No. 143: What to Eat, Read, Wear and Watch in June
plus a favorites video and the gold standard summer break
This post is, of course, too long to view as an email so be sure to click here to read it as intended.
Everything I said about May here was true, friends. May was the delight I had been craving without even realizing the ache deep in my gut. More family time, more fresh air, more time with friends, more sleep. I know this is what many of you look forward to in June rather than “Maycember,” but there are a select few of us southerners entering this month in a state of euphoria. Exhaustion—hear me—but euphoric exhaustion.
The month was consumed with track practices and meets, settling into Summer rhythms, early evenings and celebrations. We went to Austin for our anniversary which served as a much needed comma in a month of exclamation marks. Next week, we’ll leave for our annual Summer trip back to O’s hometown in Canada. The kids look forward to this time with their cousins and their Gigi with greater anticipation than Christmas morning. Spending a few weeks in my brother and sister-in-law’s house, knowing I can peek into any room of the house to find our kids doing life together fills my cup like little else.
Walking into my in-law’s house and seeing everything exactly as it’s always been for the sixteen years I’ve been visiting that home is always a fake-out. I know that despite the fresh boiled plantain on the stove and mountain of coupons on the counter, the collection of antique china in the exact same position and the sea of photos covering every surface, I won’t hear the deep belly laugh of a grandfather truly overjoyed at the arrival of his babies. Some people just exist in a home and some people are the very life-blood of a home—O’s dad was the latter. I can’t wait to lay on the couch with Mommy and soak up the feeling truly only she can give.
June has a different feeling than May, for me. In my very calculated, very accurate ranking of months, October, December, May is correct. I love June, of course, but there tends to be a feeling of productivity humming through the month. I’m aware of all that needs to be done since Father’s Day, O’s birthday and Enakhe’s birthday are all within the same 5ish day span, but there’s something else there too. We typically travel this month, finally accept that we need to start Summer reading and Math, I’m usually a bit fed up with the house chaos and start organizing or at the very least, feel like I should which is arguably worse.
June, though, is also the month where I take a break from this space (more on that later) which also fills me with contradicting feelings. I get nervous to open the Substack dashboard to see how many people unsubscribe while I’m away and battle feelings that I’m the problem, but I also am so creatively recharged and feel such a sense of peace to put a pause on the boulder chasing me down the hill every week. It makes me remember that I’m in charge of setting healthy boundaries, but I’m not in charge of people’s response to my boundaries. That’s always hard to accept, but it’s essential.
June requires my hard work, that’s true. But and I’m making great effort to stay in a mental and spiritual state that allows me to remember that June also requires my rest. It makes the ache for it and provides the space for it. It’s going to be a beautiful month.
The Monthly Favorites:
At the end of this letter, for a brand new favorites segment for the first time in five years, I have a 30 minute video breakdown of all of my favorites from the month. I’ve shared the same format in this newsletter every month and after your requests for more video content last year, this felt like the best place to start. I really did my best with YouTube but attempting that on top of this letter just wasn’t humanly possible for me in this season.
This is a one minute clip of the intro, the rest lives at the very bottom of this post. I loved being able to talk through weight, my “May bootcamp,” random thoughts on water bottles and the book I’m currently obsessed with at length rather than fitting it in the same tiny graphic. For free subscribers—the favorites list this month was:
My new non-toxic perfume, Middletide, this Amino Acid, this Protein Powder, This Podcast, a new shade of My Favorite Jeans and a few more bonus items (mostly snacks.)
What to Read.
Let me tell you, friends, Middletide reset something in me. It’s so rare to find a gripping mystery that’s interwoven with a truly stunning story. More often than not, it’s a cheap thriller I didn’t ask for with a side of a predictable story I didn’t ask for, you know? I started May with Local Woman Missing which I did find to be pretty decent, but Middletide reminded me that I can, in fact, have the exact thing I’m craving in a book. I asked on Instagram and the recommendations I saw repeated are the one’s I’ve dug into on Goodreads to begin a brand new TBR list: This Tender Land, Crow Talk, What Wild Women Do, The God of the Woods (which I’ve read and loved), and This Other Eden.
Lucy Foley does a great job at this and this neon sprayed edition of Midnight Feast along with The Guest List scratch this itch perfectly if you’re also in a beautiful mystery mood. You may be a cute little romantic beach read type of gal, but I’m a mystery at the lake type of gal so that’s what I’m digging for this month.
What to Watch.
I’ve been looking forward to the Better Sister since the trailer released and though I’m only on the first episode, it’s playing out as the mystery I’ve been wanting in television form rather than book form. Do your research for your own discretion because there are many content warnings. I’m not watching any new television since actually watching a current show feels like the most difficult task in this season of life, but re-watching old Top Chef seasons is always a go-to for low stakes, high-joy television.
When it comes to movies, The Intern, Something’s Gotta Give, Mama Mia, Jaws, Dirty Dancing, Big Fat Liar, Now and Then, What a Girl Wants, Aquamarine, Moonrise Kingdom, Bride Wars, Hitch, The Way Way Back, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Little Miss Sunshine are all the right answer for June.
What to Eat.
I had already started my break this time last year so I’m linking last month’s to opt out of this, deal?
What to Wear.
The thing I get asked to make most often is a seasonal Momiform, so here you go. If I truly had to make a true capsule wardrobe of items to rotate and swap for the entire Summer, this would be mine. I love the color palette of cream/white, black. brown and red because everything works together while not being wholly neutral.
tee. black button down. special tank. red button down. red shorts. white denim shorts. h&m striped pants. h&m white trousers. brown linen pants. cream striped dress. sunglasses. my current dream tote (in every color). black sandal. red & white sneaker. red sandal.
The June Break.
The time has come upon us, friends. The June Break is here.
Every weekend will be a photo diary like the Austin Edition last week with links to recipes I loved and things I wore, very casual, with a pause on the dense Friday letter until July 4th which will start a series I’m thrilled about. We’re traveling to be with Oshiomogho’s family in Canada and I can’t wait to spend more focused time without the boulder chasing me down the hill for three weeks. I so appreciate your support and championing me to rest during this period each year, I’m grateful you appreciate the pace of these emails showing up in your inbox twice weekly and I know in the thick of your big beautiful summer, that Sunday letter will do the trick.
In the mean time, I’ll be sure to share fitting archive posts in the Sunday post and I’ll be updating my ShopMy, LTK and Amazon Storefront weekly with ShopMy getting my most curated picks simply because it’s the most fun, to be honest.
Can you tell I’m not good at this? I still have a few things to learn about rest when it comes to this space, but again—I’m not going to function in fear.
Now, it’s time for The Favorites Video:
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