Power Nap #99
Maine has ruined me / Nate's book reviews! / a sibling answered prayer / Jess makes a bangin' trifle
Hello from Maine!! (and an answered sibling prayer)
Last September, when it was still 90 degrees outside, and instagram was serving me ads for sweaters, and the mosquitos had once again wreaked havoc on Alberta, and my summer blues were at an all time high, Nate and I booked a house in Maine for a few weeks in July. It felt so far away. Eleven months away! But I told Nate, “We have to do this while we’re really feeling the heat, or we’ll never book it.”
Well, in the few short days we’ve been here, Maine has ruined me. I am sure someone from Maine would come to Charleston in January and go, “This!?!?! This is your winter?!?” and that is exactly how I feel about this “summer” I’m experiencing. I’m wearing a sweatshirt in the morning. I’m drinking hot coffee without breaking a sweat. My kids are spending time outside. We have yet to see a mosquito.
I texted my friends and said, “I’m pretty sure that 99% of my moodiness and issues are weather-related. Maine has solved all of my problems.”
Obviously, this is dramatic. But I am genuinely so grateful to be here.
Something I love about living in our neighborhood is that our kids have tons of friends to play with. Ninety percent of the time, this is a pro. The only con I’ve noticed is that Scout has created her own little group of neighborhood friends, and I’ve watched how this affects her relationship with Millie. Scout and Millie are the closest in age, yet they are very different. They don’t naturally play super well together — Scout prefers her neighborhood friends, and Millie prefers to play with Alberta.
A groaning in my heart for this trip was that the kids, especially Scout and Millie, would enjoy being together, and in a few shorts days I have seen that prayer being answered. I don’t have a ton of wisdom for cultivating friendships among sisters (I welcome any advice in the comments), but I have noticed that something really good happens when we travel as a family — just the six of us. When the kids have to rely on each other for friendship.
In Case You Missed It
This is an easy snack I am loving with a Trader Joe’s cult following cheese dip.
This is me 30 minutes before we leave for vacation. The equivalent of men cutting their nails or trimming the trees. Anybody else?!
Here’s how a botched reservation became one of the most fun memories!
This is one of the few things I bought on Prime Day and had shipped to our Airbnb in Maine. I finally understand the hype. Will report back more soon, but I can already feel it in my butt and legs. (I went with 8 lbs. and glad I didn’t go heavier to start.)
These soft strap goggles are a family favorite from last year and we grabbed more on Prime Day. All the ones with a rubber strap pull the girls’ hair! Also you can’t beat the price which is important because my kids lose goggles. If you find yourself constantly down a pair, I highly suggest grabbing a 2-pack.
“If you were allowed one wish for your child, seriously consider wishing him or her optimism. Optimists are normally cheerful and happy, and therefore popular; they are resilient in adapting to failures and hardships, their chances of clinical depression are reduced, their immune system is stronger, they take better care of their health, they feel healthier than others and are in fact likely to live longer.”
— Daniel Kahneman
(Note from Kate: Do you agree with this?! I wanna hear in the comments!)
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Nate’s Book Reviews
11/22/1963 by Stephen King — Not a typical Stephen King book in that it is not scary. It's about a man living in Maine in 2011 who, with the help of a friend, finds a way to go back in time. He decides to use the power to try and stop the assassination of JFK and set the USA on a better course to avoid Vietnam, MLK Jr. assassination, etc. The beginning and the ending had me engrossed. It did get a bit long in places in the middle.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss — Book 1 of 2. Reread (read this probably 10 years ago and was highly recommended at the time). It's the story of a gifted but orphaned street urchin who becomes a master of magic, music, and myth, navigating a world of danger, secrets, and destiny. I don't read a ton of fantasy but this one is very good. There used to be a rumor it was being made into a movie with Lin Manuel doing the music (the protagonist is a lute player). One can hope.
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu -- I told ChatGPT some books I like and then asked it what I should read. This is what it said. It's a collection of short stories with a general sci-fi bent. I would say I liked it, but didn't love it. Ted Chiang is better. Some of my favorite short stories in this collection: State Change and The Regular.
The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci -- Total mindless page turner. But those are good from time to time. Here is the plot: a former Army Ranger takes the 6:20 a.m. train every day into Manhattan to work at a high-powered investment firm. But when a coworker is found dead under suspicious circumstances, he is pulled into a web of corporate corruption, government secrets, and deadly conspiracies. As the mystery unfolds, his military background resurfaces, and it's clear that his job on Wall Street isn’t just about crunching numbers—it’s part of something much bigger and more dangerous.
Post-Impressionists Masterworks by Samuel Raybone — Features work by Cezanne, Gauguin, Manet, Seurat, Van Gogh, and others. Very basic overview of their philosophies and lives. Sort of hard to follow in parts (the parts about painting styles). Favorite works:
Things We Devoured
Lemon Berry Trifle by Sally’s Baking Addiction
Jess here. I made this for a baby shower we hosted last weekend and when I tell you not one crumb was left, people were literally scraping the bowl clean. Granted, I did only make one cake for nearly 80 people (oops) but it did get rave reviews! The beauty is that it’s semi-homemade. I bought the angel food cake from the store (it was supposed to be lemon pound cake but I searched 3 grocery stores to no avail) then made the whipped cream and whipped lemon cream custard with my mixer. It was the perfect summer dessert and I will be definitely be making it again!
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Hi!! Can you please make a Maine post about your itinerary, where you went, what you ate etc. Would love to plan a family trip!!
I am one of 4 sisters and we are all very close as adults! We’ve asked my parents how they helped cultivate this and they ALWAYS mention travel. When we had to rely on one another to be playmates, we became closer. Traveling also gives you shared stories and inside jokes. We still laugh about funny stories from traveling as teenagers! (And we still love to travel together.) I feel like this answer comes from a place of privilege (my mom stayed home, my dad could afford to send us on trips and take off time to come…), but I think replicating that at home is helpful too! Having “stay at home” days where the kids just play with their siblings, going to the zoo/splash pad/park with just siblings… just some thoughts. I also tell my kids all the time that they are each others greatest blessings and best friends. Gotta brainwash them a little 😉