I’ve been full of questions for you this week — how can we plan for a smooth back-to-school transition? And what are your favorite memories of your childhood home? I have many others, including: if you’re a romance girlie, what is your favorite trope and which books are its best representatives? And, where do we buy good matcha powder? (Budding matcha enthusiast over here.) Also, are you listening to the new Laufey album, released today? (And if not, what are we listening to right now?)
Please answer any and all of those in the comments if they ring a bell for you, but also please share, as we barrel towards the dawn of September:
What are you most look forward to in the season ahead?
Is it a treasured autumnal ritual? Is it a particular tree that turns marigold to pumpkin to cranberry (as does the steadfast oak in the center of my cul de sac), serving as mercury for my measurement of the seasons? Is it an end to oppressive heat? The resumption of routine?
Please share. I love when we circle up around the good that’s waiting for us, a la the plum you’re going to eat next summer. What are this fall’s equivalents? Is it the thyme-studded roast chicken that will be waiting for you on the wood cutting board? Is it the first fire eager to be lit in your hearth? Is it the Poe poem that’s anticipating your bemused re-reading this Halloween?
IMAGES VIA ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR
IMAGES VIA ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR
I’ve shared my favorite specific parts of fall before (see here, excerpted below), but I am especially looking forward to intentional drives through the fall foliage on damp, foggy mornings this year. I was just talking with Landon about taking a little weekend getaway in mid-to-late fall to the Eastern Shore for this purpose, and we’ll also be driving down to Charlottesville again at the very end of September, though I’m not sure whether the leaves will have turned yet. What about you?
Post-Scripts.
+I took the above photo while at the most special lunch at the Stone Barns at Blue Hill in Tarrytown, NY a few years ago. Absolute magic.
+Alt-titles for September, some of them supplied by you!
+Are you a book repeater?
+A playlist for a dinner party.
Shopping Break.
+I was so inspired by the look on the top left, I put together a collection of ways to get the look: Barbour coat, wicker Birkin-style bag, Hunter boots, ethereal white dress (also love this one), cashmere sweater, P&P, flannel tote.
+This post inspired me to order this jogger and sweatshirt set. I’m also pulling out my Rothy’s clogs! If you haven’t tried these Rothy’s clogs…you are missing out. They are my favorite home shoe in the cooler months. I’m obsessed with them. They have this arch support that feels like a massage. They’re the perfect weight. They somehow feel like a slipper in terms of coziness but can be worn to take the trash bins out or carry the mail in.
+Still a few of these on-trend tie-waist barrel leg jeans on mysterious sale here. They’re full priced everywhere else?!
+OMG. This dress for fall. Yes. I can’t decide between navy or ivory. I’m thinking navy — the trim on the button plaquet!
+Don’t hate me, but these rattan pumpkins WILL sell out by the time you decide you’re ready to order them.
+A couple of XXS and XS were restocked in this popular Anthro dress I wore the week before last! All my favorite transition-to-fall Anthro dresses here.
+These Toteme sneakers you’ve been loving are on sale in the tan colorway for 30% off. I’m very tempted. They’re in my cart!
+Such a chic bag — $120!
+Ordered a few more Bombas running socks — now trying their half-calf length.
+Fun heart charm with the on-trend rope cord detail.
+Chic and unexpected work dress ($109!).
+Add storage to your pantry with this.
+Love Anthro’s Dog Edit! This throw blanket has a charming vintage vibe, and I think I’m going to order these sheets for my son’s bed.
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Lately I’ve been listening to Emma Lovewell’s current favs Spotify playlist a lot. A good vibe for background music! As I’ve mentioned, I’m kind of still in denial that the new school year and fall are nearly upon us. Probably bc my baby is starting kindergarten?? Fall is not my favorite season – it’s getting darker already, I’m not a fan of Halloween, I don’t like the feeling of impending winter, etc. But I am looking forward to possibly taking our girls to homecoming at my alma mater and my husband’s.
Re: matcha! I have opinions 🙂 Over the last couple of years I have reduced my coffee intake (palpitations, ugh!) and have replaced it with matcha. I make it at home since I find that most coffee places mess it up — they add too much sugar or other flavors (and, is it REALLY matcha?!? Lol) then charge $8!
Based on my research, high quality matcha is grown in Uji in Japan, so when I buy I look for where it is sourced. I have been enjoying the matcha from Naoki. I get the ceremonial grade (not to be confused with culinary grade which is for cooking/baking!) “superior” one. I’m not sure if Naoki still offers this promo, but in the past they offered samples of 3 varietals for a really low cost (or for the cost of shipping? Can’t remember as it was a long time ago).
I was also a stickler for the water temperature and used to measure it with a thermometer to ensure it’s not boiling hot, but now I just eyeball it and add a little room temp water to my cup and then add the hot water.
If you want to try making it at home, the bamboo whisk is a must, as it is more effective for really dissolving the matcha powder. I found that using a teaspoon leaves clumps of undissolved powder. A lot of online tea retailers sell the whisks, or they might sell it in a set with a teacup.
In short — I highly recommend making it at home as it is truly unlike anything you will get at a regular coffee shop (unless of course it is a legit tea shop that specializes in matcha).
I love a prickly heroine, and a goofy golden retriever hero. I think The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan really exemplifies this! Or the Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies series (more romantasy). I also love a single parent meeting their match. Thinking of Lucky Bounce by Cait Nary and Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon. I love a really uptight buttoned-up MC, as in At First Spite by Olivia Dade, Teach Me by Olivia Dade, A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander, Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert, Sword Crossed by Freya Marske, the Care and Keeping of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian, and Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake. I love a “Marriage in Trouble” story, and Pastiche by Celia Lake and The Shoemaker’s Wife by Celia Lake are my two favorites. Every author I just listed is an auto-buy for me. I also love an underdog sports romance, like The Prospects by KT Hoffman or You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian.