Howdy y’all, hope you’ve had a great (or at least regular) week so far. It’s so cold out that my skin literally shrivels up when I step outside—I feel like I’ve been moisturizing every five minutes and still it’s not enough. It’s wear your giant puffer to survive the walk to the train but then sweat and shvitz inside the train weather, and the only good part is that it makes staying at home sound even better than usual.

Also, they’re really gonna ban TikTok I guess?? And I suppose everyone is going to have to start reading my newsletter to take up that time you’d otherwise spend doom scrolling??? Idk, maybe?

On My Brain

Severance is Back Tomorrow

If you have yet to watch Severance, you simply must. As someone who consumes an unnatural amount of television, I can firmly tell you that it’s one of (if not the) best shows of the last five years, and I’m sure philosophy professors are still jizzing themselves over the premise. We just rewatched the first season to refresh before the new one comes out, and even though I remember how the last episode went down, I was still rocking back and forth in my seat with anticipation. When we watched it for the first time, I was devastated to learn how long it was going to be before a season two, but it turns out, time moves quickly when news headlines are so bad they feel fake, and we’ve made it to new episodes of Severance! I love how tired Adam Scott looks in this show, which sounds like an insult, but really it’s a compliment to his unabashed aging and the show’s commitment to making him look as exhausted as his character is. And after all these years (Stepbrothers, Parks & Rec), he can still get it. Go suck down season one, I’m telling ya.

In My Cart

I’m Trying to Send Wedding Invites Out by the End of the Month

I’ve had a mental block about starting to put together wedding invitations for weeks now, because A. You only get to do it once (hopefully) and I want to do it right and B. I sort of blew my creative load with the save the dates, and I’ve been struggling to come up with something clever and original for the invites. However! I’m finally making some progress on what I want them to look like and what I want to include, and you can see from my little moodboard above that I love the idea of a little packet of fun things. I’m currently just straddling the fence between wanting to make the invitations beautiful and for them to feel like an experience to open, but not wanting to spend a million dollars on something that most people will throw out, you know? Here’s what I’ve put together so far:

I love these striped cards from Papier (that are technically labeled as “menus” on their site), and I’m thinking I’ll put all pertinent info on that so people only have to keep one piece from the set to actually refer back to. Then I really love the idea of including a map of the property (I already have a watercolor one the venue sent over!) and some other little fun thing. I love little tickets but I’m afraid it will confuse people and they’ll be concerned they need to bring the tickets to the wedding for some reason, and on the flip side, what even would be the reason for the tickets? Idk. I also love a little library card moment, where I might write a handwritten note, but tbd. I want to either tie or paperclip these little bits together, but I’m leaning towards a blue or red paperclip for one little extra pop of color.

For envelopes: I of course love these chartreuse ones from Paper Source, and I want to do a fun little lining on the inside (Paper Source also conveniently sells lining kits so you can cut custom envelope liners). I also want to do a little curly, swirly design on the outside of the envelopes just for fun. Stamps will be a random assortment of vintage ones I have leftover and a forever stamp from the post office, and the jury is still out on whether or not I’ll seal the envelopes with anything other than the lickable adhesive!

What are your thoughts on wedding invites? Are they worth the investment? Do you hang them on your fridge or keep them if they’re particularly beautiful? Are you more excited for the wedding if thought goes into the invite, or does that simply not matter at all??? Pls weigh in below in the comments (on the web version), it would help me greatly.

In My Belly

New Rotisserie Chicken Application Unlocked

Hellurrrrrrr! Idk if you heard but we have a Costco membership and I’ll never stop yappin’ about it because Costco RULES. In particular, Costco rotisserie chicken rules, and I just whipped up a new way to eat it because I was craving something comforting as hell.

Usually Jeffery eats the drumsticks when the chicken first comes home, and I’ll put the rest in the fridge to make chicken salad (pls see my fave chicken salad recipe in this newsletter), but I decided to use one of the breasts and the wings for dinner. So I popped those hunks of meat in the oven on 350 along with all the skin I peeled off so it could warm through and recrisp, and made some pastina while that was happening.

I made the pastina similar to how you’d make risotto, adding chicken broth little by little until the pasta was cooked through and it was a nice gloopy (positive) consistency. I sautéed some onion, garlic, and Aleppo pepper in the pan, then toasted the pastina in there with some butter. I added the drippings from the bottom of the chicken bag (don’t sleep on the bottom-of-the-bag-drippings), and plenty of broth, and then finished it with some lemon juice and fresh parsley. Un-REE-uhl, as those chippy tea Brits would say.

Okay Costco Egg Bites!

I promise I’m not sponsored by Costco, it’s just all for the love of the game <3. My friend Kaileigh put me onto these little sous vide egg bites (surely on the back of the Starbucks egg bites), and I am thankful to her for it. I was skeptical that I would enjoy reheated egg pucks (even with bacon and gouda inside), but boy oh boy, are these a delight. They have the custardy consistency of quiche, are surprisingly well seasoned, and they brown up pretty quickly in the oven. I love an easy breakfast with protein, so sign me the hell up.

You Ask, I Answer

Q: “I'm a bridesmaid for a 2025 wedding. The dress, hair & make up, bach & flight costs are starting to hurt my wallet. What are some good, non-cash gifts that are affordable and acceptable for a bridal shower and wedding?”

A: Girrrrrrl, I feel you. It’s a lot of money to be in someone’s wedding, no matter how nice it is to be asked. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t expect a traditional wedding gift from anyone in our bridal party? By the time you get to the actual wedding, you’re likely having to barter with your credit card company to increase your limit, and that straight up does not feel good. There will certainly be people who expect a certain amount of cash from each of their guests (and to be fair, it is customary to pay for your place at the wedding itself), but to me, a thoughtful, personal gift from someone who loves me is more than enough—no matter how much it cost.

The first thing I’d say is to see if there’s anything left on the registry you can buy that’s not going to put your bank account in the negative. Beyond that, here are some ideas for bridal shower and wedding gifts that aren’t cash, and hopefully won’t affect your ability to pay rent.

A Custom Matchbox with the Couple’s Initials

My friend Maura got us this reusable matchbox when we got engaged, and I absolutely treasure it. I keep refilling it with matches and gluing new match striker paper to the side when one gets too worn, and it has a very special place on our coffee table at all times.

A Recipe Journal with Some Favorite Recipes

I myself was pretty broke by the time I got to one of my friend’s bridal showers, but I still wanted to get her something meaningful, so I got a recipe journal from Papier and filled it with as many of my own recipes and favorites from chefs I love as I could think of, with room to fill it in with her favorites, too. I added this to my own registry, because I’d like to start keeping formal track of recipes in our house too.

Thrifted Ring Dishes/Holders

This one might take a little time but it’s worth it both in meaning and for your wallet. My friend Sophia got me a creepy little brass hand to hold my engagement ring, and Jeffery a green alabaster ashtray for his eventual wedding ring, and we both keep them on our nightstands. There’s tons of regular-ass ring dishes you can find on Etsy or in gift shops, but I think the thrifted/vintage element really makes this gift feel more special and personal to the couple.

Personalized Tony’s Chocolonely

If the couple in question loves chocolate or food or ethical companies (dead serious), a few custom-wrapped bars of chocolate (or one bar and a little something else) from Tony’s Chocolonely actually makes a lovely little gift.

A Framing Service Giftcard

Another gift we received when we got engaged (shoutout Celeste) was a giftcard to Framebridge so we could frame one of our engagement photos, and I thought that was just a swell idea. I actually forgot that I still have that credit until just now, so catch me with a fresh new framed piece soon.

Anything Monogrammed

Getting something with a fresh monogram always feels special, and if someone is changing their last name, it would be extra special to be the first one to give them something with their new initials. Could be: A classic LL Bean tote, a very elegant silver tray for keys and wallets, or passport covers for their honeymoon.

Need a gift suggestion for your mother-in-law’s birthday? Stuck on how to rearrange the furniture in your living room? Want to know what to do with a jar of marinated artichokes? Come to mama. Hit me up with your questions, and I'll answer them in an upcoming letter.