Another week of simply enjoying life for how it is right at this moment. It will never be now again! Jim returned from Disney World with a beautiful silk scarf from the French pavilion at EPCOT for me. I got to celebrate a special girlfriend’s birthday with gnocchi and limoncello. Williams Sonoma and Staub constantly torment me with their lovely shades of Dutch ovens. Really digging on the New England style clothing brand Kiel James Patrick. And I am fully engrossed in this Meghan Markle drama.
#5: Royal Drama
In preparation for the interview airing tonight between Oprah and the Sussexes, I have been OBSESSED with learning everything about this Royal family drama. I started out the weekend a little annoyed with Meghan Markle. She’s always trying to change some tradition and she just doesn’t get being royal. (As if the rest of us know what that means.) But by the end of my research–and by research, I mean binge watching YouTube documentaries and reading People magazine–I felt bad for the Duchess of Sussex.
Jim and I have a strong fascination with Myers Briggs personality typing, and we have typed Prince William as an ISTJ and Prince Harry as an ESFP. William is dependable, logical, duty-driven, and a big time rule follower. He was always going to be king, and despite Princess Diana’s effort to treat her sons as equals, the royal family hierarchy demands an heir and a spare. Enter Prince Harry, the party boy rebel who feels less than important.
Maybe Prince Harry expressed his aggravation with the birth order to Meghan Markle, and she simply offered support to her husband? Understandably, that’s what any wife would do. Therefore it would make sense that Kate would side with William and Meghan would side with Harry in the rift. However, the issue is not about Kate versus Meghan–it’s about William and Harry. Kate and Meghan are just more interesting than the princes and make for more salacious gossip. Juxtaposed against the elegant, well-prepared-for-royal-life Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle was so easy to vilify.
In the end, Harry is the “back-up” king and that makes for an unfortunate family dynamic, but that’s the way the Royal family works. It takes a lot of strength and support to accept that you’re second best in your family’s eyes, and that you should move on with your life to find higher purpose. I think that’s what Meghan is trying to do for Harry, and to remind him that to her, he is first.
#4: Kiel James Patrick
Newport, RI — There’s a new style I am really invested in that’s coastal and New England-y. It’s like the love child of Vineyard Vines and Ralph Lauren. If you haven’t heard of Kiel James Patrick yet, you will.
Keeping in stride with my obsessive my royal family research, I fell down the rabbit hole of reading up on Kiel James Patrick and his wife, Sarah Vickers, who is the founder of the adorable fashion blog Classy Girls Wear Pearls. Their story starts in thrift shops collecting Lacoste and Ralph Lauren clothing and making bespoke alterations with Patrick’s grandmother’s vintage sewing machine.
I ordered a few items prior to our honeymoon in Disney World and absolutely loved the style and fit. It’s comfortable, not too tight in unwanted places, and the style is very Jackie-O. Pure, classic clothes that never go out of fashion. That’s right up my alley. The red gingham tank and pink seersucker dress (with pockets!!) were two of my FAVORITES.
I am most definitely eyeing this marine blue pullover and this aqua Rosé All Day baseball hat. The Christmas sweater selection is also perfectly cozy and gives subtle nods to the greatest Christmas movie of all time: Home Alone. Who knew Fair Isle, grandma sweaters could be so fashionable?
Consequently, I have been beggggging Jim to take a trip out to New England. I have the travel bug something fierce, and I am fully prepared to spend all of it in Newport either at the Breakers, Ben & Jerry’s, on a sailboat, eating lobstah, or at KJP.
#3: Staub Cocottes
Sadly, I have enough cookware. But if I needed more, I’d go straight to Williams Sonoma and buy all the colors of Staub cocottes and le Creuset skillets and casserole dishes.
Cooking and baking with Dutch ovens or cast iron skillets is a major game changer in the kitchen. It’s fantastic to be able to shift between the oven and stove so swiftly and stylishly.
That marine color is A) one of my favorite colors ever and B) perfect for our kitchen decor. Jim, if you’re reading this, you can add this to the Louboutins on my wishlist 🙂
Do you prefer Staub or le Creuset? I can’t play favorites. I love them both.
#2: Birthday Celebrations!
One of my closet girlfriends, Maddie, made it another lap around the sun and we got to celebrate together by making Half Baked Harvest’s sweet potato gnocchi with balsamic mushrooms. We decided the gnocchi needed a little more sauce, but otherwise it’s a solid recipe! And we more than made up for lack of sauce with limoncello and wine 🙂
Maddie has been very inspiring for me to start lifting weights! She started at the same company as me a few years ago, and her manager asked me to mentor her. Funny how life turns everything around on you! I consider Maddie one of my mentors now! She is so stinkin’ funny and a beautiful person inside and out. I can always count on her to give me a straight, honest answer, even if it’s not the one I want to hear. She is a seriously high quality buddy and I love her so!
#1: Jim got me a silk scarf!
I was so happy to have my honey return home from Disney World and I cherish his presence at home even more now! He very sweetly picked out a beautiful silk scarf at the French pavilion in EPCOT for me as a souvenir.
I collect one of these each time I visit EPCOT, but the shop was closed because of COVID when we were there for our honeymoon! They are silk prints of French paintings. I’m not actually sure which painting this one is, so if you know, comment below! I love the orange outline. It’s so bold against the bright blue sky and the olive green grass.
I wear these silk scarves just tied around my neck in a simple, double knot. The weather is just right for donning pretty scarves since they are easier to display under spring jackets.
Those are my top five this week! I hope you enjoy the gorgeous weather ahead and find kindness and beauty all around you.