Hi friends!
Thank you for your patience with me this week. I’ve hustled up my kitchen and packed my moving boxes to move for, what I hope will be the last time in a long time. This girl (I’ve got my thumbs pointed at myself), is planting roots in New Orleans, and some-way some-how calling herself a home owner. I’m still working on unpacking boxes and hanging level shelves (impossible). Rest easy in knowing that there will likely always be dirty dishes in the sink and some sort of cookie on the counter. My goal is to make this space a place we can share. Classes and dinners and New Orleans gatherings and more on that soon I promise! It’s going to be GOOD! In the meantime, you can follow me on snapchat (I know…) (joythebaker) if you want to witness the unfiltered madness. Spoiler alert: my cat sits in the sink a lot and I eat a lot of jelly beans.
The world as it is according to my filter and the Internet. I hope your coffee is hot and the rest of your day is supreme!
• A Terror Attack, Then The Far Right Moves In. On fear and politics in light of the recent terror attacks in Europe. They won’t win with fear. We can’t let it be that way, we can’t let it close us up.
• How Clinton’s Email Scandal Took Root… her own personal Blackberry. There goes the neighborhood. (I’m kidding… this is actually serious.)
• This Hobo Life. Life on the road with millennial hobos… there’s a painted school bus and fast food wifi preferences. How long before we’re sick of the word millennial because I think it’s already happening.
• The story of the greatest male synchronized swimmer, Billy May and his quest for Olympic Gold: Water’s Edge. So great!
• Quick question you may or may not care about: What Happened To Tiger Woods. Follow up: if you watch the video associated with the story, why is Alan Shipnuck doing a video interview from his bedroom and everyone is acting like it’s normal?
• What it really means for an egg to be cage free. Listen, there’s not a lot of green grass involved.
• Plants remember if you mess with them enough. But do plants remember if you kill them? That’s my question because black thumb.
• Here’s something we should know: Eating something sweet can lead to a romantic date. Not just any kind of date, but a ROMANTIC date. Why am I just now finding this out? Better late than never.
• Ugg: The look that refused to die. Cozy up in your Juicy suit and enjoy this piece of our past… unless you own Ugg boots… in which case, can we talk about it / are they pink?
• The Internet really got down with some April Fool’s Day pranks this year. In case you missed a few: An updating and unsettling list of April Fool’s Day pranks 2016.
• Ben Innes on taking a selfie with the EgyptAir hijacker. You guys… I hated typing those words so much. Are we ok? Maybe no.
• Instagram is changing and people are freaking out about it. Should I be freaking out about it? 4 Major Instagram Changes You Missed This Week.
• A cocktail. (By now we need one.) Frozen Peach Bourbon Mule.
• One from the archives: Pistachio Crusted Asparagus with Feta. The green (pistachios) on green (asparagus) is wondrous.
• What are you reading right now? I don’t know where to go next on my book list. Judy Blume’s In The Unlikely Event. What are you reading?
• I’m not an expensive handbag kind of girl. I like this navy bucket bag and it’s under $100! Now we’re talking. Actually, nevermind. Let’s get this cactus-shaped cross body bag. Much more practical.
Have a very fine day. I’m rooting for you! I’ll invite you over soon! And you won’t even have to take your shoes off in the house. Wear your holey socks… it’s a safe place.
xo Joy
Jenn Kelly
Congrats on the new house! Owning a home is one big neverending project for us but we love it and I hope you will too!!
miacupcake
I am swooning over your floors. I am afraid I am way way way too weird to come over to your house for anything. I’ll just pretend.
Donna
Congrats on the new house, Joy.:) Your Sunday posts always make me so happy! I haven’t read ‘In the Unlikely Event’ yet but I’ll get to it at some point.
Finished reading ‘Tiny Little Thing’ by Beatriz Williams last week. I absolutely loved it! I’m making my way through all her books. I highly recommend checking out ‘The Secret Life of Violet Grant’ which I read and loved last summer.
I also just finished ‘The Language of Flowers’ by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up this beautiful book. A must-read for sure! Over the weekend, I started ‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’ by Jon Ronson and it’s already making me cringe. Such an important read though.
Happy reading and all the best with the move.
BamaCarol
Just finished 2 good novels. Orphan Train by Christina Kline and The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (who wrote Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, one of my favorite books!). Both are good, for different reasons. TSBTW is very, very British and takes place starting in 1914 so it is a good read if you are having Downton Abbey withdrawals.
Libby
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW HOME!! I love your idea of making it a space for more than just yourself–how generous and creative. That’s awesome.
Right now for our book club we’re reading Her Fearful Symmetry–it’s so good! I’m hosting a blogger book club and this is our April Selection. ANYONE is free to join!
ellen k
Looking forward to some amazing photos from you new home!!
Thanks for all of the great book recommendations too..can’t get enough.
dreaming of nola..
ERW
Congrats on the house! Have you read In The Land Of Dreamy Dreams by Ellen Gilchrist? Wonderful book of short stories mostly all pertaining to New Orleans/ Mississippi Delta. It’s a perfect outdoor read for this gorgeous weather we’re having lately :)
Michele
Book Recommendation: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (It’s never-ending…but, in a good way.)
And, have you seen the documentary Finding Vivian Maier? It’s oddly riveting and more than a little disturbing that she slipped through the cracks so easily… and for so long.
Lisa
If you would like suggestions on how to hang level shelves, let me know. Painter’s tape and a level go a long way. ????
64colorbox
Congratulations on the new house. Now I have another reason to visit NOLA.
I just started reading Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures. I have a feeling it’s going to be great. Just finished the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. That was a fun read.
Emily Love
oh man I hope the classes and gatherings was not a joke! – have been following your blog for a few years and live in Baton Rouge, I would be so down!
Jordan
WOW! I didn’t know you were planning to move…either you kept it a surprise or I missed something. Congratulations. Those floors are amazing! And if you offer cooking classes, it might just be enough to get me to come to NOLA.
Bonnie
Congrats on your new home, Joy! So great for you!
Agreed – sweets and romantic dates. Another reason to love your site!
Lauren
Those hardwood floors are sex-ay, lady! Congrats.
Danielle D.
Also, when did you release the JTB app? Did I just miss that fabulous day???