This week, imagine me driving by your house and dropping off a hashbrown casserole of treasures on your front porch. I flew on my first airplane since February this week and I’m in Texas to be the matron of honor at one of my dearest friend’s wedding. I have to admit, I was super skittish about flying, but felt perfectly safe the entire time. Had full rows to myself, stayed at least six feet away from other travelers, and the airport wasn’t crowded at all. I don’t think I’m quite ready to be all casual about flying now, but a good experience so far. Just FYI if you have to fly any time soon. Final verdict to come when I take a COVID test on Monday after my return.
OKAY WHO CARES ON TO TREASURES.
👶 This meme (H/T to Courtney Cleveland who always shares the good stuff).
💧 Have we talked about Rambler? I don’t fully understand what makes it so good (my heart wants to say it is because of Texas, so we’ll go with that), but if you like sparkling water, I HIGHLY recommend it.
If you’ve been around here long enough, you know I’m probably too conservative for most liberals and too liberal for most conservatives, but I really enjoyed in an earnest way/enjoyed in an eye-rolling way the DNC, especially some of the excellent tweets that came out of it.
😫 Are you dumb like me about eyebrows? Eyebrows continue to flummox me BUT I found these stencils (it sounds ridiculous, I’m a grown woman I should not be flummoxed by the thin strips of hair over my eyes) from Sephora and they are an excellent hack should you need further education in this matter.
🎧 Okay and finally, drum roll please…
The biggest treasure I have for you is that the inaugural episode of my podcast launches on Sunday! If you already listen to the Bible Binge, you knew this was coming, but if you don’t, surprise (I mean, I have been hinting at this for a while, but I have really been BURSTING to tell you)! Imagine me very sixth-grade book report earnest: Presenting Faith Adjacent, a spin-off of The Bible Binge where we break out of the sanctuary to find good and God in the things that surround us in our everyday lives. Think of it as spiritual archaeology, but in a fun way. Faith Adjacent is a spin-off of the Bible Binge, it’s monthly, and it’s pretty much what I’ve been immersed in for the past three months. The first episode was intended to be a test pilot, kind of a proof of concept, but we ended up liking it so much, we decided it would be a great premiere. I won’t spoil the subject matter for Sunday’s show, but I hope it blows you all away (😜). If you aren’t subscribed to the Bible Binge, make sure you do that so you don’t miss.
Okay team. Can’t wait to see what you’ve got up your internet sleeves this week.
Hi! If you like the Swipe Up, will you share the Swipe Up? I sometimes slide into your DMs with a treat, but mainly you get my undying gratitude. Thank you, it means a lot to me when you share with your people. ❤️
Hi friends. I don't know why, but I saved this for Sunday afternoon.
Treasures of the week: I SURVIVED WORKING ALL 5 DAYS. Something that hasn't been my reality since the second week of March. Like how in the world did I do that every day? Every week? All of the times? How even? {P.S. I did submit the application I mentioned last week and am in the waiting period of "we'll reach out to you if you get to the next round" situation.}
**I spent a full 2 hours on the phone with my momma today. And it. was. glorious. We talked about nothing and everything and all the stuff in between and it just made my heart happy.
Turd of the week: My best friend (only child) is dealing with her own momma's mental health, which does not seem to be going well right now. BFF is in my town and her mom is about 4 hours away in a different state. It's all very taxing and emotionally draining, especially without a full diagnosis yet and nervousness about what her mom may or may not be fully sharing with her care providers. Prayers much appreciated. We don't quite know what we're dealing with yet, so advice isn't necessary. (Silver lining, my BFF was able to reach out to my sweet momma for some advice and love and support. swoon)
I love y'all and very much appreciate the art of crafting these treasures and turds each week. It's fun... and I think one of the only places that I feel 100% authentically me in the voice I use. ;) Thanks for being a safe space to land.
Greetings, Treasures! I'll be honest, this has been a tiring week. We had houseguests at the beginning of the week, and I attempted to start my kids' homeschool year as well, and as a result I completely slept through my alarm AT LEAST once this week. It's not a lot, but these things are saving my life right now:
1) Finding Limoncello La Croix in stock at Target and buying multiple cases. It tastes like summer, and though I kind of want this summer to end, I want the limoncello taste to stay.
2) Teaching my daughter to make dinner for our family from scratch. Her crock pot glazed ham was delicious, and her broccoli casserole tasted better than any I have had at a church potluck. The pan was cleaned out. It's hard for me to let go in the kitchen, not because I love to cook but because I hate to clean up, and when you cook with kids it's even messier. My daughter is 13 and incredibly capable in the kitchen, though, and I can see myself being out of a job soon:-)
3) I know this makes me like your 87 year old Granny, but I am loving old episodes of Bull (CBS All Access, which I have for Star Trek Discovery, which also might put me on par with older relatives, lol). It's formulaic and predictable, and I find that is EXACTLY what I need right now. The cases are solved by the end of the episode? Great! The verdict almost always goes in Tony's, I mean, Bull's favor? Of course! My brain and heart and emotions cannot handle a lot of drama. I also cannot binge watch anything, or start a show where I.must.see.the.next.episode because they are all cliff hangers. I need tidy, I need predictable, I need routine and rhythms, and Bull provides that.
Have a blessed weekend, my online friends! Your treasures bring us joy.
Hi, been reading for a while now, but have never said anything and I finally feel like I have a turd worth sharing that will only be appreciated for it's turdiness here.
I went to the local farm earlier this year and picked out all my plants for the garden. They had Mortgage Lifter tomatoes! I had been wanting to grow them for years and could never find them around here. So, in my excitement I bought two. I'm in Washington and our summer just started last week and the garden has been dragging it's live long feet on growing anything. All my tomatoes are heavy with green tomatoes, but no color yet until 5 days ago. I finally saw some red coming! It was on my mortgage lifter! My first tomato out of the garden would be the one I had waited my whole life for. I checked daily and whispered sweet nothings to it. Guys, it was ready yesterday. I cannot express to you the extreme disappointment that came from the tomato. IT WAS A FLAVORLESS CHERRY TOMATO THAT HAD BEEN MISLABELED AT THE NURSERY! I cried. Mind you, I'm heavily pregnant as well so let's blame the hormones for making this so much worse. But, it was just a bland red curry tomato. The other mortgage lifter imposter is a cherry as well. My plans to quell my homemade salsa cravings have been smashed into the little tiny pieces. My husband just doesn't get it being as he's not a tomato lover. I need time to mourn dramatically.
I had a long comment typed out and then my phone froze up and I lost everything 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Soooo, here’s the abridged version.
🌞 I’ve been soaking up the last week of summer before school starts back next week. This involved a day trip to the beach and as much time at the pool as humanly possible.
📺 I started outlander this week. I’m not sure why I waited so long.
🏃🏼♀️ I got to go for a walk with my workout friends for the first time since March. These two are some of my dearest friends - the kind who cheer you on relentlessly and are a soft place to land when you fall flat on your face. I have missed them so.
📚 I started reading The Federalist Papers in conjunction with Pantsuit Politics’ how to be a citizen series. I saved the episodes up until after I finished my Master’s degree (which I something I never thought I would have said prior to March).
😷 Y’all, I cannot with the mask acne. My skin is usually dry, so, acne has never been a problem even as a teenager. I’m using a salicylic acid wash, benzoyl peroxide as a spot treatments, and hydrocolloid patches. Help?!
I love this community so much but I am always so hesitant to post - unless I’m commenting on others’ posts. But I love this space every week, so here I am. Maybe it’s because I rarely feel that I have any treasures in this season. (Having OCD that is focused on germ fears and then putting that into a pandemic makes for a lot of turds.) But I want to hang out virtually with you lovely ladies!
One treasure I’ve got is the show Cursed. I know it’s not for everyone. It’s very violent and gory. But a retelling of the Author legend with a woman as the focus, people of color actually being cast (including Black Arthur!) and loads of magic? Sign me up!
Also, I have loved Andrew Peterson for years but I had never managed to read his Wingfeather Saga books. My 8 year old just read the first one so I’m am reading it to so we can discuss and it is a delight! So well written, just feels like a great story, not a kids’ book. Loving it. So glad there are 3 more waiting for me!
And then lastly, I had some bday money left over from my birthday in May (which doesn’t usually happen this many months after😬) and I decided to add to my Funko Pop collection by getting myself all 4 of the Schitt’s Creek ones. Adding the Rose family to my shelf is a joy!
This may seem kinda weird, but my treasure for the week is that I FINALLY got my gallbladder removed on Wednesday! Yes, I feel like I've been punched in the gut, yes I am completely exhausted, yes the bruising is nasty but I swear I already feel so much better than I have in years. I never had typical 'attacks' but have dealt with an overall sense of feeling crappy for a really long time, so it was a journey to figure out what was wrong in the first place, and then to finally get a surgery date (mostly due to COVID delaying surgeries in general). The operation took quite a while longer than expected because my gallbladder was 'quite gnarly' per the surgeon but I think it should be onwards and upwards from here! Plus, I have to take it easy for the next few weeks so I can't vacuum or lift laundry baskets or push a shopping cart. This gal is finally getting a bit of a break. Time to watch Hamilton on repeat!
Speaking of Hamilton, how do I reconcile my love for the story with the fact that I was born in what is known as "Canada's Most Loyalist City"? Does this explain why I am so oddly drawn to the character of King George? Why did it only dawn on me halfway through the musical that my relatives were the ones who booked it North from Boston? If it means I have universal health care, I guess I can make peace with feeling like I let Lin-Manuel down...
But eyebrows are worth breaking my silence for. There’s a girl on the Bachelor this season who always says it swear on my eyebrows!’ as her version of swearing on her life and I mean... it seems worthy.
My brows are a mess right now but I bought tint for them because their light brown natural state is not good enough and even though they’re still scruff city it’s still a million steps better. Try it.
Not here with a treasure from the week... Just here to say that the testing is worth it to be able to travel! I'm up to 7 tests now, with two more to come the next two Mondays, plus another one mandated by my employer in October. (I work for the State of Missouri, who supplies the testing.) Getting to see my parents for the first time in 7 months makes the sadistic swab totally worth it!
Hullo there, Swipes! ‘Tis my first time commenting, as I was cordially invited here by Danielle M (another human altogether, not my alter ego, and longtime friend) last week. I’m a fan of the Bible Binge, Enneagram 6, INTJ, mom, gardener, artist, and adventurous cook.
3. 👎My 4 kids started virtual this week, and the 8-10 Zooms + assignments daily are...a lot. TGIF. Much love to teachers, parents, and homeschoolers (which is an entirely different thing, especially now).
4. 👍Erin, I enjoyed the BB episode on Thomas, and the entire time I wanted to talk to you about something I recently found:
A. Priscilla is a totally viable possibility as an author of Hebrews (and according to my pastor friend, he feels she’s the most likely candidate).
So the whole time listening to the Thomas episode, I was tickled every time you guys mentioned the obvious differences in John’s presentation (sass, passie-aggressie, etc) at the thought of it being a woman author instead.
So excited for your new podcast!cThanks, Danielle M, for letting me in on this lovely weekly community + ritual ❤️
Longtime lurker, first time poster (as evidenced by the fact that I just wrote out a comment and then accidentally deleted it !!!!!!!!!). TAKE TWO.
This has been the epitome of a Hack Your Cry™ week over here. I may need to write myself a fake doctor's note that just says "stay in bed, watch A League of Their Own as many times as you need to, eat chocolate 1-2x per hour until sadness subsides." Going to try to treat myself as gently as this dog treated their treat (https://twitter.com/Chinchillazllla/status/1296357503014440961).
First time posting! This newsletter was the treasure of my day today! Alarm didn't go off, completely flat tire after I was already on the road, jeans didn't fit. That kind of morning. Then I get to work and get to read this while drinking a much needed extra cup of coffee. My other treasure is I got halfway through the tire change by myself before someone pulled over to help me and would have gotten it done before my husband got to me from his office! Woohoo!
Still new sharing here, but love this community and want to be more a part of it...so here goes. This weeks treasures & turds...
1. School started on Wednesday and we have elected virtual through our district (after MUCH research and handringing). Once the decision was made we jumped in feet first to making the best of it. Changed the game room to a "classroom" and finally hung up a bunch of art work that has been sitting in boxes for the nearly 2 years we've lived in this house. We are embracing the motto "We can't make it NORMAL, but we can make it MEMORABLE (for the right reasons)"
Post 1st day of school I had a Napcident and crashed for 2 hours. I think the anxiety of starting this bizarre school year and all the energy put into coping via decor and first day of school breakfast plans caught up with me.
2. My family is super tight and we are normally all together (parents, sisters, spouses, kids, even dogs) regularly and circumstances this year have prevented that so in addition to regular Zoom calls we've added a Weekly #CoronaChallenge. We take turns picking the challenge and send it to everyone (we share on FB too so friends can play along) We've made popsicles, chalk art, loaf cakes and sent selfies with our favorite Sonic Drinks. It's been fun to see what everyone does and it's been another fun way to stay connected. It's super hot here in Texas so next week's challenge is to Think Cool and to do a craft or recipe we usually only make during Christmas.
3. After watching an Instagram Friend build a beautiful dollhouse for her daughter, my girls and I started looking at miniatures and they are both obsessed. As a result my childhood dollhouse was unearthed from my parents attic and is now being renovated/remodeled by my girls and I. I'm so happy they love it as much as I did and I love having this project to work on with them.
4. After much searching I was able to find a way to watch the Anne of Green Gables movie with Megan Follows that I remember as a child and share it with my girls, Lyv & Sadie. It was just a charming and dear as I remember and reminded me that Gilbert Blythe was most definitely my first TV crush.
I'm sure I have a few more but I have to go make sure children are on the appropriate zoom calls/canvas assignments.
Hello, Internet friends! It's been a long week over here, but I'm mostly focusing on the positives and the fact that it's Friday. Praise the Lord.
-The Boy meeting the family last weekend went very well! He got the first stamp of approval from my three year old nephew who, within two minutes of walking in the door, pointed at Boy and said excitedly, "Do you want to go play race cars with me?" To which Boy responded eagerly, "I'd love to!" And that was that. Also, seeing Boy interact with him was darling, gave me all the heart eyes, and confirmed that, yes, I would like to have his babies someday. 😂😍 Overall, the family approves. My mom is most definitely freaking out that we've already talked marriage, but I think she'll calm down with time. My dad is super chill. They've already invited Boy to come with them on a trip next month (they didn't invite me, but they invited him 😂), which I told him to please decline, but I guess that's a good sign.😂
-I am very much enjoying a routine of cleaning my small apartment before I go to bed each night. This may seem small, but my former roommates (a.k.a. my sister and brother-in-law) are terribly messy people and a clean house was never possible, so the fact that I can take ten minutes to do the dishes and wipe things down so I can wake up to a clean place is wonderful.
-Someone else mentioned this too, but I've been watching the Umbrella Academy and loving it! I'm not super into fantasy/sci-fi, but I can go for one occasionally, especially if it has some wittiness to it like this does. However, my Roku decided to randomly kick me out of Netflix as I started the last episode last night, delete the app from my TV without asking, and wouldn't let me add it again. So boo to that, but hopefully it behaves tonight so I can finish.
-I go through bouts of having extremely low blood pressure for no reason, which causes crazy dizzy spells, feeling like I'm going to fall over while walking down the hallway, and sometimes accompanied by intense nausea. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it, which is frustrating, but this week has been one of those times so that has been the sucky part of the week.
Can't wait to slowly make my way through the rest of these comments!
Aw man, I want to fly on an airplane. My bestie moved to New York (Rochester) in April and is lonely and I desperately want to go see her next month, or have her come to me. I'm relatively confident in the airlines' ability to keep me covid-free, but my husband has completely nixed it. I feel like I have to respect his stance - it is potentially a life or death decision, after all - but the people I know who have flown are confirming my position.
School starts Monday. Remote for the first quarter. There are wildfires all over Colorado, and it's hot as heck. I'm so ready for everything to just calm down.
Late to the comment game due to panicky students all up in my email inbox and the fact that I now have to drive to my office in the morning instead of leisurely sipping coffee and scrolling Lil Swipe comments before logging into my dining room office at 8.
My treasure this week is Pantsuit Politics, which I know is PMG-adjace so you may all already listen to it, but I started this week with their summer How to Be a Citizen series and IT WAS SO GOOD AND THOUGHTFUL AND SMART AND CIVIL. I need this podcast for me to exist as a person in 2020.
The other treasure was a term I had not previously know: RATLICKER. 😂 Which apparently means someone who won't wear a mask in public, a la someone who would have licked a rat during the bubonic plague. I can't. 😂😂😂
I missed last weeks comments but did anyone share the treasure of the Nigerian boys who got all that video equipment from Netflix for remaking the trailer of Extraction with a wheelbarrow for a car? 😍
Yay for more Erin in my ears! Can’t wait to hear the first episode!
My turd for the week is a broken thermostat on our hot water heater - first we got boiling water straight from the tap 😳 then it overflowed or tripped the pressure whatsit (this is what my brain heard at 7 am from my husband) and now we’ve got a wet basement floor. My husband thinks he can fix it so Ts & Ps for us. My kids really need baths.
Treasure of the week isn’t online - my almost 1 yr old can play in the sand box with my 4 yr old and she DOESNT EAT SAND. Idk what kind of miracle is happening but I’m not questioning it.
I'm not sure I've posted treasures before, only commented and sparingly at that...but I have 2 (really 3) little treasures I'd like to share with you all today:
1) (& 2) I'm in my 19th week of my 3rd and (likely) last pregnancy today...with my TWIN BOYS! I have a 3 year old boy and an 18 month old boy and these twins will be coming in HOT to keep the 22 month spacing we've already got. Two tiny little treasures that we were in no way expecting nor are we prepared for...but they are treasured! (Also I'm so cautious talking about my breezy pregnancies because I'm so so sensitive to those struggling and, if that's you, I'm sorry for rubbing my pregnant belly in your face. I see your struggles and I see that they suck. I'm sorry.)
3) I'm running off to my 10th or so therapy session - I started during the pandemic because A. pandemic marriage and B. pandemic pregnancy and I'm kicking myself for waiting 31 years to start. Best decision I've ever made and I cannot recommend it enough! Now to go discuss why my mother is so weird and my I can't ever turn my work off at home :) maybe I'll throw a little bit of "my husband doesn't understand emotions" and I'm an HSP in there for a good balance.
Morning morning morning from my corner of the world here in Minnesota...
I'm just going to dive into a list because that makes me feel better ;)
1. Another week gone by, another week where I still do not know when my kids will be in school. OR if it will even happen. I say this because more and more area districts are changing their hybrid models either by eliminating them altogether or delaying them. Why? Because teachers are pushing back and I gotta say it, I respect it with some big energy. I have a close friend who is a middle school teacher in my district and the work she is being expected to manage is frankly impossible. It would be one thing if it was ALL in person or ALL hybrid, but the mix of both? It's so hard to coordinate. BUT we did go buy school supplies. I shockingly DID NOT buy myself anything. But that might change because dang it, I deserve a random notebook or pack of gel pens. I DESERRRRRVE IT.
2. Here's hoping my box of pants from Amazon Wardrobe proves fruitful. Since we can't go into fitting rooms (like wow Target way to have really cute pants in stock. Wait, your fitting rooms are closed? Ummm whenever I buy pants I always need to try on like 3 different sizes of any new style because clothing makers are evil and I never know what size I am anymore!!! I used to keep a spreadsheet but guess what, EVERY SEASON THEY CHANGE!!!)
3. Getting used to my Cooling Pillow. So Yes, I'm 43 and my husband bought me a cooling pillow. I showed this to Danielle M via a video -- its like a foam pillow that has this quilted sort of case and that quilted material is what stays cool. It has taken some getting used to but I think I am liking it now.
4. Seeing results from Curology. I started this journey in July.....yeah it was July and I think I'm getting some gains. But I have to be careful because anytime I think for a second my skin is feeling better the Universe gives me a break out.
5. Crying at the end of Sophie Hudson's Zoom book club. Yes, I cried. Her meet ups to discuss her book were just a place of comfort and I cried after the last one this Tuesday. She's just such a comfort and gift to me. The time I got to take to read her book and have a little community was something I really valued.
7. The Umbrella Academy S2 on Netflix. It's weird, it's quirky, the soundtrack has been epic, the fight scenes are like crazy....I can't explain why I have enjoyed these eps so much thus far, but I have.
8. An epic tomato. You guys. Okay so we have a cafe onsite here at work, they make pretty meh food and usually I bring my own lunch. But last week I got this chicken tender sandwich they make. It's just a couple really big fresh fried tenders on a pretzel bun with this mayo that is like if pesto and mayo had a sexxxxy bebe.....but then served with lettuce and tomato. You're like okay girl calm down its a sandwich. But this week when I treated myself to said sammich....she pulls out this tomato. I was not prepared. First off, it was like the size of a grapefruit. Second the shade of red. It was like...... the most luscious shade of red. When she sliced into it. I gasped you guys. I audibly gasped. It was a next level epic tomato. I asked for an extra slice of it on the side. She salted and peppered it. She knew my plans. Guys. I ate that epic piece of tomato like it was a Wagyu beef. It was like no tomato I have had in quite some time. I actually came home and waxed philosophically about this tomato to both my husband AND my dad when it called -- my husband was like "okay glad that was good" -- My dad totally understood my adoration. I thought if anyone could understand this, it might be Erin and this group.
Erin so thrilled about your new pod. I must admit I almost got into a twitter fight last night on your behalf...well more on Marlo's behalf (if it isn't Marlo with these names I will be SHOCKED!) because of someone's reply to your tweet about her names for the DT. But I resisted but was just going to tell her to stop romping on another's ding dong especially a 7-year-old! I stopped myself though. But good grief. Also, she wouldn't have gotten it so.... and it seemed sort of inappropriate since I doubt she follows you on Instagram. So all in all probs a good call on my part for also not getting kicked off twitter for inappropriate content.
So classes started this week at the university I work for and even before we started we made national news... and TMZ. I mean I feel like a bucket list item is complete I had not thought of. A place I work at hit the TMZ website. Anyhoo. Seems some off-campus student housing still had their back to school bash with no mask and social distancing... so we will see if there is a spike in the covid here soon. I am so thankful to be working virtually this semester. I am glad my students are back though! Mine should not have been at the party as they are a bit too young as freshmen and sophomores. There is an on-campus rule.
The most treasured treasure is this past weekend my niece face-timed my multiple times to chat. It has been a while since she did and we talked for hours. It's amazing to talk with her as a 10-year-old. It finally occurred to me she sees me as a confidant to talk about her worries and fears and someone she can trust. Y'all I UGLY CRIED when I figured this out. She was really worried about school starting back as she is starting middle school (5th and 6th grade) and it brings all the elementary schools together so it was a great many new students. She took my advice about so many things this week. I just was blown away. So even though we may go a bit without talking because she would rather face-time her friends. (big sigh) she will call me when she needs me. My. Heart. And I get to talk to my 3-year-old niece who is possibly the funniest person I know.
Finally retained a ding dang attorney to go after the developers of my shady A$$ condo that's under construction. I feel 100lbs lighter and now $600 poorer, but am praying for these greedy devils to just release me and give me my monies back. Prayers please (if that's your jam).
📺 Guys- someone let me in to the fact that Friday Night Lights is on Hulu, so buckled in and started Ep 1 last night. It did not disappoint. I'm eager to finally get to this show for the first time.
🎧 Podcast: Forever 35. Have you guys checked this one out yet? Doree Shafrir & Kate Spencer are an utter delight and are filling all my ear quarantine needs (beside PMG of course).
🍍 Found a new to me coffee place called Pineapple Espresso and they have peach cobbler toast and it is a DELIGHT. Who knew peaches in season could literally melt in your mouth.
The hard things this week were waking up Monday morning to my four year old son’s ear being twice its normal size. He’s been on prednisone this week, which fixed it, but BOY. I’ve been on prednisone many times before for my asthma, but it is no joke for a little kid. My usually laid-back boy has been yelling and grumpy and running around like a wild man this week. Last dose was yesterday, so hopefully he’s on the come down.
Mixed good and bad is that school starts in person on Monday for my kiddos. They are over the moon to go back, but of course I’m nervous. It’s my son’s last year of special ed preschool for his language disorder before kindergarten and we just decided we needed to at least try for him to go. On the other hand, this enneagram 5 is not sad about being alone in the house even for just an hour or two each day after not having that since March.
Erin, I’m so excited for your new podcast! Congratulations!
I’ve been watching Psych on Prime and loving the very lighthearted mystery vibe. Along with rereads of Sarah Addison Allen and Marisa de los Santos books, it’s exactly what I need right now.
Welp, here we are. Anyone else feel like time is moving as slow as turtles walking through peanut butter?! Our family update is as follows. Older son, Dylan has a girlfriend. Daughter Autumn was invited to the boy she likes house for dinner and a movie with his family. She said no to the dinner because it was too much pressure but yes to the movie. She asked her older brother Dylan to drop her off at his house. And despite the fact that Dylan had no other plans he said no because a gentleman should come pick her up. Denver has taken up tennis and is enjoying tennis lessons. My younger daughter Chandler got to see her bff last week for the first time since March- It was a very noisy. Hank, is back at speech therapy this week and is still working hard. He also stood at the top of the fort in our backyard and peed down slide. Waylon, is still just trying to boss everyone around and his sisters just do what he says.
Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary we will have been married 22 years! I still very much like him and he is still my favorite person to be around he makes me laugh even when he does it mean to you and the fact that we have not murdered each other is a big deal!
Virtual school starts on September 8 for us. I haven’t bought a single school supply. I don’t know what I should be purchasing. I need a list I cannot function without a list tell me all the things on the list and I’ll check them off so that I could feel productive. My kids are going to end up with 184 pencils and that’s it!
1. Athleta masks - adjustable straps, breathable, slick and cute...10/10 recommend
2. The "Release Radar" on Spotify that gets updated every Friday - since I've been working at home the last 5 months I forgot how much I love listening to this playlist during my commute. I'm listening now and I'm just amazed at the Spotify algorithm. If anyone in this alley is a fan of the Oh Hellos - the song Boreas is amazing!!!
3. I decided this week that I needed to step up my workout game - daily walks outside have been my saving grace but I can't do it when its 105 degrees outside. So I joined Tone it Up and so far I really like it! Workouts are super doable - only 20-30 minutes long and I like that the encouragement the trainers give are focused on building you up for strength and not to be skinny. There is a lot of room for modification which is exactly what I need. I feel accomplished after doing it and sore the next day but not to the point where I can't workout again the next day.
4. Last but certainly not least...why didn't anyone tell me about the joys of Irish butter???? I have been slathering everything with it. Right now I love buying the cinnamon raisin Ezekial bread, toasting it and covering it with Irish butter and cinnamon and honey. Such a yummy breakfast.
This is my first time commenting, but I’ve gotta share my lil treasure this week.
My oldest son has autism, and it can be so hard to feel like I’m effectively communicating and loving him. He’s obsessed with gorillas though, and today The One And Only Ivan comes out on Disney+, so I’m gonna snuggle in with my boy (and probably his collection of ape plushies) to watch a gorilla movie together. ❤️🦍
Erin, I so appreciate the eyebrow hack and will be checking those stencils out. Embarrassing confession: when I was a sophomore in high school, I accidentally plucked out all of my eyebrows. Luckily, they grew back, but they've been unruly ever since.
I finally checked off two tasks that have been looming large for a while - took all four kids to the dentist and haircuts this week. Y’all. I’ve been trying to be better about not using avoidance in basically every area of my life but I almost did not survive the emotional onslaught that ensued post haircuts. First my oldest was unhappy with his haircut. Then my youngest was sobbing that he didn’t get a haircut. Next my daughter was crying over them cutting off all of her blond hair (she had really blond ends). Lastly my third child has really long hair and long hair for boys is super tricky in my experience. His haircut (which ironically he is the only one happy with said haircut) did end up having some Kate from John and Kate plus eight vibes. How do you have longish hair particularly bangs but avoid looking like you have that kind of hair cut? The whole thing has almost completely wiped me out.
Good morning everybody! Hopping on here quickly to say my COVID19 test came back negative! Thank you all for your good thoughts. I have a morning walk then physically distanced coffee with neighbors so will read Erin’s latest and all your t&t’s later. 😀
Good morning! I'm sitting here listening to my 3rd grader do a Zoom call as we are on Day 3 of distance learning - and it is actually going really well! Meanwhile, my 4 year old has been completely ignored all week and is being parented by an iPad. I am trying to come up with a plan for this for next week. In other news, I am considering starting a Twitter account of things I overhear on these Zoom calls because children meekly asking the woman on the computer screen permission to use the bathroom in their own homes is very funny to me.
Gosh I feel like I never have any treasures to share! I just am wrapped up in "making it" every week that I'm hardly enjoying anything. Plenty of turds though. I had the worst week of PMS - headaches, mood swings, serious bloating, cramps. Why am I listing it, you guys know what it is! It also came late (I think so that I'd be on it when we went on our little trip to the west side of the state for swimming at the lake, I'm sure.) Speaking of our trip to the lake, that we booked months and months ago, quarantined all summer to be safe to go with family on, was Literally the only thing we planned for and on for the entire summer 🤣 --well, we received an email three days before leaving that our rental was canceled because the current renters had burned down the deck and waterfront. They would need to use our week to repair it so everyone else renting in the following weeks vacations wouldn't be ruined. It would make me cry if it wasn't so funny but I mean OF COURSE, RIGHT?? 2020 cannot be stopped! We had to shift gears and find a different, worse in almost every way, near the lake but not waterfront place, but at least my kids still get to go somewhere? If it wasn't for kids I just don't think I would have re-booked. I would have taken it as a sign to just give up. I would have put icecream and books on automatic delivery and just stayed in bed until 2021. Maybe thank goodness for kids? They're maybe the only reason I try anymore. I'm tired.
Y'all!!! My biggest treasure this week is that one of my IRL friends signed up for this here Alley/Neighborhood, and this is her first week getting it! To really confuse everyone, her name is Danielle as well. Although I have been on the globe longer, her husband (rightfully) coined her D1 and me D2. Sometimes we're known as the double d's, which is as close as either of us will come to getting to live that life, b/c well...
ANYWHO. Today is also my last day of work before vacation at the beach. I. Need. This. Vacation. We all know and recognize 2020 for the turd of the year it has been. This Monday, while trying to cross of items from my pre-vacation to-do list, I was hit by what appears to be an uninsured motorist. While I am incredibly thankful for good insurance coverage on my end, I am v unhappy about that situation. So bring on vacation with friends who feel like family and sitting staring at the ocean.
T's and P's for no hurricanes or tropical storms on the east coast in the next two weeks, please?
The biggest turd in my life has been that my 5 year old (who is historically a great sleeper) has not been sleeping through the night since *checks notes* MARCH. I was starting to feel like an INSANE person. Enter my treasure...Natural Calm Magnesium gummies. She has slept through the night two nights in a row, stayed in her own bed and said that it helped her to not have any bad dreams. 😭 So, I am now betrothed to magnesium gummies and have ordered them in bulk. 🙌🏻
Husband's Covid test came back negative (and his symptoms went away after just a couple of days) so it's business as usual this week. And by that I mean I fought every day with my turns-5-tomorrow-high-energy-kid and his passy-aggressey 6yo sister 🤪 They also gave me lots of hugs and kisses and played games and read books with me, so what I'm saying is it's the typical kid roller coaster around here. We also got to swim one day in our friends' pool, which is a huge treasure. I also read The Dearly Beloved on Sunday (yes, in one day. Basically ignored my family as much as possible), and I can not emphasize enough how much I loved that book.
And for shareable treasure, here's a delightful Twitter thread:
ERIN! I am so excited for your new pod 💕💕 and safe travels back from TX. I flew yesterday as well, and Atlanta was busy (therefore more people being wild about masks and not distancing) but my other airports were ghost towns. Glad to have made it to NY. And guys, it was 61° when I woke up - what a joy to throw on a hoodie in August! Other treasures include being your IG friends now (Hannah, your beach week looked GREAT!) and reading a WHOLE bunch of books while traveling!
And now, a slice of the TikTok stratosphere for the week:
My 👍🏼 For the week came in the form of a water bill. What’s that you say? About a month ago our irrigation hook up broke during the night and started spewing water out into the street. Around 8am a neighbor rang our doorbell to tell us. My husband went to shut it off, thankfully we have a way to do that. As we looked up and down the street we felt this feeling of dread.
My husband and I own a business but our business has been shut down since mid March. Our work involves people meeting, as of now in NC no one can meet in groups over 10. At this point we basically have very little income for our family of 4.
Anyway, for the last month we have been cautiously going to the mail box waiting for that water bill to come in. We were anticipating around $700 which we don’t have. On Tuesday we received the ill fated bill. My husband opened it then handed it to me with very little reaction. I took a deep breath, $79!!!!! What?!?!?! How is that possible??? Our normal bill is $72. I very literally started crying...over a water bill. That was the biggest “Praise Jesus!” moment I’ve had in a very long time. It is definitely the little things sometimes.
That feeling that one gets when one feels they have found and watched all of shows they have access to and are not NSFJM (Jamie's mom is pretty much my speed) and then finds Endeavor: for Anglophiles and those that don't mind the predictability that is murder being solved by the end of each episode.
The mask gun video is going out to my engineering friends as soon as I’m done here!! Oh my word!!
Here’s my treasures and stories this week!
👾 High Score docuseries on Netflix / i love video game history and this is fun and fascinating! And I really want a pac-man arcade cabinet now.
🎶 The Worship Song Song - https://youtu.be/fWicNLXxtj4 - the Boy sent me this yesterday and I was thrown back to college chapel days so hard I got whiplash 😂
🚘 IN WHICH THE CAR SAGA CONTINUES (to hopefully a peaceful end on Saturday) - y’all. Since last Friday my poor dented and damaged car developed a shuddery misfire in the engine, and I have been to a car auction, a dealership, looked through dozens of Marketplace postings, cried in the truck in front of James, called a bank about a loan for the first time (with a script in hand for this anxious ball of anxiety), had lots of good talks about thoughts on money with James, he volunteered his time and dealership child expertise and enneagram 8 car salesmen bullying skills, and half the pastors on staff at our church where he works have helped and weighed in on safety ratings, all to not much luck or peace about any of the options we looked at. Then this afternoon my angel brother (or one of the 6 at least) proposed a trade - his Mazda for my Buick. And I get to save my money for getting something nicer later down the road. He can HAVE the darn thing! Instant peace. He’s coming out Saturday. My Boy is less concerned about my general well-being now 😂 and i feel well taken care of by the men God put in my life! Also I know more about cars and finances from this past week than from my almost 30 years of life combined!
🥧 THE POWER OF APPLE PIE. after the auction Saturday, I made a pie for the Boy at his request. I LIVE for his response to food I make for him. He literally has not shut up about it. I’m due to make him another tonight. Baked goods have built this relationship and will keep us going by George!
1. My dog is going through a moody-teenager/miss-independent phase, but for about five minutes when she first wakes up in the morning, she’s super snuggly and wants all the belly rubs, and it’s just the best
2. Kind doctors who empathetically affirm your experiences and have answers and next steps. What a relief! It makes me sad that this isn’t the norm (at least not in my experience)
Good morning! I’m back at work as a high school teacher and we’re doing a hybrid model so there’s lots of hope/nervousness mixed together this week... but here’s a treasure: The Imagineering Story on Disney+. If you love Disneyland / Disney World / creative processes, I think you’ll like this show! I may have cried a little over Carousel if Progress and It’s a Small World 😂
Weeks continue to fly by while simultaneously crawling by like a turtle trudging through an ocean of peanut butter. 😂
-My three-year-old had his very first sleepover at his cousin’s house this week! Sadly, he couldn't sleep and cried until I came to pick him up at midnight. We didn't get home until about 1am. He talked the entire ride home (annoying but so sweet to be the one he needed) and didn't go down until about 1:30. Then he woke up fresh as a daisy at 7 am! I still have not fully recovered the sleep from that night. What a memory! 😂
-I got my hair cut for the second time this summer! I never prioritize myself/self-care so that was a big deal! (Back story: my friend is my stylist and with COVID and furloughs, her family has been through the ringer financially so if I can go get my hair cut and tip way more than normal, I'll do it!! #enneagram2) It's shorter than it has been in a while but I love it!!
-@Erin Moon: re: eyebrows. I've never been a permanent makeup girl but I, too, am eyebrow illiterate. I decided to get my eyebrows microbladed last year and I've not once regretted it. Plus, since you can only see the top half of my face in public right now, I always look put together. 👏🏻 Definitely worth the investment so you can stop using stencils, eyeliner, etc. So good!
-Finished Mrs. Maisel last night and I wanted to riot. When will season 4 come out? I need more! Devastated. Any suggestions for what to watch next Lil Swipes? I'm counting on you! (Have Netflix/Prime).
-COVID is closing a tea room that I went to as a little girl. I LOVE this place and their food. I saw the announcement on FB (right before I decided I can no longer participate in that dumpster fire) so I've made it my personal mission to go multiple times before Sept. 4 to enjoy the orange rolls, chicken salad, and loaded potatoes. Damn you COVID/2020! 😭
Congrats, Erin on getting your own show! Soooo exciting! And I must say, it's about time! You are the Popcast secret sauce and everyone needs more of you!
My 2 year old nephew is currently fast asleep in my guest room. Every couple of weeks he'll spend the night with me and it's SUCH a joy. Last night we had a moment where I was giving him a shower (anyone else know a 2 year old who is OBSESSED with showers?!) and out of nowhere he exclaimed, "this is so nice!" 😂 then I got to comb out his precious curls, slather him in cocoa butter, and snuggle with him on the couch while we watched 101 Dalmatians. Baby fever like nobody's business.
Still haven't finished Veronica Mars, but I'm getting close! I'm in season 3 and currently v obsessed with Piz. I mean, what. a. heartthrob.
A treasure I've recently implemented in the last few weeks is a weekly Sabbath. It's something I've wanted to do for years, but with being full time in grad school with various internships and part time jobs, it just physically did not allow for me to practice it and also have groceries so I chose groceries. Now that I'm transitioning into that full-time job life with no homework, I want to build it into the rhythm of my week. So far, it's been such a breath of fresh air. I don't touch my phone, don't stream anything other than my church service, no doing dishes, shopping, cleaning, etc. and spend the whole day in worship and in rest. I'm looking into getting an all-in-one audio thingy that will play records, CDs, tapes, etc. so I can still play music. Side note: DID YOU GUYS KNOW THE HAMILTON SOUNDTRACK IS ON VINYL?! It's more dollars than I want to spend right now, but you best believe it's on my Christmas list.
I'm in a process of learning more about the Sabbath practice so if you guys have any books, podcasts, etc, that are helpful, please share! So far I've watched Annie F. Downs's insta highlight and I've began John Mark Comer's sabbath series from his church Bridgetown.
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve commented. Been in the trenches of work and navigating back to school for my kiddos. That’s a whole other post in and of itself. Let’s just say we are happy to be back in a routine and some “normalcy.”
Betty the basset is thriving and we love her! She has taken over and now sleeps in our bed but we don’t mind. She’s adorable and a beast. Ready for this biting phase to be over!
Cannot wait for this new podcast, @erinmoon!!
A few treasures this week:
Love on the Spectrum on Netflix (Popcast Green Light 😉)
Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix
The Rants & Raves podcast (this is hilarious and started by my friend Jessica and her friend Dana)
Upload on Prime (another Popcast Green Light)-I need a season 2 stat!
Homecoming also on Prime (so good!! The first season has Julia Roberts and the second has Janelle Monae and Chris Cooper).
We are heading home from the beach today & this newsletter will be a fun companion, as per usual. We had a lovely week. Aaaaand my baby gets his cast off on Monday!! 🙌
SO FREAKIN EXCITED about your podcast, Erin!!! I think I speak for all of us when I say we’ve been waiting our whole Swipe Up lives for this (& probably longer, tbh).
Treasures 💎
1) I’ve been following @floraleenaturals on insta for a little while now & she gives GREAT skincare tips. She also makes her own small batch products so I decided to try her balancing toner from her latest restock: https://floraleenaturals.com/products/hydrating-toner
2) This post from @scottthepainter about shame BLEW MY SOCKS OFF. I officially need this piece in my home/counseling office someday: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEEq6oHpfaL/
That’s all from me this week. Can’t wait to see what you all have to share! ✨
Hi friends. I don't know why, but I saved this for Sunday afternoon.
Treasures of the week: I SURVIVED WORKING ALL 5 DAYS. Something that hasn't been my reality since the second week of March. Like how in the world did I do that every day? Every week? All of the times? How even? {P.S. I did submit the application I mentioned last week and am in the waiting period of "we'll reach out to you if you get to the next round" situation.}
**I spent a full 2 hours on the phone with my momma today. And it. was. glorious. We talked about nothing and everything and all the stuff in between and it just made my heart happy.
Turd of the week: My best friend (only child) is dealing with her own momma's mental health, which does not seem to be going well right now. BFF is in my town and her mom is about 4 hours away in a different state. It's all very taxing and emotionally draining, especially without a full diagnosis yet and nervousness about what her mom may or may not be fully sharing with her care providers. Prayers much appreciated. We don't quite know what we're dealing with yet, so advice isn't necessary. (Silver lining, my BFF was able to reach out to my sweet momma for some advice and love and support. swoon)
I love y'all and very much appreciate the art of crafting these treasures and turds each week. It's fun... and I think one of the only places that I feel 100% authentically me in the voice I use. ;) Thanks for being a safe space to land.
Greetings, Treasures! I'll be honest, this has been a tiring week. We had houseguests at the beginning of the week, and I attempted to start my kids' homeschool year as well, and as a result I completely slept through my alarm AT LEAST once this week. It's not a lot, but these things are saving my life right now:
1) Finding Limoncello La Croix in stock at Target and buying multiple cases. It tastes like summer, and though I kind of want this summer to end, I want the limoncello taste to stay.
2) Teaching my daughter to make dinner for our family from scratch. Her crock pot glazed ham was delicious, and her broccoli casserole tasted better than any I have had at a church potluck. The pan was cleaned out. It's hard for me to let go in the kitchen, not because I love to cook but because I hate to clean up, and when you cook with kids it's even messier. My daughter is 13 and incredibly capable in the kitchen, though, and I can see myself being out of a job soon:-)
3) I know this makes me like your 87 year old Granny, but I am loving old episodes of Bull (CBS All Access, which I have for Star Trek Discovery, which also might put me on par with older relatives, lol). It's formulaic and predictable, and I find that is EXACTLY what I need right now. The cases are solved by the end of the episode? Great! The verdict almost always goes in Tony's, I mean, Bull's favor? Of course! My brain and heart and emotions cannot handle a lot of drama. I also cannot binge watch anything, or start a show where I.must.see.the.next.episode because they are all cliff hangers. I need tidy, I need predictable, I need routine and rhythms, and Bull provides that.
Have a blessed weekend, my online friends! Your treasures bring us joy.
Hi, been reading for a while now, but have never said anything and I finally feel like I have a turd worth sharing that will only be appreciated for it's turdiness here.
I went to the local farm earlier this year and picked out all my plants for the garden. They had Mortgage Lifter tomatoes! I had been wanting to grow them for years and could never find them around here. So, in my excitement I bought two. I'm in Washington and our summer just started last week and the garden has been dragging it's live long feet on growing anything. All my tomatoes are heavy with green tomatoes, but no color yet until 5 days ago. I finally saw some red coming! It was on my mortgage lifter! My first tomato out of the garden would be the one I had waited my whole life for. I checked daily and whispered sweet nothings to it. Guys, it was ready yesterday. I cannot express to you the extreme disappointment that came from the tomato. IT WAS A FLAVORLESS CHERRY TOMATO THAT HAD BEEN MISLABELED AT THE NURSERY! I cried. Mind you, I'm heavily pregnant as well so let's blame the hormones for making this so much worse. But, it was just a bland red curry tomato. The other mortgage lifter imposter is a cherry as well. My plans to quell my homemade salsa cravings have been smashed into the little tiny pieces. My husband just doesn't get it being as he's not a tomato lover. I need time to mourn dramatically.
Yay podcast!!
Hi friends!
I had a long comment typed out and then my phone froze up and I lost everything 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Soooo, here’s the abridged version.
🌞 I’ve been soaking up the last week of summer before school starts back next week. This involved a day trip to the beach and as much time at the pool as humanly possible.
📺 I started outlander this week. I’m not sure why I waited so long.
🏃🏼♀️ I got to go for a walk with my workout friends for the first time since March. These two are some of my dearest friends - the kind who cheer you on relentlessly and are a soft place to land when you fall flat on your face. I have missed them so.
📚 I started reading The Federalist Papers in conjunction with Pantsuit Politics’ how to be a citizen series. I saved the episodes up until after I finished my Master’s degree (which I something I never thought I would have said prior to March).
😷 Y’all, I cannot with the mask acne. My skin is usually dry, so, acne has never been a problem even as a teenager. I’m using a salicylic acid wash, benzoyl peroxide as a spot treatments, and hydrocolloid patches. Help?!
I love this community so much but I am always so hesitant to post - unless I’m commenting on others’ posts. But I love this space every week, so here I am. Maybe it’s because I rarely feel that I have any treasures in this season. (Having OCD that is focused on germ fears and then putting that into a pandemic makes for a lot of turds.) But I want to hang out virtually with you lovely ladies!
One treasure I’ve got is the show Cursed. I know it’s not for everyone. It’s very violent and gory. But a retelling of the Author legend with a woman as the focus, people of color actually being cast (including Black Arthur!) and loads of magic? Sign me up!
Also, I have loved Andrew Peterson for years but I had never managed to read his Wingfeather Saga books. My 8 year old just read the first one so I’m am reading it to so we can discuss and it is a delight! So well written, just feels like a great story, not a kids’ book. Loving it. So glad there are 3 more waiting for me!
And then lastly, I had some bday money left over from my birthday in May (which doesn’t usually happen this many months after😬) and I decided to add to my Funko Pop collection by getting myself all 4 of the Schitt’s Creek ones. Adding the Rose family to my shelf is a joy!
Also so glad to report that Jamie Holden is no longer. Wondery fixed their Jamie typo lol. I had to follow up.
This may seem kinda weird, but my treasure for the week is that I FINALLY got my gallbladder removed on Wednesday! Yes, I feel like I've been punched in the gut, yes I am completely exhausted, yes the bruising is nasty but I swear I already feel so much better than I have in years. I never had typical 'attacks' but have dealt with an overall sense of feeling crappy for a really long time, so it was a journey to figure out what was wrong in the first place, and then to finally get a surgery date (mostly due to COVID delaying surgeries in general). The operation took quite a while longer than expected because my gallbladder was 'quite gnarly' per the surgeon but I think it should be onwards and upwards from here! Plus, I have to take it easy for the next few weeks so I can't vacuum or lift laundry baskets or push a shopping cart. This gal is finally getting a bit of a break. Time to watch Hamilton on repeat!
Speaking of Hamilton, how do I reconcile my love for the story with the fact that I was born in what is known as "Canada's Most Loyalist City"? Does this explain why I am so oddly drawn to the character of King George? Why did it only dawn on me halfway through the musical that my relatives were the ones who booked it North from Boston? If it means I have universal health care, I guess I can make peace with feeling like I let Lin-Manuel down...
In the next installment of "Ashley watches something she should have seen years ago:"
I spent nap-time watching The Greatest Showman. Jaw on the floor.
Zac Efron. Hugh Jackman. Both singing. Both beautiful. Be still my heart. #swoon
Long time reader, first time commenter.
But eyebrows are worth breaking my silence for. There’s a girl on the Bachelor this season who always says it swear on my eyebrows!’ as her version of swearing on her life and I mean... it seems worthy.
My brows are a mess right now but I bought tint for them because their light brown natural state is not good enough and even though they’re still scruff city it’s still a million steps better. Try it.
I need those templates for shape sake though.
I swear on my eyebrows.
Not here with a treasure from the week... Just here to say that the testing is worth it to be able to travel! I'm up to 7 tests now, with two more to come the next two Mondays, plus another one mandated by my employer in October. (I work for the State of Missouri, who supplies the testing.) Getting to see my parents for the first time in 7 months makes the sadistic swab totally worth it!
Hullo there, Swipes! ‘Tis my first time commenting, as I was cordially invited here by Danielle M (another human altogether, not my alter ego, and longtime friend) last week. I’m a fan of the Bible Binge, Enneagram 6, INTJ, mom, gardener, artist, and adventurous cook.
1. 👍All of this guy’s nature videos make my day, but especially this snail one: https://youtu.be/XVWQCd5j_ec
2. 👍This artist on Instagram who makes incredible line drawings, especially the ones with multi-color ballpoint pens: https://instagram.com/alberto_sting?igshid=1gaq9hvepebgo
3. 👎My 4 kids started virtual this week, and the 8-10 Zooms + assignments daily are...a lot. TGIF. Much love to teachers, parents, and homeschoolers (which is an entirely different thing, especially now).
4. 👍Erin, I enjoyed the BB episode on Thomas, and the entire time I wanted to talk to you about something I recently found:
A. Priscilla is a totally viable possibility as an author of Hebrews (and according to my pastor friend, he feels she’s the most likely candidate).
B. There’s evidence Mary Magdalene could have authored the book of John: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/09/duke-university-bible-mary-magdalene-researcher-correct
So the whole time listening to the Thomas episode, I was tickled every time you guys mentioned the obvious differences in John’s presentation (sass, passie-aggressie, etc) at the thought of it being a woman author instead.
So excited for your new podcast!cThanks, Danielle M, for letting me in on this lovely weekly community + ritual ❤️
Longtime lurker, first time poster (as evidenced by the fact that I just wrote out a comment and then accidentally deleted it !!!!!!!!!). TAKE TWO.
This has been the epitome of a Hack Your Cry™ week over here. I may need to write myself a fake doctor's note that just says "stay in bed, watch A League of Their Own as many times as you need to, eat chocolate 1-2x per hour until sadness subsides." Going to try to treat myself as gently as this dog treated their treat (https://twitter.com/Chinchillazllla/status/1296357503014440961).
So excited for your new show, Erin!
First time posting! This newsletter was the treasure of my day today! Alarm didn't go off, completely flat tire after I was already on the road, jeans didn't fit. That kind of morning. Then I get to work and get to read this while drinking a much needed extra cup of coffee. My other treasure is I got halfway through the tire change by myself before someone pulled over to help me and would have gotten it done before my husband got to me from his office! Woohoo!
Good Morning!! I am beyond excited for Faith Adjacent (other than it’s hard to spell!). The PMG is definitely a bright spot right now.
Grateful for tomatoes from my garden & the fact that it is now pastry Friday (where we eat breakfast pastries, clever right?)
Freaking out that I know my kids are starting school virtually, but not how I am starting teaching in a couple weeks. Argh.
Still new sharing here, but love this community and want to be more a part of it...so here goes. This weeks treasures & turds...
1. School started on Wednesday and we have elected virtual through our district (after MUCH research and handringing). Once the decision was made we jumped in feet first to making the best of it. Changed the game room to a "classroom" and finally hung up a bunch of art work that has been sitting in boxes for the nearly 2 years we've lived in this house. We are embracing the motto "We can't make it NORMAL, but we can make it MEMORABLE (for the right reasons)"
Post 1st day of school I had a Napcident and crashed for 2 hours. I think the anxiety of starting this bizarre school year and all the energy put into coping via decor and first day of school breakfast plans caught up with me.
2. My family is super tight and we are normally all together (parents, sisters, spouses, kids, even dogs) regularly and circumstances this year have prevented that so in addition to regular Zoom calls we've added a Weekly #CoronaChallenge. We take turns picking the challenge and send it to everyone (we share on FB too so friends can play along) We've made popsicles, chalk art, loaf cakes and sent selfies with our favorite Sonic Drinks. It's been fun to see what everyone does and it's been another fun way to stay connected. It's super hot here in Texas so next week's challenge is to Think Cool and to do a craft or recipe we usually only make during Christmas.
3. After watching an Instagram Friend build a beautiful dollhouse for her daughter, my girls and I started looking at miniatures and they are both obsessed. As a result my childhood dollhouse was unearthed from my parents attic and is now being renovated/remodeled by my girls and I. I'm so happy they love it as much as I did and I love having this project to work on with them.
4. After much searching I was able to find a way to watch the Anne of Green Gables movie with Megan Follows that I remember as a child and share it with my girls, Lyv & Sadie. It was just a charming and dear as I remember and reminded me that Gilbert Blythe was most definitely my first TV crush.
I'm sure I have a few more but I have to go make sure children are on the appropriate zoom calls/canvas assignments.
Hello, Internet friends! It's been a long week over here, but I'm mostly focusing on the positives and the fact that it's Friday. Praise the Lord.
-The Boy meeting the family last weekend went very well! He got the first stamp of approval from my three year old nephew who, within two minutes of walking in the door, pointed at Boy and said excitedly, "Do you want to go play race cars with me?" To which Boy responded eagerly, "I'd love to!" And that was that. Also, seeing Boy interact with him was darling, gave me all the heart eyes, and confirmed that, yes, I would like to have his babies someday. 😂😍 Overall, the family approves. My mom is most definitely freaking out that we've already talked marriage, but I think she'll calm down with time. My dad is super chill. They've already invited Boy to come with them on a trip next month (they didn't invite me, but they invited him 😂), which I told him to please decline, but I guess that's a good sign.😂
-I am very much enjoying a routine of cleaning my small apartment before I go to bed each night. This may seem small, but my former roommates (a.k.a. my sister and brother-in-law) are terribly messy people and a clean house was never possible, so the fact that I can take ten minutes to do the dishes and wipe things down so I can wake up to a clean place is wonderful.
-Someone else mentioned this too, but I've been watching the Umbrella Academy and loving it! I'm not super into fantasy/sci-fi, but I can go for one occasionally, especially if it has some wittiness to it like this does. However, my Roku decided to randomly kick me out of Netflix as I started the last episode last night, delete the app from my TV without asking, and wouldn't let me add it again. So boo to that, but hopefully it behaves tonight so I can finish.
-I go through bouts of having extremely low blood pressure for no reason, which causes crazy dizzy spells, feeling like I'm going to fall over while walking down the hallway, and sometimes accompanied by intense nausea. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it, which is frustrating, but this week has been one of those times so that has been the sucky part of the week.
Can't wait to slowly make my way through the rest of these comments!
Aw man, I want to fly on an airplane. My bestie moved to New York (Rochester) in April and is lonely and I desperately want to go see her next month, or have her come to me. I'm relatively confident in the airlines' ability to keep me covid-free, but my husband has completely nixed it. I feel like I have to respect his stance - it is potentially a life or death decision, after all - but the people I know who have flown are confirming my position.
School starts Monday. Remote for the first quarter. There are wildfires all over Colorado, and it's hot as heck. I'm so ready for everything to just calm down.
Late to the comment game due to panicky students all up in my email inbox and the fact that I now have to drive to my office in the morning instead of leisurely sipping coffee and scrolling Lil Swipe comments before logging into my dining room office at 8.
My treasure this week is Pantsuit Politics, which I know is PMG-adjace so you may all already listen to it, but I started this week with their summer How to Be a Citizen series and IT WAS SO GOOD AND THOUGHTFUL AND SMART AND CIVIL. I need this podcast for me to exist as a person in 2020.
The other treasure was a term I had not previously know: RATLICKER. 😂 Which apparently means someone who won't wear a mask in public, a la someone who would have licked a rat during the bubonic plague. I can't. 😂😂😂
I missed last weeks comments but did anyone share the treasure of the Nigerian boys who got all that video equipment from Netflix for remaking the trailer of Extraction with a wheelbarrow for a car? 😍
erin, i am so excited for your podcast! 🎉
- currently reading: i just finished "the good daughter" by karin slaughter. meh. just, meh.
- currently listening: binging "from the front porch" podcast. my TBR list will never recover.
- currently loving: chick•fil•a’s sweet tea
and i will leave you with this hilarious interaction with my 3 year old son earlier this week:
me, hearing my husband making coffee: "hey sexy, can you make me some, too?"
husband: "sure, babe."
a few minutes later, my son walks up to me as i'm finishing my snack + looks at me with a straight face + asks, "hey sexy, can i have a bite?"
i couldn't breathe 😂😂😂
Yay for more Erin in my ears! Can’t wait to hear the first episode!
My turd for the week is a broken thermostat on our hot water heater - first we got boiling water straight from the tap 😳 then it overflowed or tripped the pressure whatsit (this is what my brain heard at 7 am from my husband) and now we’ve got a wet basement floor. My husband thinks he can fix it so Ts & Ps for us. My kids really need baths.
Treasure of the week isn’t online - my almost 1 yr old can play in the sand box with my 4 yr old and she DOESNT EAT SAND. Idk what kind of miracle is happening but I’m not questioning it.
I'm not sure I've posted treasures before, only commented and sparingly at that...but I have 2 (really 3) little treasures I'd like to share with you all today:
1) (& 2) I'm in my 19th week of my 3rd and (likely) last pregnancy today...with my TWIN BOYS! I have a 3 year old boy and an 18 month old boy and these twins will be coming in HOT to keep the 22 month spacing we've already got. Two tiny little treasures that we were in no way expecting nor are we prepared for...but they are treasured! (Also I'm so cautious talking about my breezy pregnancies because I'm so so sensitive to those struggling and, if that's you, I'm sorry for rubbing my pregnant belly in your face. I see your struggles and I see that they suck. I'm sorry.)
3) I'm running off to my 10th or so therapy session - I started during the pandemic because A. pandemic marriage and B. pandemic pregnancy and I'm kicking myself for waiting 31 years to start. Best decision I've ever made and I cannot recommend it enough! Now to go discuss why my mother is so weird and my I can't ever turn my work off at home :) maybe I'll throw a little bit of "my husband doesn't understand emotions" and I'm an HSP in there for a good balance.
Have a wonderful Friday everyone!!
Morning morning morning from my corner of the world here in Minnesota...
I'm just going to dive into a list because that makes me feel better ;)
1. Another week gone by, another week where I still do not know when my kids will be in school. OR if it will even happen. I say this because more and more area districts are changing their hybrid models either by eliminating them altogether or delaying them. Why? Because teachers are pushing back and I gotta say it, I respect it with some big energy. I have a close friend who is a middle school teacher in my district and the work she is being expected to manage is frankly impossible. It would be one thing if it was ALL in person or ALL hybrid, but the mix of both? It's so hard to coordinate. BUT we did go buy school supplies. I shockingly DID NOT buy myself anything. But that might change because dang it, I deserve a random notebook or pack of gel pens. I DESERRRRRVE IT.
2. Here's hoping my box of pants from Amazon Wardrobe proves fruitful. Since we can't go into fitting rooms (like wow Target way to have really cute pants in stock. Wait, your fitting rooms are closed? Ummm whenever I buy pants I always need to try on like 3 different sizes of any new style because clothing makers are evil and I never know what size I am anymore!!! I used to keep a spreadsheet but guess what, EVERY SEASON THEY CHANGE!!!)
3. Getting used to my Cooling Pillow. So Yes, I'm 43 and my husband bought me a cooling pillow. I showed this to Danielle M via a video -- its like a foam pillow that has this quilted sort of case and that quilted material is what stays cool. It has taken some getting used to but I think I am liking it now.
4. Seeing results from Curology. I started this journey in July.....yeah it was July and I think I'm getting some gains. But I have to be careful because anytime I think for a second my skin is feeling better the Universe gives me a break out.
5. Crying at the end of Sophie Hudson's Zoom book club. Yes, I cried. Her meet ups to discuss her book were just a place of comfort and I cried after the last one this Tuesday. She's just such a comfort and gift to me. The time I got to take to read her book and have a little community was something I really valued.
6. Vizzy Hard Seltzer: https://www.vizzyhardseltzer.com/av?url=https://www.vizzyhardseltzer.com/
7. The Umbrella Academy S2 on Netflix. It's weird, it's quirky, the soundtrack has been epic, the fight scenes are like crazy....I can't explain why I have enjoyed these eps so much thus far, but I have.
8. An epic tomato. You guys. Okay so we have a cafe onsite here at work, they make pretty meh food and usually I bring my own lunch. But last week I got this chicken tender sandwich they make. It's just a couple really big fresh fried tenders on a pretzel bun with this mayo that is like if pesto and mayo had a sexxxxy bebe.....but then served with lettuce and tomato. You're like okay girl calm down its a sandwich. But this week when I treated myself to said sammich....she pulls out this tomato. I was not prepared. First off, it was like the size of a grapefruit. Second the shade of red. It was like...... the most luscious shade of red. When she sliced into it. I gasped you guys. I audibly gasped. It was a next level epic tomato. I asked for an extra slice of it on the side. She salted and peppered it. She knew my plans. Guys. I ate that epic piece of tomato like it was a Wagyu beef. It was like no tomato I have had in quite some time. I actually came home and waxed philosophically about this tomato to both my husband AND my dad when it called -- my husband was like "okay glad that was good" -- My dad totally understood my adoration. I thought if anyone could understand this, it might be Erin and this group.
So here's to finding your epic tomato Swipers
Be well,
Mel
Erin so thrilled about your new pod. I must admit I almost got into a twitter fight last night on your behalf...well more on Marlo's behalf (if it isn't Marlo with these names I will be SHOCKED!) because of someone's reply to your tweet about her names for the DT. But I resisted but was just going to tell her to stop romping on another's ding dong especially a 7-year-old! I stopped myself though. But good grief. Also, she wouldn't have gotten it so.... and it seemed sort of inappropriate since I doubt she follows you on Instagram. So all in all probs a good call on my part for also not getting kicked off twitter for inappropriate content.
So classes started this week at the university I work for and even before we started we made national news... and TMZ. I mean I feel like a bucket list item is complete I had not thought of. A place I work at hit the TMZ website. Anyhoo. Seems some off-campus student housing still had their back to school bash with no mask and social distancing... so we will see if there is a spike in the covid here soon. I am so thankful to be working virtually this semester. I am glad my students are back though! Mine should not have been at the party as they are a bit too young as freshmen and sophomores. There is an on-campus rule.
The most treasured treasure is this past weekend my niece face-timed my multiple times to chat. It has been a while since she did and we talked for hours. It's amazing to talk with her as a 10-year-old. It finally occurred to me she sees me as a confidant to talk about her worries and fears and someone she can trust. Y'all I UGLY CRIED when I figured this out. She was really worried about school starting back as she is starting middle school (5th and 6th grade) and it brings all the elementary schools together so it was a great many new students. She took my advice about so many things this week. I just was blown away. So even though we may go a bit without talking because she would rather face-time her friends. (big sigh) she will call me when she needs me. My. Heart. And I get to talk to my 3-year-old niece who is possibly the funniest person I know.
Hello Swipes!
Finally retained a ding dang attorney to go after the developers of my shady A$$ condo that's under construction. I feel 100lbs lighter and now $600 poorer, but am praying for these greedy devils to just release me and give me my monies back. Prayers please (if that's your jam).
📺 Guys- someone let me in to the fact that Friday Night Lights is on Hulu, so buckled in and started Ep 1 last night. It did not disappoint. I'm eager to finally get to this show for the first time.
🎧 Podcast: Forever 35. Have you guys checked this one out yet? Doree Shafrir & Kate Spencer are an utter delight and are filling all my ear quarantine needs (beside PMG of course).
🍍 Found a new to me coffee place called Pineapple Espresso and they have peach cobbler toast and it is a DELIGHT. Who knew peaches in season could literally melt in your mouth.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzvBSubJ0F6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Erin- Congratulations!! I'm so excited for you new endeavor. GET IT GIRL!!!
Long time reader, first time poster here!
The hard things this week were waking up Monday morning to my four year old son’s ear being twice its normal size. He’s been on prednisone this week, which fixed it, but BOY. I’ve been on prednisone many times before for my asthma, but it is no joke for a little kid. My usually laid-back boy has been yelling and grumpy and running around like a wild man this week. Last dose was yesterday, so hopefully he’s on the come down.
Mixed good and bad is that school starts in person on Monday for my kiddos. They are over the moon to go back, but of course I’m nervous. It’s my son’s last year of special ed preschool for his language disorder before kindergarten and we just decided we needed to at least try for him to go. On the other hand, this enneagram 5 is not sad about being alone in the house even for just an hour or two each day after not having that since March.
Erin, I’m so excited for your new podcast! Congratulations!
I’ve been watching Psych on Prime and loving the very lighthearted mystery vibe. Along with rereads of Sarah Addison Allen and Marisa de los Santos books, it’s exactly what I need right now.
❤️
Welp, here we are. Anyone else feel like time is moving as slow as turtles walking through peanut butter?! Our family update is as follows. Older son, Dylan has a girlfriend. Daughter Autumn was invited to the boy she likes house for dinner and a movie with his family. She said no to the dinner because it was too much pressure but yes to the movie. She asked her older brother Dylan to drop her off at his house. And despite the fact that Dylan had no other plans he said no because a gentleman should come pick her up. Denver has taken up tennis and is enjoying tennis lessons. My younger daughter Chandler got to see her bff last week for the first time since March- It was a very noisy. Hank, is back at speech therapy this week and is still working hard. He also stood at the top of the fort in our backyard and peed down slide. Waylon, is still just trying to boss everyone around and his sisters just do what he says.
Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary we will have been married 22 years! I still very much like him and he is still my favorite person to be around he makes me laugh even when he does it mean to you and the fact that we have not murdered each other is a big deal!
Virtual school starts on September 8 for us. I haven’t bought a single school supply. I don’t know what I should be purchasing. I need a list I cannot function without a list tell me all the things on the list and I’ll check them off so that I could feel productive. My kids are going to end up with 184 pencils and that’s it!
A few treasures this week!!
1. Athleta masks - adjustable straps, breathable, slick and cute...10/10 recommend
2. The "Release Radar" on Spotify that gets updated every Friday - since I've been working at home the last 5 months I forgot how much I love listening to this playlist during my commute. I'm listening now and I'm just amazed at the Spotify algorithm. If anyone in this alley is a fan of the Oh Hellos - the song Boreas is amazing!!!
3. I decided this week that I needed to step up my workout game - daily walks outside have been my saving grace but I can't do it when its 105 degrees outside. So I joined Tone it Up and so far I really like it! Workouts are super doable - only 20-30 minutes long and I like that the encouragement the trainers give are focused on building you up for strength and not to be skinny. There is a lot of room for modification which is exactly what I need. I feel accomplished after doing it and sore the next day but not to the point where I can't workout again the next day.
4. Last but certainly not least...why didn't anyone tell me about the joys of Irish butter???? I have been slathering everything with it. Right now I love buying the cinnamon raisin Ezekial bread, toasting it and covering it with Irish butter and cinnamon and honey. Such a yummy breakfast.
This is my first time commenting, but I’ve gotta share my lil treasure this week.
My oldest son has autism, and it can be so hard to feel like I’m effectively communicating and loving him. He’s obsessed with gorillas though, and today The One And Only Ivan comes out on Disney+, so I’m gonna snuggle in with my boy (and probably his collection of ape plushies) to watch a gorilla movie together. ❤️🦍
Erin, I so appreciate the eyebrow hack and will be checking those stencils out. Embarrassing confession: when I was a sophomore in high school, I accidentally plucked out all of my eyebrows. Luckily, they grew back, but they've been unruly ever since.
Treasures this week:
1. I have not worn shorts for many, many summers (crop pants all the way) but couldn't resist these Universal Thread shorts when they were on sale a couple of weeks ago. I am happy to report: they are fantastic. I got them in the green and pink and they are so comfy and cute. https://www.target.com/p/women-s-mid-rise-tie-front-utility-shorts-universal-thread/-/A-79178560
2. This crop art https://www.kwch.com/2020/08/21/crop-art-of-kamala-harris-portrayed-in-kansas-field/ is just a wee bit north of my house. This guys is an amazing artist. He did a bunch of these for Spotify a few years back, https://youtu.be/oj4opjodyPw and his process and designs are just amazing.
3. My boys love Mr. DeMaio's videos on YouTube, and he just released a new video about Alexander Hamilton. https://youtu.be/KBJnkz6EE1U
4. We've been having cooler weather here in Kansas in August, which is highly unusual, but I'll take it for as long as I can!
Enjoy your week, everyone!
I finally checked off two tasks that have been looming large for a while - took all four kids to the dentist and haircuts this week. Y’all. I’ve been trying to be better about not using avoidance in basically every area of my life but I almost did not survive the emotional onslaught that ensued post haircuts. First my oldest was unhappy with his haircut. Then my youngest was sobbing that he didn’t get a haircut. Next my daughter was crying over them cutting off all of her blond hair (she had really blond ends). Lastly my third child has really long hair and long hair for boys is super tricky in my experience. His haircut (which ironically he is the only one happy with said haircut) did end up having some Kate from John and Kate plus eight vibes. How do you have longish hair particularly bangs but avoid looking like you have that kind of hair cut? The whole thing has almost completely wiped me out.
Good morning everybody! Hopping on here quickly to say my COVID19 test came back negative! Thank you all for your good thoughts. I have a morning walk then physically distanced coffee with neighbors so will read Erin’s latest and all your t&t’s later. 😀
Good morning! I'm sitting here listening to my 3rd grader do a Zoom call as we are on Day 3 of distance learning - and it is actually going really well! Meanwhile, my 4 year old has been completely ignored all week and is being parented by an iPad. I am trying to come up with a plan for this for next week. In other news, I am considering starting a Twitter account of things I overhear on these Zoom calls because children meekly asking the woman on the computer screen permission to use the bathroom in their own homes is very funny to me.
Gosh I feel like I never have any treasures to share! I just am wrapped up in "making it" every week that I'm hardly enjoying anything. Plenty of turds though. I had the worst week of PMS - headaches, mood swings, serious bloating, cramps. Why am I listing it, you guys know what it is! It also came late (I think so that I'd be on it when we went on our little trip to the west side of the state for swimming at the lake, I'm sure.) Speaking of our trip to the lake, that we booked months and months ago, quarantined all summer to be safe to go with family on, was Literally the only thing we planned for and on for the entire summer 🤣 --well, we received an email three days before leaving that our rental was canceled because the current renters had burned down the deck and waterfront. They would need to use our week to repair it so everyone else renting in the following weeks vacations wouldn't be ruined. It would make me cry if it wasn't so funny but I mean OF COURSE, RIGHT?? 2020 cannot be stopped! We had to shift gears and find a different, worse in almost every way, near the lake but not waterfront place, but at least my kids still get to go somewhere? If it wasn't for kids I just don't think I would have re-booked. I would have taken it as a sign to just give up. I would have put icecream and books on automatic delivery and just stayed in bed until 2021. Maybe thank goodness for kids? They're maybe the only reason I try anymore. I'm tired.
Y'all!!! My biggest treasure this week is that one of my IRL friends signed up for this here Alley/Neighborhood, and this is her first week getting it! To really confuse everyone, her name is Danielle as well. Although I have been on the globe longer, her husband (rightfully) coined her D1 and me D2. Sometimes we're known as the double d's, which is as close as either of us will come to getting to live that life, b/c well...
ANYWHO. Today is also my last day of work before vacation at the beach. I. Need. This. Vacation. We all know and recognize 2020 for the turd of the year it has been. This Monday, while trying to cross of items from my pre-vacation to-do list, I was hit by what appears to be an uninsured motorist. While I am incredibly thankful for good insurance coverage on my end, I am v unhappy about that situation. So bring on vacation with friends who feel like family and sitting staring at the ocean.
T's and P's for no hurricanes or tropical storms on the east coast in the next two weeks, please?
The biggest turd in my life has been that my 5 year old (who is historically a great sleeper) has not been sleeping through the night since *checks notes* MARCH. I was starting to feel like an INSANE person. Enter my treasure...Natural Calm Magnesium gummies. She has slept through the night two nights in a row, stayed in her own bed and said that it helped her to not have any bad dreams. 😭 So, I am now betrothed to magnesium gummies and have ordered them in bulk. 🙌🏻
Yay, Erin!!! Can't wait.
Husband's Covid test came back negative (and his symptoms went away after just a couple of days) so it's business as usual this week. And by that I mean I fought every day with my turns-5-tomorrow-high-energy-kid and his passy-aggressey 6yo sister 🤪 They also gave me lots of hugs and kisses and played games and read books with me, so what I'm saying is it's the typical kid roller coaster around here. We also got to swim one day in our friends' pool, which is a huge treasure. I also read The Dearly Beloved on Sunday (yes, in one day. Basically ignored my family as much as possible), and I can not emphasize enough how much I loved that book.
And for shareable treasure, here's a delightful Twitter thread:
https://mobile.twitter.com/LaylaHersch/status/1292523616886611968
Later!
ERIN! I am so excited for your new pod 💕💕 and safe travels back from TX. I flew yesterday as well, and Atlanta was busy (therefore more people being wild about masks and not distancing) but my other airports were ghost towns. Glad to have made it to NY. And guys, it was 61° when I woke up - what a joy to throw on a hoodie in August! Other treasures include being your IG friends now (Hannah, your beach week looked GREAT!) and reading a WHOLE bunch of books while traveling!
And now, a slice of the TikTok stratosphere for the week:
One woman intro to Little Mermaid - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJMb1sN3/
They just needed some explaining - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJMb6g6n/
Rehearsing Tiktok the Musical* - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrf9dDy/
Meanwhile in 900 AD (caption language warning)*** - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrc39Hu/
Duet - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrpYMaH/
Liftoff* - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrptnEs/
Can I Show You What I’m Proudest Of?* https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrppxur/
The Lil Swipes theme song - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrpn4GD/
Shark Week Backyard Bash - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrpCk8U/
Morning affirmation - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJrpQ31G/
Larry the Remix - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJhdeBsE/
This filter DOES show my favorite Disney princess - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJhdYM4G/
My 👍🏼 For the week came in the form of a water bill. What’s that you say? About a month ago our irrigation hook up broke during the night and started spewing water out into the street. Around 8am a neighbor rang our doorbell to tell us. My husband went to shut it off, thankfully we have a way to do that. As we looked up and down the street we felt this feeling of dread.
My husband and I own a business but our business has been shut down since mid March. Our work involves people meeting, as of now in NC no one can meet in groups over 10. At this point we basically have very little income for our family of 4.
Anyway, for the last month we have been cautiously going to the mail box waiting for that water bill to come in. We were anticipating around $700 which we don’t have. On Tuesday we received the ill fated bill. My husband opened it then handed it to me with very little reaction. I took a deep breath, $79!!!!! What?!?!?! How is that possible??? Our normal bill is $72. I very literally started crying...over a water bill. That was the biggest “Praise Jesus!” moment I’ve had in a very long time. It is definitely the little things sometimes.
That feeling that one gets when one feels they have found and watched all of shows they have access to and are not NSFJM (Jamie's mom is pretty much my speed) and then finds Endeavor: for Anglophiles and those that don't mind the predictability that is murder being solved by the end of each episode.
The mask gun video is going out to my engineering friends as soon as I’m done here!! Oh my word!!
Here’s my treasures and stories this week!
👾 High Score docuseries on Netflix / i love video game history and this is fun and fascinating! And I really want a pac-man arcade cabinet now.
🎶 The Worship Song Song - https://youtu.be/fWicNLXxtj4 - the Boy sent me this yesterday and I was thrown back to college chapel days so hard I got whiplash 😂
🚘 IN WHICH THE CAR SAGA CONTINUES (to hopefully a peaceful end on Saturday) - y’all. Since last Friday my poor dented and damaged car developed a shuddery misfire in the engine, and I have been to a car auction, a dealership, looked through dozens of Marketplace postings, cried in the truck in front of James, called a bank about a loan for the first time (with a script in hand for this anxious ball of anxiety), had lots of good talks about thoughts on money with James, he volunteered his time and dealership child expertise and enneagram 8 car salesmen bullying skills, and half the pastors on staff at our church where he works have helped and weighed in on safety ratings, all to not much luck or peace about any of the options we looked at. Then this afternoon my angel brother (or one of the 6 at least) proposed a trade - his Mazda for my Buick. And I get to save my money for getting something nicer later down the road. He can HAVE the darn thing! Instant peace. He’s coming out Saturday. My Boy is less concerned about my general well-being now 😂 and i feel well taken care of by the men God put in my life! Also I know more about cars and finances from this past week than from my almost 30 years of life combined!
🥧 THE POWER OF APPLE PIE. after the auction Saturday, I made a pie for the Boy at his request. I LIVE for his response to food I make for him. He literally has not shut up about it. I’m due to make him another tonight. Baked goods have built this relationship and will keep us going by George!
Happy Friday, everyone! Treasures for this week:
1. My dog is going through a moody-teenager/miss-independent phase, but for about five minutes when she first wakes up in the morning, she’s super snuggly and wants all the belly rubs, and it’s just the best
2. Kind doctors who empathetically affirm your experiences and have answers and next steps. What a relief! It makes me sad that this isn’t the norm (at least not in my experience)
3. Dessert inspiration! Since I can’t get to New York right now, I need to figure out how to make this carrot cake banana pudding https://secretnyc.co/magnolia-bakery-new-banana-pudding/
4. The funniest dog toy. I have little dinosaurs scattered around the apartment now https://www.chewy.com/frisco-hide-seek-plush-volcano-puzzle/dp/179588
5. No more triple digit heat days! It’s still been like 95 degrees outside, but compared to 105, it already feels like Fall to me! 🍁
Good morning! I’m back at work as a high school teacher and we’re doing a hybrid model so there’s lots of hope/nervousness mixed together this week... but here’s a treasure: The Imagineering Story on Disney+. If you love Disneyland / Disney World / creative processes, I think you’ll like this show! I may have cried a little over Carousel if Progress and It’s a Small World 😂
Good morning!
Weeks continue to fly by while simultaneously crawling by like a turtle trudging through an ocean of peanut butter. 😂
-My three-year-old had his very first sleepover at his cousin’s house this week! Sadly, he couldn't sleep and cried until I came to pick him up at midnight. We didn't get home until about 1am. He talked the entire ride home (annoying but so sweet to be the one he needed) and didn't go down until about 1:30. Then he woke up fresh as a daisy at 7 am! I still have not fully recovered the sleep from that night. What a memory! 😂
-I got my hair cut for the second time this summer! I never prioritize myself/self-care so that was a big deal! (Back story: my friend is my stylist and with COVID and furloughs, her family has been through the ringer financially so if I can go get my hair cut and tip way more than normal, I'll do it!! #enneagram2) It's shorter than it has been in a while but I love it!!
-@Erin Moon: re: eyebrows. I've never been a permanent makeup girl but I, too, am eyebrow illiterate. I decided to get my eyebrows microbladed last year and I've not once regretted it. Plus, since you can only see the top half of my face in public right now, I always look put together. 👏🏻 Definitely worth the investment so you can stop using stencils, eyeliner, etc. So good!
-Finished Mrs. Maisel last night and I wanted to riot. When will season 4 come out? I need more! Devastated. Any suggestions for what to watch next Lil Swipes? I'm counting on you! (Have Netflix/Prime).
-COVID is closing a tea room that I went to as a little girl. I LOVE this place and their food. I saw the announcement on FB (right before I decided I can no longer participate in that dumpster fire) so I've made it my personal mission to go multiple times before Sept. 4 to enjoy the orange rolls, chicken salad, and loaded potatoes. Damn you COVID/2020! 😭
Morning!
Congrats, Erin on getting your own show! Soooo exciting! And I must say, it's about time! You are the Popcast secret sauce and everyone needs more of you!
My 2 year old nephew is currently fast asleep in my guest room. Every couple of weeks he'll spend the night with me and it's SUCH a joy. Last night we had a moment where I was giving him a shower (anyone else know a 2 year old who is OBSESSED with showers?!) and out of nowhere he exclaimed, "this is so nice!" 😂 then I got to comb out his precious curls, slather him in cocoa butter, and snuggle with him on the couch while we watched 101 Dalmatians. Baby fever like nobody's business.
Still haven't finished Veronica Mars, but I'm getting close! I'm in season 3 and currently v obsessed with Piz. I mean, what. a. heartthrob.
A treasure I've recently implemented in the last few weeks is a weekly Sabbath. It's something I've wanted to do for years, but with being full time in grad school with various internships and part time jobs, it just physically did not allow for me to practice it and also have groceries so I chose groceries. Now that I'm transitioning into that full-time job life with no homework, I want to build it into the rhythm of my week. So far, it's been such a breath of fresh air. I don't touch my phone, don't stream anything other than my church service, no doing dishes, shopping, cleaning, etc. and spend the whole day in worship and in rest. I'm looking into getting an all-in-one audio thingy that will play records, CDs, tapes, etc. so I can still play music. Side note: DID YOU GUYS KNOW THE HAMILTON SOUNDTRACK IS ON VINYL?! It's more dollars than I want to spend right now, but you best believe it's on my Christmas list.
I'm in a process of learning more about the Sabbath practice so if you guys have any books, podcasts, etc, that are helpful, please share! So far I've watched Annie F. Downs's insta highlight and I've began John Mark Comer's sabbath series from his church Bridgetown.
Good morning, y’all!!!
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve commented. Been in the trenches of work and navigating back to school for my kiddos. That’s a whole other post in and of itself. Let’s just say we are happy to be back in a routine and some “normalcy.”
Betty the basset is thriving and we love her! She has taken over and now sleeps in our bed but we don’t mind. She’s adorable and a beast. Ready for this biting phase to be over!
Cannot wait for this new podcast, @erinmoon!!
A few treasures this week:
Love on the Spectrum on Netflix (Popcast Green Light 😉)
Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix
The Rants & Raves podcast (this is hilarious and started by my friend Jessica and her friend Dana)
Upload on Prime (another Popcast Green Light)-I need a season 2 stat!
Homecoming also on Prime (so good!! The first season has Julia Roberts and the second has Janelle Monae and Chris Cooper).
Have a great weekend!!!
Swipes! Hello! 🥰
We are heading home from the beach today & this newsletter will be a fun companion, as per usual. We had a lovely week. Aaaaand my baby gets his cast off on Monday!! 🙌
SO FREAKIN EXCITED about your podcast, Erin!!! I think I speak for all of us when I say we’ve been waiting our whole Swipe Up lives for this (& probably longer, tbh).
Treasures 💎
1) I’ve been following @floraleenaturals on insta for a little while now & she gives GREAT skincare tips. She also makes her own small batch products so I decided to try her balancing toner from her latest restock: https://floraleenaturals.com/products/hydrating-toner
2) This post from @scottthepainter about shame BLEW MY SOCKS OFF. I officially need this piece in my home/counseling office someday: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEEq6oHpfaL/
That’s all from me this week. Can’t wait to see what you all have to share! ✨