Studio Sunday (no. 20)

This week was full of resets and finding a new rhythm. Our family is packed with Geminis so the next few weeks we have four birthdays. I’m so excited to spend June drafting my new novel and hanging out with my girls.

Here are ten things I loved, learned or discovered recently.

1. "The best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Where we live this past week has been almost constant rain. It ruined most of our outdoor plans so instead I watched a bunch of Twilight movies with Nova and now she’s reading the books. I was born to be a tween mom!

(She’s team Edward, by the way… “Hey mama, I think the only reason anyone chooses Team Jacob is because they feel sorry for him.” AUGH)

2. Book Report

This week I’m finishing up The Dollhouse and planning to start The Bright Years.

Out of everything I read so far in 2026 my favorite books have been The Correspondent (sobs), The Book Witch (fun) and The Book Thief (creative). And the most compulsive books I read (finished both these within 24 hours) were Yesteryear and Famesick.

My most anticipated summer reads are Whistler and Crash Into Me.

I got this summer cardigan and it will be going everywhere with me (in my bag) all summer. You never know when it’s going to be freezing in a restaurant or movie theater.

For the past few weeks we’ve been having the exterior of our 1904 clapboard home painted. We went for Schoolhouse White by Farrow & Ball instead of bright white. I’m so happy with how it’s coming out. Here’s a progress photo from the back of the house.

I’m making the kids homemade bubble tea using these cups (which are pool safe) along with popping boba. I love a fun little seasonal treat, which reminds me… we need to do a picnic before it gets too hot.

My mom sent home a bunch of seeds so we planted them with the girls. I have never successfully grown anything from a seed (really, I’ve never done anything but keep plants alive for a while) so I really hope we can make something happen. Send thoughts & prayers!

We’re watching the Apple TV show Widow’s Bay right now. It’s the perfect combination of comedy and horror and I love the New England island setting.

I love Vacation for a summer fragrance (it smells like sunscreen, in a good way). We also use their classic sunscreen quite a bit and my children LOVE their whip cream bottle sunscreen.

I just restocked a few pjs for our girls and these are my favorites.

If you’re on the fence the YOTO player has been absolutely incredible for our girls. We started off when they were toddlers and now I make homemade cards for them all the time. It’s such a great audiobook solution for kids. Making the cards is a little annoying (mainly if you feel the need to make corresponding stickers with the cover art for each one, like I do) but it’s SO worth it. I use the site Libro.fm to download books and then transfer them to blank cards using the YOTO app.

Our children are also reading on Kindles now, which is a new addition. Even though we have a huge home library filled with children’s books their low vision makes it frustrating for them to read on paper (fonts get small FAST starting in middle-grade books). So we got them each a Kindle Paperwhite and they blow up the font real big and love it. I’m really grateful for modern technology when it comes to the kids reading.

PS. Top links from May:
The Margot One-Piece Swimsuit
Supergoop Sunscreen
Sailor Dress for Women & Girls
Edie Printed Rug
Burled Button Art
The Dawn Dress