Happy Friday! I hope youβve all had a good week.
On Wednesday, I closed up my vintage shop after eighteen months of small business-ing at Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors. It was so, so fun and also so, so time. The location was just a bit too far for me to manage weekly trips (about 35 minutes north of the city) and since we donβt even know if weβll be staying in metro Atlanta after we move it just made sense to say adios.
Iβm proud of all I accomplished there, even with the constraints on my time, and the shop netted more than $6,000 in profit during that year and a half. Not too shabby for a half-size booth that rarely sold anything larger than a big frame. (My two large furniture items only sold two weeks ago once everything was marked down to 75% off π.)
Now itβs time to turn my attention to other important things, like my still-unfinished novel edits and researching which movers will pack, move, and unload all our shit for less than the cost of that eighteen-month salary.
Wish me luck! Have a lovely weekend, friends.
Word of the Week
Axwaddler: (n.) Someone who likes to sit by the fire.
Point #1: ββ¦in order to embrace the MAGA movement
you cannot allow anyone to enjoy being alive.β
Oh no, we donβt mind insurrections and actual physical threats to democracy. But a happy famous couple? Must be a leftist plant to destroy the nation!
Point #2: Really Very Crunchy wrote a book!
If you donβt know about Emily Morrow of Really Very Crunchy, you should. The creator behind the wildly popular and hilarious account of a mom whoβs so crunchy she even espouses the danger of essential oils has penned her first book and itβs available for pre-order! Not only is she funny as hell (this one felt personal), but sheβs also got lots of science-based, real-world information for those of us who want to live more toxin-free and donβt know how to start.
Point #3: βYouβre nobodyβs better half. Youβre already whole.β
We canβt afford to neglect the gifts of our single brothers and sisters or make space for them to be honored as reflections of the Gospel. This beautiful conversation between Annie F. Downs and David Platt is so important, and my friend MaryB. Safrit (who is the source of the above quote) is my favorite person to learn from on this topic. Check them out!
Point #4: Sometimes writing is hell.
I laughed. I cried. I wrote a book and cried some more. This post from shows exactly what it feels like to be a writer these days!
Bonus Point: Itβs so hard to pick a favorite.
The best YouTube short Iβve ever seen.
No-Buy Year Receipts
If youβre new to these parts, hello! π Iβm doing a no-buy year for 2024 and sharing the journey with periodic updates via this newsletter and longer posts you can read here.
That black dress? A grand total of $7.94, plus tax.
I havenβt worn it yet because it still needs to go in the wash, but Iβve already pinned ideas for how to style it for a day of writing at the coffee shop. (Only on Mondays, of course.) Aesthetics!
I also grabbed coffee for me and Pierce one day (not using points) which was $9.13. I totally see why outside coffee on the regular is such a bad idea. I used to gloss over the cost because it was from my spending account, but honestly. Nine dollars for two coffees? And they werenβt even lattes? Get a grip, Starbucks. Youβre drunk.
Total: $17.07
Iβm wondering how much harder all of this is going to get when we move. Iβm pretty sure weβll be downsizing, wherever we go, so weβll have plenty of items to choose from in terms of furniture and decor. Maybe Iβll draw out some room ideas with various configurations based on what we have so that the temptation to buy new stuff will be nil. Or maybe not.
Iβm also in the process of building a late winter/early spring capsule wardrobe. I havenβt been feeling great in my clothes lately, and that βnothing to wearβ mindset is what often leads me back to the thrift store. If anyone has ever done a capsule wardrobe, lend me your tips and tricks! ππΌ
Reading in The Nook
I finished The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard and it was okay. The βtwistβ is super obvious from the first book, but it takes until the latter third of the second book to be revealed. Thereβs also a lot of telling instead of showing, which I hate. (And inexplicable teeth clacking?! Why is this a thing??) Again, the plot is fun, but the main character is dry as cardboard. Iβm still reading the last book when it comes out, though, because I want to see how this all ends.
I also checked out To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Watters on my Kindle this week, which Iβm super excited to read. All the novels in the series are one-offs, so you can read them in any order. I read the second one To Love and to Loathe last year (which I loaned out and never got back!) and it was so much fun, like a mixture of Bridgerton and The Hating Game. *chefβs kiss*
What are you reading this week? ππΌ
(All book links are affiliates. You can shop my fave reads on Bookshop here!)
βCrying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive.β
βCharlotte Bronteβ
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My only tip for the capsule wardrobe is that everything you own should match - or as a minimum, match 2-3 other things, so that when stuff is in the laundry you arenβt out of luck :) Iβm still working on it, but moving in this direction has been hugely helpful for me!