A Few Fun Things

Including the first look at our blue beach bedroom, a great beach read, a big fashion trend this spring, and three reader comments

Hi friend. Happy Saturday! How was your week?

We’ve been at the beach for the last six days, and I have to say, I’m not ready to leave it yet. Neither is any other member of our family. This little (and I do mean little—it’s only 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms) beach shack has our heart, and the way we do life down here is so much different than it is back home. Sure, we still are constantly working on it and updating it because it’s almost 100 years old and we’re still just not quite finished with it yet, but still, life is slower down here.

We spend our days walking to the beach, watching the kids play in the water and make sand castles. The beach seems to be the one place where all three of them get along perfectly and play so well together. There are hardly any arguments or disagreements because, well, salty air and water are two things they all agree are good for the soul and nourishment of their well-being. I wrote a little more about these feelings in this blog post, if you want to check it out.

In other news, here is this week’s YouTube video, where we sit down and answer 10 questions MORE we’ve never answered before! This is part 2, and be sure to catch part 1 if you missed it.

If you’re up for it, please give this newsletter issue a little heart, because it would make our day and it also helps other people discover Okay McKay. Thanks, y’all!

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TUESDAY’S ISSUE

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Okay! Here are a few fun things from the week.

Our Blue Beach Bedroom

PJ’s had his eye on this specific color combo for a while, and finally got to execute his decision in our bedroom at the beach shack. It’s light blue on the walls and a darker, moodier blue on the trim and ceiling. We were SO skeptical about it at first, changing our minds at least three times during the painting process, but I am so happy we stuck to our guts and saw the vision through. We both LOVE it and agree it has a lot more character than our previous all-white room did. We just put the curtains up a midnight last night (and took the plastic off the lamp shades), so this photo is a little bit out of date, but I’ll post the finished room in next week’s newsletter. We love the way it turned out!

Baggy Is In This Spring

Wide legged pants are a big trend this spring, and these baggy cotton pants from Abercrombie are the only pair of paints I brought to the beach (we packed light this trip!). They’re so convenient, go with everything, and a little nautical, which feels just about perfect for a little beach vacation.

Why Movies Just Don’t Feel “Real” Anymore

I found this video fascinating. It explains in great detail what many of us probably feel while watching modern movies, but just didn’t have the words for. It explores perceptual realism, indexicality, haptic visuality, and cinematic qualia, comparing the way older movies looked to today’s, and how the older ones looked more believable since movies made today rely too heavily on digital cameras and visual effects. Interesting stuff!

A Timely Beach Read

I ordered Once Upon a Time, the biography on Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, two years ago when it came out and loved it, and with the tv series Love Story out right now, I thought it would be a great time to link it again in case you want a new beach read as we head into the warmer seasons. It’s a beautiful deep dive into this mysterious, captivating woman, and you’ll learn more from this book than you ever would a tv show.

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PJandThomas.com

1. These Are the Good Ole’ Days

2. The $14 Upgrade That Made These Facebook Marketplace Nightstands Look Better

3. We Cleaned Out Our Refrigerator for the First Time in Years(!). Here’s How to Do It Properly

4. Burping Your House: What It Is and Why You Should Try It

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EJ, on Am I Expecting Too Much from My Husband?, says: “If my husband tried to be my therapist, financial planner, and porn star all in the same day, I’d probably recommend a nap.”

Rebecca, on Am I Expecting Too Much from My Husband?, says: “You need to, as a couple, form 100%. This doesn’t always look like 50/50. Some days may be more like 60/40 or 80/20. That’s important to remember.”

Daniel, on A Few Fun Things, says: “I often think of either my late mom or my late grandmother (my dad’s mom) when I’m in the kitchen. My mom was no fan of cooking — my dad, an engineer, loved cooking, not my mom — but she enjoyed making coffee and puttering. She also had the very, very curious habit of talking to utensils and food — sometimes — when she was in the kitchen.

“Come on… boil. I don’t have all day!” (Said to the water in a pot she was waiting to boil.)

“Where are you? You were here just a minute ago. Now… where did you get off to? You’re always someplace you shouldn’t be! I never saw the likes of it! One minute you’re here… and the next minute you’re gone!” (Said to a wooden spoon she couldn’t find and/or had misplaced.)

“Oh, my! Don’t you look good. Now you’ll just stay here till I make some coffee.” (Said to a cake she was frosting carefully on the kitchen table for dinner later on.)

Perhaps this is why I have such fondness for a wooden spoon in any kitchen. If my mother were around, I know that — sooner or later — she’d start having a conversation with that wooden spoon.”

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What about you? What have you been up to recently? xoxo
PS: last week’s fun things

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