do not want to spoil for you, was well-crafted, if also a bit baffling. I need some more time to think on it and let it settle with me before I decide if I actually liked the ending or not. I’m going to be thinking about this book for quite a while and am very much looking forward to reading the many, many takes about it that are sure to come as it continues to gain steam.

If you haven’t read this one yet, put it on your list right away. There is so much to explore here. It’s one of those books that everyone is going to be talking about because there is so very much to discuss.

Reading:

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah (4 stars)

My crazy church book club strikes again! The quality of the book each month swings wildly, but picks like this are why I stay. This was my first Kristin Hannah (I know, I know!) and I thought it was great. I have some complaints about the ending, which felt forced and a bit awkward to me in how it tied up its loose ends, but overall I really liked the story and characters. It’s an easy read, despite some heavy subject matter, and one you’ll get through quickly. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest it as a beach read — it’s a little heavy for that — but it’s pretty perfect for a spring morning with a cool breeze and the birds chirping outside.

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (5 stars)

This was one of my favorites of the Chief Inspector Gamache series on my first read through and I loved it even more this time around. As I said last week, these middle books are, I think, Penny’s best work of the series. Reading them again is particularly lovely because I’m able to read the interpersonal dramas that had me twisted in knots the first time through very differently knowing how they turn out. It’s wonderful to be able to relax into the story in a different way and watch Penny lay the groundwork for things to come.

Watching:

Margo’s Got Money Trouble, episodes 1-3

I’m excited about this Apple TV+ adaptation of one of my favorite novels last year. I’m three episodes in and finding it really enjoyable. When I read the book, the first third or so was pretty sad and tough to read. I wondered how they would handle that on screen knowing a mid-season tonal pivot wouldn’t work as well on screen. They needed to capture people from the start and give them a more clear understanding of what type of show they are watching. The show doesn’t quite create that same visceral desperation you can feel from Margo in the book, but I’m ok with that so far.

I found the first episode to be a little too heavy on character setting, but I understand that they needed to level-set and make us care about how Margo got to this point. The show went as fast as it could, but I was anxious to get to the central conceit of the story. Three episodes in, I’m excited to see where they take this. The cast, particularly, is doing excellent work.

Scrubs reboot, season 1

I wrote last week about how much we’re (shockingly!) enjoying the Scrubs reboot. We’ve wrapped the season now and I stand by that. I’d give the last few episodes a solid B as some of the plot maneuverings felt a bit forced. Still, that feels exceptionally good for a reboot like this.

Speaking of reboots, has everyone seen the new Ted Lasso trailer? Can Bill Lawrence pull off another successful reboot this year?! We’ll be waiting anxiously to find out, especially since we didn’t love the final season.

Cooking:

I made a Poached Shrimp Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit from the Complete Cooking for Two cookbook and it was delicious. Fresh, light, spring flavors the win. I poached the shrimp with lemon and spices, then tossed with grapefruit segments, thinly sliced snow peas, fresh mint, and avocado. Top all that with a grapefruit & shallot vinaigrette and either mix into some greens or fold up into some large Bibb leaves for a lettuce wrap. Delicious.

My mom always let us choose whatever we wanted her to cook for our birthday meal. I’ve carried that tradition into my own home. I think Kevin has asked for these marinated shishkabobs every single year we’ve been married. His mom made them growing up and I haven’t changed a thing about how I do them.

On the Docket:

We have a pretty quiet weekend ahead, so I’m hoping for lots more reading time and to find a good movie for Kevin and I to enjoy for our monthly movie night. I want to get back out and do some gardening in our yard as well, where peonies and lilacs are blooming and spring plants need tended before the summer heat truly arrives.

What are you doing this weekend? I’d love to hear how you’re kicking off May.