The February Edit
What I read, watched, and loved this month.
Hey everyone! Somehow, it’s already the end of February, and wow has it been a whirlwind of a month! Traveling and snow storms, multiple days off school - I feel like our routine has really been off. I’m looking forward to hopefully maintaining some consistency in March. Let’s jump in, shall we?
This month has been a slower reading month for me, likely due to the aforementioned busyness. I have started and stopped a number of audiobooks and for whatever reason lost interest or couldn’t listen to the entirety. I listened to about half of E. Jean Carroll’s memoir Not My Type, and while I think the story is really important, I didn’t want to listen to the details of the sexual assault and some of the court room questioning was triggering for me personally.
Speaking of audiobooks, I just finished Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino and woah - this one was wild! The premise is a 30-something professional is facing the highs and lows of the volatile housing market in the D.C. suburbs, while she and her husband are also trying to conceive. Margot will go to great lengths to achieve her dream life. Reminiscent of Gone Girl, this fast-paced, dark and twisty novel is a fun ride. Definitely help me pick up my reading pace this month!
In terms of series, there hasn’t been many new things. I’ve been staying up to date on Season 2 of The Pitt and we’re still chugging along with Alone. While on the plane home from Switzerland, I ended up watching Nightbitch with Amy Adams. It was an amazing analogy for early motherhood, and it felt so relatable. If you haven’t heard of it, this movie is based on a novel of the same title by Rachel Yoder (I haven’t read it). The main character is a stay-at-home mom to a young child and finds herself drowning in the lonely monotony of caring for a toddler while her husband is most often traveling for work. She finds herself quite literally transforming into a dog as the rage envelops her. There are a few scenes where I had to close my eyes because they were a bit grotesque, and the ending was a little cutesy for me. That being said, overall, I enjoyed it and think most mothers will find it a good representation of the reality of motherhood.
The snowy days have really got me wanting to cook warm, cozy foods. Jake does most of the cooking in our home, but usually on the weekends I pick something that I want to make. I made a Thai Coconut Curry on Sunday and I also made a quick rosemary “focaccia” on Monday. (I use the term focaccia lightly because it was only proofed for about 2 hours, whereas a typical focaccia has a 24 hour fermentation period - still tasty!). I made a homemade mac and cheese to serve with it per my daughter’s request. I used a vegan cashew cheese and also shredded some Kerrygold Dubliner (not at all vegan!1) and served it with steamed broccoli and a jackfruit barbeque that I grabbed from Aldi (eh, you can skip it).
I recently updated my work back from an LL Bean XL Boat and Tote to a commuter backpack and I’m so happy with the change! I went with the Everlane ReNew Transit Backpack2 in the color “warm charcoal”. There’s plenty of space, while maintaining a really sleek profile. I can fit my laptop, lunch, wallet, toiletry pouch, keys, and water bottle easily. My only regret is not purchasing it before my trip to Europe!
Well, I’m staring down the start of the weekend and looking forward to a bit of sunshine and an open calendar! I’m also attempting my first sourdough loaf! Hope you all are hanging in there.
Until next time,
Cassie
I think I’ll write more about my journey with dairy at some point. TBD!
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