Hey Gang, I’m back. I know some of you were concerned about my long silence, and…yeah. We had a really rough December. We experienced a horrible loss that I’m not quite ready to talk about, and while I was able to write the occasional article about fluffy nonsense (hot pink for holidays, as an example), there’s something about these Weekend articles that feels different. It’s funny, Mike recently pointed out that even though The Mom Edit is very much a business, at the heart of it all is definitely not a business. This website started as a way for me to process my new life as a Mom, and these Weekend posts are a continuation of that humble beginning. So writing about anything in these Weekend posts that didn’t reflect our actual reality – especially when we were so overwhelmed with grief – felt really disingenuous.
I’m also blown away by how the entire TME team rallied to keep things moving. I was basically useless for the entire month, and not only did so many of our TME editors step forward to help, but our behind-the-scenes team did, too. And based on the number of positive responses we got on Jeni’s recent Everyday Edit (in our Tuesday special newsletter – sign up if you’d like), I think we’ll have them keep weighing in.
One happy side effect of writing about hard things, I’ve found, has been discovering this community of support and love. So thank you for your patience. At some point, we’ll share.
For now, quite frankly, I need a little distraction. So here are a few things that have been bringing a smile this past month:
Emerald green. This sweater in ‘forest’ (basically a really gorgeous shade of emerald green) has been my answer to everything – literally all I’ve worn when not in sweatpants (and, now that I think about it…sometimes even in sweatpants). There’s something about this color that just makes me feel pretty and more put-together. My sweater is all but sold out, but Naked came out with two stellar options in the exact same color: this shorter, boxier, shawl-collar sweater (50% off) and this button-front henley sweater (also 50% off) that, for the love of all things holy, needs a MUCH better product shot/and/or new styling. Unbutton some buttons, people! (There’s also a v-neck version of my sweater, too.)
Know what green needs? More green. For date night, I’ve been wearing my green sweater with these almost-matching earrings for a fun little twist on a casual night-out look, and during the day, I’ve been wearing my green sweater with this matching hat from Halfdays.
And if you really want to go wild…I’ve been wearing all of my green with this gorgeous, emerald green puffer. I know, I know, but it looks really good, Gang, I promise. I also came across this seriously cool asymmetrical puffer from Bernardo (at Nordstrom), in more of a kelly green but wow, it’s pretty. And emerald enough to all go together.
Ohhhh, MAN. Our Printfresh collab. I got such a kick of seeing myself on the Printfresh homepage for our Valentine’s Day collaboration. I couldn’t be more excited about these darn PJs. You can read more about them, here. One note I had completely forgotten about in our upside-down December: Printfresh actually re-designed the entire plus-size line! In the debut article I linked, I had mentioned that Kat found that the plus sizes ran small…but she was wearing the early sample, NOT the re-designed line (which now runs TTS). So yeah – Kat will be reporting on the updated sizing, soon, but rest assured that the set available for purchase IS from the re-designed line.
These pants are freaking amazing. I finally ordered Athleta’s Rainier Bootcut Pants and…wow. They’re bananas comfortable, the petite length is perfect to wear even with snowboots, and they’re suuuper warm, with a fleecy interior. I was hoping that they’d look cute with Athleta’s Cozy Karma Funnel Neck Sweatshirt, but that thing is wayyyyy too long on me. (Tall gals, go nuts.) I’m still waiting for Athleta to come out with some sort of boxy, cropped sweatshirt (lined in cozy fleece).
Vuori is having a sale? This almost never happens, so, naturally, I’m skeptical. Is it just the colors that flopped? Well…maybe, but there’s also my favorite tank top (I wore the white all summer, but the gray is actually great), and this emerald green (oops – sorry) tank top and bike shorts is even prettier in person. I’m also a huge fan of their tie-waist leggings, and this gray pair is perfectly neutral.
Major moisture. The four of us are back in Vermont for the winter, and, since it’s soooo much colder here, it’s also sooo much drier. I’ve been really impressed with Youth to the People’s Superberry Hydrate & Glow overnight mask (it’s legit great) but even more so by their Dream Eye Cream. It is wildly moisturizing all day (or night).
Em was right, it’s bouncy. I finally tried Biossance’s new Rose Oil Moisturizing cream, and it’s the kind of moisturizer I want to bathe in, maybe even splash around a little. So I’ve been using Youth to the People at night (a few times a week, anyway), and then in the day I use a combo of this cream and Biossance’s Rose Oil. Love, love, love.
Devouring, in more ways than one. My Santa gift this year (and, yes, I am Santa) was this Ripe Figs cookbook by Yasmin Kahn. More than just a cookbook, it almost reads like a travel book, with gorgeous photographs, and stories mostly told from the immigrant perspective. One of my great joys right now is curling up next to the fire with this book and a cup of tea. Also, the recipes are both authentic (Greek, Turkish, and Cypriot) and do-able. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a cookbook this much. It’s a good one, for sure.
What’s the deal with sheet pan dinners? Anyone a fan? I tried Half-Baked Harvest’s Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma the other day and while, OK, it was absolutely delicious, I found that the focus on using just one sheet pan resulted in sub-par results. I’d like to make it again, but I want to, ya know, toss the stuff in their own marinade using an actual bowl, and I plan on cooking them separately (even if they just each get their own sheet pan). My sweet potatoes were over-cooked, and everything was swimming in too much liquid. It was weird. Thoughts? Because I like the idea of sheet pan dinners more than the execution.
How are your men dressing these days? As parties started to be a thing again this Fall, one thing that became clear is that Mike doesn’t have many dressed-up outfits that are…cool. He looks great on the weekend, and the man can rock a suit, but when it comes time to go out…he’s either underdressed or looks like he’s going to work. Do we need to dig into this? Tell me.
Ok Gang. That’s enough of my nonsense for one week. Feels good to be back. I hope everyone had a relaxing, peaceful holiday, and that you’re settling nicely into your winter routines. Thanks for bearing with us.
xoxo,
S
