*** While this month has been full of lots of good things, I also have to acknowledge that so much of the world around us is hurting right now. Although I understand that as a white person I will never fully be able to understand, I do promise to try harder and to do better. Over the next weeks/months I will be taking time to educate myself on how I can do my part in making the world a better place for the millions of Black people who have been afflicted by racism in this country – and I encourage you to do the same. ***

Hi + Happy June! I think we are all wondering whether this is going to be the month we’re finally let out of Quarantine… at least for those of us in New York and other stay-at-home-states. Hope you’ve all been hanging in there (isn’t that just the phrase of the year?) and staying safe. Here’s what I’ve been loving and what’s been making me happy this past month.

books read: reviews on my goodreads page as always

  • Something Blue by Emily Giffin
  • If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
  • Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
  • Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

recipes:

  • Blueberry Streusel Skillet Breakfast Cake from Whats Gaby Cooking Eat What You Want (this book…omg) – I liked this even more than last month’s blueberry crumb!
  • Every Damn Day Chocolate Chip Cookies from from Whats Gaby Cooking Eat What You Want – Matt says these *could be* the best cookies ever
  • made these lemon ricotta pancakes for Mother’s Day and 10/10 would recommend!!! There is nothing better than a pancake with the subtlest hint of lemon, IMHO.
  • two batches of cranberry almond biscotti
  • Gaby’s Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares from What’s Gaby Cooking Everyday California Food (one of my fave cookbooks of all time! also, psssst… it’s 30% off right now on Amazon)

beauty/skincare:

  • Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque – not necessarily a new product, but something I re-discovered this month after seeing someone use it on Insta. I put this masque in my hair and left it to sit for 3 hours before I rinsed it out, and the following day my hair looked healthier and felt softer than it has in a long time (probably since the last time I used it LOL) If you have curly or even wavy hair, I definitely think it could work for you! And at $11, you can’t go wrong…
  • the cult favorite Fresh Soy Makeup Removing Face Wash – somehow being the Sephora junkie I am, I had never tried this. When I was running out of my R+F face wash at the end of last month, I added this to my basket with the rest of my spring sale purchase as a cheaper alternative. And I love it! It smells like cucumber and is the most refreshing face wash I’ve tried in a long time.
  • Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush – also busted out this gem from so many moons ago and have been loving it. My face always feels so clean when I use a brush to wash my face that I forget why I ever stopped using it. Definitely adding this back into the rotation.

tv/movies:

  • Outer Banks – I am notoriously bad at watching tv. (The only thing I’ve watched so far in quarantine was Stranger Things 3, and that came out in July 2019.) But I had been hearing so much about this that I was interested enough to watch, and I’m happy to report that we are really enjoying it! Haven’t finished yet, but I will definitely be seeing this one through.

music:

  • California by The Lagoons
  • Mt. Joy, always (their new album comes out Fri June 5th!)
  • I am an old soul when it comes to music, and this month we have been listening to a lot of ELO. Don’t ask me why! But I bet you will be really surprised by how many of their songs you already know.

other things:

  • Watermelon – just eating tons and tons of it and trying to trick myself into believing that summer as we know it is coming soon.
  • Fla-vor-Ice – see above, also yes I am occasionally 8 years old.
  • My new orthotics LOL – if you’ve been reading for a while, (even if you haven’t, let’s be honest) you know I have been dealing with a nightmare of foot saga. I finally got my ~custom made orthotics~ this month and I can’t even tell you the difference it’s made in my foot. 8 years old, but also 85 at the same damn time.
  • Stumptown Coffee Roasters Holler Mountain Blend – I have a weird relationship with coffee, always have. But I had gotten these beans for Ryan with a bean grinder for Christmas and we’ve been having it iced as a treat every once in a while, and it is THE BEST. Dare I say my favorite ice coffee ever?

the main events:

  • Mother’s Day – breakfast in bed for Mama, a trip to sit in Nana’s backyard, a socially distant visit with Ry’s mom, takeout from our favorite (newly re-opened) restaurant, homemade cards, happy hour outside, a poker game and cookies for dessert. I *think* it was a good one.
  • Memorial Day Weekend (???) – a pretty low key MDW, as to be expected with the stay-at-home-order in New York still active. It wasn’t the best weather we’ve had for Memorial Day, but also wasn’t the worst, so I guess we can’t really complain there! Would I rather have been celebrating by spending Sunday at Fire Island? Y e s . But did we make the most of it anyway? Also yes!
  • BBQ season, in general – it’s in full effect and I love it. The best way to social distance (IMO) is to sit in the backyard with the people you miss, sip cocktails and eat anything and everything grill-able. If you’re with the right people, it almost feels like normal life for a while 😉

wishing you a happy (and safe) first month of summer

with love, jak