Hi Friends,
As much as I love summer, and as much as I find the concept of “Augtober” irritating (didn’t we just do “halfway to Halloween?!”), I have to admit, I’m enjoying the turn of the season.
August is really the dark horse of the calendar, and I think it has a richness that deserves more celebration. Tomatoes, corn, and peaches are at their peak. The days and nights are long and lazy. The color palette I associate with this time of year is warm but sultry. The entire month feels like golden hour.
When I went to gather the things I’ve been loving lately, I delighted in their commonalities. They all fit squarely into the spirit of August: warm and cozy, but a bit moody, bountiful, and succulent.
The shared quality I was not happy to note is that all of my late-summer inspirations are screen-related. But you can’t step outside in Florida for more than two minutes before you’re dripping in sweat, so give a girl a break for camping out indoors more than usual.
Here’s what’s been delighting me:
This time of year always makes me want to watch The Parent Trap (both versions), but it had been a while since I’d seen the original, so I popped it on at my in-laws’ house on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
It was heartwarming to watch it with them, and catching the film in its entirety was also exciting and novel to me. My family had a copy of the original Parent Trap taped off TV, but it must have run too long for the VHS because the ending got cut off. Such is being a kid in the ‘90s.
When The Parent Trap ended, it autoplayed into Pollyanna. When Jimmy’s parents informed me that neither of them had seen it before, I insisted we watch that one too, since it was a favorite in my house growing up. My sisters and I still quote Mrs. Snow: “It was my idea to use the string!”
We all loved it so much that everyone started sharing their other favorite Haley Mills films. My father-in-law mentioned The Trouble with Angels, which I’d never seen, so the next week we watched that too (and all of us cried).
Next up, we’re planning to watch The Moon-Spinners and another of my favorites, That Darn Cat!
I talked about Victoria’s videos in an earlier post this year, and what first drew me in was the topic of her content: slow living and inspiration for phone-free time.
But what has kept me coming back (and what’s been inspiring me most) is her style: the way she films and edits her videos, and especially her social media content. She has this undeniable aesthetic that’s chic and fresh, but also cozy and attainable.
Though most of my video and social editing work lately has been for our podcast, watching Victoria’s posts have reallllly been tempting me to return to creating more lifestyle-type content.
If you’ve been following along, you already know that over the last couple of years my husband has gotten really into watching cooking videos. So I shouldn’t have been surprised to find him binge-watching MasterChef (a show neither of us had ever seen before), starting with Season 1, which originally aired in 2010.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s kind of like American Idol or America’s Got Talent, but with cooking instead of performing.
I let him get through the first three seasons without me, though I found myself popping in more and more to ask about the contestants, see what ingredient was in the Mystery Box Challenge, or find out where they were hosting the team events.
By the time he got to Season 4, we were in Orlando for the week, so I started watching from the beginning, and now I’m addicted. Truly, I go to bed thinking about who’s going to survive the next round.
As a perennial look-things-up-while-I’m-watching person, the hardest part has been keeping the experience spoiler-free. But I also find it kind of charming to let myself be surprised by something that happened over fifteen years ago.
Speaking of cooking, it seems the algorithm has tuned into my TV-watching habits because I’ve been getting served even more food content than usual.
My favorite lately has been watching food prep videos from Jenna (also here on Substack!). There’s something about the coziness of her kitchen and the simple-but-elevated way she preps everything in beautiful serveware that keeps me excited for each new video.
Lately, her menus usually include some sort of chicken salad, a breakfast, a veggie salad, a sweet treat, and she always ends by making a juice (not me shopping for juicers now).
As someone who doesn’t have kids and doesn’t cook for a crowd most nights, I like that her meals feel very girl-dinner adjacent while inspiring me to play with more flavors.
Next week, we make our official turn toward fall, working on creating vision boards for September in our paid-subscriber exclusive series, Designing the Month. I hope you’ll consider upgrading your subscription to enjoy it + more inspiration for the season ahead!
When we recognize what brings us the most joy, we invite more of it into our lives. Here are five things that made me happy this week. Share yours below!
I started this new bookish puzzle! It’s been a while since we’ve had one set up in our loft, and it brings a level of coziness to our home that I want to make permanent. I may or may not have already sprung for a fall puzzle that I can’t wait to share with you soon.
We released the first of our TV Dinner episodes on Film to Table, kicking things off by revisiting the Season 2 finale of Fleabag. If you’ve never watched it, please do! It’s such a treat. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes where we’ll be chatting about New Girl and Friends! P.S. If you have an idea for a future episode, share it here!
I finished reading Whistler by Ann Patchett and, oh, how I loved it! I’m especially glad I chose the audiobook, read by the author herself, which is always such a treat.
After a long search for the perfectly shaped iced latte glasses, I was so happy to come across these from World Market.
I popped into my aesthetician’s office on Friday for a BBL (light therapy) treatment to keep my skin at its best. If you missed my post about taking care of myself in my 40s, you can find it in last week’s newsletter.
Whether it’s a giant leap, a tiny to-do list item, a habit change, or something else, there is power in accountability, and this is a safe space to share your aim. Some weeks, we’ll fail, others, we’ll soar, but with support, we’ll always keep going together.
Until next week, get out there and make something beautiful.
Michelle
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If you’d like to keep hanging out, you can also find me:
🍿 Talking movies, food, and nostalgia on Film to Table
📼 Getting playful with memory and pop culture on Play Me a Memory
📷 Sharing bits of everyday inspiration on Instagram
And if this newsletter made you smile, think, or feel a little more like yourself, passing it along is always appreciated!
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