The May Edit
Maybe it’s because it’s my birth month but May is always one of my favorite months of the year. It always seems to be filled with tons of fun things. My daughter graduated from 4K yesterday and we have a trip to Disney World planned for my birthday week. I’ll be taking notes to report back with lots of tips and tricks for traveling with a toddler.
Loving Lately
Here are a few things I’ve been loving lately.
Read: Tis the season for romance!
Gigi, Listening by Chantel Guertin and Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens are my current recommendations for cozy British rom-coms. They’re both slow-burn meet-cutes with great side characters and friendships.
I absolutely devoured Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Thanks to my Kindle, I read the 633-page book in just two days. It’s a fantasy romance with a badass female main character, a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance arc, and dragons! Perfect for fans of the Divergent, Hunger Games, and A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
My Oxford Year was one of the first books I bought back in 2018 when I first got my Kindle Paperwhite. Why did none of you insist that I read it then?! Five years later, this is hands down one of my favorite books of the year. I went into the book expecting a fun, lighthearted women’s lit novel about an academic year abroad. I wasn’t expecting a whirlwind romance or a heartbreaking coming-of-age story. I loved the wit and humor between Ella and Jamie and honestly might re-read this one on audiobook.
My pre-ordered copies of Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune and Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams came in and I’m looking forward to reading them this summer.
I’m finally listening to Spare by Prince Harry on audiobook! After waiting patiently for four months for my library hold to come in, I’m honestly a little bored. The chapters on his military career aren’t holding my attention but I know they were formative years for him. Pushing through…
Watch: I don’t watch TV regularly but I keep a running watch list using Notion and I’m surprised by how many good shows and movies I’ve already seen in 2023. I’ve had a request for a mid-year run-down with recommendations so I’m working on that for June.
Transatlantic (Netflix). It took me a couple of episodes to get into this show but I loved the focus on the art and artists of the time. There were still heartbreaking stories of refugees escaping France and the heroic resistance efforts that helped save thousands of lives, but overall the focus was more on the theme of hope and showed ways life kept moving even during a war. It was interesting to see that perspective because it’s not one we often get in film. I wish it wasn’t a limited series.
Queen Charlotte (Netflix). This was the Bridgerton story I didn’t know I needed. I cried and cried at Charlotte and Farmer George’s love story. Aspects of George’s mental health struggles were hard to watch because the acting was so raw. You have to watch this if you love period dramas. I can’t say enough good things about it.
Peter Pan & Wendy (Disney+). I was surprised by how much I liked this adaptation. The pacing was great and I liked seeing more of both Peter Pan and Hook’s backstory.
Eat: I go through phases where I’m simply tired of cooking but I still want to eat something healthy and fresh. The Fresh Market has a really good selection of easy meals called “Market Meal Kits for Two”. While they’re not cheap, they’re certainly less expensive than going out to eat and they keep us on track. I’m not a huge steak eater but the peppercorn steak with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans is one of my favorites. It comes together quickly and tastes like a gourmet meal.
I’ve been trying out these Stur water flavor enhancers and so far I like the strawberry watermelon and coconut pineapple flavors. I want to make some sort of mocktail with them. You can use them with your soda stream too!
Wear: I feel like I haven’t bought new clothes in a while. I’m still wearing a lot of the stuff I bought way back in 2014. I treated myself to a couple of these mineral wash oversized tees in springy colors and this heavyweight oversized pocket tee. They’re versatile enough to dress up or down. I don’t think I’ll be wearing them to work but for the weekends I can wear them with jean shorts and sandals with some gold jewelry or leggings and tennis shoes!
Homey Bits: I cleaned out our pantry and I’m hoping the new organization system sticks. These easy-access storage bins from Target helped me tremendously. I’m planning to buy one of these ziplock bag storage organizers to mount to the pantry wall. We mostly use our Stasher bags for food storage but every once in a while, it’s nice to have something disposable. I may also add a couple of command hooks on the other side to hang up our lunch boxes.
I may have finally found a green color for our kitchen. I’m waiting until Memorial Day to test out a sample of Essex Green. Jessica of Dear Jane Paper has this moody hue in her dining room and it’s just so lovely. I hope it works for us too.
Listen: The National has a new album out and this song features Taylor Swift! I’ve been watching tons of TikTok videos covering her Eras tour and following the speculation on booktok that she might have a memoir coming out this summer. Sadly that was debunked and the world is getting a BTS book instead.
Bookmark:
shared the Library Extension in one of her newsletters and I’m hooked. Every time I feel like adding a book to my cart I now see if it’s available through my library first. It still feels like shopping so I’m saving lots of money, supporting my local library, and still getting that little dopamine hit. It’s not the most aesthetic Chrome extension, but I’m a fan.That’s it from me. For now, here’s a quick poll.
So many good book recs this month! And thanks for the reminder about Transatlantic. I had it bookmarked but have some solo time coming up next week so I’m going to check it out ☺️