No. 107: What to Read, Eat, Wear and Watch in October
Drop everything, you're gonna want to open this one up.
Welcome back to the Monthly Favorite email, friends. Even though we were literally just here, recapping and looking forward to a month with pure optimism and delight. September was a bit rude, to be honest. It was like a baby who caught wind of every ambitious naptime plan and decided instead that they absolutely would under no circumstances be put down that day. A flat tire and empty gas tank the day you needed to be somewhere exactly on time. It was ambition and gumption met with deflation and pivoting.
But we made it.
What I knew was coming and planned for in September did, indeed, come. The full sports schedules and steady uptick in homework, the trip down to Austin and the start of what we call the “September Circus” in our family—more birthdays than seem humanly possible for one group of people. Those things were challenging and spectacular, respectively. What I didn’t know was coming and thus, didn’t plan for in September came just the same. The thrown out back that was different this time, the two weeks needing help up from the toilet and into the shower. The MRI that showed results that both comforted and disappointed and the therapy sessions that revealed things I’d suspected but never confirmed.
O and I both lost friends to cancer this month, his took him back home for a weekend while mine left me still and more reflective than I’ve been in a while. I also had sweet surprises, though—hosting my grandma’s eighty-sixth birthday party and meeting with styling clients weekly in a way that revived something I didn’t know I missed.
The thick of press and marketing for my book, Left Out, changed and challenged me, the spending freeze rattled and comforted me, my body frustrated and humbled me, and my kids’ activities ran me ragged while their conversations and presence brought a steady joy and brightness (pause, mostly steady. if you’re a mom, you get it) to a month that wanted to sweep me away somewhere dark.
The last weekend of the month was a short story to revisit until the pages come loose. Because something happens when there are storms devastating the country and you’re limping with an ice pack shoved in your pants and your husband is out of town for a funeral when your kids have three games in one day and the only logical answer is to put everyone to bed, including yourself. You see it all at once—the brokenness of the world and the opportunity to be the change right here in your own home. So instead, you let the kids stay up late playing a board game on your son’s bedroom floor while the baby sleeps. They eat popcorn and you sip your tea that isn’t really hot because you can’t stop adding too much of your favorite cream. You pray for everyone suffering outside those walls and within it and pray also that you wouldn’t forget how hard the month was, but also that He brought you through it. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
There’s always something about September.
1. 2. 3. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The Pretty White Moms in Their Pretty White Houses interview was really powerful. I loved Sara’s book and I read it at a time where shifting away from being an influencer still felt scary and uncomfortable. I had seen this newsletter referenced so many times and it absolutely exceeded every expectation I had. Spoiler: that discomfort you’re feeling is real, all across the board.
I’m continuing to offer styling this month, but for the Holiday season I want to add options for the man in your life. I have been O’s stylist through many stages in life from designing custom clothing for NFL game day to making sure he has a wardrobe fit to his needs as work from home dad who still is a human with style and I love every bit of it. Email me at jkatogwe@gmail.com to schedule a styling call for you or your man.
Most Popular Posts of the Month:
What to Read:
You should absolutely read my book, Left Out, to your kids and your grand kids and yourself because it’s available for pre-order and will ship in FOUR DAYS!!!
I shared a reel with the backstory of the book right here and Keogena and I doing ballet 25 years apart is my favorite part. I also have been out of the thriller genre mood, but if you instead want to lean into the cozy food memoir genre, I highly recommend Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl and Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist. These are made for putting on your coziest socks and sweats and curling up as close as possible by your fireplace, I promise you. The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection by Robert Farrar Capon is next on my list.
What to Watch:
It’s time to pull out all the stops, friends. Step Mom, Gilmore Girls, You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally and Casper. Might I also suggest Homeward Bound with the kids? And Hocus Pocus is always scarier than I think it is, so we skip it, but It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown always makes the cut. Coco, too.
There’s a ton of good TV right now but I’m not watching it (except I do plan on checking out, Nobody Wants This) so I can’t recommend it. I’m here to recommend the newest season of Alone as I’ve done for far too many years now. You know how I feel about cozying up after a hot shower with my bed blanket pulled up to my chin and watching someone in the Arctic circle try to catch a fish with a hand-whittled fishing pole for the third week in a row. There’s just somethin’ about it.
What to Eat:
Warming foods continue to be the theme of our life, but quick recipes win with busy weeks and full days. I bought butternut squash to bring back O’s all time favorite soup and I wish you could have seen his face when I brought in the grocery bags. Its such a phenomenal soup, you guys. I’ve also been making this Spicy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup again and this Award Winning Chili recipe (the only one I ever make) as well as this Red Lentil Vegan Chili recipe I’ve made for years always served with sourdough or cornbread.
October is also a good time to become your best sourdough self. I followed this recipe to make my own starter in February with some serious trial and error but I’ve heard wonderful things about this starter which arrive at your house all ready to be made into something magical. Once your starter is thriving, this is my favorite recipe for a sourdough loaf, these discard scones make a perfect after school snack and this is the sourdough pizza that turns our perfectly every time.
What to Wear:
Be sure to check out the Momiform post with all you need to know to build a no-brainer wardrobe this season—or to work with what you have, like me. Also, this:
No. 105: If I Were Shopping: The Dream September Wish List
I realize some people might find this counter productive, but despite being on a spending freeze, I still work as a stylist and have an eye on the fashion pulse every single week. I’m regularly doing link roundups for clients, making moodboards and saving pins for the current season so this is the list of items I’d scoop up if Daddy Warbucks said I nee…
Stay tuned next week for all the information on the Surprise Box Merch situation and check Sunday’s newsletter for a link to a Left Out giveaway with the ‘All I have needed’ mug I still get asked about every month. It’s gonna be a beautiful October, friends. If you’re a free subscriber thinking, man, I wish I had more of this—it’s a wonderful time to spend one coffee a month to get a dose of Friday (and Sunday) morning delight.
Have a beautiful weekend, friends.
Adam Brody does not disappoint. IYKYK.
I am here to give you (probably the fiftieth) positive review of Nobody Wants This. The episodes are under 30 minutes, which is such a win. It’s funny enough that my husband likes it too. Definitely has some raunchier jokes, but it’s not full of those.
So, so excited to get your book in just a few days! Also so excited for your upcoming return on Coffee + Crumbs. 😍 Congrats on this HUGE accomplishment!