Oh. My god. You guys, this may be one of the most delicious meals I have ever made. I've been ordering Hello Fresh to keep some variety in our diets (and to keep me out of the supermarkets as much as possible), and last night's recipe - which I put a little bit of my own spin on, because eggs sounded like an excellent addition - was spectacular. It's also easy! And inexpensive!
Translation: This recipe is now in our regular weekly rotation.
Me and my kimono
I wrote this post right before my parents and I left for the Caymans - I forgot to post it back then, but still want to, because the four brands I discovered are great. It was just a little less than a month ago, and people were still doing things like being in rooms together. (You guys. That was less than a month ago. Read this article; it gave me whiplash.)
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One of my favorite shops, Boho Bungalow, in Occidental. Support small businesses!!
Here's everything you need to know about whether you qualify for a Small Business Loan (SBA) to help you get through the COVID crisis - plus links to apply. (This is a direct copy from a Treasury document sent to me this morning by my mother, an NYC attorney, via her accountant.)
The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) authorizes up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the COVID-19 crisis. All loan terms will be the same for everyone.
New planters, heyyy!
By (astoundingly) popular request via IG, today's post is about...my planters. It turns out that everyone in the world has decided to become a gardener in their abundance of spare time.
I have, in the course of my years, proven myself to be an astoundingly poor keeper of indoor plants. When you see a lovely, thriving plant in my house, be assured: It is fake. But for whatever reason my black thumb turns green (or, ok, perhaps something more like chartreuse) in the presence of vegetables: In our San Jose house, our tomatoes and cucumbers were actual legend. I never bothered to garden in our last place because 1) I was kinda in crisis last year and tomatoes were not my priority, and 2) I wasn't inclined to put even more work into a rental place than I already had (and I'd already done a lot).
I live in Michigan, and I tend to hibernate during the months of cold and darkness. I get sluggish and slack. Then the days get longer, the sunlight streams through the windows, and I discover that I hate my house and everything in it. Right about now is when I get spring-cleaning fever.
For me, cleaning pretty much always begin clearing away the crap that’s accumulated while I’ve been too busy or too distracted or too consumed by physical lassitude and existential despair to deal with said crap. (Midwestern winters are no joke, y’all.) So, as I started considering what this month’s column might be, I found myself thinking about my house and the mess that’s making me crazy now that there’s enough light to see it and I have enough energy to care. (Midwestern winters are no joke, y’all.)
Sometimes, decluttering is easy. That self-help book that has been sitting on my bedside table, unopened, for months? Give-away pile. A really nice box that I kept because it might come in handy while wrapping Christmas presents? Recycling bin. Lipstick I bought five years ago and have worn exactly once? Garbage can.
When it came time to design our dining room, I knew that simplicity would be imperative. With two young kids and lots of foot traffic moving through the room, the room needed to be spacious and open.
When you walk in our front door you enter through the living room, which connects to the dining room. You have to walk through the space to access the remainder of the house, so we needed to allow for that flow. During our renovations, we asked the contractor to move the positioning of the chandelier so that we could center the dining table as far back as possible. This allowed for a wide walkway in front of the table, while still leaving enough space for the dining table and chairs.
So I think we can all agree that good gossip - by which I mean the exchange of non-terrifying information - is in short supply these days. Just last week, Francesca and I had a phone call which consisted almost entirely of me relaying a play-by-play of how, exactly, I managed to lose one of my AirPods while said AirPods were physically located inside my ears. (This is a true story.)
It was riveting.
But our conversation this morning was a new level of scintillating, as it involved a tale of how I managed to almost die last night. From the virus currently terrorizing the world? Of course not. From a steak.
The most wonderful review of The Big Activity Book for Anxious People EVER. Ever! (You can pick up a copy here.)
Paintillio - the company that makes those amazing custom paint-by-numbers kits I've been loving - is offering 30% off and free shipping for their pre-made Mural Artist Series Kits until March 30th. Use code MURALARTIST2020 at checkout.
I've been looking for the perfect eye cream for years, and this is it: The texture is great and deeply moisturizing, plus it's light and cooling.
My son, attending a Zoom meeting with his class.
(This went exactly as well as you think it did.)
First of all, I have got to encourage you to watch Jimmy Fallon's home broadcasts, because for reals, he is all of us trying to work from home right now.
What, like that's weird?
A few weeks ago, in a moment of tremendous prescience, I found myself wondering, "Hm. What would I do if, say, I were to find myself confined to my home for an extended period of time during which I would be expected to work full-time while simultaneously home-schooling two young children?"
The answer, of course, would be to drink.
