Saturday Morning R.E.P.O.R.T.

An exceptionally funny book, 3 simple recipes, and the best TikTok I've ever seen.

Greetings from a cloudy day in South Harlem and welcome to the first installment of the Saturday Morning Report! I’ve seen this format on a few different newsletters that I subscribe to and I like the structure it lends to a weekly update. Here are the categories:

R - Reading

E - Eating

P - Playing

O - Organizing. Most folks use the word “Obsessing” for the letter “O,” but since I don’t love that word and I’ve always longed to be a more organized person, I thought I would use this as an opportunity to strengthen my organizational skills!

R - Recommending

T - Treating or Thinking

Let’s give this a go!

Reading…The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I absolutely loved it. Our protagonist, Pheobe, has hit rock bottom and checks into the fancy Cornwall Inn with morbid plans for her stay. The twist is that she’s the only hotel guest who isn’t there for a massive wedding taking place. Pheobe runs into the bride on an elevator and the story unfolds with awkward, hilarious, and tender conversations. Alison Espach has somehow written a story that feels real and absurd at the same time, which is so satisfying because that’s, well, life! I would categorize this book under “Compelling Beach Read.” It’s thought-provoking yet easy to read.

Eating…Brocc’s Recipes! Every once in awhile, Austin and I go through a “Brocc” phase. “Brocc Your Body” is the brand name for home-cook and recipe developer, Carissa Stanton. Her recipes are simple and nutritious. Her website is really fun (she even has a category called “Trader Joes Meals”!!) and her cookbook just arrived in the mail. She also writes Substack called The Stalk! Three recipes we’re excited to repeat:

Fall Turkey Skillet - autumn in a dish!

Shrimp Sesame Noodles - these noodles are so stinkin FUN.

Pesto Chicken Pasta - our favorite! It’s packed with flavor and easy to assemble.

This is Carissa, aka “Brocc.”

Playing…JP Cooper! Austin and I went to our first concert together this week. Neither of us are huge concert people but if I have a seat and a clear view of the performer, I’m open to it. We drove to Ardmore, PA to see the wonderful JP Cooper, an English musician who holds a special place in our hearts. If you aren’t familiar with JP’s music, I would recommend starting with “In the Silence,” “We Cry,” and “Waiting On a Blue Sky.” He genuinely seems like the kindest person and he writes beautiful, soulful music. Here is a short snippet of him singing a cover of “I’m Walking On Sunshine.”

Organizing…my closet! Good grief almighty, my closet. I’m stressed just thinking about it. It stays tidy for approximately two days and getting dressed is oftentimes overwhelming because I feel insecure and unclear on my sense of style. This led me to Allison Bornstein’s book Wear It Well: Reclaim your Closet and Rediscover the Joy of Getting Dressed. The first step in her book is to befriend your closet and it starts with a ritual: she asks us to sit in front of our closet, close our eyes, and jot down whatever thoughts pop up. Eek! She also has a closet editing system that I’m excited to learn, as well as a “Three Word Method” to defining your style, so this will be the theme of my weekly “O” for awhile!

Recommending…this video of Kate Forster reading one of her short essays. It’s about 5 minutes long and worth every second of your time.

Treating…myself to dirty chai lattes from Bluestone Lane. So…this is actually huge news. Really big stuff going on here in Alexa’s world. I can finally drink coffee without feeling nauseous! An iced, oat-milk chai latte with ONE shot of espresso (not two…) from Bluestone Lane is quite delicious and doesn’t upset my stomach. The experience of walking down 5th Ave with my Honey girl, listening to the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, sipping on my sweet coffee drink? Such a treat.

The magic of September — blue skies and sweatshirt weather.

Okay y’all. What’s something on your weekly report? I’d really love to know!

Hope you have a lovely weekend and thank you (always) for reading.

xo
Alexa