Even with my math deficit, I still somehow took AP Math classes in high school. I’m not quite sure how I passed calculus, and when I got to college and had to take a statistics class I didn’t think I was going to make it. I’ll play poker but I don’t want to figure out the chance of getting an ace of spades.
So in honor of the Girl Math trend, I’ve invented some math of my own.
KK’s Math:
Shopping math: If you return clothing you made $200 and if you buy $100 of stuff you still made $100 profit.
We’ve all been there. You buy a bunch of stuff online in a variety of sizes, get it all home and try everything on, then return everything except for 1 item. (Just me?) Is it not the most amazing feeling when you walk away from the register and they tell you your refund? And then, you can shop around, grab something else for a small cost and you still leave the store ahead. Win win.
Mom math: If your husband goes golfing for 5 hours, you are entitled to an afternoon of “solo mom time” away from the kids.
Employee math: If you work until midnight, you can gift yourself that time back on Friday afternoon.
Hey’s what’s fair is fair. Time is time.
Gas math:If you spend a million dollars on groceries, you can celebrate that you save $1.00/gallon on gas with your rewards.
That $5 head of lettuce was worth it.
Exercise math: If you exercise for 45 minutes you earn 4 hours of cocktails.
That’s just good planning right there.
HomeGoods math:If you don’t buy it today, it will be gone so GET IT.
This theory has proved to be successful thus far. Sidenote: a brand new HomeGoods opened up in our town and it is amazing. It is filled with everything Christmas and I’m having a hard time controlling myself.
If you’ve been to our house, and you read that headline, you’re likely thinking: “But KK, you have a HUGE garden in your yard, why would you join a farm share?”
Great question! Mr. KK asked me the same thing.
First, while yes, we do have a big garden, the offerings in that garden are a little limited. Though we did branch out a bit this year. This year’s crop list included:
Tomatoes (a variety)
Cucumbers
Zucchini (which did not do as well as they usually do)
Yellow Squash (which we had coming out of our ears)
Eggplant (one of my least favorite vegetables to cook with or eat)
String Beans (which did surprisingly well)
Yellow Peppers (which took their sweet time turning ripening – we harvested unripened peppers in November)
While that is a hefty list, it should be noted that the upkeep of the garden become difficult during a busy summer. I would have to be a full-time farmer to keep the weeds at bay. And since I have a day job, weeding was relegated to the weekends (the ones we weren’t away or busy) and it was like hacking through a jungle.
Also? I wanted some variety and the chance to incorporate new vegetables in our daily routine.
We joined a CSA from a farm one town over on the recommendation of a friend. It was only about 10 minutes from our house and I selected a Saturday pick up (Wednesday was also available). I have driven to this CSA every week since early June, and I still need GPS to get there. I have such a mental block on the directions to this farm; that, plus GPS takes me 5 different ways each time I go. This is the last week of the CSA and I still get get myself there without satellite help.
What we got in our CSA
The offerings in the CSA varied a bit week to week, but you could tell the farm had an abundance of certain crops. On pick up day, you are allowed to switch out one item from your box with any goodies on the table.
Early in the season we enjoyed:
Strawberries
Lettuces (also includes: 5 pounds of sand)
Greens (of the leafy variety)
We then transitioned into:
String beans (Little Mister’s favorite vegetable)
Corn
Beets (Mr. KK loves them but boy are they a pain to cook)
Zucchini (this took the place of our zucchini which had some weird disease)
Eggplant (SO.MUCH.EGGPLANT.)
Cabbage
Turnips
Tomatoes
Arugula
As we entered fall:
More Mystery Greens
Apples (this renewed Little Mister’s love of apples so for that I’m grateful)
Broccoli rabe
Spaghetti Squash
Butternut Squash
Honeynut Squash
What did we do with all this produce?
We only signed up for a half share, which was plenty of vegetables. If I did the math it equated to about $19.50 on vegetables each week, which is close to what I would spend at the grocery store. Between our garden and this farm share, I didn’t have to substitute too much from the store.
Some weeks we ate everything. Other weeks, the timing was just off and we were left with vegetables that we weren’t able to cook. I traveled for a bit in October and those weeks we didn’t get through everything.
We ate a lot of salads after salad spinning the sand out of the lettuce five times (no exaggeration). The arugula was so peppery and fresh, I’m ruined for all other arugulas. We ate lots of corn, which was sweet and delicious most weeks.
I used the greens in soups. It was October, light chill in the air, a lazy Sunday spent in front of the stove.
These were the greens in question. I made two different soups with them.
First, I made Italian Wedding Soup.
Classic Italian Wedding
I loosely followed this recipe for the basics, but used my own personal recipe for the meatballs.
This soup was so good, I ate it every day for lunch for a week!
Not only did I use the next installment of my mystery greens for this soup, I also diced up the butternut squash from the share as well.
Ina’s Minestrone
We had eggplant coming out of our ears
Between our garden – which had 2 varieties of eggplant – and the eggplant from the share (which I traded out when I could because how much eggplant could two people eat?) we were deep in eggplant. We used some, but it was so much. I brought eggplant as a hostess gift when we visited friends. I gave some to both mothers. And we still had a ton leftover.
I mentioned earlier, eggplant is not one of my favorite foods. But the one way I DO like eggplant, is when it’s fried!
I made a ridiculous amount of fried eggplant this summer. We ate it stacked with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella as a light dinner. I made eggplant parmesan not once, but twice this year (that is 2 more times than I have made eggplant parm in the last 20 years). I still have fried eggplant in our freezer.
If you meet 10 people and ask them about their eggplant parm recipe, you will likely get 10 different recipes (most handed down from Nonna’s and the hills of Italy). I like my eggplant crispy, so I used a mix of panko and Italian breadcrumbs to bread mine. For someone who doesn’t make eggplant, my eggplant was on point.
Our eggplant stacks were delicious! Those are yellow tomatoes from our garden, too!
Will we do a CSA farm share again?
I think the answer is yes. I liked getting some new veggies (and mystery greens), loved having fresh arugula and lettuces, Little Mister is eating apples again (and has declared he will only eat FARM apples which I find hilarious), and I think I ended up saving money (a little bit?) at the grocery store. Little Mister enjoyed coming and picking out the flavored honey sticks that they sold and playing on the playground.
Next year, however, I am going to work on memorizing how to actually get to the farm.
Middle Age. Grown Up. #Adulting. Whatever you call it, I’m in it.
You know that internet meme that goes around every so often that says something like, “I still think 1979 was 30 years ago”? That is me. Because how can 1979 be 40 something years ago when I’m still 29? (right?)
And I’m not only middle aged, I’m an “old mom” with a young kid. I easily have 5-10 years on other parents who have kids Little Mister’s age. We’re so old that we have friends who are sending their kids to college while we’re watching swim lessons. So not only do I feel old, I literally am old.
Middle age is a weird time. Part of me is all like, “Sure, I’ll have another martini!” while at the same time I’m thinking, “Man, I wish I was home in pajamas on the couch.”
I do believe you reach a certain age, and you become comfortable in your skin. You have confidence in who you’ve become and you embrace it. You don’t have time for bullshit, or for people who suck the life out of you.
In fact, your whole outlook on what is important and how you want to spend your time changes. For me, the biggest shift was in how I was spending my time.
On drinking: Young Me: Pre-gaming started at 7pm, goes out at 9pm, still drinking at midnight. Old Me: Prime party hours are now from 2pm-6pm, then water until bedtime.
Party animal: Young Me: Would stay out late, sleep for 4 hours, be up at 7am. Rallied and went out again that night. Old Me: Would have one drink past 9am, sleep for 3 hours, then up for an hour, then sleep for an hour, then be up at 5am for the day. Hung over for 2 days.
Working out: Young Me: High-impact aerobics, pops right off the ground. Old Me: Low impact yoga, does the “hand on the knee for balance” to stand up.
Saturday afternoon: Young Me: Excited to do nothing all day. Old Me: Excited to pick up the CSA and do weekly meal planning.
“How was your weekend?”: Young Me: “GREAT! I met up with friends, tried a new brunch spot, binged Gilmore Girls.” Old Me: “Productive. I did four loads of laundry, we cleaned out the basement, and I made a pot of soup for the week.”
When it’s 45 degrees out: Young Me: “Do you think we need to wear a coat out?” Old Me: “Are you crazy? It’s too cold to go out.”
Grocery shopping: Young Me: No list, grabs just what I need for the next 2 days. Old Me: List organized by the layout of the store, digital coupons clipped, reusable bags in tow.
One perk of Middle Age is that you’ve been there and you’ve likely done it all, and now you can focus on doing what you actually enjoy doing. I like this version of Old Me. I could do with less back pain, but other than that, I’m here for what comes next.
P.S. AARP, please stop sending me emails. I do not yet qualify for your services! Don’t rush me!
It’s where we had our family vacations each August. It’s the place I would spend afternoons with my mom. It’s where we’ve brought Little Mister to experience the beauty of living in New England in the summertime. It’s the place I would like to have a little cottage for my retirement years. It’s the place that comes to mind where I could go to relax and forget about life for a few hours: chair in the sand, cooler my my side, book in my hand.
Taking all of that into consideration, this past summer we joined a pool club!
Our motivating factor for joining was for Little Mister. Some of his friends were members, and we knew it would be a great way for him to see his friends regularly, take some additional swim lessons, and have a place to spend weekend afternoons.
And all of that happened. What we weren’t expecting was Mr. KK and I having possibly more fun at the pool club than Little Mister did. Backpack coolers and canned cocktails for the win!
Take me back to summer, STAT
First, the pool club couldn’t be more convenient. It’s situated two miles down the road and we can get there in four minutes (if we catch both lights). It’s a pool and tennis club, no frills, and has been around forever. So much so, that when I was growing up, I spent time at this very same club with my friends who were on the swim team. The place hasn’t changed a bit. The locker room still smells the same.
Second, we knew other families who were members, so at any given time, there was a chance we would see someone we knew, and Little Mister would have a friend to play with.
Last, spending the day at the pool on weekends forced me to slow down, and to stop over-booking our time. We’d get some things done in the morning, and then would spend the afternoon at the pool.
Little Mister joined the club swim team. (I make this sound like he asked to join the swim team, instead of me saying it would be a good idea and just signing him up). He did great for his first year, considering he was still learning some of the strokes while on the team during swim lessons.
We got to see friends! This was the driving factor for joining the pool club: guaranteed hangs all summer long. Some days just one or two families were there, other days, four families would commandeer a group of lounge chairs – one eye on the kids – and spend the afternoon enjoying sunshine and adult beverages. Those were the best days.
Now that the pool is closed, Mr. KK and I are going through a little bit of withdrawal. It was comforting to know we had a place to go at any time – even for an hour or two after work for a change of scenery – where we could relax. We got to see our friends on the daily, and now we’re having a bit of separation anxiety: school is in full swing, sports and commitments have taken over calendars, and it takes quite a bit of work and planning to find time to get together.
I am mourning summer. Even though I was washing towels and bathing suits every day. Even though we spent a small fortune on goggles, the chlorine eating away at the straps until they snapped. And even though packing and unpacking that pool bag was the bain of my existence, I’d take it all back in a heartbeat if it meant a lazy afternoon by the pool, hanging with friends and not thinking about school lunches.
Little Mister’s phrase du jour is: “That’s not fair.”
If I were to recite all of the reasons I am not being fair, or that he is being treated unfairly (in our home, by his loving parents), it would take this post into January. However, I feel I should highlight a few of the reasons for the unfair treatment so I’m properly giving you the full picture.
I am not being fair when I:
Ask him to brush his teeth
Give him 15 extra minutes on his tablet instead of 30
Tell him he has to go to school
Make him take a shower
Say no to dessert at night
Don’t let him get something from every store we go into
Ask him to fold his laundry
Give him two Oreos as a snack (and not four)
Only allow 1 show before bed
As you can see, it’s pretty rough over here in our house. I honestly don’t know how he’s lasted this long living with us, we are so completely, horribly unfair.
Sometimes I play a fun game where I compare Little Mister’s life to what life was like when I was growing up. How I had watch whatever show was on TV at the time (no Netflix or Disney+!), how my after school activities were not a screen they were in the yard and how we didn’t have enough money to buy Oreos (that’s not necessarily true, but I don’t remember having them as daily snacks).
What I would like to point out, is that kids don’t realize how fair and wonderful they have it. And I don’t mean that they have things that we didn’t have growing up, I mean the natural things that come along with being a kid, and not appreciating how good you actually have it until you’re old and tired.
Here’s my curated list of things that are wasted on the young:
Naps. I’m not a natural napper. I have to be dead tired to actually lie down to sleep in the middle of the day and not feel guilty that I should be doing something else. Kids, however, can nap whenever they want to. In fact, after they grow out of taking naps, parents are still urging them to take a nap. On days I know that Little Mister is exhausted from a late night and early morning, I will suggest that he lie down and put the TV on and fall asleep. This request is vehemently rejected immediately. If I had no responsibilities, and someone told me to lie on the couch and go to sleep, I would be horizontal before they finished their sentence.
Early bedtime. There are some nights that the three of us all go to bed at the same time. Sometimes that is at 11pm on a Saturday, and other times, it’s at 8:30pm on a Tuesday (no shame). Why is it that kids never want to go to sleep? I WISH someone would say to me, “It’s 8pm, why don’t you get your pajamas on and get in bed and read for a bit until you go to sleep.” That right there is a DREAM scenario. We spend a quarter of our lives fighting bedtime and half of our lives wishing we could go to bed (the remaining quarter is when we are old and while we can go to bed any time we like, we apparently no longer sleep).
Having all of your meals cooked for you. I love to cook; when I can spend a weekend day creating a delicious meal or making a pot of soup the week, I’m a happy girl. But talk to me on a random Tuesday and I’m likely grumpy about making dinner. It’s not only the cooking, it’s coming up with the meals each night. If you told me that someone was going to come to my house and cook me all of the foods I liked every single night, it would be amazing. (AND, I wouldn’t complain about it when it was put in front of me)
Metabolism. Remember existing purely on Doritos, donuts and ice cream and staying stick thin? Yeah, me neither.
Getting to see your friends every single day. I’m lucky if I get to see just ONE of my friends for 5 minutes during the week. These kids go off on their merry way to school, where they get to hang out with all of their closest buds all day long, having lunch together, run around at recess together and even sometimes ride the bus home together. And yet, they complain about going to school. I have some very dear friends I haven’t seen in a year. What I wouldn’t give to be able to see them every day!
Having nothing to do. I think the last time I didn’t have anything to do, I was 23. That feeling where there is nothing waiting for you, hanging over your head or that you’re responsible for. That is what being a kid feels like 24/7. Even if there’s a time I start to feel like I don’t have anything to do, I remember the laundry. Or the playroom that needs organizing. Or the garden that needs weeding. Kids, however, live every day with “nothing to do” and are often claiming “I’m bored!” for hours on end.
So for all the kids out there that feel like life is so unfair, just WAIT. Can you believe that they make us go to work every single day, all day long? Even when we don’t want to? The NERVE.
2023 was the year of the canned cocktail in our house. From ease of preparation (pop the top and pour!) to the convenience of packing a cooler for the pool, we went ALL IN with tasty canned bevies this summer.
If you’ve been to a liquor store recently, you’ve likely seen how much the canned craft cocktail scene has exploded. Everyone has a cocktail in a can on the shelf. And I feel it’s my duty to tell you: they are not all created equally.
I can’t handle sweet drinks, so that in itself eliminates High Noon and White Claws (eww) from our cocktail rotation. Thankfully, we found some amazing alternatives that I’m happy to share with you.
Two Chicks Cocktails
These tasty cocktails come in a variety of flavors but these are the two best. Refreshing, not too sweet and perfect over ice or straight from the can. 5/5 stars.
Dogfish Head Vodka Crush
Leave it to the beer maker to come up with a tasty cocktail. These pack a bigger punch than the Two Chicks (7% ABV vs 5% ABV) and come in a variety of flavors, however Grapefruit is the best one, IMO. Tons of flavor, not too sweet and a pretty can.
Talk House Canned Cocktails
Light and refreshing, Talk House craft cocktails come in two delicious flavors: Lime Vodka Soda and Blood Orange Tequila Soda. Both are delicious and worth seeking out (they are not easy to find).
Waypoint Bees Knees
We bought this one on a whim to try and WOW it’s delicious. AND, we found out it’s made right here in Connecticut (hooray for drinking local!). This is an easy-to-drink cocktail (read: watch out) and tastes just as good from the can as in a glass with ice. Tart and refreshing. One of my faves.
And – what every Suburban Mom Starter Kit likely had but did not advertise, was the slim can cooler – keeping cocktails cold all summer long.
We have become a canned drink culture, and I’m here for it.
I have made some really great purchases in the past year. If it made my life easier, made me feel better or helped our family, it’s in the list below!
Water bottle drying rack
image from Amazon
This is the solution to drying the inside of your water bottles in a timely manner so they never have “that smell”. I love this drying rack! If you’re a boomer, you can also dry and reuse plastic bags! If you have kids and 317 water bottles at home, this is AMAZING! Get it on Amazon.
2. Best Leggings Ever
image from Amazon
These leggings are butter soft and come in a million colors. They are extremely comfortable and even have the coveted side-thigh pocket for your phone. $25 on Amazon
3. Rubbermaid Stackable Storage Containers
image from Amazon
Our Tupperware situation was NOT GOOD, and caused much stress for Mr. KK. So while he was away, I bought these BPA-free containers and upgraded our food storage game. Mr. KK came home to an organized cabinet of containers in a variety of sizes. Kelsey Nixon was promoting them, and I got them during Prime Days when they were on sale. Rubbermaid containers on Amazon.
4. Revlon Hair Brush Dryer
image from Amazon
I’ll admit it, I was skeptical at first. My hair takes a long time to dry, pulling it straight with a big round brush, section by section. The first time I tried this with wet hair, it was an epic fail. My hairdresser then told me to let my hair be about 75% dry and THEN use this. When I tried that, I was sold. I let my hair air dry for about 30 minutes, then I use this and my drying time is cut in half. Smooth and shiny. Get it on Amazon.
5. Citrus Rug
image from Target
With two dogs who prefer to vomit on rugs vs hardwood floors, I find myself replacing the throw rugs in our house quite often. I found this beauty for our kitchen at Target; I love how it matches my orange stove and comes in tons of sizes! Citrus Rug at Target (it’s 50% off today!)
6. Crocs Flip Flops
image from DSW
We spent a lot of time by the pool this year, and I needed a flip flop that could get wet, was stylish and comfortable. While I will never wear the original crocs sandals, these crocs flip flops were everything I was looking for. So comfy I bought them in 2 colors. Crocs Flip Flops at DSW.
7. Pet-Friendly Cushion Covers
image from Nolan Interior
Our couch is super comfortable; so much so, that our dogs love to be on it just as much as we do. Black dogs on a light gray couch means a lot of dog hair. These were an Instagram feed impulse buy (I bought them for our bottom cushions only) and I LOVE THEM. They are the exact same color as our cushions and fit snug and stay in place. I highly recommend these even if you don’t have dogs, but you have children. Nolan Interior Couch Covers. (50% off!)
Let me begin by telling you how amazed I am that you take in hundreds of children each and every day, and that you continually show up for work. For 180 days. Kudos, truly. I have no idea how you do it. You are better humans than I am.
Now that we are two full months into the school year, I wanted to share some parental thoughts that you may not be aware of, that are plaguing families in towns across America.
We don’t have any cash. There is nothing more stressful than being reminded by your child that today is spirit day for a donation/field trip money is due/class t-shirt order day seven minutes before the bus comes. These requests are usually for cash and we don’t have any. After pillaging through our child’s drawers for tooth fairy money, we are tapped out. May I propose a class or school Venmo account that parents can use to pay for everything that pops up throughout the year? Speaking for this Mama, if I could donate money to a charity so my child can wear a hat to school, the donation will be much bigger if submitted electronically than if I have to find actual paper money in my house.
Kids don’t tell us shit. This is the truth. Or if they do tell us, it’s too late. A perfect example of this is when Little Mister came home with a workbook that hadn’t been started yet.
Me: “Do you have to do anything with this?” Him: **shoulder shrug** Me: “Why is this coming home for the first time today? Do you have to complete any of it?” Him: “I don’t know!”
A quick email to the teacher revealed that the kids were told to do a few pages in the workbook on Monday (today was Wednesday). My particular child looked at me like I asked him to recite the periodic table of elements when I asked him if he remembered being asked to work on this.
Unless it’s assigned to them in writing, sent home via email from teachers to parents, or stapled to their foreheads, there’s a 97% chance that what teachers are telling students in school is not making it to their parents’ ears at home. What IS making it to our ears, is who went to the Principal’s office, if the cafeteria ran out of Oreo ice cream bars and who pushed who during recess.
When a child does remember something, it’s usually at the most inopportune time:
At the bus stop: “We could bring a stuffed animal in today! Can we go get one?” Having breakfast: “Can you chaperone the field trip today?” Before bed: “Today parents could have come in to read to our class.”
Projects. You are looking at someone who LOVES herself a good art and craft project. When I have the opportunity to break out the glue gun, I am one happy girl. And I can appreciate the learning that goes into working on a project, creating something with your hands and mind, and showing it off. I am not looking for fewer projects! My question is this: is there any chance the projects could be smaller? Actually physicallysmaller. While we are putting our Amazon boxes to great use, we are running out of room to display (read: store) all of our beloved works of art. Because guess who doesn’t like to throw out projects? The kid who made them.
We parents can not thank you enough for everything you’re doing for our children.
If you need me, I’ll be gathering small bills from the bank to get us through the end of the year.
One thing social media is good for is making you poke fun at yourself.
One of my favorite laughs this year came from the multiple reels and TikToks going around about The Suburban Mom Starter Kit.
On any given weekend, school pick up or grocery run, this is how you will find me. What I thought was just my go-to comfortable style turned out to be a trending meme. And I’m ok with that.
Here’s a breakdown of what my personal Suburban Mom Starter Kit looks like:
Lululemon cross body bag (in Camo)
Stanley water bottle (40 oz, in Tigerlily)
Another liquid (iced Starbs)
Non-athletic sneakers (slip on Rothy’s)
Amazon leggings (2 black, 1 gray, 1 green camo)
It’s funny to me to think that there are so many other Moms out there, dressed identically to me. It’s like we’re all part of a secret society where we don’t know each other.
Perhaps the most iconic item of the Suburban Mom Kit is the Stanley water bottle. I have no idea how or where this trend started, but there was no way I wasn’t jumping on this bandwagon. I am a girl who loves a water bottle.
It took me a few days to finally commit to this investment in a drinking vessel. This was back when it was harder to find Stanleys, and when Amazon was charging ridiculous prices for “hard to get” hues. Of course I went with my signature orange (Tigerlily). It was a big deal when Stanley came into our house. Seriously, it was as if another man moved in with us.
First off, Mr. KK made fun of me. Perhaps that was because I have 37 other water bottles, or that this water bottle in particular had a high price tag* and cult following. Or, it could be because Stanley is so tall that we had to find room in the cabinet. The minute I put him down on the counter, he became this person, Stanley, who now needed a place to live.
And then, there was the Little Mister, who loved to drink out of him. We’d be driving and he’d yell from the backseat, “Mom! Pass back Stanley!” Or we’d be at the pool and he’d run up to me out of breath, “Mom, I’m so thirsty. I really need Stanley.”
And so Stanley became a member of the family. Stanley spent the summer at the pool. Stanley vacationed in Cape Cod…twice! Stanley has taken up yoga. Stanley takes part in game night. And Stanley also helps build up muscle (in just one arm!) because he’s so dang heavy once filled.
Stanley enjoying some time by the pool in the Cape this summer.
So that’s me, Suburban Mom cliché, and totally comfortable with it.
To pay homage to the late and great Chandler Bing: “Could I BE any more basic?”
*Money-saving hack: If you live near a Paper Store, they carry Stanleys in all sorts of colors (and they aren’t marked up like on Amazon). PLUS, you can use their 30% off coupons on your Stanley (currently, they are not excluded from the coupons!). You’re welcome.
This was a long year. I’ll share details and escapades over the next month, but thought I’d start with a high note: I met my favorite author this summer!
As someone who is always writing their first novel, I find people who can write a really great book fascinating. The ones that write multiple books that I enjoy? The are truly amazing.
Elin Hilderbrand is that author for me. If you aren’t familiar with her work, she has written almost 30 novels, most of them set in Nantucket (with a few set in St. John). They are easy, entertaining reads, and if you don’t want to pack up and move to Nantucket after reading them then we can’t be friends.
She was touring this summer for her novel “The Five Star Weekend“, a novel about a woman bringing together friends from different times in her life for a spectacular weekend on Nantucket. She tends to visit independent book stores around the country, and her stop closest to me was in Mystic, Connecticut. Every book signing has a theme, and mine was “The Preppy Handbook: Pink and Green”.
If hordes of women all dressed in bright colors standing around talking about Veuve Clicquot and Jessica Hicks jewelry (#iykyk), then an Elin book signing might not be for you.
Proudly, I attended this book signing by myself. I took my place in line, met other Hilderbabes (as her fans are called), and nibbled macarons and sipped pink lemonade. My ticket included a hard copy of The Five Star Weekend, which would be personalized by the great Elin herself!
I took the color theme very seriously, and made sure I was as preppy as I could be. My actual meeting was a bit of a blur – handing off the book, saying hello and sounding cool, posing for a photo, then being guided on my merry way. My encounter was probably about 8 seconds long total, but I am so happy that I did this small thing for ME.
After the signing, I wasn’t ready to drive an hour home (after waiting in line for an hour), plus it was getting ready to storm. I headed over to one of my favorite restaurants in the area – the Shipwright’s Daughter – where they have a delicious happy hour. I sidled up to the bar BY MYSELF, ordered a few appetizers and a wine, and started reading The Five Star Weekend. Soon more Hilderbabes found their way and I chatted with a few women at the bar, but for the most part, I was enjoying my own company.
Warm crab dip and blistered shishito peppers at The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic!
As someone who doesn’t have any “heroes” (well, besides Ina Garten, of course), having the opportunity to meet someone whom I admire so much, who makes what I want do to (write a book) seem so effortless, was one of the highlights of my summer.
Elin was gracious and kind, giving time to each person who came through the line. AND, my outfit was so on point with the theme that I was featured on Elin’s Insta stories! (My 2 seconds of fame!)
Also, I truly enjoyed The Five Star Weekend! It was a great early summer read, and it got me thinking who I would invite on my own five star weekend from the different stages in my life and if there would be any drama. (likely not drama, but lots of wine and cheese!)
Welcome to November, and a full month of my nonsense!
