The Catch-Up | Vol 2

What caught my eye, heart, imagination and more this week.

Hello friends! Welcome to the second edition of The Catch-Up, a weekly column I hope you look forward to every Thursday. To read more about the series, pop on over to my first edition of The Catch-Up here. In sum, The Catch-Up is meant to be a place that feels like catching up with a girlfriend over a cup of tea or a glass of wine, “Have you read this yet?” “I can’t stop using this!” “This made me think of you.” “Oh my goodness, have you ever tried this?” “You’ll absolutely love this.” I hope you enjoy it!

When I started writing this post, I had spring gatherings on my mind - the tablescape photo from The Colony’s new Cabana Bungalow bouncing around in my head (image 2/8). Inspired by the beautiful scene, I pulled a few similar feeling pieces in the collage below for those of you anticipating March, April, and May with glee. January whizzed by and February is, dare I, moving at a snail’s pace? I’m feeling behind in all areas of my life so why not look ahead to sunnier times! We got a glimpse of spring in Charleston last week and it was HEAVEN. The radiant energy was pulsing through the city, bouncing off of walls and springing from everyone’s feet. It was joyful. This week is the doldrums with multiple days in a row of gray. So, onward to spring fling dreams! These dreams include cooking from Wishbone Kitchen’s soon-to-come-out cookbook. It is already a best seller and it hasn't even come out yet. I’d like to cook my way through the cookbook wearing this brand new dress that came out yesterday (I have it in two other patterns from last spring and the spring before and I absolutely love the style and fit). Keep reading for a few things catching me in my tracks this week. P.S. This was the most popular item (I can’t live without) from last week’s Catch-Up followed closely by this (it is worthy of all the hype) and this (I have and love).

If this post is ever too long for email, simply click through to read it in Substack. Also, if you enjoy this post, would you consider giving it a heart? It helps me a ton with the Substack algorithm. Many, many thanks!

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

What caught my heart this week? My book. On Tuesday, I finished the novel I’ve been reading, The Most Fun We Ever Had, and I walked around feeling glum the entire rest of the day thanks to my book hangover. It was published a few years ago but I just recently discovered it when two of my most trusted friends for books both proclaimed it to be “one of my most favorite books!” These two never lead me astray with book recommendations (thank you Allison and Melissa!) so I purchased it immediately. At the exact same time, my sister-in-law in Los Angeles asked me what I was reading so she purchased it at her local bookstore that day and the two of us had a mini bicoastal book club for the book while we were reading it. I simply adored everything about the book. It is the most poignant story about a loving family, The Sorensons, in Chicago with four daughters. The novel weaves back and forth between the parents raising the girls and the family in the present day. It is a beautiful look at family dynamics, sibling relationships, marriage over time, and all the ways love can be present within a family. Books about families living their rich, complex, and complicated lives are my favorite type of stories to read. The Sorensons could be any family and that’s what makes the story so beautiful. I highly highly recommend this novel if you enjoy books with a whole lot of heart and character development. I was truly gripped by the characters and their relationships.

what caught my interest

Have you heard of the Boobie Pillow? I was introduced to it back in the fall but, after recently exclaiming my love for it to a few friends who also have and use the pillow, I realized I’ve never properly shared it before. The scene is set: three of us women, lounging around, talking about a pillow of all things, but all of us had the exact same feedback - we love it! The Boobie Pillow is all the things your sleep routine needs and wants. It’s a sleep companion, if you will, that is the perfect size to hug while you sleep (a dream for side-sleeping, which I do so much more of now after multiple pregnancies) but it also looks lovely on your bed when your bed is fully made in all her glory. Plus, it is designed to protect your décolletage from signs of aging and wrinkles. It can also be monogrammed adding a special touch to your bed or making for a great gift. I have the cotton style but Look Linen Co also designs a silk pillow case as well. I sleep with this every single night. Full stop.

what caught my imagination

The lives we might have lived. I can’t stop thinking about this post from my girlfriend, Grace, about how little choices we make (and, I might add, how things happen to us or around us) carve out our path and the life we live. It is such a fun exercise and one that Edwin and I have actually asked ourselves before - where would we be if we hadn’t met? We feel so happy in Charleston it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else but Edwin certainly wouldn’t have ended up here if he hadn’t met me. What if my parents had sent me to different schools and I hadn’t met my lifelong best friends? What if I hadn’t pursued teaching and my masters, what field would I have worked in or be working in now? Another one for me that doesn’t involve my or our choices at all is my miscarriages - if I hadn’t had each of my three miscarriages then I wouldn’t have my three children now… a reality so incomprehensible that I truly can’t imagine not having gone through that pain and loss because I need my three boys in a way I can’t put into words. I read the book Grace references in her post a few years ago and it made me curious about picking it back up. What lives could you have lived?

what caught my kids

Without meaning to, I’ve made this into a very book heavy post but what is catching the attention of my big boys the most is a few books we’ve been reading a lot lately thanks to all the love in the air (these are not Valentine’s specific books at all but it’s a nice time of year to pay them special attention). Two books I’ve been reading to my boys a lot lately that also have a whole lot of heart are In my Heart: A Book of Feelings and The Invisible String. The former was a discovery I made while working as an elementary school teacher. Reading the book to my students was such a marvelous way to teach them about their feelings while they were growing and learning their way around the world. I gift it to every mother at baby showers (I have a short list of my usual book purchases for baby showers - I’ll share it one day!) because I love it so much. I read it to my boys now and it feels like I can actually see the wheels turning in their heads and things clicking into place when they hear the words, see the pictures, and can identify, “I’ve felt that way before Mommy when I…”. It is rewarding as a parent, I must say. The latter of the two books is also such a marvelous book for littles because it paints a picture for kids about how parents and children are always connected by an invisible string made of love. Both books are wonderful additions to your children's libraries and will be books you’ll actually enjoy reading to them.

Thank you so very much for reading this week’s edition of The Catch-Up. I’m so grateful you are here. Feel free to drop a comment below and we can chat if any of this strikes a chord with you. See you next Thursday with vol 3!