Heyo! Happy Friday! We don’t have a lot of official plans this weekend but TONIGHT we are sipping some clean wine and WATCHING TED LASSO!!!!! Are you a Ted fan? Honestly I can’t imagine any of you saying no, unless of course you haven’t seen the show in which case WHAT, pray tell, are you waiting for?! Seriously if you need a feel good, smile big, laugh hard, burst with joy kind of a show, Ted Lasso is it. I guarantee you can and will binge season one in a few short days. Then we can watch season two together!
Now, back to this weekend – we don’t have hard plans but there are a few things we’re noodling on! Two of our best pals just had a baby so we’re hoping for a walk in Central Park tomorrow morning. We’d also love to walk around the Botanical Garden in the afternoon, pop in and see the The New Woman Behind The Camera exhibit at The Met on Sunday and check out a new-to-us restaurant. I have plans to explore some local haunts in the name of research for my UES post – even after living up here for 7 years there are still gems left to explore! We’ve been loving our weekends at home with little to no plans and I’m so excited to keep soaking in our (literal) hot summer in the city!
Alright, now on to a few things that have been making me happy lately:
Lekue Steamer
Okay C and I have used Lekue contraptions for years, but this one is the clear winner in our kitchen. Sometimes I don’t want to waste (clean) another pan, and I toss our veggies in here to steam. I’m sure there are other uses for this, but this is literally all we use if for. No matter the veggie, just 1-2 minutes in the microwave steams them pretty solidly every single time. Is it the cleanest way to cook veggies? Probably not, but silicone is better than plastic and it saves us a lot of time and stress! Plus it easily rinses clean and can go right in the dishwasher if you’re not in the mood.
Armchair Expert Podcast
I’ve been listening to podcasts on my morning walk/runs and even during longer walks with Bruce or while I cook. I forgot how much I loveeee podcasts. Whenver I listen I feel like I’m hanging with friends and/or learning something new. And I love to learn. I’ve been living for Dax and Monica’s banter and they always have convos with the best guests in this casual but cool and ultra blunt way that is unlike a traditional interview. Like, they interviewed Obama and managed to make it really personal and different than the typical “I love your new book” type chat. I’m a big fan of the post-show convo with Monica – I’m convinced we could be friends IRL. Anyway, I highly recommend their latest chat with Esther Perel (can she be my therapist?) and Michael Pollan (I’m ready to read all of his books). Also they are exclusively on Spotify now, which I adore because I am in a huge spotify phase rn. It’s a much more user friendly podcast forum!
Tevas
All y’all Teva-haters can keep your opinions to yourself because these sandals are still the best. Here’s why: I have really temperamental, square, high arched feet with heel spurs and I hate slides. Slides and flip flops, while being a popular summer shoe – are not supportive and they are a pain to keep on my feet (as my mom, I am always clomp clomping). Becuase of this, you can usually find me wearing sneakers or loafers but come summer, my feet get sweaty. When it comes to sandals, I love and need options with a little bit of support that stay on my feet. I had been mulling over a black Teva-esque sandal but they were kinda pricey and I hadn’t pulled the trigger. When I saw these on Things I Bought And Liked, the neutral colorway had me jump out of my seat. I love them, they seriously go with everything and are a super versatile summer shoe.
Squiggle Frames
Big ups to my bestie Allie for introducing me to these whimsical picture frames! They come in tons of colors (I got black and white though – obviously) and are a super fun addition to our apartment. It’s nice to support a small business, too! I actually put a polaroid snapshot in one of ours and love how it turned out!
Beautycounter Deodorant
I’ve tried a lot of clean deodorants (and feel like I’ve been working on a post about that for literally ever) and right now I’m really loving the Beautycounter Clean Deo. I’m on my second one and am digging the clean rose scent! Cocout was great too. So is lavender. You really can’t lose. This deo is effective without being overpowering and it doesn’t give me a rash or reaction (I’m really sensitive, so that’s always a concern for me). Other pluses: aluminum free, no white residue, not sticky, and refillable! I always feel guilty when I throw away a deo container and really love that I can keep the tube but mix and match refillable inserts with this one.
Other BC news – I just ordered this travel set because it has my go-to Countertime regimen in a travel friendly, refillable size. I always grab travel versions of my typical skincare when I can! This one is plastic, but I like that the bottles have pumps and are lighter weight since I typically carry on. There are a lot of new BC products in the pipeline for this year, so get excited for some updates from moi in that department!
Have a great weekend, friends!