Monday Memo No. 113
Essential reading and some great recent finds…
Martin Luther King Day
There are so many inspiring quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. being shared today, the date that rightly honors his life and work. But, as a prolific writer, speaker and preacher, Dr. King left us much more than quick sound bites. He left an incredible body of work that is worthy of our time and reflection, especially today, especially this year. I had the pleasure of studying many of these texts in college, but am re-reading several this week. This article is a great place to start, curated by Dr. Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, chair of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University Bloomington and an editor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Sermonic Power of Public Discourse. In this article, Dr. Calloway-Thomas identifies five essential pieces of Dr. King’s work that we should all know about and offers expert insight and context before linking to the original texts so we can read and learn from Dr. King’s powerful words themselves.
Floral Taper Candles
You know what, if we have to be home this much, we’re going to be surrounded by beauty. I said it and I meant it. Example: These stunning, tapered candles that have been adorned with dried flowers. They’re incredibly romantic and a real upgrade from the more basic versions. If ever there was a time to enjoy some cozy candlelit dinners, it’s now.
Superhuman Email Client
When you’ve been doing something for as long as we’ve been doing email, it’s easy to forget that emailing upgrades exist so that we don’t have to just go along with what we’re used to. Superhuman is the perfect example of how email has gotten smarter and more efficient, if not also more enjoyable, over time. It’s impossible to praise the Superhuman features highly enough. Everything you ever wished your inbox could do, it does. Undo send, read status updates, built-in follow-up reminders, I could go on, but you really should just check this out.
Dining & Entertaining Resources
You may have caught my recent Q&A focused on dining, entertaining, and my obsession with china and tableware. In it, I shared several resources for beginners, and if you didn’t get a chance to jot them down, here they are again!- Emily Post’s Entertaining: Essential best practices and etiquette modernized by Emily Post’s great-granddaughter-in-law, Peggy Post.
- How to Set a Table: Inspiration, Ideas, and Etiquette for Hosting Friends and Family: Another option that’s a great resource for beginners or anyone looking to brush up on their skills.
- Second Bloom: Cathy Graham’s Art of the Table: Now let’s start getting into really making your tablescapes stunning…
- An Entertaining Story by India Hicks: If you’d like to level up your entertaining strategy and imbue them with India Hicks’ unique brand of irreverence and creativity, this is the book for you. Also makes an amazing gift!
- Entertaining Beautifully: Written by tastemaker and beloved hostess Aerin Lauder, this is for those of us who want to make entertaining a full lifestyle.
Le Creuset’s New Color
WELL HELLO. Meet Agave, the newest colorway from Le Creuset. Technically a marriage of two colors that blend together to create a truly stunning set of cookware that you will want to 100% leave out all the time, Agave is so pretty it’s almost otherworldly. Also, can I get this in an eyeshadow palette? Thanks.
Low-Mercury Tuna
One of my favorite discoveries during pregnancy is this low-mercury tuna that I’ve been eating throughout baby #2’s time in my tummy. Pregnant women are typically advised to avoid tuna or anything with higher mercury levels, but Safe Catch is a brand that ensures low mercury levels in every fish, and theirs is the only tuna product endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association. It’s such a delight to be able to safely act on my near-constant craving for a tuna melt. Yum.
Une Fille Une Style
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Vogue Paris video series Une Fille Une Style, treat yourself. First of all, it’s the easiest way to beam yourself out of your home and into someone else’s with bonus points because all of the people featured here have AMAZING style both in their decor and their closets. It’s a real delight and such a great series to get lost in when you need something to both inspire and transport you.
Poketo Planners
If you love planners (actual paper ones!) but get stressed out every time you think about buying one, opt for keeping things simple. These planners by Poketo are slim, easy to keep in your bag, and they’re clean of bells and whistles. Just have one on hand to jot down notes and appointments on the go, and leave the digital versions for optimizing your entire life, k?
Hatch’s New Arrivals
Hatch, the before, during and after pregnancy fashion brand, has released new arrivals that are giving us stellar spring floral vibes, and quite honestly it’s the optimism we need. You’ve seen me wear Hatch recently on Instagram, the brand became a favorite during my first pregnancy because of the versatility and longevity of each piece. I’ve actually shopped Hatch while not pregnant, because the clothes are just that cute and versatile!
Knomo Tech Organizer
If you want the bottom of your work bag to look more like a game of Tetris and less like a game of hide-and-seek, opt for this cute tech organizer from Knomo, a brand known for bags made to be in motion. Not only is it a genius and roomy organizer, it can also become a crossbody bag when you need it to!
Candied Pistachios
Can I just have a large vat of these delivered to my home? Is this possible? The Hungry Hutch’s recipe for candied pistachios looks absolutely DIVINE and I love how easily we could translate it to other flavor profiles too if we like! What other nuts can we candy, I wonder? BRB I need to raid the baking supply section of my pantry.
Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle Salted Caramel
I can tell you from experience that there is not an abundance of low-calorie, sweet, crispy, brownie-flavored brittle treats just LYING AROUND, okay? I’ve done the research and put in the legwork. Sheila G’s are a bright spot in the treats department for those of us who don’t want a whole actual brownie but also don’t NOT want one, you know? These are wafer-thin and salted caramel flavored and honestly, I can’t type anymore I must snack.
Hedoine Tights
I don’t care if it’s rain, snow, sharp edges, or baby teeth (long story), I own at least five pairs of Hedoine’s reinvented tights and these suckers WILL NOT RIP. The brand has taken everything we hate about tights and replaced our sorrows with innovation. Reinforcements in the places you need them most plus a 3D knitting technique make for some serious science behind hosiery that we’ve never seen, and certainly never experienced, before. I apologize for repeating myself here but believe me when I tell you: these tights are virtually impervious and DO NOT rip or “ladder.”
Mindset Desk Pad
While I’ve never really been much for journaling, I LOVE the idea of these mindset desk pads. They’re so clever and just the reminder I need to maintain balance during the week when all it feels like we’re doing is work work work. Use the pads to set goals, make your to-do’s, jot down events and things to look forward to, essentially just increase how much you enjoy all the time you spend at your workspace, which these days can feel like a LOT.
Acrylic Wall Calendar
While we’re being all organized and whatnot, let’s try a wall calendar that might just keep a busy family organized without being a total eyesore!! This acrylic wall calendar is so chic and wipes clean so you’re choosing a greener calendar and covering your wall in something that essentially counts as art. Until your kid gets crafty with the dry erase markers but I digress.
FluidStance Balance Board for Standing Desk
Yes, I am 100% suggesting we all stand while working, and better still, we stand on this. Move over balance ball, this balance board is the new cool kid in the home officee and I’m officially intrigued. It is intended for use at a standing desk and the contraption promotes more health benefits than I can count. It increases your heart rate (ensuring you burn 19% more calories than you do while sitting), improves your mood (COOL), and promotes good posture which in turn enhancing productivity! If, like me, you are keenly aware of/disgusted by how much time you spend sitting, this might be part of the solution.
Nightstand Hack
Um, excuse me? The subject of this story wanted a nightstand that was $3400 and because she didn’t want to pay that much, she HACKED ONE for $115. I mean yes that’s plenty of motivation but who among us can weave our own shelf for a nightstand?? This is one of the better furniture revamps I have ever seen. I’m officially inspired.
Long Puffer Coat
I’ve shared this gorgeous Mackage puffer coat on my Instagram stories before, so it should look familiar. I lusted over it for two years, finally bought it, and WHEW I’m so glad I did. Apart from being phenomenally warm, the quality is outstanding (it is Mackage after all), and the thoughtful head-to-toe details keep the coat genuinely stylish while also protecting me from frostbite. It’s a keep-for-life kind of coat that is entirely worth the investment.
Loyal Hana Jumpsuit
Even if you’re not pregnant, you need this jumpsuit. It’s technically a piece of maternity wear, but since it doesn’t have pleats or extra fabric at the midsection I will definitely be enjoying it long after the baby is born. It’s incredibly soft and stretchy and details like cuffed ankles and tapered legs keep it chic.
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