A Few Good Things

How PJ saved the day, fart walks (seriously), and the most beautiful kitchen I've ever seen

Hello from Ocoee Farm! And happy Friday. How was your week?

This week felt like one of those weeks where every day arrived before I was ready for it. The house was a disaster and hadn’t been cleaned in idk how long (I feel shame). The calendar filled itself without me even knowing it. Dinner had to be made (yet again, ugh). And somehow, despite being an adult for many, many years now, I’m still surprised by how relentless life can feel sometimes.

But I’ve also learned, very slowly, that life isn’t a checklist to check off and it isn’t meant to be conquered. It’s meant to be lived. There will always be another task, another email, and another thing to organize. There will always be ups and downs. The trick is finding small pockets of joy in the middle of it all. A good cup of coffee. A conversation on the porch. A dog stretched out in a sunny spot on the floor. Maybe even a newsletter waiting in your inbox ;). Those little things don’t solve everything, but they do make the whole thing feel a lot sweeter.

Hope you have a magical weekend, and here are a few good things from the week.

1. Fart Walks

I know, the name is atrocious. But it’s so accurate. Here’s the gist: after dinner, you walk around your neighborhood, or wherever, usually for about 10 to 20 minutes, to walk off dinner and help digest your food properly. We’ve gotten into them recently out here at the farm as the sun has gone down, and they’ve become one of our favorite parts of the day. By then it’s cooler out, the kids ride their bikes, I usually have a glass of wine in hand, and Adeline is running through the pasture as we talk about where we want to build a future farmhouse just over the hill. It’s total bliss. I highly recommend taking a fart walk after dinner every now and then.

2. Homemade Pasta

Last night, the whole family got a taste for fettuccine Alfredo, so I went to the store to get all the ingredients. When I pulled into the driveway of Holiday House 45 minutes later, my heart sank. I FORGOT THE PASTA. How does that happen? I literally thought of everything else, including THREE different kinds of ice cream. I almost started crying as I got back into the car to head back to the store when PJ said, “Why don't we just make our own pasta?” We’ve never done that before, but he thought, how hard could it be? We had all the ingredients, so he asked Alexa for a simple recipe and got straight to work on them while I made the sauce. And you know what? They turned out delicious! Sure, it took more time, but it was a perfect example of our different personalities. My first thought was to wallow and go all the way back to the store, while PJ’s was to make the best out of the current situation and find a simple solution to the problem. He’s so good about when life hands him lemons, he makes the best damn lemonade you’ve ever tasted. Thank goodness for him. I couldn’t do all of this alone.

3. I Will Find You

I’m sure you’re already watching this, since it’s been number one on Netflix all week, but just in case you’re not, you’re in for a treat. Based on Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name, I Will Find You is about a man, Sam Worthington, who was wrongly accused of, and imprisoned for, killing his son. When he receives new evidence that his son might still be alive, he breaks out of prison to prove his innocence. We’re only on episode two, so no spoilers, but omg it’s so thriller so far! We’re hooked.

4. The Most Beautiful Kitchen Ever

I have a thing for beautiful kitchens, especially the kind that aren’t just white cabinets and look like every other kitchen online. This kitchen is very much that. I love the contrast between the dark wood and the light counters, and the industrial faucet feels very fun and different against the more earthy elements of the room. And then of course, everything else about the room! The huge windows! The vintage sink! All the subway tile! The pot rack! The built-in fridge! I just can’t get over it.

This gorgeous kitchen was designed by Studio Allen Architects.

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Everything we own and love is on sale for Prime Day!

Today is the LAST day of Prime Day, and soooo many items we own and love are on major sale!!! We linked everything in one big convenient list for you, and you can shop them all right here, if you want!

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Tuesday’s Letter

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If you want to start receiving emails for Keep & Delete, our daily journal, you can do so by following the instructions below:

1. Go to your Substack account

2. Click on the publication you want to subscribe to (Okay McKay)

3. Click Manage Subscription

4. Find the Subscriptions section

5. Slide the toggle next to each section you want to receive notifications about (Keep & Delete)

6. Save your changes

If you want to see all the Keep & Delete’s so far, you can tap the link below. We also end each one by asking you to share your own Keep & Delete for the day, if you feel up to it.

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

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