It is 50 degrees and the sun is shining and we’re just a few short days away from Daylight Savings. I feel like spinning in a field of wildflowers atop a mountain like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music! Sure, we live in New England, so it could snow tomorrow, but it’s amazing what some sunshine can do for my mood so I’m eating up every little hint of spring that I can. You can find my gathering heaps of tulips at the grocery store today, and sharing all the spring things in this week’s download below!
New Recipes. My grazing board library has grown with two new “board” style DIY dishes — an easy salad bar grazing board that’s perfect for springtime entertaining, a build your own BLT board that has me seriously craving some crispy bacon and all the fixings for lunch this week, and a mini mezze platter with some Roasted Garlic Hummus that we’ve had for a vegetarian dinner recently. On the topic of grazing boards, I also shared a guide to cheese knives on the blog last week and it’s one of my favorite entertaining posts I’ve done in awhile! Two other recent recipes that I’ve been making are Cauliflower Tot Waffles (made with just one ingredient: frozen cauliflower tots!) and a quick and easy Tomato Broccoli Rigatoni that is perfect for weeknight dinners.
Reading List. It’s been ages since I did a reading list update! I feel like I’m always behind the curve with reading the “it” book of the moment and I read Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid last month after seeing so many people talking about it. My sister passed along her copy and I really enjoyed it; books that bounce between two character perspectives are always a hit with me. I picked up Modern Love, which is a collection of essays based on the New York Times column, right around Valentine’s Day. It is such a beautiful compilation of stories that show the full range of what love means — the good, the bad, the fragile and everything in between. Short stories and essays are always a good way to get out of reading rut for me too!
I switched gears and read a rare non-fiction book for me — Acadia Tucker’s Growing Good Food: A Citizen’s Guide to Backyard Carbon Farming. If you’re into making some positive impacts on the environment or getting into gardening I highly recommend this read! It’s full of very simple explanations and actionable steps that show how building carbon-rich soil through small backyard gardens, can help capture greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change. It’s a super quick read and really informative! I’m so excited for the next book I just cracked open today, Josie Silver’s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. I adored her first book and pre-ordered this one as soon as it was announced!
Spring Things. I’m feeling the change of the seasons and bought the prettiest spring coat from J.Crew in a color called peony (perfection!). It’s such a cheery color, the perfect weight for warmer weather, and it packs up into a tiny pocket for traveling. I also finally bit the bullet on a Salt bag strap that I’ve been eyeing for ages after seeing it go on sale — I love how it updated an old staple bag for a fresh spring look!
Kids Stuff. I couldn’t resist this darling strawberry bathing suit that I found for Jane — it’s willing the warmer weather to make an appearance. I can’t wait for some summer beach days in our future, but while we’re still stuck inside for chilly March days I’m always on the hunt for fun activities for us to do. A few favorites lately have been playing good old fashioned Candy Land, setting up a tray of kinetic sand with shovels and cookie cutters (an idea from a fellow mom at a recent playdate!), and making “space projects” with this cute cosmic craft kit.
Coming Soon. I’ve got a full post coming up about a new skincare line I’ve been using called Maelove; I’ve been testing the products and have a few favorites I can’t wait to share soon! Also coming up is some some spring entertaining content! I can’t wait to show you my Easter tablescape I have planned and I have to share these rattan tumblers from Pier 1 that I’m using while they’re on major sale!
I LOVE that camo bag! Can you tell me where you got it?
Yes! From https://www.instagram.com/stephiechic/ — she sells out them quickly so send her a DM to get on her list for restocks!