Enjoy the peek inside Casa de Monica!

Something for grieving

I first heard of this book from my cousin, Laura (who runs the best facebook group in the world, btw), when she organized a Cookie Table for the folks in Uvalde.

Tear Soup tells the story of Grandy, a woman who’s suffered a big loss. Although Laura had introduced me to the book a few years back, it wasn’t until this past year that it felt like a book I needed in my house. The book is great for kids and adults who are mourning ANYTHING— and it does a brilliant job of talking to the uniqueness in each person’s loss experience, as well as the truth of loss not just being about death.

Something to read

Back at the end of July, I returned to Good Contrivance Farm, where I’ve taken multiple writing classes, for an author event with Ross Gay. Like a good literary citizen, I brought my copies of Gay’s books. BUT, I didn’t have his most recent, The Book of (More) Delights, and so I bought it from the local bookshop rep who was there.

Boy am I glad I did. I’ve been reading through these in the morning with my single cup of espresso. What a good way to anchor the start of my day.

Here’s one I read recently and absolutely loved.

Something to help you relax

Several months ago I found kits for the two brighter images below at my local Five Below and grabbed them for my nieces to do while they visited. In a plot twist, I ended up doing the sun/moon one on my own and one of my nieces worked on the fruit one a couple weeks back!

What I realized as I worked on the sun/moon one was that the slow, methodical application of the diamond gems was relaxing and meditative. Some people do cross stitch or embroidery — I fell in love with moving tiny parts onto a slightly sticky pad that had color coded numbers and letters.

You can see in the fairy image above how the process looks as you go along.

There are loads of these on Amazon, but I’m trying to link there less, so feel free to do some digging there on your own!

Something to help you slow down

I’m using my own book to help me take some time and exhale 😅.

Here’s a prompt I saw today and thought y’all might enjoy.

The picture is of two bowls with bread dough rising and the prompt asks:

“How can you proactively carve out space from some breathing room?”

Wildcard- Something that brought me joy

I love sending and receiving mail. Nothing’s more exciting than finding an unexpected piece of real mail in my mailbox.

Here’s a piece I recently received, from a business strategy client of mine. Isn’t the sticker she made so fun???

From selecting the actual card, to the pen color, and stickers on the envelope, sending a note can be just as exciting as putting together a care package.

That’s it from me this week!

What are some of the things YOU’RE LOVING? Let us know in the comments. Maybe it’ll spark something for another person. 😊

~M

Leave a comment

Also, last week my soon-to-be brother in law was diagnosed with lymphoma and they began chemo immediately. Again, by the time you read this, he’ll be home from the hospital and doing the post-chemo session healing/hell. My brother set up a GoFundMe, if you’re interested in learning more or checking out more details about his particular flavor of lymphoma.

So yeah. Pretty full week, even with normal life stuff happening.

I really love looking for these moments of delight and joy to share with y’all. They help me, too.

Something for play

Okay. Hear me out. Kinetic or play sand.

You can buy it at the store (Five Below often has some or any of the many Dollar store iterations). You can make your own, like this 2-ingredient recipe or this 3-ingredient one.

If you want to fancy it up, use food coloring to bring in some extra pop or joy. Or, use something like purple yam flakes to add natural colors if you want to avoid food dyes. (Avocado pits will make purple dye, and onion peels a goldish hue, did you know?)

There are loads of recipes out there— some titled moon sand, others titled play or kinetic. The DIY recipes aren’t actually true kinetic sand — for that you’d need to coat the “sand particles” with silicone, and that’s just not possible for most folks to do at home.

I bought some kinetic sand that was pink and added little toys from a dollar store. Using a plastic container keeps the mess contained + portable. Playing with filling molds or just scraping the surface with a fork has been fun and grounding (both of which I can use more of!)

Something to listen to

It’s not often that I find a new musical that really captures my imagination and pulls me in. But SIX is one of them. Pandora served it up for me on one of my 10 or 15 year old stations and I absolutely love it.

SIX tells the story of six of Henry VIII’s wives, and it's told in the format of a Reality TV show pop competition, ala American Idol or The Voice, almost. If you want to check out the entire musical, I found it here on YouTube.

Something to help you relax

This simple body scan from YouTube is something I’ve been doing with my niece in the morning. The animations are interesting, and keep her attention. It’s a 3 minute mediation of checking in with your body.

I don’t always do this sort of morning meditation, but it’s nice to be experimenting with different ways to access relaxation and calm.

Will report back if I see anything significant as far as impact. 😊

Something to watch

Okay. So this technically falls into “something to listen to” as well, but I’m putting it here, because the visual aspect is the coolest part.

If you like epic music, you have to check out this playlist of fan art animations that accompany EPIC: The Musical.

EPIC was another musical that Pandora served me up alongside SIX mentioned above. Every once in a while they hit one outta the park with the algorithm, and that week I was super lucky and got two. 😆

EPIC is a nine-part series that tells Homer’s Odyssey in musical form. Apparently, it was a TikTok sensation— Jorge Rivera-Herrans started to work on it in 2019 as his senior college thesis.

I hope you enjoy this musical as much as I do!

Wildcard - Something I’m proud of

Look at these beautiful bath items from Avril at Beautiful Freak Cosmetics!

The soap bar is reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf figurine that's roughly 30,000 years old, the stars are shower steamers and the jar contains similarly color-themed bath salts. (I used the salts last night and they’re glorious and shimmery). The journal (designed by me) contains a self-love ritual + spell written by Sara Mastros.

If you’re interested in purchasing any version of the items combined into a kit, they’re listed here.

I don’t get any earnings from these, just really love Avril’s work and was super delighted to be a part of this collaboration.

That’s all for this week!

My only other news is that I’m still sharing Mindful Moments: 52 Prompts on the Sacred and Mundane which came out a couple weeks ago!

If you’ve ordered a copy, I’d love to see a picture of you holding it and/or know what you think!! Even though there’s been loads happening, I’m super delighted that it’s in the world.

~M

As much as I can’t stand Zuckerface and his sprawling company, IG was at one time a balm— and I find it can still be one, if you can manage to work around the algorithm.

Without further ado, here are some things to delight and carry you through the next few weeks!

Something(s) to read

Hungry for some books that speak to the moment we’re living in?

Toi offers thoughtful and nuanced perspectives, and I really appreciated this list of books that she curated.

I’m especially looking forward to reading Care and Dignity Not Debt.

Something I’m loving

I’m not usually a fan of covers, except when they offer a new interpretation of the song that piques my curiosity. This cover of Radiohead’s Creep, featuring a mother/son duo does just that.

If you enjoy this, check out the original source of the reel, over on YouTube.

Something to inspire you

There are certain songs that carry my spirit up, even when the lyrics aren’t particularly inspiring. Hozier’s Take me to Church is one of those songs (a bonus, and I think I’ve featured it here before - his song Nina Cried Power also feeds the depths of me.)

Are Hozier’s songs so powerful because he grew up in Ireland in the 90s? I don’t know. But, I do know this rendition of Take Me to Church that crossed my feed was everything I needed in the moment.

One Day Choir + Hozier for the win.

And of course, any listening of this song wouldn’t be complete without the breathtaking beauty of Sergei Polunin’s dancing.

Wildcard #1 - Something to make you laugh

To me, this reel epitomizes the delight that IG can still offer, when the algo gods are working in your favor. Make sure you have sound on.

Wildcard #2 - Something to ground you

If you’re at all interested in inner healing in a way that doesn’t just navel gaze inward, but also looks at the bigger picture and transformation at the ancestral, communal, and other levels, then you have to check out Jill’s workshop next Tuesday!

When I first read Jill’s seminal work, Landscape of Mothers, I knew that the framework she teaches was applicable for me in my life, and therefore for more than just mothers. And, I’m so excited that she’s starting to share more about other lenses to use as you approach the work.

That’s it for me from this week! See you in a couple weeks.

~M

PS: I’m mulling over a name change for the newsletter. What say y’all?

Mindful Moments: 52 Prompts on the Sacred + Mundane is officially live and available for purchase!

This book, which has been such a quiet (and sometimes frustrating) labor of love, went out into the world, yesterday, with a steady hum that mirrored my work on it since this past December.

I am so deeply grateful to share this with you, and especially grateful to all who’ve received photo prompts over on my Patreon over the years.

My hope is that this book will offer balm and respite amongst the noise and chaos of the times we live in.

The prompts are simple, but powerful.

Skim through the book or just pick one image to chew on. The choice is yours.

I hope you’ll consider grabbing a copy for yourself. I know there’s lots to hate about Amazon, but I am grateful that I can easily produce and publish a book with the tools they offer.

If you do order a copy, send me an email with proof of purchase (monica@monicaherald.com) and let me know! I’ll send you a PDF version of the book so you have an electronic copy as well.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming this Friday with the latest issue of Things I’m Loving!

By the time you read this, I’ll have just turned 42 (iykyk).

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Something to read

On a whim I ordered Robin Wall Kimmerer’s latest book, The Serviceberry, a couple months back. For weeks, it became my morning companion while I drank my espresso. Both, the type of experience you savor.

We need more serviceberry in our lives — the sort of communal giving and support (reciprocity) she talks about as she explores the plant and her relationship with it. The book features beautiful illustrations that reminded me of old school plant drawings from field guides.

Here’s an excerpt I loved:

Something to make

My local Costco sells a VERY LARGE box of goat chunks; and although I didn’t purchase it immediately, I finally did!

After breaking down the box into smaller bagged portions, I made this goat curry recipe. As someone who loves Indian food, I’m always on the lookout for great recipes that taste like Indian food you’d get at a restaurant or at someone’s house (psst: did you know that there are LOTS of different types of Indian cuisines, not just what we get in restaurants here in the US).

This recipe really nailed the spice profile in a perfect way. Feel free to add or subtract heat per your taste preferences.

Here are some pics of my cooking process + my final taste.

1. Toasting the spices is a multi-step process 🙃. Here’s the first step!

2. Adding the goat cubes.

3. It’s pretty liquidy here - at this point the goat is cooking and I’m waiting for some of the liquid to boil away.

4. The liquid has simmered away and this was my final product before divvying up into freezer containers and eating it. 😊

5. Success!! Tastes + smells AHH-Mazing.

Something to watch

Dick Van Dyke. There’s not much more to say.

I love Coldplay’s music — especially their earlier stuff — and I love Dick Van Dyke.

Watching the joy and delight in Van Dyke’s face, was so much fun. It’s rare to see folks this old (can you believe he’s a 99 year old man in this?) celebrated, and I’ll always highlight this type of thing when I see it. We need more like this.

The retrospective of Van Dyke throughout his career is also a delight; and he can still sing—kinda.

Something to protect your health

I first learned about Flo Masks from my youngest brother. Although it’s not “cool” to talk about masks anymore, I think it’s super important to keep using them, especially in large outdoor gatherings and in the day to day errands and/or travel.

What I love about the Flo Mask is that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a mask, really. There’s a giant gap (intentional + sealed) around your mouth area and this is wildly different from how the paper / one use masks are.

Another fun thing about the Flo Mask is that you can customize the cover. I haven’t customized mine, but something about having a fun cover makes it feel cooler than not having one.

Wildcard - Something I’m proud of

It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a year since I first published the Hekate Journal notebook, a collaboration between Sara Mastros and me(!!!) — the first of the Witch Notebooks series.

Although I’d begun to experiment with the notebooks in January 2024, it wasn’t until we worked together that I really found the format I loved.

We made another notebook after that (the Solomon one I mentioned a few months back) and now I’m in the process of collaborating on notebook series with several other teachers + writers…

I love this work. It feels creative and meaningful.

In personal news, the thing I’m loving most right now is that my brother and his partner of many years got engaged recently and we’ve finally added Malik to the family group chat (#NowItsReal). The best part of this was that they both planned on asking each other on the same trip— and Malik called each of us before the trip to ask our blessings (totally unnecessary), so we ALL KNEW. It brought so much delight, waiting and being in on the secret from both sides.

P.S: I have a tiny book coming out soon!!! It’s called Mindful Moments, and I’ll share more with you here in the next issue. If you follow me over on Patreon, you’ll get some info next week. 🙂

With such a busy week, I had fun putting this week’s TIL together in a low key sort of way. That’s what my nervous system needs anyways.

Hope you find something here that tickles your fancy!

Something that defies categorization

Have you seen the movie Sing Sing?

Until this past weekend, I hadn’t.

This movie tells the story of imprisoned men who participate in a program called Rehabilitation Through the Arts and the transformation and healing that occurs in this space.

*At some point in the future, I may write an essay about the movie. But for now I’ll share a few summary thoughts with you.*

• The movie was co-written and contributors included folks who’d been incarcerated. Many of the actors were also formerly incarcerated.

• The movie wasn’t prison porn or tragedy porn. It was real and nuanced and complex. That’s possible when you have #ownvoices involved and spearheading the telling of their own stories.

• It’s also the story of men loving and supporting men in a vulnerable way. They fight, they cry, they celebrate and encourage.

• For the production of the film, they hired a therapist to be there and present to the former inmates, to address anything that came up while they were in prison garb, in actual prisons. How responsible of them. They also had pay equity for everyone involved in the film, not just the actors.

Although this poster says coming soon, the movie itself premiered in 2023.

In a time where hope continues to be something we must actively watch for and tend to, this movie added so much hope to my week.

Here are two quotes that really capture what I think was most incredible about the film.

“There are times when a film can give you a glimpse of hope about humanity, about the human condition that mostly goes unseen, and about real human connection with others. It can shape how you view the world and others. That's the deep impact films have - if you're lucky. And that comes wonderfully packaged in the beautifully poetic film Sing Sing.”

– Trust the Process: A Conversation with the Filmmakers Behind the Critically Acclaimed Film ‘Sing Sing’ via Script Magazine

and

Our Take: Superior dramas inevitably find a way to present micro- and macro-conflicts through thoughtful writing that emphasizes depth of character and inspired performances like Domingo and Maclin give in Sing Sing. Such films work exposition into granular detail and give us a sense of what’s truly happening without stating it outright. And so Sing Sing is absolutely not a putting-on-a-show narrative building tension to the big third-act drawing of the curtain, but rather, a ruminative exploration of three exquisitely layered conflicts: The ideologically suspect foundation of a punitive American prison system, the existential weight on men incarcerated justly or unjustly, and the inner identity crises of Divine G and Divine Eye.

– Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Sing Sing’ on Max, a Deeply Moving Prison Drama Featuring an Oscar-Nominated Performance By Colman Domingo via Decider

Something to make you laugh

Okay. Now I know you’re saying to yourself (unless you have teenagers or are super into internet trends) WHY am I looking at this weird pic of your face, Monica? I know I still ask myself that everytime I see a pic like this.

I was first introduced to this angle photo (I think it’s called a .5 photo?) when we were all in TN for my brother-in-law’s funeral in January. We were eating at a Mexican restaurant, the night before the funeral, and my youngest brother, who’s also much cooler than I went around and took these photos of each of us from above.

Since then, I’ve received an innumerable amount of these from my nieces and sent my fair share.

I’ll admit. I don’t understand it one bit.

But, I know it keeps me connected to them, and harms nobody, so I’m in.

If you don’t have teenagers or tweens that are into this, maybe touch base with some other fun way to stay connected to the folks you love and care about.

Something(s) to listen to

Also via my nieces.

This Good Kid song, Mimi’s Delivery Service, is definitely the whitest of white alternative indie rock. The band itself is out of Canada (so sorry to all my Canadians for the dumbo who keeps threatening y’all’s sovereignty).

My nieces are capital O obsessed with this band. The tunes are catchy and remind me of early to mid Good Charlotte.

As always, if you have a song or band to recommend, please let me know! I’m always on the lookout for interesting music and my tastes are varied and far-reaching.

Wildcard: Something cool

I thought this post from Badger Run Wildlife Rehab on Facebook was really neat. I love how it’s sharing about animal communal care.

My friend who runs The Drachenhohle pointed out when they shared the post that:

“Animals understand community, even across lines of genus and species”

A necessary reminder for these days and times.

That’s it from me for this week!

If you enjoyed this and know someone else who’d find value in it, please pass it along and share with them. (and welcome to our new subscribers!)

~M

How about y’all?

Something to bring you (and others) joy

Many years ago — 2009? 2010? I discovered Postcrossing and immediately dove headfirst into sending postcards.

Why? Well, as a kid I’d collected stamps, and who didn’t love mail. Postcrossing seemed like the perfect way to combine the two + my love of travel and learning about different cultures and peoples.

At some point (maybe 2016? 2017?) I stopped sending or receiving postcards — I forgot about Postcrossing, kinda like Jackie Paper seemed to forget Puff the Magic Dragon. But then a few weeks ago, a FB friend (Shari) shared about her discovery of Postcrossing and it reminded me all over again of how much I loved it.

The timing seems right to share it with y’all, for with all the fearmongering and othering that’s happening (and despots talking about annexing other countries), connecting with people around the world seems more important than ever.

Something to listen to

Back in 2006, I worked for a hot minute at a local church as a youth minister/pastor. Although there’s lots of awful that happened during that time, one good thing that remains is the multiple friendships that are still a part of my life.

My friend Megan and I were recently saying how can it be that we’ve been friends for nearly 20 years — I read at her wedding, threw her baby shower, and now that baby is going to be attending high school in the fall (what?!).

Back in the early days of the pandemic, Megan and I started to watch TV shows over Zoom every Wednesday night and continued for maybe 3 years before life got back in the way.

Recently I was texting Megan and bemoaning how we hadn’t seen each other in a long time (and boy did I miss the days of watching weekly tv with her, but it didn’t seem like the season for it now). She asked if I’d heard this song before and when I said no, shared the video with me.

I love how there’s conflict in the song among the friends, but also a familiarity and an ability to agree + disagree.

Idk about you, but I for one, am doubling down on nourishing and tending to the connections and relationships in my life.

They keep me standing… and vice versa.

Something to help you slow down (if you run a business)

On Monday March 24th, my talk for the Mess of Success Summit (affiliate link!) will go live!

The summit, hosted by Ruth Poundwhite, is having honest behind-the-scenes convos about what it’s like to navigate business with different types of challenges.

In my presentation, I talk about my experience as someone who lives with depression and chronic pain + a neurodivergentesque brain. I also share some tips about what I’ve found that helps me run my business alongside depression + back pain.

The summit is free to attend— and has some upgrade options for lifetime access to recordings.

Wildcard- something that made me laugh-cry

Y’all have to go look through this entire slide.

The one that had me in tears though, was the astrological signs as cats and dogs.

It’s another short + sweet one for y’all this week.

My nieces have been here (and they’re my other TIL, if I’m being honest w/y’all 😉) and leave in a couple days, so I wanna spend as much time as possible with them til then.

~M

I hope your holidays were smooth and that you’re finding ways to connect and recharge despite all the troubling things happening in the world.

For my part, the end-of-year holidays were truncated when my brother-in-law died unexpectedly the day after Christmas. It’s impacted my sister and nieces more than me, and, seeing someone my own age suddenly dead by a health-related surprise was sobering in its own right.

In the midst of this, I’ve shuffled along with little sparkles of joy and delight, as well as a hefty dose of loved ones to keep me going. And with that, here are three things I’m loving right now that are getting me through the days.

Something to bring joy

Okay, so I know we’ve had Richard Simmons here before, but this particular song is worth clicking through to, if you’re of a certain age (and definitely if you’re of that age and from the USA).

My friend in Ohio and I started back up with our FaceTime Richard Simmons mornings, and it’s a bit of a wheel of fortune sort of roll of the dice to see which Richard Simmons video we do. This was one of our more recent ones, and neither of us could make it through this song without laughing.

Our process is simple: at 9 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we FT and do 15-20 min of a video (mostly) together, synced up as best as possible. Having someone to do the video with makes it more fun and more likely that I’ll actually take action. Since uncovering this song, I’ve gone back to it several times on my own, just for the laughter (and endorphins!).

Something to cut through the noise

If you’re following along with any of Trump and Musk’s shenanigans, you know that the onslaught of updates is even worse than last time, both in frequency and in impact. And, that it’s really challenging to discern what’s important to pay attention to, what’s actually happening, and to avoid doomscrolling.

One way I’ve managed to short circuit this is through my friend Avril Korman’s Street Politics group - it’s informative, succinct, and hopeful.

As my friend Sara Mastros described in her most recent newsletter,

“Avril grew up enmeshed in the trenches of NYC democratic politics; she really understands all the gritty, shady reality of how politics works, and is great at explaining it. Avril is who I most trust to stay on top of all the terrible, dig through all the noise, and know what’s important and what’s theatrics to keep plebs like me distracted.

She has a weekly livestream, and moderates a community of smart, educated people…discussing politics, called ‘Street Politics’.”

At $5/month to subscribe, it’s a steal and well-worth the price of admission.

Something to delight you

Lastly, these hand-crafted dollhouse miniatures are absolutely delighting me.

Facebook pushed several groups to my feed (I have no idea how) and I am not mad about it. I love seeing people’s resourcefulness with everyday items that many folks just toss into the bin.

Although I haven’t jumped in myself (yet, hahahahaha), I did find several additional groups and pages to follow so that these gems jump into my feed more often.

It’s a short one this week, folks! Next time we’ll be back to our normal 4-5.

In the meantime, as always, if you find something you’re loving, let me know so I can check it out!

~M

Something for beauty

I've been lucky enough to watch these beautiful ladies as Theresia's drawn them and then turned them into stationary that you can frame as a print or send to a beloved…

There's something magical about them, isn't there?

I immediately claimed one of the prints she had available a few weeks back and I can't wait to order some of the packs of cards so I can mail them to clients.

You can find more info about them here.

Something to make you laugh

I've had this “Gift Guide for People You Hate” saved for a few years now, waiting to share it with y’all. This year feels like the right moment.

If you enjoy satire, this is for you.

Hopefully you're not “of the people grudgingly buying an obligatory and hopefully inexpensive gift for someone they can’t stand.”

PSsssss: If you are, remember— you don't have to!

Something to savor

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the flavor combo of Mint + Chocolate. In fact, my favorite candy bar evvveeerrrrr is the ever-elusive, usually not-in-production Hershey's Cookie 'N’ Mint bar.

My sister may have bought me a full box of them at Wal-Mart one year when they were brought back for a short time. That box lived in my freezer for over a year(!) as I enjoyed them slowly.

But, I've found a frighteningly close runner-up for my fav combo of this flavor profile.

It's the Fannie May Mint Meltaways. One of my friends brought them back for me after a trip to Chicago.

Ya’ll. They are divine. Smooth doesn't begin to capture how silky they feel in your mouth. And the flavor is the perfect balance of mint/chocolate without an overpowering mint or an underwhelming mint. That's HARD to do.

Something to help you relax

Over the past few weeks I've had a few stressful things happening.

Instead of turning to video games, books, food, or movement, I turned to decorating for the winter early.

For the first time ever, I discovered WINDOW CLINGS. And I have to say, I am a convert. They're all over the windows in my home and I'm going to leave them up through a chunk of March, probably.

Here's a picture of the upstairs window at the front of my house:

And here is my back dining room area:

And finally, here's my guest room (which I got ready for my brother who was staying overnight during Thanksgiving week).

I purchased an inordinate amount of these, but I figure that they're good for many years to come. You can find them all over, but the village was hard to find, so I'll share that one with you!

Something to help you slow down

One easy meal that I've been enjoying the past few weeks is homemade wonton soup. I found a discounted bag of pre-made wontons and have been adding them to my own broth. It's a quick meal — the only real waiting time is for the flavors to meld together in the broth.

I've been using a combination of this recipe, this recipe, and this recipe, along with my own add-ins from other sites.

Here's my rough approximation in case you'd like to try:

Pull out chicken stock and pour into pot (I use my own frozen/pre-made, but you can also purchase in store).

Gather the following:

1. soy sauce

2. sesame oil (dark or toasted is great)

3. sriracha

4. salt/ pepper

5. fresh ginger

6. green onions / scallions

Add to broth to taste. For me I had the highest amount of soy sauce, a few swirls of sesame oil, a good squirt of sriracha and a giant chunk of (sliced) ginger. The ginger is an addition from a local Chinese restaurant's recipe.

Adjust each time you make until you land on the perfect combo for your palate.

Bring broth to a boil and add wontons. If desired, add fresh greens (spinach, kale, collards, etc) at the very end.

Although I haven't gotten the recipe to 100%, it's pretty close and I'm really pleased with it.

Wildcard: Something to protect your privacy

Finally, if you're interested in protecting your biometric (and other) data, especially with holiday travel, you'll want to check out this site.

Someone I follow on Instagram created it, and I've found it super helpful. I used the languaging they recommend when I traveled over the summer to and from Italy, to opt out of having my face scanned at Customs and at the airport security line.

Hope your next two weeks have some moments of calm and joy, despite the holiday hustle that's been creeping up on us since October.

~M

Subscribe now

This is a softer collection of Things I'm Loving — but that was how I was feeling when I'd originally selected them back in mid-October(!)

Something for play

If you loved fridge word magnets and you like Cards Against Humanity or Apples To Apples, you might want to check out this cool game:

Ransom Notes

I haven't played it with others yet, but I have used it to get my own creative juices going in the morning.

Thanks to Maggie Piper for putting it on my radar!

Something that might make you cry

I stumbled onto Grave of the Fireflies accidentally and watched it because it was a Studio Ghibli film.

Early on in the movie, I was distracted for a moment, which left me surprised and devastated by the ending (as I missed a key reveal).

The film is based on the short story written by Akiyuki Nosaka; it's a semi-autobiographical story about his experience during the bombing of Kobe in 1945. During that time, his adoptive father, an adoptive sister, and another sister all died.

Although the film was sad, it also was beautiful and tender. It brought into (even sharper) relief the experience of children in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Libya, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

I don't have answers, but I do know that sometime have personalized examples of the impact (anecdotal) are more tangible than words like 100,000 or 2 million or "casualties” versus "dead children, mothers, grandmothers, fathers,” etc.

Something beautiful to watch

About a month ago I saw the Northern Lights FROM MY BACKYARD in Maryland (USA). Experiencing that magic reminded me of this beautiful short film shared with me by Sami Storyteller, Stina Fagertun about 18 months ago.

The film is silent, the animation enchanting, and the story engaging.

Give yourself the gift of 6 minutes to watch and let it fill you up. It tells of the creation of the night sky, the constellations, and the gifts of the animals.

Wildcard: Something to prompt delight

I have no idea where I learned of this site, but maybe it was on Facebook?

The site is in Japanese, but the images need no words. The craftsmanship and skill that must go into creating these works of art is incredible.

Their Instagram account has an abundance of pieces. Here are some of my favorites.

Because this is only coming out a week apart from the previous TIL, I've kept this issue on the shorter side.

I hope that as we head into the end of the year madness, you're able to find things and people who can keep you grounded and energized.

˜Monica

Subscribe now

In the meantime, here are some resources that I’m loving that are anchoring me for the next few weeks and months.

Something for play

Look at these snowflakes made out of paper bags from Kwendy Homes!!!!! Aren’t they incredible?

I love the idea of making snowflakes, maybe while celebrating Candletime (see below) as well. Some calm, cozy creating is just what these colder days and darker times call for.

And, you could even make it a group/communal activity, where you get together with others and make snowflakes.

Something to read

If you’re looking for some extra reading to bolster your understanding and offer some action-taking for the months to come, Haymarket Books are offering 10(!) ebooks for free until Nov 22nd.

I’m especially looking forward to reading Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics and Everything Else, and re-reading How We Get Free.

Have you read any of them? If you have a favorite one, or other book recommendations, let us know in the comments below!

Leave a comment

Something for when you’re looking for community

Yael Dubin is an IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapist who I met a while back when we were both presenters at Ruth Poundwhite’s Soulful Sales Summit.

She’s offering a monthly Inspiration Hour that’s meant for folks who:

“…experienced the results of the 2024 U.S. elections as a blow to their soul. Who are concerned about their own personal safety in a climate of increasing hostility to women, queer folks, and people of color. Who stand to be materially damaged by changes to health care policy, employment laws, and anti-discrimination protections.”

I’m looking forward to connecting with others and seeing how we can support and uplift one another while also organizing against the “Pumpkin Spice Paladine” and all his cronies.

Something to help you slow down

My Facebook friend, Magda Pecsenye, started Candletime to help alleviate the collapsing of November and December.

Here's a brief description of Candletime, from its Facebook page:

“Candletime runs from November 1 through the day before American Thanksgiving (November 22nd this year).

To celebrate, when you come home at night, light some candles (or use electric candles) and sit enjoying the sparkly light while drinking a beverage of your choice. Popular beverage choices include tea, hot cider, cold cider, water, wine, beer, hot cocoa, coffee, soda, and bourbon. Candletime can be celebrated alone or with others, and you can observe as many days of the holiday period as you choose.

You can blow out the candles whenever you want (they don't have to burn down on their own).

There's no website for Candletime, because it's not a commercial holiday!”

If you'd prefer to follow along on Instagram, the page lives here.

Wildcard: Something to prompt delight

I own several of Jennifer Price’s Angels and I’m so excited for her 2025 Angel Calendar, “Til We Free Us”.

Looking to add more delight to your day-to-day? I can’t think of a better calendar than this one, for that.

Okay, well, that’s it for this week (which was planned for last week but took a break to breath-catch post election).

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled posting shortly!

~M

Subscribe now

Do you feel as wiped out as I do? More and more I wonder whether this is our new normal: the ongoing climate crises, wars, covid, election cycle in the US (I’m writing this in early October, although it’ll go out closer to Halloween / Samhain), and more.

I know, late stage capitalism, BUT, still. As I’ve mulled this over, two things have struck me.

1. How incredibly important the moments of joy and delight are, as far as sustaining us and our communities.

2. Perhaps it would make sense to ritually grieve or mourn what won’t be again.

I don’t have more than thoughts at this point, but if I do come up with some type of ritual for #2, I’ll be sure to let you know!

This newsletter definitely feels like one way I can contribute to finding and creating more joy in the world.

So without further delay, here’s this week’s Things I’m Loving.

Something for play

My friend Megan Potter shared this cute little RPG (role playing game) on Facebook a few months back, and I saved it so I could share it here with y’all.

Congrats Cafe is made by Quirky Bird Games and I LOVE the idea behind what they’re doing. The idea is that it’s a game to help you note down daily accomplishments.

When you roll the dice, in conjunction with the PDF (which offers more direction), you find out who you’re conversing with and you have to tell them three things.

Where the magic enters is in who you’re conversing with (dice-dependent). You might be tasked with describing the above to one of 40 different options, including your favorite elementary teacher, a zombie apocalypse survivor, or Levar Burton (!)

They have a Patreon where they make other games and zines.

Something to intrigue you

This is an interesting little video that my friend Charme shared on Facebook a few weeks back. I’m not quite sure what is happening in the video, but the particular combination of lyrics, music, and animation reminds me of Pan’s Labyrinth — the fantastical elements, particularly.

Something I’m loving

While I was sick from COVID in early September, I stumbled onto *Supacell* (which HAS been renewed for a second season, YAY!)

If you haven’t heard of it before, in brief, it’s a superhero show where all of the superheros are black people with family members who have sickle cell anemia. Unlike their family members though, the main characters have a variation on the gene, which gives them their superpowers.

The show takes place in South London and although it’s in many ways an ensemble cast, the main character is Michael, played by Tosin Cole (who you might recognize as Ryan Sinclair, one of Jodi Whittaker’s Dr Who companions).

I moved very quickly through the six episodes that were available and can’t wait for the next season to come out!

Something to make you think

I don’t remember where I first saw this article on DIY pirated medicine, but it caught my attention wherever that was. When I first read the article, it was accessible without creating a free account, but now it’s gated to prevent AI scrapers from grabbing the content.

Here’s a quote from it to give you a taste:

“Crucially, unlike other medical freedom organizations, Four Thieves isn’t suggesting people treat COVID with Ivermectin, isn’t shilling random supplements, and doesn’t have any sort of commercial arm at all. Instead, they are helping people to make their own, identical pirated versions of proven and tested pharmaceuticals by taking the precursor ingredients and performing the chemical reactions to make the medication themselves.”

And this one:

“If the science [of Big Pharma] didn’t work, I wouldn’t care what they fucking charged,” Laufer said. “The point is the science works and people can’t get it. There’s often this ‘good guy, bad guy, black-and-white disconnect that happens in the rhetoric. And I’m like, ‘No, pharmaceutical science is amazing. That’s the whole point.”

Laufer’s point is that the research that goes into making a new drug is hard, but that actually producing some of these medications after they’ve been invented is sometimes easy and inexpensive. Charging astronomical prices to people who are dying is immoral, and Four Thieves seeks to normalize the idea of making some types of medicine yourself.

I’d never thought about making my own prescriptions, but it does seem like a useful skill set to have if things go sideways, or if someone I know has medicine they need that costs $300k+ per year in order to stay alive.

Wildcard - Something for folks who want to help with Hurricane Helene:

Although it’s been a couple weeks since the Hurricane, there is still so much that needs to be restored.

Here’s a living Google Doc that has resources for folks who both want to help and need help. The doc is super organized (you can look things up by county, even!).

That’s it from me for this week!

As always, if you find something you think I’d love, please send it my way!

~M

If you ever come across something you think I’d enjoy, please do pass it along, and maybe it’ll make its way into a future edition.

Something that’s relaxing

My friend Bunny Morgan-Brown shared this YouTube channel with me, and it is SO soothing to watch. I’ve never tried to paint sourdough, but phew could I spend hours watching someone else paint it.

Something to listen to

By the time this issue hits your inbox, we’ll have four episodes of Agatha All Along, which has been a fun watch so far.

“The Ballad of the Witches’ Road (sacred chant version)” from the second episode has vibes similar to many old chanting songs, and the harmonies may remind you of some of the sea shanties that were so popular a few years ago.

I was telling a friend the other day that the songwriting team (who also wrote Frozen’s songs) are today’s version of Alan Menken from the 90s. Everything they write is catchy and engaging, AND, Disney uses them for an array of projects.

Something to make you laugh (and cry!)

I stumbled onto Hunt for the Wilderpeople while watching my friends’ dog a few weeks back. And let me tell you, it’s a gem of a movie.

The movie is about a boy who lands with a family, as a foster, and the journey that ensues. I won’t tell you much more, because it’s so good and SPOILERS (to quote River Song). I laughed so hard watching it, and I also cried at points.

In vibe, it’s similar in some ways to Secondhand Lions, but it’s not at all the same movie. (Also, how the fuck is that movie 21 years old. #garbage).

Something to help the environment

There are so many different ways to show up for the causes that’re important to you.

One thing that AI has brought up for me, is what are the impacts of all the language learning models (and servers associated with them) on power and electricity demand? (I think a conversation about the other ethical implications is important, but I don’t fall into a strictly anti-AI camp, fwiw).

As I grow my own digital footprint across multiple homes (Substack, Patreon, three different websites, to say nothing of the stories that I publish with national publications or my social media platforms), I feel like it’s more important to consider my own electricity consumption.

A while back, Tad Hargrave, from Marketing for Hippies, shared this resource for website hosting that’s more green.

I really appreciate how the price is reasonable and how the service holds multiple accreditations to back up its claim of being eco-hosting. Although I haven’t moved my own sites there yet, I’m strongly considering it.

Wildcard: Something I’m reviewing:

With my new website being live, I’ve been reviewing some old courses I have taken about blog post writing and how to create/write blog posts that are compelling and relevant to your readers/community.

The best one, imo, is Kelly Holmes’ Sticky Blogging Course, which is closed for registration right now, but generally runs once or twice a year. I think it’s due for another live round at some point over the next few months, if you’re curious about it. Here’s an affiliate link for her site and a regular link.

Kelly’s Sticky SEO course is also robust, but it hasn’t been updated yet for 2024, so I wouldn’t recommend purchasing it until she updates it.

**Coming in last minute to add that she sent out at email on Weds (Oct 2nd) and is running a live version of her (very reasonably-priced) workshop Be Binge-Worthy: A workshop for Content Creators (that’s an affiliate link, but if you want a reg link, here it is!). The last day to sign up is Weds October 9th, and the workshop happens on the 10th.**

Hope all those in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying some autumnal vibes! And that those in the Southern Hemisphere are welcoming the early days of spring!

~M

PS: If you live in the United States, you can order four free COVID tests again.

Subscribe now

Last week was the Soulful Sales Summit I’d mentioned in the previous issue.

I loved participating as a speaker this year— my favorite part was a live panel I spoke on where we discussed how to sell in a way that was aligned with our values, energy, and capacity. It gave me lots to chew on!

Unfortunately, I also came down with COVID last week, so I wasn’t able to participate as much as I’d hoped.

Something for play

Found via Maggie Piper

Over the past few years I’ve really started to enjoy building things with my hands. This spring, a lot of that effort went into my garden, but I’ve also built some of those 3d models you can buy of houses or little shops. When I saw this butterfly, I knew I had to save it to share with y’all.

I have several friends who love LEGO models, and others who play with clay. Do you ever build something with your hands? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Something to read

Learning about lead levels in cinnamon powders is not something that I’m loving, but it is information that I’m loving having.

My friend Charme posted this article on FB which you should go check out, especially if you, like me, use a lot of cinnamon in your cooking.

Here’s the Worst:

And here’s the recommended brands:

Something to listen to

Okay, so last month (August) I went to see a performance of Footloose at the Cumberland Theatre and they were amazing. My favorite scene was during the song Holding out for a Hero. If you’ve seen the movie, you might remember this song went with the tractor scene.

Well, let me tell you, it couldn’t have been further from that in this performance! Instead, they had behind screens (as if shadows in a window) people dancing to the song. It definitely had 80s vibes to it, and it filled me up with joy. Since then, the song’s been living in my head.

Here it is so you can check it out:

Something to help you navigate Netflix

While sick, I watched a LOT of Netflix and I stumbled onto this really cool article about how to use the “secret codes” to find certain categories on Netflix.

Maybe you, like me are sick of the algorithm only showing you the same things over and over. Maybe you miss the days of Blockbuster and Erol’s where you could stroll down the aisles and stumble onto amazingness.

These codes can help you replicate that feeling! Look by categories like Sci-Fi, Action Romance, and Classic Western.

If you really wanna go deep, click the link at the bottom of the HuffPost article — there are over 4000 codes(!) listed on the original reference article.

Someone I’m Loving

During my COVID-induced break, I also went on a deep dive into Ben Vereen (if I’m being honest, it’s because songs from Pippin were running through my head). It brought me a few gems that I wanted to share with you.

First, from the original Pippin, where Ben Vereen originated the role of the Leading Player.

Magic to Do (the first 4 minutes are the song — it was the only copy I could find with a clear image. If you want to keep watching, Vereen is masterful acting, not just singing/dancing)

Then, On the Right Track:

…and finally, the Finale

The other Ben Vereen rabbit hole I went down was the Zoobilee Zoo one. If you’re not familiar, the linked Wikipedia article will tell you loads— but the short version is, it was a live action show that had adults dressed up as animal characters. The show only ran live for one year with about 60 or so episodes filmed. However, it lived on in reruns until the late 90s, early 2000s.

Vereen played the town’s mayor, Mayor Ben (the role wasn’t a large one, although it was prominent).

You can see him in the opening Theme Song:

…and the Closing:

Last, but not least, if you’re curious about the show itself, here’s the pilot episode:

And finally, a bonus video I found, of Vereen and Emmanuel Lewis (who played Webster) that just delighted me.

Although it doesn’t fit neatly into the categories above, one thing I’m REALLY loving is my new website!!! It’s a home that’s been in the making for nearly 20 years, and together with some help, we got it up and live in about six weeks!

Enjoy poking around. There’s still more to come, but it’s a great start and I’m really proud of it. ☺️

‘Til next time.
~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

Share

Subscribe now

And… we’re back! Happy September, y’all. Thanks for being here.

Let’s dive right in.

Something to read

My friend, Claire Mahon, is a human rights lawyer who does incredible work in the world, both through her coaching and her consulting. A while back she sent me this article, “More than human rights: What can we learn from trees, animals, and fungi” and I’ve been saving it to share with y’all here.

The article reflects on how human rights might shift/change by incorporating the “humbling” sciences, such as ecology, botany, mycology, etc.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes about this from the article:

I believe that this “ecological turn” poses one of the most potent challenges and offers some of the most promising responses to the shortcomings of human rights concepts and practice. If we are to fully embrace the potential of this paradigm shift, we would do well to follow the lead of the scientific fields that Richard Powers has eloquently called the “humbling sciences”—ecology, botany, ethology, mycology, microbiology, geology, chemistry, and other natural sciences—that are effectively blurring the categorical distinction between humans and non-humans, as well as challenging the anthropocentrism and human supremacism that has dominated fields like human rights.

Something to listen to

I found this song during a deeeeepppp dive into the Ballerina Farm lady (excellent bonus posts on this here, here, and here) after some TikTok folks memified some of the site to the bridge in this song.

I went looking for the song and I absolutely love it, especially especially the bridge. There’s power driving it, moving the story forward and I love it.

PS: I’d love to know— What are some songs that move you? I’m always looking for new recs!

Something to eat

During my time in Italy, the best food I had was some that we ate at our Airbnb.

The meal was simple: fresh mozzarella; Bresaola (a deli meat similar to prosciutto, but even better tasting) underneath arugula topped with slices of fresh parmesan; prosciutto e melone (prosciutto and cantaloupe); and bruschetta.

I decided to replicate it here. And although I cannot get Bresaola easily, I think I did a pretty good job.

I substituted in prosciutto under the arugula and the bruschetta has little slivers of basil from my backyard garden!

Seriously, if you like this type of food, you should try it. Very little prep is needed, salt and pepper to taste. It’s perfect for the final days of hot summer.

Something to make you laugh

Okay. This article is a very niche item, but I had to share, as someone who grew up listening to Christian rock music (and went to multiple concerts).

The substack that posted it shared (with permission) a list from a Facebook post by Phil Snider, a public theologian.

I grew up with a lot of other folks who listened to Christian music. If you’re at all familiar with the bands, the “what it says about you now” will make you laugh and shake your head. 😂

Here are some of my favorite bands from that time (IN NO ORDER):

• Jars of Clay

• DC Talk

• Sixpence None the Richer

• Newsboys

• Jennifer Knapp

• Third Day

• Point of Grace

• Switchfoot

Honorable Mentions: Keith Green, Michael Card, Amy Grant.

And of the list above, my top three would prolly be Jennifer Knapp, DC Talk, and Jars of Clay with Switchfoot close behind.

Something I’m presenting at

Soulful Sales Summit - September 9th-12th

I’m so excited to be participating in Ruth Poundwhite’s Soulful Sales Summit! (affiliate link here; regular link here)

Ruth’s brought together 30+ folks to talk about what soulful sales mean to them. Ruth’s held the summit for 3 years, and although it’s more focused on course creators now, I still find that there’s a lot of useful stuff to listen to.

If you listen live, it’s free, and there are optional upgrade choices that give you access to recordings and more.

I’ll be talking about healthy boundaries and business, heavily informed by Randi Buckley’s Healthy Boundaries for Kind People work. We’ll look at boundaries as values in action and boundaries as a garden. I hope you’ll join us (if it’s relevant for you!)

Support me here (Affiliate link)

Find out more here (Regular link)

I’m so excited that the weather’s cooling down here, finally.

Watch this space for more Things I’m Loving that are connected to cozy fall!!

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

Share

Subscribe now

Man, we are in the hot days of summer, aren’t we. Phew.

July went quickly, and although I’d pre-chosen elements for each of these sections before I left on a two week trip to Italy, I didn’t get the actual paragraphs written until the first week of August.

My assistant is a saint. That’s all I have to say about that.

Something for play

Whether you’re making this for children in your life, or you’re an adult, this is a fun summer activity, especially for hopefully cool(er) evenings.

I love blowing bubbles, especially the iridescence when the light hits the bubbles in the shimmery sort of way.

If you’re not up for making your own bubble solution, consider purchasing a small bottle from a dollar store or grocer.

Something to keep you cool

This popsicle mold was one of my best purchases from last year!

Savoring the cold from frozen popsicles helps soften the outrageous heat waves we’ve been experiencing. (The other day it was 107 F with the heat index / almost 42 C!) I really love how it’s possible to control what I’m ingesting when I make my own popsicles.

The easiest approach I’ve found is to just puree some frozen fruit (I’ve done mango and pineapple both) and add a bit of lemon or lime juice for consistency.

Last year I went bonkers and saved a bunch of popsicle recipes to my Notion library. Up next on my list to try is this hibiscus, watermelon, mint one.

If you make your own popsicles already, do you have any favorite recipes?

Something to cook

Although it might seem counterintuitive to offer a cooking recipe with the heat, I feel like this pizza dough recipe is the sort of thing I could cook on my grill in one of those adaptable pizza ovens.

I was in Italy for a work retreat (a Lunar Witchcraft Retreat, hosted by Tempio di Ara + Giulia Turolla) and only got to eat pizza a couple times. It whet my taste for making more here at home, and I’m hoping that this dough will be the perfect dough for making zucchini pizza! (If you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it!).

Something to watch

I found this documentary on Amazon Prime, and as someone who loves books, it’s a fascinating window into a business I dream of owning some day.

Something to help you slow down

I think I’ve shared this before on here, but it’s worth sharing twice.

If you’re in the United States, Canada, or Australia, consider signing up for Lasagna Love— either as a participant / cook or as a recipient. Lasagna Love attempts to ripple kindness out into the world in local communities. There’s no requirements or hoops to jump through, if you need a lasagna. You can simply request one and they will match you up within a short(ish) time period.

I participated as a recipient a while back, and as a person who lives alone, it was such a (mental and physical) gift to have someone else prepare and take care of a meal for me. I’ve signed up to volunteer / make, but not yet been tapped to bake lasagna!

Wildcard: Some place I’m loving

Halo Quin, storyteller and witch that I met while in Italy, hosts a lovely (free) site on Mighty Networks called The Enchanted Academy, or TEA. It’s a place for re-enchantment and magic and story.

Y’all know how much I love storytelling, and the power of story, so when I learned about the space they’ve created, I signed up, despite my distaste for Mighty Networks 😂. And, I can tell you, it’s been worth sucking up my dislike in exchange for being inside a wonderful space.

Halo shares prompts throughout the week, monthly livestreams, and more. There are options to sign up for a library of self-study programs, as well as more intensive, multi-month classes (there’s one on embodied eros magic coming up this month, for example).

That’s all for now, from me. In the next Things I’m Loving issue, maybe I’ll get to share a bit more about my trip to Italy!

In the meantime, stay cool and hydrated.

~M
Xoxo

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

Share

Subscribe now

In a few days it'll be my birthday, and it still surprises me how time is long and short all at once.

It's hard to believe that a year ago I was getting ready to go to a cabin in Virginia to be with beloveds from my community. One of my friends spearheaded getting me a cake (it was my 40th after all), and she had this beauty made, with inspiration from the site mentioned below under Something to Cultivate Wonder).

In case you were wondering, we did learn that having dried flowers a top a cake with sparkler candles that won't go out may does lead to blowing little fireballs off the cake 😂. Nobody was harmed— we all were laughing too hard!

Something for play

I don't remember where I first saw this, but I think it was on Facebook. I love the whimsy and creativity of Anna's home. May it delight you as well!

Something to make

I love cheeze-its and their cardboard taste. But I don't love the cost, the chemicals, and the wastefulness of the packaging. So this recipe is on my list of things to bake this week.

Although I haven't tried this particular recipe yet, I did make a similar recipe using sourdough discard a few years back. Crispy crackers are surprisingly easy to make and they taste delicious.

Something to listen to

This song is new to me, even though it's not new, per se. I heard it as part of the soundtrack to the new(ish) movie that Anne Hathaway's in where she falls in love with a member of her daughter's favorite boy band.

It's a fun little bop that for me carries something hopeful in it. Especially as the bridge builds, even though the words are sad. It reminds me of the relationships that have passed out of my life for now, but may or may not return.

Something to cultivate wonder

Miss Wondersmith has been a favorite of mine for several years. I love how she courts wonder and delight.

Her website is chock full of recipes and fun projects. I've made several of her cakes, and my 40th birthday cake was inspired by several of hers that I'd seen in the past!

Some of my favs from her site include:

• This pine nut and pistachio olive oil cake

• These rose bath truffles

• This treasure map + gold coins activity

Enjoy!! And if you find something you try out, let us know!

Something I'm loving

If you're of a certain age <ahem, mine roughly> you may have watched an animated X-Men in the '90s. No Power Rangers or Barney for me, thank goodness. I was too old by the time they came out. But X-Men? X-Men hit when I was 9, and hung around through my early teens. I loved Rogue and Storm and Gambit.

Rarely one to watch a brand new thing, I'm pleased that a friend shared the reboot, X-Men '97 with me. The show airs on Disney / Disney+ and the storylines hit just the right amount of nostalgia + craft and newness.

If you're able to access it, I highly highly recommend. I didn't even binge watch it! I watched a few a day because it was that good and I wanted to savor it all.

Wildcard- Something with amazing (food) recipes:

Okay, if you love to cook mediterranean-esque dishes, you have to check out this blog. I pull from her recipes regularly!

That's all for today! If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, happy summer solstice (a day late) and if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, happy winter solstice (possible two days late, with time changes!)

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

Share Stone Soup Stories

Subscribe now

This is a really full one, folks, so buckle up.

I'm experimenting with length, based on whatever else is happening in that season of my life.

June is a full month for my family. Loads of birthdays. Nearly every day of the month(!).

Hope y’all enjoy what I've gathered.

Something I'm loving

This video is giving me so much joy these days. The oddness of it (which echoes the original video/song), the diversity of folks involved, the storytelling they're doing through dance.

Something to read

This article from Science pairs nicely with the one I shared a few issues back around how we build our houses (and could build them to better at cooling, heating, etc).

It discusses recent findings around how to store electricity in cement— which could allow houses, roadways, and more, to store and electricity (like a solar panel) so that cars, homes, etc, can draw power from the "battery."

Such a cool idea.

Something to listen to

I don't remember where or how I found this audio, but it's a short recording of a woman named Belle Stewart, sharing with some researchers about working with doctors before the NHS.

She and her family were travelers, but they mostly stayed in one village. It's a fascinating listen.

Something to help you create

Okay. If you've seen any of my recent TILs, you've seen that I've been doing gardening work!

Here's one of the sites where I found some inspiration. I haven't made the projects, but my favorites (and ones I've set aside to make) are:

The Hose Holder with Pallet Wood

and the Inlay Garden Markers

Do any of the projects scream your name?

Something to watch

I think by the time this issue goes live, this trend will be over, BUT, I wanted to share it with y’all.

Not because of the dancing, but because of the joy/shift that happens with the "parents” when they start to dance.

You can see them go back in time 40 years, in their eyes, in their smiles. They're so present and enjoying themselves. I love it.

Something to help you slow down

Although I don't consider myself a vegan or vegetarian, I've really fallen in love with this website, where the author shares (mostly) Vietnamese recipes that she grew up with (and has tweaked for vegetarian/vegan use).

I found this recipe to pickle radish greens during the spring, and haven't tried it yet, but I'm super excited to give it a go when my radish greens are ready in a couple weeks.

I learned how to (very simply) make pickled radishes several years ago, which makes me think I'll love this recipe too.

Making pickled foods always helps me slow down, if for no other reason than that I have to wait for the food to pickle. 😂

Wildcard - Something I'm mulling over:

I've had this essay saved for a couple years, according to my Notion library.

The questions that Beth shares are thought-provoking and useful ones to sit with.

It gets even juicier when she starts to play with the idea of a business as a garden.

This is my favorite section from those:

a garden has energetic cycles

…from planting seeds in spring and nourishing them through to high summer’s abundance and early autumn’s harvest, to the fading light and slow decay of autumn and winter, and the quiet, dead-looking time of the cold, dark months, when next year’s new life is being incubated, there is a steady, ever-repeating rhythm in a garden. there are times when the most important job is tidying and cleaning, times when it’s feeding, times when it feels impossible to keep on top of all the new growth and ensure everything has space. the work shifts with the seasons. (and don’t forget there are the other plants, the ones that don’t follow the mainstream rhythm, the winter flowering jasmine, the snowdrops, the kale and chard we harvest at midwinter.)

there is no ‘dead’ season, but shifts of energy, outwards and inwards. i want my business to feel this way, for projects to move in cycles, for inward, regenerative time to be as valued as outward, manifestation time

That's all for today!

What all are you finding and loving? Let me know in the comments.

~M

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

The garden, the garden, the garden. That's where I've been. Spending hours outside.

Wanna sneak peek at some of my work? Here are some photos before diving in, and see the very bottom for info about where you can find more!

Something to play

A friend and I have been working for several months on creating notebooks. Although mine aren't live yet, hers are, and I wanted to share them with y’all.

We've accounted for every detail (cream paper because it's higher quality than white), table of contents (so you can track where you wrote things down), and more.

I've ordered some of hers and samples of some of mine, and I've been really pleased with the quality of the notebooks: they're flexible, but sturdy, and if you're into word play, these are perfect for that.

Check out all the options here.

Something to read

This article by Devon Price is insightful and thorough.

I first learned of Devon and their work via Jo VanEvery and this was their first piece that I read. Although I don't have an ADHD diagnosis (and am not pursuing one), several of Devon's points resonate with me.

I love body doubling and co-working times— one of my favorite things to do is host a writing hour every Friday morning. (Interested? Shoot me an email, it's free and open to everyone). The focused time and the others working alongside me makes it much easier to sit down and get the job done, especially when there are so many other things in my home clamoring for my attention (dishes! laundry! three cute and demanding cats! you get the picture).

Here's one of my favorite quotes from the piece:

”It’s odd that having a strong social motivation is considered a pathology at all, when we consider that nearly all of us are social animals.

The majority of humans throughout history have lived, worked, cooked, cleaned, gathered resources, and played together, feeding off of one another’s energy and encouragement, the natural movements of their lives lending structure to each other’s days. 

Being observed makes all human beings more productive, and collaborating on a task improves focus, motivation, and performance for nearly everyone. When people feel that they are a valued member of a team, they do more and actually enjoy their efforts, plus they’re just happier in general, because of the company; when we toil alone, we often feel work is meaningless.

And since our lives as humans center around our relationships, a life of nothing but isolated work is a meaningless one in a very real way.”

Something to make

An early spring plant (perennial in many areas) are chive blossoms.

Chive blossoms look like little dandelion puff balls, but are usually purple(ish). They're edible— you can add them to salads for a colorful touch and a slightly peppery flavor.

A new recipe I found that I'm going to try out this week is this Chive Blossom Vinegar.

It's super easy and I love the deep purple you're left with after the blossoms infuse the vinegar.

Something to watch

I dunno if you grew up watching ice-skating, but for my family, it was a looked-forward to event every time our local tv station aired a competition.

Recently, Ilia Malinin competed at the World Figure Skating Championship, and became the first skater to complete 6 quadruple jumps in one competition.

I initially watched this with commentators, and their awe and excitement was palpable. Watching it now reminds me of the wonder and possibility I felt as a child when I watched figure skating.

Something to help you slow down

Ursula Le Guin is one of my favorite authors. A while back, I saw this shared and I've saved it to return to when I want to remember to hope. May it bring you some hope today.

Initiation Song from the Finders' Lodge

“Please bring strange things.
Please come bringing new things.
Let very old things come into your hands.
Let what you do not know come into your eyes.
Let desert sand harden your feet.
Let the arch of your feet be the mountains.
Let the paths of your fingertips be your maps
And the ways you go be the lines of your palms.
Let there be deep snow in your inbreathing
And your outbreath be the shining of ice.
May your mouth contain the shapes of strange words.
May you smell food cooking you have not eaten.
May the spring of a foreign river be your navel.
May your soul be at home where there are no houses.
Walk carefully, well-loved one,
Walk mindfully, well-loved one,
Walk fearlessly, well-loved one.
Return with us, return to us,
Be always coming home.”

— Ursula K. Le Guin

For an extra special treat, listen to her read it here.

Wildcard: Something to fill your heart with beauty

I discovered Pottery Witch on Instagram— and her work is just beautiful and whimsical. Here's her website.

Although I don't own one of her mugs, it's fun to see what she restocks each time (& immediately sells out!) Enjoy!

Y’all, this spring I have spent hundreds (thousands?) of hours working in my garden.

Although I'm not going to fill this space with that, if you're curious feel free to check out my Patreon, where I'm sharing photo prompts connected to the process, as well as a video (!) update of how it's turned out!

— Monica

That’s all from me for this week!

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

Did any of y’all see the eclipse in its totality this past week? I did! The three minutes that the sun was hiding was incredible.

Here’s a shot that one of the folks on my trip took:

A total solar eclipse is definitely a Thing I’m Loving this week.

Something for learning

One of the things I’ve been slowly working on is turning my front and back lawns into a pollinator haven.

Here’s a resource I’ve found really helpful!

If you’re in the mid-atlantic part of the United States, take a look at it! And if you’re not, see if you can uncover what some of your native plants are. 😊

Something to read

I first read Laura Zam’s The Pleasure Principle about 18 months ago. The book is part memoir, part self-help and a whole lot of amazingness.

Looking to add more pleasure to your life? This book can help. Experiencing painful sex or having a hard time connecting intimately with partners? Laura’s story is one you should read.

When I was in my late 20s, I spent quite some time reading books about healing sexual trauma— I wish I’d had something like this then to help me hear from someone with a similar experience.

Something to listen to

Rachel and I met right before the pandemic began— she was one of my editors (and one of the best editors I’ve ever worked for, to boot!).

In addition to being a talented writer and editor, Rachel’s also a singer-songwriter. When I heard her new release, I knew I had to share it with y’all!

Wildcard - Something I'm loving

Ok, if y’all didn’t grow up with Richard Simmons “Sweating to the Oldies”, did you really live? Or, maybe you just didn’t have a parent who was obsessed with weight loss. I remember doing these videos when I was 12 or so (!!!) with my mom at 5 in the morning, before my brothers and sisters got up for the day.

Even though I don’t love the behavior (looking back), it’s still a really lovely memory I have with my mom. Richard Simmons just seems like such a kind and cheery soul. When I need a pick me up, I’ll find a video of his, like this one below, and do 5 minutes along with him. It’s hard to stay in a bad mood with his encouraging smile beaming from the screen.

I’m wiped from the eclipse, y’all, so I kept it short!

Next issue we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled length.

~M

That’s all from me for this week!

If this little collection of things brought you a moment of joy, consider subscribing — free or paid. Paid support helps me keep this table set and the pantry stocked. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

Subscribe now