My Favourite Articles and Links This Week

Two habits that build courage.

In Jane Austen’s time, books were about $100 each. So how did so many women read so many books? This was an interesting look at the origin of circulating libraries.

I love a good heist movie, and I bet you do too. Here is a list of the 25 best heist movies of all time.

The separation of young children from their families as they try to cross into the US is beyond heartwrenching…  this post does a great job of summing up where things are currently at and what you can do to help the organizations working to reunite those children with their families.

I think about what I would do to protect Lila and James from harm, and I absolutely would try to cross into another country if their safety was in danger. And if in doing that, I had Lila and James taken from me, put in a fenced in room in a concrete bunker, and not know when I’d ever see them again… James is two years old. Lila is 6. The same age as hundreds of the children that are still separated from their parents and families, with no concept of what has happened or where their parents are. I think about how terrified my children would be, and how scared and traumatized all those very real children are in those detention centers, right now. I know that donating money doesn’t seem like it makes a big difference, but it really does.

My Favourite Pins This Week

  Sometimes I just don’t feel like making a meal, but I need to make sure that my 6 year old doesn’t tell people that I don’t feed her dinner, you know? So this is a perfect solution- pita triangles, hummus dip, loads of veggies… it’s healthy, there’s protein, it feels like party food, the kids had dinner and I didn’t cook. Everyone’s a winner. Pinterest link is here, and the original ‘recipe’ can be found here.

It was Guy’s birthday earlier this week, and I baked him this cake- a rustic simple strawberry summer cake from Smitten Kitchen and it turned out perfectly. This is no icing to make it too sickly sweet, it’s just a thrown-together-with-a-punnet-of-strawberries-and-some-pantry-staples sort of summer cake. And I bet it works with just about any berry. Pinterest link is here, and the full recipe can be found here.

Summer seems like the perfect time to add fruit to ALL the cocktails right? This is a great take on a gin and tonic, with the addition of charred lemon (you can char the lemon in a pan or on the barbecue), fresh rosemary and some coriander seeds (hello, spice aisle). Perfectly refreshing on a hot summer’s night. Pinterest link is here, and the recipe post is right here.

This pretty little terrarium would make a sweet gift, don’t you think? Or maybe just the perfect way to bring a little bit of greenery to your space, even if you don’t have a lot of room for plants. Pinterest link is here, and the full DIY can be found here.

Okay, not exactly an afternoon project, but how fun would this DIY cabana be in your backyard?! I don’t have a backyard, but if I did, I’d be building on of these (okay, I’d be coercing Guy to build one of these, but I’m sure he would do an awesome job). If you are handy – or have someone around willing to be handy on your behalf- then how fun would this be?! If you need me, I’ll be imagining what it’s like reading in my super comfy cabana. In my imaginary backyard. Possibly sipping a very real lemon, rosemary, and coriander gin and tonic. Pinterest link is here, and the full DIY is here.

Have a fantastic weekend, friends! I hope that you are making delicious summer plans and that the weekend is perfect for you.