The Weekly Digress | 3.13

Yet *another* book I couldn't finish, an incredible piña colada recipe (virginity optional), rugmania, and more

Happy Friday, bitches! In a world that’s crazy and scary and fraught with things to be upset by, I hope you’re able to take one deep breath today and a moment for yourself.

Things are coming together at the new house bit by bit. It’s a process and it’s exhausting, but we’re settling in a little more every day. Someone recently asked me on IG what my favorite part of the new house is and my honest answer was EVERYTHING. I can’t choose. I just love it so much and feel beyond grateful to be here in a gorgeous home, with my gorgeous family, in a gorgeous and extremely friendly neighborhood. It all just feels right.

I’ve been purchasing little things for the new house non-stop. ICYMI, I put together this list of everything I’ve ordered from Amazon since we moved in two weeks ago, and that list has naturally grown this week. But it’s not just Amazon getting all my money lately; it’s everywhere, which I’ll cover in this Digress’s “Shopping” section, so let’s go.

READING

Last we spoke, I was having a hard time getting into Project Hail Mary, but was going to try and keep going. Plot twist: I never got into it, and once he met the alien, I was out. I’ll say it again – I do not understand why/how this book has the accolades it does. I am not even kind of a Sci-Fi girlie, but I was under the impression PHM was more than that and it probably is, but I’m out. I’ll see the movie, but with all the science talk and the flashback format of the book itself, I just couldn’t and can’t and won’t.

Another book I got about 3% into and could not finish is Theo of Golden. I had a handful of readers tell me if I loved The Correspondent, I would love ToG, but they were wrong. So, so wrong. I immediately hated the writing and, honestly? The premise isn’t a strong one. While I love a book that covers multiple stories and weaves them together, I could just tell right off the bat I wasn’t going to like this book. I’m so sorry to anyone this offends; I’m just speaking my truth.

Fret not, though! Ellen came through with an absolute winner per usual called Life, and Death, and Giants, and having just started it a few days ago, I am blowing through it. The writing is phenomenal and mostly narrative, and the story itself is so different and intriguing and original. It takes place in a small town in the mountains of Wisconsin where a boy-giant is born into a community made of the Amish and the English who have very differing ideas about what life should look like for him. So, so, so good. EKB (Ellen Knows Best).

WATCHING

We haven’t had much time to watch TV the last few weeks, what with moving and all. But when we DO have time, we are blazing through Homeland and THIS SHOW IS SO FUCKING GOOD. WTF. Claire Danes’s and Damien Lewis’s acting is off the fucking charts. They are some of the most complex characters I’ve ever witnessed, and the spectrum of emotions and mentalities they tackle each episode is truly mind-blowing. That goes for Mandy Patinkin, too. Ugh, it’s just so good. We finished season two last night, which had me on the edge of my fucking seat. The only thing is how eerily similar the show is to present-day even though it’s been 15 years since it aired. We haven’t evolved much. So… that’s cool. Watch it on Netflix.

^ Truer words…

MAKING

A lunch I made a few times in the old house before we moved was Stanley Tucci’s Tuna Bean Salad. It is fast to assemble, packed with flavor and protein, and absolutely delicious when eaten with a thin, crispy potato chip.

The first meal I made at the new house was one of my easiest go-to’s by Brocc Your Body: Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs. Nothing fancy or complicated — just simple, delicious food. I always serve it with this perfect stovetop rice and roasted broccoli.

The second, more elaborate meal I made was this caprese grilled chicken with lightly dressed pesto noodles. I’d made it once before and remembered how filling and fresh it was, and I’m pleased to say my memory served me well.

The THIRD meal I made in this house was Caroline Chambers’ Vodka Sauce, which I paired with this breaded chicken recipe that was FUCKING AWESOME. It was such a good meal, and the chicken was exceptionally good.

For my baby sprinkle, my sister made all the drinks and snacks, two of which I have to share with y’all because they’re so amazing.

The first are these Rice Krispie Treats. To make them special, my sis added three different types of sprinkles on top in sections, and her note about that is “Put sprinkles on when you are all done. Don’t mush them down too hard — that is the trick.”

The second is this Piña Colada recipe that is legitimately the best I’ve ever had in my life? And I’ve been to Mexico. And Hawaii. It was literally INCREDIBLE and will be highly dangerous this summer when I can have it with rum. The recipe provided only makes 1 cocktail, so here is Allie’s recipe for a full batch:

    •    4 cups pineapple juice 🍍

    •    2 cups cream of coconut 🥥 (Coco Lopez, to be precise. Listen to me — you’re gonna want to really shake the shit out of this. You’ll prob have to warm the can up in hot water and shake your tits off. I dumped it out into a mason jar and put THAT in warm water and shook and shook until it was all dissolved!)

    •    2 tsp vanilla

    •    2 tbsp lime juice 🍋‍🟩

    •    1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

    •    2–3 tbsp honey 🍯

    •    pinch of salt 🧂

Whisk or immersion blend.

Refrigerate overnight.

Stir again before serving.

Blend with ice to make it frozen, or serve as-is over ice!

SHOPPING

Target has a knock-off of the highly coveted (and highly expensive) Anthro Primrose mirror, so I grabbed one. I’m not sure where it will live in the house yet, but I have it and that’s all that matters.

This is the powder blue dress I wore to my baby sprinkle last weekend. For Ziggy’s baby shower, I wore a shapeless comfy dress, so I wanted to go the opposite direction this time and wear something fancier and more form-fitting even though the occasion itself was extremely casual. I felt gorgeous, and that’s what matters.

We’re trying to be a sourdough-only household (store-bought, not handmade), so I treated us and our new kitchen to a handmade wooden bread box from this creator on Etsy. It’s stunning!

This runner rug by Ruggable should be arriving any day now, and I’m very excited to lay it down in the upstairs laundry room. It’ll bring some much needed happiness and color to an otherwise stark-white room. Use my code EMMASTHING15 for 15% off any Ruggable rug!

Speaking of rugs, this one by Ruggable x Iris Apfel is exactly what I was looking for for Ziggy’s room, but I couldn’t justify the $800 price tag. Not right now. BUT THEN, I found a nearly identical dupe on Target.com??? They basically flipped the image horizontally and cut the cost by $700+ and BOOM. The quality may not be as high, but that’s okay because it’s for a kids room and will ultimately get worn down real fast.

I’ve been eyeing this Dorai bath stone for a long time and decided to celebrate our new house by buying one for our bathroom. Bye-bye, bath mats!

Also, ICYMI: I got these expandable shoe racks from Amazon to make the most of my shoe storage space in the closet, and I’m so happy with the purchase. Now, instead of being able to fit just three pairs of shoes on a shelf, I can fit six — 3 on the shoe rack and three below. I might be able to display all my shoes all the time for the first time in my life because of these racks. No more storing by season!

Enjoy your weekend and talk next week!

xox,

EGM