We are halfway through the year (ah!) and I sat down this week to do a little bit of mid-year planning for the blog and my business. It involved the fun stuff: mapping out content, brainstorming ideas and events for my cookbook coming out this fall, and digging through my inspiration files. It also involved the not so fun stuff: finances and budgeting. Admittedly, I procrastinate that part as much as possible, until I can no longer avoid thinking about it. But, once I sit down and actually do the work, I always feel a lot better – like I have a clear plan and know what I need to do next. In reality, I should probably do that part first so I feel more relaxed and focused before I embark on the fun part. The process got me thinking about personal finances too, and how the same practices shift over when talking about all of those pit-in-your-stomach topics like savings and budgets.
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June is flying by in the blink of an eye, thanks to lots of time spent on the road this month. I spent almost a week in NY visiting family and working out my parents’ house, came home and turned right around for a weekend getaway with my best girlfriends in Portland, Maine, and then I spent an overnight in Boston for a fun work event. Phew! I’m getting really really good at packing (still obsessed with packing cubes!) and even better at ignoring the growing piles of laundry. That’s how summer always seems to go though, gone in the blink of an eye as we cram all of our adventures into these few short weeks of warm weather. Sharing a few more of my summer adventures, warm-weather recipes, and reading list:
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I had the opportunity earlier this week to spend the most amazing day in Copley Square with the team at Yankee Magazine. This year is the 40th anniversary of Massachusetts Farmer’s Markets, and the Copley Square market (one of my favorites) is one of the oldest continuously running markets in the state. We got the chance to tour the market with the Executive Director and meet with many of the farmers and vendors, and even enjoyed a big picnic lunch thanks to the chef at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen in the Fairmont Copley Plaza. The sun was shining, the food was tasty, and it was the most inspiring summer day. 
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Ignore what the calendar says – it’s officially summer over here. The temperature has been rising, my favorite sundresses and white denim pieces have made their way out of the closet, and we had our first after-dinner walk to the ice cream shop. I also spent more time than I’d like to admit researching kiddie pools today (I can’t decide: the watermelon or the donut pool? Tough choices!). I’m sharing a few of our recent and upcoming summer adventures below, as well as a few more links and updates in this week’s download:
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I have been feeling little bursts of summer all around this week — a few warm days, lots of playtime outside with Jane, and our yard is coming back to life! It’s been just the motivation I need (getting back on track post-vacation was rough) to get rolling on some new content with summer in mind. Get ready for grilling recipes, outdoor entertaining ideas, and home projects coming up in the next few weeks! And in the meantime, a few links to check out in this week’s download:
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I had an absolutely, lovely, low-key Mother’s Day. We woke up out in Western Massachusetts where we were staying for my brother’s college graduation the night before. I got to see my own mom in the morning and exchange some hugs and treats before we hit the road, stopping on the drive back for a quick visit to wish my mother-in-law a Happy Mother’s Day too! In the afternoon I took a long walk with Jane by the water, played with her in the yard for a bit, and then my husband got us take-out from my favorite Indian restaurant for dinner. It was a totally chill afternoon where I ignored deadlines and emails and to do lists, and that is exactly what was needed!
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Home, sweet home! I got back this weekend from an amazing vacation exploring London and parts of England. It was a wonderful trip, full of beautiful weather, tons of sightseeing, and my fair share of eating and drinking! But it’s true what they say, there is no place like home. It’s been a slow start to the week as I dig out of my inbox and ease out of the jet lag fog, but coming back to what finally feels like spring weather has helped with the adjustment. While I play catch up, I thought I’d share a few links and updates below:
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We have been the biggest fans of the Chicco Bravo travel system since Jane was an infant– the stroller and car seat are probably our most used baby products we’ve had since she’s been born. The brand just launched a new version of this model that has many of the same features – like the quick fold mechanism that is SO key when you’re juggling a squirmy toddler and a bag of groceries in the parking lot – but it’s smaller and lighter. Now that Jane is bigger, we were looking for something a bit more flexible to throw in the car with us for quick errands and weekend trips, so I jumped at the chance when Chicco offered for us to try these new wheels out!
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Let me let you in on a little blogger secret. When it’s super quiet on this site, it usually means that something good is coming soon! I’ve been busy working away on lots of spring content (you know, that season in between winter and summer where the weather starts to get warmer?) and can’t wait to share all of it. I’ve also been working on some behind the scenes projects for my cookbook– lining up some fun events for the fall and working on some website changes – it’s going to be exciting. We did have a few brief hours of sunshine and warmth yesterday and I’m happy to report I ignored about a dozen important items on my to do list and took Jane to the playground. We ran around in circles, picked daffodils, played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk, and it was bliss. Here’s hoping for a few more days like that in our future, and in the meantime, here is some weekend reading for you!
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Wow! The last two days have been an absolute blur of excitement and energy after I finally got to share the big news about my upcoming entertaining cookbook! I have been in complete awe of all of the love and comments and calls and texts that came pouring in after I got to share this news. The book writing process can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, and I’m happy to say that I’m riding the high of the coaster right now. If you haven’t gotten a chance to yet, you can check out more of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble where it’s available for pre-order, and read a bit more about how this all came to be in my blog post sharing the news. After you do that, keep on reading for a few more fun links from the week:
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