Hello, friends! Happy Friday! We’ve had a busy week this week so I’m ready for a slow weekend. Anyone else?
Today I’m sharing five things that have piqued my interest or things that have been on my mind / going on in my life recently!
THE HANDMAID’S TALE: SEASON 5
I have such a love / hate relationship with this show. It’s so beautiful and haunting and thrilling, but the plot has felt a bit too close to real life in recent years so I definitely had to take a break between seasons, particularly while I was pregnant with Sophie. I am so excited to watch what happens in Season Five! The first two episodes were just released and I am debating whether I want to watch the episodes as they are released each week or binge-watch them once they’re all available… still undecided, but either way I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds.
Do you watch Handmaid’s Tale? What are your thoughts?
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Back to the Beach Podcast
I’m not a huge podcast person. I enjoy them well enough, but I just don’t find myself gravitating toward them for entertainment. I suppose it’s because I prefer movies and tv shows (being such a visual person), but the nostalgia and the “behind the scenes” angle here really interests me.
The “Back to the Beach” podcast goes behind the scenes of the MTV hit show “Laguna Beach” and gives an episode breakdown from the perspectives of hosts (and starring cast members of LB) Kristin Cavalleri and Stephen Colletti. The podcast launched in July of this year and I am just now getting around to giving it a listen.
I used to love watching the show and was definitely #TeamLauren, but my eyes have been opened since the start of this podcast about how the show’s producers at MTV skewed footage and sound bytes for scenarios to seem a certain way and painted people in a different light than they really were / are. If you were a fan of Laguna Beach, I highly recommend giving it a listen. Kristin and Stephen have a great rapport with each other and I find them really enjoyable to listen to (lol – they’re sooo Cali with their “laid-back dude” and “Valley girl” talking styles). They even have other Laguna Beach cast members join occasionally, which is so fun! You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts (personally, I use Spotify) or watch on YouTube.
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Dark Florals
I’ve been on the hunt for some fall florals — either tops to pair with some seasonal pants (that I can’t wait to pull out!) or dresses to pair with boots / booties. I feel like floral prints in the colors of the season help to bridge the gap between summer and fall and then later can add some springtime vibes (for wishful thinking) as we’re dealing with winter weather well into March and beyond! I’ve been struggling to find a print / color scheme AND dress silhouette pairing that I like, but I think I’ve finally found one!
Many of the floral prints I’ve seen so far this season have had too much orange, too much purple or the print is simply too bold for me. Then, if I find a print that I like, the dress is cut for Little House on the Prairie or for someone who is much trendier than I am, so needless to say: it’s been a struggle! I finally found some options that I like and after all that shopping I thought I’d share them in the widget below in case you’ve also found yourself in the same boat.
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Light Up Bath Toys
Lately Sophie has really been loving these light up water toys that I bought for her this summer. I originally got them for her to play with in our collapsible backyard pool, but they also work great for bath time too! They entertain her while I soap her up and then later when we dry off. Highly recommend for littles!
Each toy has two little sensors that indicate that they’re submerged in water and keep the colored lights blinking. Once you dry them off, at the end of the light cycle they’re on, they’ll automatically turn off. They didn’t require any batteries and the best part: THEY DON’T SQUIRT WATER, SO NO CHANCE OF MOLD. 🙌🏼 There are a lot of options available, but this is the set that we got so that’s the only one that I can speak to.
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Thanksgiving Meal Planning
I’m feel a little bit like a psycho because I’m already planning our Thanksgiving menu for this year and it’s only mid-September. We usually spend the holiday with our extended family, but this year we’re having a small meal at home, just the three of us, and I am trying to decide what items I want to serve. My plan is to do it “Semi-Homemade Style” since it’s just two adults + a baby and I’m an extremely amateur cook so I’m not trying to win the Best Chef Award by creating every dish from scratch. I’ll happily outsource some components if it saves me time and sanity!
If you’re also celebrating the holiday with a small group or for two, I have compiled some recipe / menu suggestions here. I’m certain that I’ll share my plan for our meal later on once it’s finalized, but in my opinion it’s never too early to start thinking about this kind of thing! 😉 I normally just give Sophie smaller bites of dishes that we’re already eating, but I want to be conscious of her palette (and food safety!) so I may make a few modifications from our menus of years past.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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