Notes From The Week That Was - October 7

Well, five months came and went without a weekly roundup—time flies! I wish I had an interesting reason to explain why, other than life (insert shoulder shrug emoji). Fortunately, there have been a lot of things that have been bringing me joy lately, and it felt like a good time to sit down and share a few of them with you.

Dahlia season makes me incredibly happy, and being able to wander the gorgeous flower fields of Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown, Rhode Island is a special treat.

Bingeable Watch

Where are my Sharon Horgan fans at? My husband and I both have serious crushes on her ever since we encountered her in Catastrophe with Rob Delaney, and we’re anxiously waiting to hear if there will be a season 3 of This Way Up. She has created another wonderful dark comedy in Bad Sisters about five Irish sisters who will go to any length to protect each other. It has become Friday Night Must See TV in our house. Watch, and then tell me all your thoughts about John Paul.

For the Love of Wrigley Field

For those that don’t know, Chicago is home for me, so when I came across this video of Wrigley Field on Twitter, I had to watch. You don’t even need to know who the Cubs are to enjoy this incredible footage of a Chicago icon. And there’s always next year, right Cubs’ fans??!

If You Need a Laugh

I have listened to Kate Berlant chat skincare, wellness and enjoyable randomness on the POOG podcast for a while now, and when I heard she released a comedy special, I had to check it out. Cinnamon in the Wind (Hulu) is wonderfully weird and funny—emphasis on weird. Her facial expressions are worth the watch alone.

Letters to Jeb Bush

We are a month away from the midterm elections, and even though I’m a politics junkie and this New Yorker essay deals with a political figure, it’s thankfully a-political. Just a lovely piece about writing and failure and vulnerability. I really enjoyed it.

Random Sandwich Obsession

A few weeks ago, I ate a curried chicken sandwich with mango chutney every day for lunch. It’s not original or particularly groundbreaking, but it is incredibly good. Stonewall Kitchen makes a nice mango chutney, if you’re craving one now, too.

We’re going leaf peeping this weekend—my favorite time of year in New England! Have a good one. xo Shannon

One of my favorite fall images with my best girl, who can barely fit on my lap anymore.

Notes From The Week That Was - March 5, 2022

The news out of Ukraine continues to be all-consuming and the humanitarian need is immense. Again, please consider a donation to one of the amazing organizations working on the ground to address the crisis; World Central Kitchen is a wonderful option that we have chosen to support.

A number of people are booking Ukrainian Airbnbs with no intention of staying, and the money goes directly to the Ukrainian host. (You can message the host to inform them that you aren’t staying.)

If you know of other places that need support, please leave a comment and I’ll share it on Instagram.

Here are a few of the things—some serious, some not—from the week that stuck with me.

Distracted? There may be a good reason why.

My attention span has been understandably shorter than normal this past week, but I managed to find time to listen to this fascinating discussion between Ezra Klein and Johann Hari about the larger issue of why we have so much trouble paying attention. I found the sections about kids and educational environments particularly eye opening.

My current vintage obsession.

My love of thoughtfully curated vintage shops continues with this gem of a store. It’s probably a good thing that Elsie Green is 3000 miles away, but their beautiful online store is dangerously close to my fingertips. (I just realized they are having a sale, too!)

Climbing out of a cooking rut.

We have challenged ourselves to try at least one new dinner recipe every week, and Ottolenghi’s cookbook Simple has been a wonderful, reliable workhorse for us. A few favorites: Pasta alla Norma, Fish Cake Tacos, and Charred Tomatoes with Yogurt, which is amazing paired with previously referenced dishes from the Dishoom cookbook.

A peaceful sunrise moment at Sachuest Point.

Beautiful words on miscarriage and grief.

Although this comes from a political podcast, this has nothing to do with politics. Pod Save America host Tommy Vietor talked about his grief following the recent death of his daughter, Margot. It is heartbreakingly beautiful and an insightful, powerful listen about the experience of losing a child during pregnancy. You can watch the clip on YouTube or on Tommy’s Twitter feed.