Sunday Summary - 10.09.22
Nash upside down in a pile of pillows is a great depiction of last week.
Reading
I really enjoyed the unique oral history/interview style of this book that chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional 1970s rock band. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of 70s rock music at all, but I still rated this one 4 stars. It was a super fast read with lovable characters, and a lot of people felt the same way, apparently, because it’s being turned into a TV show set to release in February 2023! Reese Witherspoon is the executive producer, so I have a hunch it’s going to be good.
Want more reading recs? Check out past Sunday Summaries here.
Calling all Prime members! This month the Amazon First Reads program allows you to select two free books from the available options. I selected Keeper of Enchanted Rooms, a historical fantasy novel and June, Reimagined, categorized as coming of age fiction. They had nine other options in a variety of categories that you can check out here. If you haven’t been taking advantage of this perk — hop to it!
Cooking
I’m incredibly seasonally oriented, and the last quarter of the year is easily my favorite given the triple header holiday situation. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas being celebrated back-to-back-to-back in our house, making holiday treats, seasonal dishes, and festive cocktails are fun, relatively inexpensive ways to celebrate that don’t involve closets full of decor that we don’t have space to store right now.
This week I’m sharing seasonal recipes that I’ve tried or would like to try in October!
Pumpkin Muffins - I love pumpkin muffins, but recipes often call for an absurd amount of sugar. We really like this mix to make the job easy and a little bit better for you.
Spiced Apple Cider Margarita - If you like sweet drinks, you’ll really like this one! It’s deliciously seasonal and was a fun twist on the classic margarita, but I’m content enjoying just one this season.
Chili Crisp Butternut Squash Dumplings in Ginger Soy Broth - This was insanely good…but super time consuming. Pro tip: Invite friends over to form an assembly line to make this manageable on a weeknight! We picked up dumpling wrappers from a local Asian grocery store and had a good time making these with our friends Ashley and Jordan. You’ll have a new found respect for dumplings after attempting this!
This is in no way tied to a specific holiday, but I had to give a shout out to the Momofuku noodles you can find at the grocery store. They were created to model dishes served at the Momofuku restaurants owned by David Cheng. He is the chef behind these grown up ramen noodles, and I love there are real ingredients in the sauce packet instead of a questionable powder. I recommend adding veggies or protein to make it a little more filling, but Bryan and I both gave the Tingly Chili flavor a 10/10 if you like spice!
Watching
Hocus Pocus 2 - After a lot of hype, this movie didn’t disappoint. I feel like the creators understood the assignment and served up a very similar movie to the original to keep all the 90s kids happy.
Virgin River - Just started this on Netflix, and so far so good. I’d describe it as a well-acted Hallmark movie plotline — woman escapes to small town for an unknown reason. There are 4 seasons, so it has to be decent, and it’s providing some great fall scenery.
The Rings of Power - Bryan and I watched the latest two episodes last night and whew! Things are getting intense and, for the most part, we’re into all the storylines but the Harfoots lose us a little bit. Just us?
Andor - We’re catching up on the latest two episodes of this one tonight! For lovers of Rogue One or Star Wars fans in general, don’t skip this show. We’ve really enjoyed it! Obi Wan is still my favorite, though. They also have a “making of” documentary on that show if you were also a fan!
To no one’s surprise, Hallmark Channel is starting their Countdown to Christmas event on October 21st. Check out this year’s movie lineup here. Three Wise Men and a Baby — the title made me LOL, so it’s probably the one I’m looking forward to most. I occasionally listen to this podcast where three guys roast Hallmark movies around the holidays. It’s pretty funny, and I’m annoyed I didn’t come up with the idea first.
Things I’m Loving
@things.i.bought.and.liked posted about this tennis bracelet a while ago and I decided to give it a shot. I’ve been trying to “get more ready” for work lately even though I work from home, and jewelry has been a fun way to dress up tees and jeans to make me feel more put together. My mom has worn a tennis bracelet for as long as I can remember, and this is the same classic look without the cost of real diamonds. It looks great in person, and the 20,000 rave reviews made me feel confident buying it. I got the 6.5 inch and the fit is great!
After watching/reading about the benefits of dermaplaning, I decided to give it a shot with this at home tool and wowzers. My face feels like a baby’s bottom, and my skincare and makeup go on a lot more smoothly with less product. My skin also looks a bit more naturally glowy, and I’m hoping the physical exfoliation helps my skin in the long run.
I recently discovered @lifewithjazz, and I LOVE her style and content. She focuses on capsule wardrobes for each season, and I appreciate how she styles the same pieces again and again to show how versatile they can be. I really wanted this coatigan she recommended, but they’ve been sold out of my size for months and I was a little worried about the oversized fit in general. Instead, I opted for this similar, petite-friendly classic staple (I got an XS). This one is more similar to the Mango one, but it runs large — women who are 5’10” were ordering the XXS, for perspective, so if you’re taller that’s another great option!
J.Crew has sales all the time! I ended up getting about $40 off and 3% cash back on Rakuten. It’s worth the wait, especially because the style has been around for years and doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon.
White clothing is at risk in my closet because I spill things on myself all the time. I’m a little nervous to be the owner of these ecru jeans for that reason, but the color is just <chef’s kiss.> I think these are going to be great year round and will add a little lightness to my traditionally dark fall and winter wardrobe. See them styled here, here, and here. I got size 25 with the 26.5 inseam, but I still need them hemmed about an inch or so (I’m 5’2”ish for reference.) They have a little bit of stretch and fit true to size.
FYI: I also ordered the 90s Cheeky Jean, and they looked great while standing, but they had no stretch and were really uncomfortable to sit in — I returned those. I recommend the original cheeky jeans or these Madewell jeans for a similar look and more comfortable fit.