“We picked up one excellent word—a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word—”lagniappe.” They pronounce it lanny-yap…We discovered it at the head of a column of odds and ends in the Picayune the first day; heard twenty people use it the second; inquired what it meant the third; adopted it and got facility in swinging it the fourth. It has a restricted meaning, but I think the people spread it out a little when they choose. It is the equivalent of the thirteenth roll in a baker’s dozen. It is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure.”
— Mark Twain
I couldn’t agree more with Twain: lagniappe is a word, and a way of being, worth traveling for.
In that vein: where can I find or offer a bonus in my day?
What are “the little extra somethings” that feel like upside, or icing?
Please share one or several in the comments — let’s publish the good news today.
My list of lagniappes this Thursday in May:
table fries
open windows in spring weather: an embarrassment of riches
generous pouring, followed by generous tipping
that bite of steak with a little extra fat on it
the spiriting presence of sun
a lunch beer
enough time on the meter to linger over the check
“help yourself; there is more of everything”
Post-Scripts.
+On letting people be wrong about you.
+Magpie readers share their self-portraits.
+Change and the invisible hands that want to keep us where we are. (Darn them!)
Shopping Break.
+I found our favorite daily facial peel pads 28% off! (Use code SPRING28.) Landon and I use these every other night, and we cut each pad in two to make the box last longer — they’re generous in size! The other skincare rituals we share: we both use this LED mask (JEN10 for 10% off) every day or every other day, and we are both obsessed with this super splurgey duo of nighttime repair serum and cream, which we apply every night!
+An Alice Walk Warehouse sale just went live!!! Don’t miss these gorgeous cashmere mockneck sweaters and my absolute favorite cotton weekender sweater (I own in two sizes!)
+If you’re a local Magpie: Rails just opened a boutique in Bethesda Row, and they invited me in this week. The current assortment is SO chic and is an ideal destination when you’re in the mode of “OMG, I need an outfit for a birthday dinner / a Mem Day BBQ / an event at school / a gals brunch.” I left with this gingham tie-front top and these red jeans (you can see me in them here). I’d wanted one of those tie-front tops for awhile and this one was perfect! All my Rails favorites here.
+Also, Mr. Magpie came with me to the store and left with this! We both agreed it’s the perfect “Lake day” item for wearing with swim trunks, throwing on in the evening when the temperatures drop, etc.
+OMG this embroidered dress! Love every detail about it, and it’s under $200.
+A fab colorful and slouchy straw tote at a great price.
+A little niche but I bought this professional-grade clothing steamer at full price last month (I did some research on Reddit to select it), and now I find it here for over 50% off! I am super impressed with it. I love the design and find it very easy to use. Two other items I found there and added to cart: these freezer cubes (great for stock / soup / etc) and this darling tennis set for my daughter in the pastel blue!
+Swooning over this grosgrain wonder.
+Veronica Beard jumps in on the bungee nano-trend!
+You all loved this Mille dress I shared earlier this week! You can get 15% off with code JEN15. I had it in my cart but ended up deciding on the same pattern in a different silhouette — this one. I just know what looks best on my body, and I was worried the Alma style would be a little long and baggy on me (I’m 5’0!). I shared all my current favorite Mille pieces here! I love all the red and blue!
+Fun cordless stick lamps with great lampshade options. Or get a rattan shade from here!
+Have you seen Cuyana’s new silhouette?!?! ZOMG. Majorly chic. And I love that they are doing green and blue — black/taupe/brown are beautiful and practical but I love an everyday pop of color.
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