Recently Enjoyed Things | July 19, 2024

Older, not wiser.

Next week is my birthday and because I grew up in the MySpace age of filling out surveys (summer or winter? cats or dogs?) and posting them to my “wall” - I briefly considered writing a list of 35 things I’ve learned in 35 years, but then literally LOL’d because what exactly have I learned?

• Still haven’t learned that anything after the second glass of wine is 100% always trouble.

• Still haven’t learned to meal prep on Sundays.

• Still haven’t learned to consistently get laundry changed over from the washer to the dryer before it gets gross.

I mean, I’m not a totaling floundering adult. I make it work on time and never ever let my car coast on empty (not my kind of thrill). I just don’t think I’ve learned anything exceptional in the way that merits preaching at an audience my spectacular profundities. There just…aren’t any.

However, two things that I did pick up that I didn’t know last year:

• No topical cream will ever do what Botox does. Do it or don’t, dealer’s choice, but set your expectations properly.

• You can turn off text notifications. And also set a do-not-disturb function on your phone with an automatic stop/start time. I don’t mean this as some profound epiphany about setting boundaries, I mean, did you know technology has this functionality? You can ignore the outside world. Cool!

That’s it! Still fumbling around basically, but whoo boy, made it another year with few injuries and no visits to jail. Doin’ pretty good around here!

Please laugh and enjoy with me this masterpiece - a homemade cake decorated with every single candle in the house, tbh I’m surprised there’s not a giant Yankee pillar flaming away in the corner- not because my 7-year old understands that candles often correlate to age, but because he knows I love a good candle twinkle. God, you can’t beat the sweet way that kids love you.

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But first, some housekeeping: there’s some affiliate links in here. But aren't they everywhere? Anyway, if you click on something and buy it, I might earn a commission at no cost to you.

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Recently Enjoyed

Reading

I’m passionate about reading and sharing books that are readily available at your library and don’t feature a waitlist 47 people long. So these are rarely new, hot releases, but if you’re intrigued, there’s a good chance for instant gratification at your library.

• ⭐ The Vacationers - Emma Straub // I have reread this book several times and it is my “summer vacation” book. It just feels like the dog days, all hot and sticky. We follow a family experiencing varying levels of turmoil as they vacation together in Mallorca. Mom and Dad have some marriage things going on, there’s a bratty daughter just about to head off to college, and a son with a girlfriend that everyone is weirdly mean to. Add in Mom’s best friend and his partner who has disdain for all of them, and we’ve got a lot of dynamics to explore.

• The Queen: A Life in Pictures - Town and Country // When I’m into something, I’m into it 100% and right now, that English Royal family has me. Until yesterday, I was still working through Carnival of Snackery, so I’ve been paging through this giant picture book as a break here and there. It’s a nice mix of full-page pictures and text, so I’m consuming information just as much as skimming pretty pictures.

• Bad Guys - Aaron Blabey // Red alert to friends with kids! Chill as I am in my parenting, I still try to limit screen time, or at least make my kids earn it. We have an agreement that some reading has to be done before the TV turns on, and The Bad Guys graphic novels have been well received around here. My 7-y/o son LAID IN BED completely unsolicited, reading book 1 this week, and I smiled on warmly, remembering the first book that consumed me and turned me into a reader (it was a Babysitter Club book).

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Shopping

How was your Prime Day friends? Make it out okay? General overwhelm? I went in with a concise list on day 2 and made quick work of it. And maybe because I recently purged a lot of my IG follows, I didn’t feel blasted. I enjoyed perusing the picks from the sisters and TIBAL, and personally, I was delighted to see so many people take my rec for the Drift air freshener seriously. I swear, you will not be disappointed.

• ⭐ USA Crew Neck - Aerie // Feeling very excited for the Olympics and rooting for the American team. Amidst the turmoil at home, it’ll be nice for our media to have something uniting to talk about for once. We’re all on the same team after all, so let’s go get that gold!

• Striped Quarter-Zip Sweater - Aerie // I feel like I’m too old for Aerie, but then I see this and I’m not too old for that at all! I welcome these happy surprises.

• iPhone Case - Etsy // Inspired by

  Becca Freeman
  ’s “new quarter/new me” theory, I’m hunting around for a new phone case. Who do I want to be this quarter? Am I classy and so obviously have my ish straight? Or am I a fun, cool girl? Most likely somewhere right in the middle.

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Recent Saves

Does anything feel more summery than this?

This sent me on a whole spiral, searching the internet for millennium blue polish. I have not found it, so I’ll keep searching and/or waiting for the obsession to subside, but man, it looks good right?!

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3 Things

Songs I’m listening to on repeat -

Whoops - Meghan Trainor // I detailed the rabbit hole I fell down last week after listening to Trainor on an episode of Arm Chair Expert, and this song has lasting power in my brain. What a freaking bop.

Houdini - Eminem // I cackle when he says “fuck my own kids, they’re brats.” Kids, man, I guess we’re all just barely hanging on.

The Boy is Mine - Ariana Grande // Look, I don’t have unique taste, I enjoy the hot 100, but if my local radio station is representative of every radio station in the nation, it also resparked interest in the OG Brandi and Monica The Boy is Mine of my youth, a true banger that I haven’t heard on the radio since 2004. And boy do I turn that baby up when it comes on.

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Sending You on Your Way

(Interesting things I found on the internet this week)

• ⭐ Why Your Wedding Guest Dress is Probably from Abercrombie. Their demographic stayed the same, we just grew up and they came with us.

• I fell so hard for Meghan Trainor on Arm Chair Expert last week. I knew nothing going in except that one song, you know the one, and found her so charming and likable. I follow her on IG now, and fell way down the rabbit hole, landing on this fun episode of Carpool Karaoke

• I felt the stress all over again. The SATC wedding, Barbie-style.

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Last Week - In case you missed it:

As a follow up to last week, I treated myself to a good long unfollowing session on IG. I’m not sure why I have this allegiance to strangers that makes me feel guilty for muting or unfollowing, but when I was done, my feed was a much more peaceful place. No more mentions of October until….maybe October? Great.

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PS -

I’d love to see you over on Instagram. You can find me at recentlyenjoyedthings.

I’m also talking books, beauty, and style over at recentlyenjoyedthings.com

Here’s a few things I wrote about recently:

• Prime Day Shopping - Stuff I Buy Anyway

• My Summer Reading List

• Everything I liked and recommended, all in one place.

And if you enjoyed today’s newsletter, would you consider subscribing? I aim for one newsletter a week, and usually on Friday, so if I may be so bold, it’s a lovely treat for you inbox, just before the weekend.