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I've never come into the comments before, but hey, why not make today a special day?

My treasures from this week:

- a day date with my 5 year old where we discussed the Trinity and how hard it is to choose the right thing while holding hands, visiting a huge sunflower field, and also getting mom her favorite dark chocolate salt caramels from Aldi.

- seeing God provide for a dear friend in an amazing way ;)

- movie night with dear friends where we projected Peter Pan onto the wall and ate insane amounts of popcorn

- homemade vanilla bean ice cream with homemade peach cobbler (all the praise hands)

- finding the perfect pair of cut-off denim shorts. Welcome back, 90's Ansley, welcome back.

No turds for me this week (again, more praise hands)

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Absolutely loving Little Voice on Apple TV + - JJ Abrams is a master at the love triangle. My only disappointment is that I am now caught up and have to wait for new episodes now.

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Hi, everyone! Erin, thank you SO much for answering my question and for your kind words of encouragement about my new newsletter. This community is the best. 💙

Honestly, I started this newsletter because it made me feel excited about life (cliche as that sounds) and gave my anxious brain something to think about other than covid. I was definitely inspired by Lil' Swipes.

I love baking & books & the phrase "dangerously intellectual women" and wrote about all those in my first newsletter, Bluestocking Catalogue. 🧐🙊😊

https://bluestockingcatalogue.substack.com/p/coming-soon?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy

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Hi!

Long(ish) time reader, first time commenter.

I’m Michelle, I live in southern Alberta, Canada. And giving me an extra spark this week was the discovery Bob’a Burgers is streaming on Amazon Prime along with Jonathan Van Ness describing the plots of the Sister Act movies to an 18 year old bebe on Queer Eye.

I’m also questioning rapture theology which is hard in a charismatic/evangelical faith community. So far only God and my husband know about that one. And my younger sister.

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Oh boy!!! I haven’t even finished reading but I have now gone down this music worm hole with your Caedmon’s Call comment. Then it brought me to old school Third Day. Which brought up memories of our 1996 Atlanta Olympics mission trip and doing Human Videos to Theif in the middle of the Olympic Park 4 days after the bombing. This is for sure Evangelical nostalgia at its finest. Thanks Erin!

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It was vacation for me this week and while it was lovely in many senses of the word, I knew I would miss out on an early comment here in the neighborhood.

I truly look forward to the comments every week - you are all so clever, welcoming, sweet and pretty dang entertaining. Erin, I give you a lot of credit for creating a space where we all feel welcome.

👰 : Last weekend I attended a Covid backyard wedding as best lady to my childhood best friend. It surpassed my expectations and was honestly the best wedding celebration I’ve been to (and I’ve been to a lot.) There was something holy about the intimacy of this small backyard wedding. Everyone cried. I cried. The pastor cried delivering her sermon. The day felt like one of those thin places, where just for a moment, you catch a glimpse heaven on earth. And during speeches we all cried again at every single one. (Perhaps this wedding was just a cry-hack per Erin’s suggestion last week. It was quite cathartic.)

😴: I have a FULL princess sleep routine but as a mom, I must make the most of my little sleep. The princess routine includes a sleep mask and I recently upgraded to this one: https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Master-smblu01-Mask/dp/B0015NZ6FK?pd_rd_w=JRkr5&pf_rd_p=880cb9e9-f924-40f4-af2e-67d364af6cfc&pf_rd_r=067H28BGVH758S6D8WQB&pd_rd_r=dfcc16db-5e30-4619-a17d-48765e45f6b9&pd_rd_wg=Qb7IN&pd_rd_i=B0015NZ6FK&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_1_11_dc if you do not sleep with a sleep mask, can I recommend this little slice of royalty?

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Sweet goodness I’ve needed this post all week

Ps popculturemagpie.com

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Hey y’all! New to the comments neighborhood ...looks like fun!

Gah...Special Agent Ron Freaking Butterfield. Love.

This has been a turd of a week, so I’ve been soothing with tv favorites and The West Wing has featured prominently. I’m normally not an emotional person at all, but I legit had tears falling down my cheeks watching “In Excelsis Deo” today. The next episode was “Lord John Marbury” so here’s hoping the transition from this week to next brings the same kind of energy shift!

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Hi I'm Molly and I'm coming into the neighborhood after creeping for several months. The way you described this neighborhood Erin, reminded me of a group of neighbors that were profiled in England. They refurbished their back alley way into something beautiful, full of color and children and distanced conversations and I just spent too long trying to find the link for everyone but alas it is lost to the interwebs. Thank you for your thoughts on Christians and conspiracies, it puts language to a lot of my feelings recently. Since I have never commented I'll list some treasures from the last few weeks:

* I went on a solo vacation to a local mountain town last week that was perfect. The air bnb was exactly like the beautiful pictures posted, I ate ice cream every day, I read, prayed, watched the entirety of Indian Matchmaking in an afternoon, I hiked every morning and sat down by the creek every night. Coming back to real life this week is probably a turd.

* My 5 year old niece cut her hair into a bob and I can't get over it. She's the light of our entire family's life and she seems to have aged ten years in 24 hours. I can't handle how cute she looks, how grown up she looks and how this was her decision. Her hair was almost to her bottom and she cut it up to her ears like Bonnie from Toy Story 4, that's what how she described it.

* I signed up for a free trial of PBS/Masterpiece on Prime to finish Grantchester. People, don't sleep on Grantchester, a hot vicar in post WW11 England solves murders with a cranky detective. It's beautiful, heart breaking and surprisingly relevant and current.

*Erin and the Popcast convinced me to add Hamilton to my life and I'm not mad.

Turds:

* Grad school begins next week and I feel like I was just getting into the swing of summer vacation during a pandemic. I'm studying pastoral ministries and this upcoming class required me to buy one of those little books with all the "homilies and the hymns" for things like funerals and weddings. The purchase of that book has somehow made this more real than ever. My whole trajectory is to become a full time missionary in Ireland but life, visas and pandemics are delaying that. I might be asked to counsel people, perform weddings and funerals, like what?!?!

* Real life is not the idyllic air bnb in the woods and that makes me sad.

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Y’all I cannot wait another second without sharing this 🔥🔥tiktok remix of the Hamilton overture about 🚨🚨TROY BOLTON. Who knew this could be so delightful, I must know about all of HAMILTROY - https://vm.tiktok.com/J2Qj92m/

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Some weeks I feel like all I have is a bunch of turds and this one is no different! I feel a little like the character Sadness on Inside Out sometimes because I feel like I just carry the vibe down with me when I walk into a room. But venting to not so strange strangers on the internet is healthy, right? Ha!

TOTALLY A TURD:

Just started my 5th round of fertility treatments for a thing no one bothers educating you about in Sex Ed. A little ditty called "unexplained secondary infertility." Today was a doozy of a day at yet another doctor's appointment, because thanks to my angst and OH SO MANY HORMONES I cried in front of medical professionals...in a mask. Not a great idea, FYI. All is okay, but I am constantly in a state of mourning my control over my life/and the "plan." I'm a lucky mama of one beautiful boy here on Earth but still. But still. It was not easy getting him and I just did not expect more complications on this front when we decided to try again. It's been at least two years since we decided to try again but here we still are! Frustration factor is high these days.

Things that keep me moving:

-Books. Currently reading The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (blushing on every other page!)

-@gocleanco on Instagram. My house often looks like a wreck (hello toddler!) but there are some things that are so sparkly clean that no one will ever notice...like my walls, light switches and doorknobs! Ha!

-I am very much struggling to stay in the Word, so I just ordered myself an undated "Prayerful Planner"...because dates don't mean anything right now, but maybe I can bible journal more by using this buffalo plaid cutie? One can only hope because I know I need it!!

-I ordered myself another set of PJs from Target. Do not regret. Leopard print, obviously!

-Openfit. I just completed my first 21 day program and I loved it! Between virtual barre classes and early morning or walks at dusk, I gain a little bit of sanity back each day and have a little "me time."

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Hello hello! It’s my first ever comment after creeping on everyone else for A WHILE. I started off the day with a good ole cry after learning that I’ll be working from home the rest of the year. I moved cross-country alone and started my new job in April so it’s been...a time. The day can only go up from there right? Anyways, I thought of 2 treasures now that I’ve had *some time*

1. Married at First Sight on Netflix. I cannot fathom who would do this and am therefore mesmerized.

2. My bff from college and I booked a 5 day getaway in a country Airbnb. We are both going stir crazy, so we are meeting halfway between AR & MO to chill together!

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There is no doubt that this is the most delightful corner of the internet every week. You are all my favorite people. I often comment but don't often post, but today you all have inspired me.

Turds: My son had knee surgery on Monday. He turned 18 in June, and so of course I just had to drop him off, which was hard on my mom-heart. The nurse called the next day to schedule his PT, which was news to me. When I told her he was leaving for college soon, she assured me he could get PT there. 😳 (where he won't have a car or know his way around, and COVID!)

He's recovering well, but is now back to pressuring me to let him hang with his friends. They all get together and play poker, which I think is about the worst possible thing they could be doing. I'm going to have to lay down the law today and tell him he can go only if he wears a mask. It will not be received well and even if the agrees, who knows what he will do when he leaves the house. His move-in at college in 3 weeks is at stake, so it has the potential to be a very hard life lesson if he gets sick between now and then. He also somehow got started listening to far right-wing podcasts which makes me definitely want to burn down the internet.

It's supposed to be between 105 and 110 degrees here (Boise) for the next 4 days, which is so dumb. But if there's a silver lining (and I hate to even mention it here, be kind) humidity is around 10%. I don't know how you all live where it's hot AND humid! Heavy Ts & Ps for all of you.

Ok! Treasures! You all are making me want to be on TikTok! All of the links you share are so fun. I've been reading Knox's new book and it's just the light-hearted quick read I needed. I read my son's required reading book for college last week - The Fifth Season. It was A. LOT. And not really my favorite type of read (dystopian LOTR?) and it's a trilogy so it left me hanging at the end. After investing in that, ATR has been a lovely delight. I recently read The Hate You Give, which was really good, and next on my list is The Vanishing Half.

I made this bruschetta chicken recipe for dinner last night and it was a hug hit with everyone and will definitely be part of the regular rotation: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/bruschetta-chicken/ I made the balsamic glaze myself and recommend that you don't overcook it. Mine went from glaze to taffy to hard crack stage overnight. But it was good when it needed to be.

I've also been searching for a good grocery shopping/recipe organizing/list making app for a while. I had been using Cozi (the free version) which is okay, but there were things I didn't love. But I recently I found AnyList, which was recommended by @thekitchn (which I also love) and it's my new favorite thing! It keeps all of my recipes organized. I can click each ingredient I need and it adds them to my shopping list, and it has a menu planner. Everyone in my family has access, so they can (potentially *wishful thinking*) add things to the list as well. It is EVERYTHING I've wanted. My very favorite feature is that I can organize my shopping list according to the order of the store, which is so convenient and such a time-saver.

Another huge thanks to all of you for being the absolute delights that you are. xo

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Having lived in Nashville for 25 years, and seeing many celebs (albeit of the purely music-adjace type) I will say that your celebrity advice is spot on. Leave those people alone to drink their coffee, complete their yoga class, or shop for kids' clothes in peace. If you must, be genuine and concise with your compliment and get outta there. (I do think if you're face to face in a natural interaction [a la, over the airplane row], you don't have to leave immediately!) 😅

What a word on conspiracy theories and white Christian women!! I could not quite get at what was bothering me about all of that. As an enneagram 9, I often can see multiple sides to a situation, but I do think it was that assumed deflection and redirection that became frustrating. Thanks for providing some nuanced clarity and much needed invitation to deeper reflection!!

This week has been...... fine. Solidly fine. We started actually homeschooling (not virtual school) for the very first time on Monday. I figured we might as well start and give ourselves a buffer. I expected resistance, but then actually got a full tantrum from my 7yo on day 4. Everything is hard right now, I guess.

I'm finished with all of my comfort viewing and am honestly about to rewatch more comfort tv and catch up with Brooklyn 99. Nothing else was seeming doable; however, I do think that from y'all's insight, Indian Matchmakers will be light enough to enjoy thoroughly!

Oh! My family has started watching a YouTube channel called Sailing Zatara wherein a family sails around the world. We all love it! https://www.youtube.com/c/SailingZatara/featured

Ok, so my birthday is a week from today, and due to pandemic and community transmission reasons, I'm not sure how to celebrate! Any ideas?

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Hey friends!

I have been lurking around the edges the past few weeks, liking and commenting, but not posting myself because *gestures vaguely* all of this. My self-care looked like laughing and crying over your shares, while not throwing more turds on the ever-growing pile we see before us. I had planned on the same today, but Erin's answer about meeting a celeb brought up a couple of quick anecdotes I thought I'd share...

1.) About 15 years, 3 kids, and 3 jeans sizes ago, my husband and lived the sweet life in NYC as young newleyweds. I was boarding a flight for work and as I passed through bougie 1st class on my way back to my coach seat, I made eye contact with Jeff Goldblum, who was sitting on the aisle. We both kind of did a double take, and he gave me a very Jeff-Goldblumy smile. I passed him, and a few rows later, glanced back to find he happened to have turned around to glance back at me too. (Insert embarrassed emoji here). To this day, when we see him in a movie/Apartments.com commercial/TV show my husband says, without fail, "hey kids! He checked out mom's butt once."

2.) Did anyone catch Leslie Odom Jr's IG Q&A's last week? Erin's mistaken-celeb-identity comment made me think of it. Someone's question was, "Daveed, talk about how you got into acting!". LOJ's deadpan stare was hilarious.

3.) Finally, submission for the Celeb Stalker Hall of Fame, when my brother was in college many years ago he caught a flight from LA on Southwest, and spotted David Spade waiting for the same flight. They were both in boarding group A, so my brother got right behind him in line. When they got on the plant, David Spade made a bee-line for the back of the plane and took a window seat (we could do a deep dive on plane seat choices as part of the "Are You a Psychopath Test?"). My brother followed him all the way back, and took the middle seat right next to him...surrounded by empty seats. I laugh every time I picture it. Ultimately they had a lovely conversation, and my brother said he actually made David Spade laugh, so his life was complete at 19.

And that's all I've got. Happy Friday, friends. Love you, mean it.

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I know you all may be tired of hearing about my newfound love life, but I just have one boy treasure (one of many) to share this week. I woke up at 1:30am this morning because Mother Nature decided to grace herself a couple days early and I didn’t really sleep the rest of the night due to the intense pain (thank you, endometriosis). The Boy (Michael is the name, by the way) offered to drive up after he gets off work tonight to make me dinner and take care of me, even though he is already planning to drive up tomorrow to spend the day together (have I mentioned we live an hour and a half away from each other?). 🥺🥺 You guys, I think I have a keeper.😍😍 I told him he didn’t need to make the trip, of course (when you make it to nearly 28 as a single person, you get used to taking care of yourself), but the fact that he offered to drive three hours after an exhausting week of work just to make sure I’m doing okay, and then turn around and make the drive again in 12 hours has me swooning.

I didn’t get the job I interviewed for last week, but I‘m very at peace about it. My gut told me I wasn’t going to get it, so I was prepared for it. I haven’t decided yet if I‘m going to keep seriously looking for a new job. I’ve had lot of new things happen in my life over the last month or two, and maybe God is telling me it’s not quite time for another one.

My only real turd for the week is that yesterday was my favorite coworker/friend’s last day at our work, and it’s bittersweet. I’m so happy she’s moving onto bigger and better things, but my position at work can be pretty isolating and she was the one who would come back to check on me, talk about fun non-work things, and make me feel a little less alone.

Erin, I very much appreciated your non-rant rant and treasures, and I look forward to reading all of the other things in this thread this week!

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