May your second cup of coffee hit just right

Friends, hi I’ve missed you!  I’m treading water in life right now… and I’ll tell you – I’ve never been very good at treading water.  Do you remember the dreaded summer camp swimming tests? Wherein a bunch of children get thrown in a pool or lake to tread water long enough to prove to the adults standing on the outskirts of that body of water that they had enough staying power to *probably* not drown over the summer?

This is some real child of the 80’s and 90’s stuff.

I always choked during those tests – literally, from the frantic splashing of my peers. And failing that test meant that I couldn’t swim past a certain rope for the entire summer! A real bummer mostly because all of my friends were strong swimmers.

Did this experience, summer after summer, make me a stronger swimmer? Nope, thank you. I resisted.

ANYWAY – here I am, treading a different kind of water.  Waters that involve more house projects and big decisions than I know what to do with.  Somehow  I have a delusional faith in my DIY capabilities so…. we’ll see how it all shakes out (starting with removing all of the wallpaper in the dining room with a scraper, lol).

I hope this finds you well, resting, with a second cup of coffee that hits just right.

•  Since the attacks on Israel on October 7th and the resulting war in Gaza, it’s with heavy hearts we all must wonder how this painful saga ends. Perspective from the Associated Press: How Does This End?  (Associated Press)

•  This week’s long read is brutal but important: The Hamas Chief and the Israeli Who Saved His Life. (The New York Times)

•  How are you at giving yourself a mid-day break? I’m notoriously bad and usually glance at the clock just as it strikes hangry (2:30pm or so).  They say the lunch break is dying – but don’t give up your hour of freedom.  While my lunch habits show no signs of changing, I will lean into a Friday long lunch date (a luxury I picked up in New Orleans) a little bit harder. (The Guardian)

•  What I Learned at the Dog Show – I love them all. (Garden and Gun)

•  I can keep three and only three houseplants alive at any given time. Get cocky and add a fourth? Someone is going down and it’s probably the orchid. For those of you with greener thumbs, you should know my friend Kristin. She’s an incredible gardener and author of this very helpful Houseplant Emergency Kit.(Sunset Magazine)

•  The “SIMPLE Method” of decluttering cabinets I need to add a B to this acronym somehow because there’s no way I get through these steps without a buddy to keep me on task.  We also might need another S for snacks, but now it spells SIMPLE BS. It’s getting complicated. (Apartment Therapy)

•  For when you don’t want to fuss with a whole pie but you can manage a press in crust and crumble: Strawberry Pie Bars, obviously. (Joy the Baker)

•  Adding this precious Staub Ceramic Tomato Petite Cocotte to my list of cute gifts I get for friends but also, one might need to live on kitchen table forever. (Wayfair)

•  I will fully admit I’m not exactly in my reading era (what with all the major house projects I think I can DIY) but it’s a good thing I follow Parnassus Books on Instagram for Ann Patchet’s thoughts and book recs for when the mood strikes. (Instagram)

•  Are you watching the current season of Survivor or am I embarrassing myself? I always find these little deep dives behind the scenes fascinating: Survivor heath questions asked and answered. (Self)

•  Last week I chatted with Ellie Krieger about cooking outside, how to pack a cooler, mushroom powder, and her survivalist husband.  Listen to One Real Good Thing here!  Clearly it’s Camp Joy season. (Apple Podcasts, Joy the Baker)

•  Add this to the list of things to consider: a bigger mailbox. (CBS)

•  Speaking of mailboxes, which… is a surprise to me, too,  THIS was the Wilson family mailbox growing up.  I think my sister and I convinced our dad to get it for our mom for Mother’s Day one year because she loves hummingbirds and we rode with this mailbox for over a decade.  (Fine Art America, lol)

•  Ok but how do we feel about Peanut Butter Iced Coffee because I’m at a very strong yes about it this summer.  (How Sweet Eats)

•  Have a scroll through these bright cheery dresses from Australian brand Variety Hour. I feel like this dress checks all the boxes for a summer dress: linen, pink, patterned, with croissants. (Variety Hour Studio)

•  Our friend and photographer Karlee made this  Matcha Tres Leches Cake and it’s immediately added to the Summer Bucket List.  (Smith Tea, Joy the Baker)

Have a sweet Sunday, friends.

My love to you.

xo Joy