Can I tell you something I've been thinking about lately? We spend an awful lot of time preparing for special occasions and not nearly enough time enjoying the perfectly ordinary days that make up most of our lives. We save the good candles for company. The pretty dishes for holidays. The recipes we really want to make for a dinner party that isn't even on the calendar yet. And in the meantime, all these perfectly lovely Tuesday evenings are waiting for us to enjoy. I think that's where the...
3 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit! Happy October, Friend! Welcome to October at Chez Sweetpea! π This month, we're embracing cozy candles, comfort cooking, and a little bit of everyday luxury. And before you start thinking you need to buy something, redecorate your house, or completely overhaul your routine, let me tell you something. The most luxurious thing you can have is a home you actually enjoy living in. β¨ One where you light the good candles on a Tuesday. β¨ Where dinner is something you look...
7 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Sweetpeaβ¦ Butter bean... Snookey Ookums.. October starts Thursday. THURSDAY. How?! π September has been our month of coming home. We've gotten back into our routines. We've cooked dinner. We've talked about making our houses the place to be. We've gathered people. We've made Game Day count as dinner. We've practiced taking care of Future Us. And now? We're ready for October. Not because everything is perfectly organized. Not because the freezer is empty and waiting. Not because we've...
10 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
I think one of the nicest things we can do for ourselves this time of year is notice the season we're actually in. Not the one coming next. Not the holiday we're preparing for. Not the weather we wish we were having. π Right now. Late September. The light is changing. The evenings are getting shorter. The produce at the market is shifting. The house starts asking for lamps instead of overhead lights a little earlier. And even though we've started talking about preparing for the holidays...
14 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Okay, Sweetpea. Darling. Angel of mine. I've made us a plan. Last Thursday, I asked you to think about the things that make the holidays harder than they need to be. The overflowing freezer. The guest room that's become a holding zone. The weeknight dinners that completely fall apart in December. The Thanksgiving dishes we KNOW could have been made ahead. The gifts with nowhere to hide. The seventeen things we suddenly remember need doing at the exact same time. And I told you I've been...
17 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
I have a question for you: What could you do now that would make November You want to reach back through time and kiss you on the mouth? π I'm serious. Because somewhere around the middle of September, I start noticing something. The calendar isn't exactly busy yet. But I can see it coming. October will arrive. Then somehow we'll blink, and it's November. Then there are approximately seventeen things happening every weekend, someone needs you to bring an appetizer, the grocery store is out of...
21 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
I would like to officially declare something: Game Day counts as dinner. There. I said it. You do not need to make a βreal mealβ after everyone has spent the afternoon standing around the kitchen island eating chicken wings, chips and dip, little sandwiches, and approximately 47 bites of something cheesy. That WAS dinner. π And frankly? Some of my favorite meals look exactly like that. A table full of little things. Everybody reaching for something. Someone standing in the kitchen eating...
24 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
I have a September assignment for all of us: Make your house the place to be. Not the fanciest place to be. Not the cleanest. Not the place with the biggest kitchen or the prettiest dining room or the most impressive menu. The place where people walk in and immediately think, Oh, good. I'm here. THAT place. Because I think sometimes we make gathering at home so much bigger than it needs to be. We wait until we have the right table. The right dishes. A free Saturday to clean every baseboard. A...
28 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
I have a question for you this Monday: What can you do today that Thursday You will be ridiculously grateful for? Not December You. Not someday-when-you-finally-get-your-life-together You. Thursday You. She's close enough that we actually know what she might need. Maybe she'll be tired. Maybe the week will have gone sideways. Maybe she'll open the refrigerator at 5:30 PM and desperately hope someone in there has a plan. And this is where one of my favorite parts of my Holistic Hosting System...
about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 3 min read