A spring uniform, a sleeper hit soap dispenser, plant stands and a wild begonia
Plus, the unchanged joy of driving at night
I composed this introduction in my head as I drove to pick up my teenager tonight. The headlights caught the frilly leaves and the damp blacktop two-lane road - everything is unbelievably lush with all this rain. I’ve always loved to drive alone at night; radio on - nothing but me and the car and the road, driving through the tunnel of headlights. Since the pleasure of driving is unchanged, time often folds on itself, and I’m somehow 16-year-old Abbey and 46-year-old Abbey - both of us racing back roads home. That sense of being suspended in time, of being one and the same, of no time passing and so much time passing all at once. ✨
A. I bought one of these eye-catching begonias (mine came from Shakespeare’s Garden), and it has filled me with joy every time I see it. This variety is called escargot because it looks like a snail shell! Gah! It delights me.
B. Last weekend, I noticed pedestals for plants or plant stands everywhere. Elevating houseplants makes such a difference. I bought two of these pedestal boxes but haven’t had a chance to assemble them.
C. These iridescent boxes are a tiny joy! I’m using them to send a physical mailing to Design Scouting Circle members.
D. These books are both laugh-out-loud funny. After a period of refusing to read picture books, our seven-year-old is suddenly back into them, and we’re taking full advantage. Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever and Don’t Trust Fish.
E. I recently bought this Rhodia Wirebound ‘Meeting’ notebook—it’s oversized, divided into three sections—a summary section at the top, a wide section for notes, and a slim column at the left for pulling out action items/to-dos—two weeks ago. I love its solidity on my desk; it has an expansive feeling that’s good for my creativity.
F. This strainer set gets a lot of use in my house; I used the smallest size early this morning to strain the grounds out of my freshly brewed coffee. The largest size lives in the drawer with my rice maker to make washing and transferring rice to the rice maker easy.
G. This soap dispenser initially seemed superfluous, but let me tell you—it is one of my most beloved kitchen items. It is motion-activated, so I can just place the sponge underneath it. Dish Mountain is always waiting to be climbed, and this makes it just a little easier.
H. A friend looked amazing in these Everlane barrel pants (size down!); I smashed the add-to-cart button, and lo and behold, they are a great casual pant. I wore them today with this striped shirt (yes, the same as the model) and these red sneakers (similar style here). I did not buy the Mackage green raincoat ($$$), but it’s on my wishlist for navigating all the wet weather we’ve been having in style after I saw it on a chic woman standing behind me in line.
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I put a few bonus finds here for subscribers as a tiny thank-you.
Cords! There are so many cords and never the right attachment, right? I bought this one in a fit of frustration for my car. Half of us have one charger, and half of us have the other, which makes navigating whose playlist is getting played tricky. That it’s neon is a small joy.
My 7-year-old Ben is a new-ish reader, so I took a chance on subscribing to The Week Junior, and it’s been a big hit!
I just re-ordered these jumbo alcohol wipes that I used for - everything - sanitizing my phone, a quick deodorant, cleaning up mini messes, you name it. I always have these in my bag.
Pretty pretty platform sneakers; I don’t need two pairs of the same shoe, but love these!
That begonia is amazing! I may have to track one down. Thanks for another ray-of-sunshine post!
I loved you phrase-"driving alone at night ...suspended in time." the joys of the american road.
We love our cars and the solitude the give us especially at night.
Thank you for telling me about the Rhodia meeting notebook I know it is going tp organize my life.