I’m a Recipe Binder Person Now

Welcome to Slow Brew Sunday, the newsletter that helps you start your week with a clear mind and full cup. 🍵 From intentional shifts and gentle productivity tips to personal stories and encouragement, I hope our cozy corner of the internet gives you what you need to ease into your week.

Hey Friends,

Thank you for all of the show and books recs you sent last week! Scroll to the end of this note for a recap of the list you sent!

I just started reading The Bridge Kingdom, because I loved A Fate Inked In Blood by the same author (Danielle L. Jensen). So far, yesss loving it. I’ll report back when I get a bit further into it.

Now onto this week’s experiment — if you’re just tuning in, I kicked off June with an impromptu challenge I’m calling Unplugged-ish to help untangle myself from my phone and go as analog as my modern life allows in this season. My motivation is my daughter as well as my own wellbeing. Catch up below:

This week: I’m making a physical recipe binder! I’ve been longing for more nostalgic-mom-kitchen life. I currently keep everything in Notion, all organized and searchable and lovely… but it still lives on a screen. And the point of these weeks has been getting screens out of the moments that don’t need them (i.e. cooking!)

I want a recipe binder like the one my mom has. Handwritten cards, printed out web pages, someone else’s casserole recipe scribbled on the back… a few stains, maybe a little sticky. This is what I want.

So, I ordered: a recipe binder (it comes with 4x6 cards) and more plastic insert sleeves. I am not planning to handwrite every single recipe, some I will, but many I am just printing straight from my Notion.

It’ll be sooo nice to pull a binder off the shelf instead of looking at a screen. To flip to a page I’ve clearly made a hundred times. To one day have a physical item in my handwriting that my daughter could cook from. Inheriting a Notion dashboard doesn’t have the same ring to it as a homemade recipe binder. 😭

HBU? Have you converted back to a physical recipe binder?

Chat next week,

Psst… I yap a lot, so if this email gets truncated in Gmail, click “view in browser” to read the entire post.

I will get inspired by cookbooks older than me.

Pick a recipe you love (maybe one from a cookbook older than you or buried in the reels sent back and forth to your partner), and put it in writing. Copy it onto a card, print it out, or even start a physical recipe binder. Then cook from it sans the screen.

1. 🥜 Snackin on — The best pecans of my life... so buttery. How can they taste so good???

2. 📚 My next read… — Last week I shared that I was in a bit of a book rut, and a big TY to everyone who commented or sent over recs!! I've been making my way through your suggestions and also came across this list of 20 Books to Read to Get Your Creative Spark Back to inspire my next read.

3. 🍓 Make summer more magical — Been tryin’ my best to get out of autopilot mode and really sink into summer with my Project: Unplgged-ish. From farmers market mornings and cutie walking dates to flower runs and offline days and evenings (ILY, Brick), here are 28 ways to romanticize the season.

4. 🧠 Why get defensive? — That instant urge to explain, correct, or prove your point? It’s usually a reflex… but how do we stop it?! This article breaks down why we get defensive (even when we’re right) and how to pivot when you do so.

Now THIS was the perfect Sunday morning, imo. Coffee in hand, watching a show with Andrew, nap cuddles with my girl. Holding onto these snuggles as long as I can. 🥹

Meet Ellavi (www.ellavima.com)  
age 29 — Currently living in London but from good ol’ Central Texas! 🤠 🇺🇸
💡 Workin' as: Chief Music Officer of a Sound Healing App Startup & Freelance Composer/Producer
🍵 Sippin' on: A strong coffee with a splash of milk and collagen protein powder
🎧 Listening to: All the Ways (feat. Ray LaMontagne) by The Secret Sisters
🎥 Watching: Jujutsu Kaisen season 2
📖 Reading: The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon (author), Janet Hong (translator)
🎉 Exciting about: going home for a bit + country festival in the UK later in the summer!	

We want to feature you! Nominate yourself for our Reader Spotlight that we share weekly!

Writing these letters is one of my favorite parts of my week! It also takes me an embarrassing number of hours to put these together. If Slow Brew has become a cozy ritual for you, here are a few easy ways to support this free space:

💛 Tap the heart or leave a comment — it truly helps!
📱 Screenshot your fave part & share on IG stories tagging @julesacree​
💫 Share Slow Brew Sunday with anyone who may enjoy it!
📌 Want to partner with us? Reply to this email and let’s chat!

Share Slow Brew Sunday

🫶🏼 read more slow brew sunday letters here

🤎 if you enjoy motherhood content, you might love my other newsletter Mother, etc.

☁️ browse my favorite cozy tools & resources here

💌 come say hi in our group chat

🌸 follow my day-to-day life @julesacree on Insta & YouTube

​📌 Our newsletter may have affiliate links, so if you buy through them, we get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). We only recommend stuff we love and think you’ll love to! If it’s sponsored, we’ll clearly mark it so. Thanks for supporting our free newsletter!