Elva Fields Blog » latest loves
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Latest Loves
A few things I'm loving lately:
1. Though my fingers are crossed I won't be needing to wear it much longer this year (we're ready for you, Spring!) I've been staying warm in my new winter coat from Costco. Lightweight and just roomy enough for heavy sweaters and extra layers, it was less than $20.
2. Perpetually late to the party, I didn't catch on to this beautiful gem of a show until its third season, but I am a quick and total convert. Healing, hope, humor, authentic portrayals of the awkward, figuring-it-out-ness of adulthood, the joys and struggles of real and intimate friendships - this is truly one of the most wonderful shows created.
3. Mind-blowing and expanding in the very best of ways, this podcast offers a beautiful and profound perspective on how much we can learn about our world and beyond from a population often deemed incapable of communicating: non-speakers with autism.
4. The latest Spotify playlist from Elva Fields includes some old favorites from my college years (thanks to a recent reunion 25 years after our graduation!) and some new songs I've only recently discovered. The Samples take me back to a summer spent in Colorado in the late 90s and Freddy Jones Band is straight from nearly every weekend road trip we took to see the boys "up the road" from Hollins, while the Lucy Dacus song is a new find from my local public radio station - so much love for 91.9 WFPK. Enjoy!
5. Lest you think the reunion weekend was a wild party, I will share that there was needlepointing, pickleball, soup and sourdough making, and an endless game of Rummikub on the coffee table. I'd never played, and now I can't get enough. (Thanks to my thoughtful mom for my new set!)
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Latest Loves
A few things I'm loving lately:
1. New music from local favorite Ben Sollee, new-to-me awesomeness from a Scottish band that formed in the 90s, a hint of 90s country, and even some RHCP after catching them live this summer with my favorite 15-year-old - just a few of the gems on our latest Spotify playlist to close out summer and get you prepped for fall fun. (Playlist image courtesy of the incredible carpet at The Graduate Hotel in Nashville.)
2. Thanks to my new pal Perry, my skin is Sahara-like and needing a new, more moisturizing makeup option. I'm trying out the Miracle Balm from Bobbi Brown's venture Jones Road Beauty and digging it so far. (And word on the street is that the sold-separately brush is essential for application, so I snagged that, too.)
3. Joyfully washing my hands because of this spectacular soap scent and now coveting the spray cleaner, too.
4. I'm not a baker, so you know a recipe is easy when I'm willing to take it on AND produce delicious results. I gave this cookbook to my favorite 13-year-old who LOVES to create in the kitchen, and I tried my hand at these addictive treats that combine sweet and savory in an unexpected, delicious way.
5. Though I'm not yet finished with this book, I am thoroughly enjoying the vibrant and hilarious women in this book as they bond over business loans, complicated marriages, and even murder in their small Indian village.
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Latest Loves
A few things I'm loving lately:
1. Saving space in your toiletry bag and sailing right through TSA in a carry-on are two fantastic reasons to love this shampoo bar, but the fact that its scent is delightful and that it doubles as a body wash are two more checks on the love list. It's joined me on two week-long trips, and mine still has lots of life left. (Thanks, mom, for such a great Christmas gift!)
2. An account I follow on Instagram (I cannot for the life of me remember who posted this!) just referenced this brilliant blog post about saving kids artwork, and I can't wait to document my overflowing backlog of kiddo creations from their grade-school years. And, let's be honest, my teenagers are still making things with which I have trouble (and guilt) parting, so I may have multiple volumes on order for each of my children.
3. Our latest Spotify playlist, complete with a new favorite from Waxahatchee and an old favorite from Mary Chapin Carpenter...and a few more tunes to welcome springtime.
4. I've never read anything quite like North Woods by Daniel Mason, and it is wholly different in the very best of ways; the writing and story are inventive, curious, stunningly clever, and entirely fascinating. Layers of life and history and time and place pulled me in from the start, and I hated to see it end, though I've taken it along with me ever since.
5. On a recent trip to the Caribbean, I had the absolute pleasure of a food tour in Antigua's capital city, St. John's. Everything we tasted was delicious and everyone we met was delightful, and a highlight (in addition to our wonderful guide Tracy Anne) was learning to make an Old Fashioned Rum Punch. Not the bright pink syrupy confection with grenadine and pineapple juice you may be thinking of - this was the OG of rum punches that is full of rich flavor from spices and fresh citrus. This blog post I found shares a recipe that is VERY close to the one we learned in class - and we added some mint and a twist of lemon peel for garnish. Might be my new warm-weather cocktail. -
Latest Loves
A few things I'm loving lately:
1. After I saw the beautiful creations Joy Cho of Oh Joy! crafted with this marbling kit, I knew it would be a fun and colorful project for my favorite middle-schooler. (She may be too cool for many things these days, but thankfully not for making art with her mom.) I have so many ideas for our next attempt, and this first try at marbling was a hit. (And there are plenty of materials in the kit for future trials!)
2. Tig Notaro has been a favorite of mine since her Taylor Dane bit (I still cry laughing every time) and her new podcast, Handsome, with Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin brings so much laughter and joy to my Tuesdays.
3. Speaking of crying (though not crying laughing), that's what I was doing by the end of this beautiful (as the title would suggest) book. In the best way. I love a story of family dynamics, humans making their way among the broken bits of life, and eventually creating and finding their own wholeness.
4. I'm so excited to finally have some wearable Elva Fields merch, and especially in honor of our 20th birthday last month! It's my new favorite hat, and you can have one, too!
5. Delicious on its own or with bourbon, my most-loved of Modica's superfood goodness in a bottle is the Tart Cherry Old Fashioned (and I don't typically care much for cherry, but this is really great.) Cheers!
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Latest Loves
A few things I'm loving lately:
1. I heard this live version of a childhood favorite on our amazing local Louisville radio station 91.9 WFPK and had to add it to the latest Elva Fields playlist for some nostalgic listening, along with some other fun songs.
2. It's been a while since I've read and finished a book in just a day or two (such an indulgence!) but this one was compelling, captivating, and wholly enjoyable. Like the traditional recipe for which the book is named, I devoured it. (As a bonus, the author curates a playlist at the end of the book to accompany various scenes and characters in her novel, and I couldn't help but add one of her suggested songs to the Elva playlist this month in homage to this wonderful read.)
3. This dark chocolate bark gets rave reviews and was new to me on my last visit to Trader Joe's. I'm currently hiding the bag on a far shelf in the pantry to keep it all to myself. As it turns out, I may have to hide it even from myself soon enough.
4. Though it's billed as an overnight lip mask, I use this goodness as a regular lip gloss day AND night. Thanks to my former sister-in-law who sent it as a holiday gift, my ever-peeling lips are a little less dry and chapped these days.
5. Two shows I've loved watching lately: one with my kiddos, one without them. Both smart, funny, entertaining, and humanity-at-its-worst-and-best heartwarming.