A funny card game, the most beautiful gardens in Paris, and a dinner party must have

Plus, party pants and a field guide to American houses

I never tire of the pomp and circumstance, the energy, the sense of possibility found in a party. And this week, there were a lot of parties here at Nova HQ. Nothing gives me more pleasure than taking care of people, from a fundraiser at work, to a house full of friends on Thursday, to a simple birthday dinner for five for my father’s 80th tonight. I’m a happy kind of exhausted, but I’m making sure to soak in the joys of July: the fireflies, the blueberries, the lettuce from the garden, and hope some are finding you, too. 

A. I gave this French salad serving set to Tim for Christmas, of all things - an impulse purchase while shopping for something else because we’d been making do with wooden pasta spoons for years. They have an elegant utilitarian quality, which I adore.

B. My mother-in-law gave us a roll of this multipurpose paper last summer, and I reordered it this week - I used it for the dinner party and then wrapped my dad’s gifts with the remnants.

C. A gift for my France-loving father - The Most Beautiful Gardens of Paris!

D. And a little gift for myself - A Field Guide to American Houses - because I love a Field Guide to anything - any attempt to organize and codify the (chaotic) world around us appeals to me deeply.

E. Star candles! A tiny joy! I bought mine at a HomeGoods stop while on a Costco run with a friend (one of life’s great joys is running errands with a pal!).

F. This was the hit of my dad’s birthday gifts. We had cake and sparklers and laughed so much playing Not Today, Murder!

G. I bought this set of glass candle holders for the dinner party, and I loved how understated and straightforward they were.

H. These La Double J pants ($$$$) I found on sale (now sadly sold out) were comfortable for a day spent on my feet at work and yet felt extremely festive and chic.

July 23, 2024. Each morning, I share a single image of nature, delivered quietly to your inbox. Think of it as a moment of visual meditation before your day begins. No commentary, no analysis - just space to pause and observe.

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I include a few bonus finds here each week for paid subscribers as a small token of appreciation for making this newsletter possible.

A funny card: Happy Birthday, you magnificent bastard!

Somehow, I can never remember that the key to summer sanity as a mom is having multiple swimsuits so there's always a dry one to put in the camp backpack. I reupped after some frantic early morning searches: The seagulls and french fries pair makes me laugh every time I see them: Seagulls+Fries, Geo, neon, shark fin.

I bought this opal ring as a reward for a job well done, and it’s even nicer in person.