I tend to have a big to-do list every weekend. I’m usually too ambitious and want to clean every square inch of the house, try a bunch of new experiments in the kitchen – oh and then deep clean the kitchen after that, and have a little family time too. And, most weekends… I get a little overwhelmed with the size of the list. Sometimes I sit and stare at it, unsure where to begin. It keeps happening though – as if I’m meant to learn the same lesson over and over until it sticks: “Oh right,...

This summer we lived through a kitchen remodel. We crammed our kitchen into dozens of boxes and built a temporary setup on a small IKEA table kitchen near the front door. It was exciting to see progress and challenging to live without a real sense of place. I don’t offer this as a complaint. I’m overjoyed we get to transform our home. At the same time, it's essential context: there was just a low hum of stress in our house for months. This was a summer of disruption. Disruption is neither...

In my last newsletter in May, I said: “I’ll be taking a break from the weekly newsletter this summer, giving myself time to recharge and focus on a few projects I’m excited to share with you this fall.” And I meant it. There was indeed a plan. Actually, it was more than a plan. Things were in motion. Things I was excited about. In fact, I was certain this plan was the right plan. And, then, none of it happened. None of it. What happened? In a word: perspective. The first two weeks of summer,...