The Weekend Edit No. 10

5 things we did at the farm on fall break, plus there's still time to enter our giveaway and get a yearly discount!

Dear reader,

Happy Friday! How was your week? We’re still at the farm which has been lovely, but if I’m being honest, a part of me is kind of ready to go back home and settle in before the kids start back school next week. It was their fall break this week, and while vacation is wonderful (and fun and relaxing and amazing and, and, and), is there anything better than sleeping in your own bed?

On the plus side, PJ has gotten SO much work done on the outside of Holiday House and he completely redid the front landscape (more on that below). I can’t wait for you to see it. We filmed a lot of it for an upcoming YouTube vlog, so be on the lookout for that soon.

It’s finally starting to feel like fall outside. We turned the heat on at Holiday House for the first time ever this week and the smell of it instantly brought me back to my childhood when we would turn the heat on for the first time all year and my mom would say, “Doesn’t it smell so good?” And now we both say that to our kids and they’re just kind of like, “Um, sure.” But it does! And we love it! It’s the little things in life, isn’t it?

In other news, we’re still offering 30% off a year’s subscription to Okay McKay now through Tuesday 10/15!

If you’re an existing subscriber and want to take advantage of the discount, my contact at Substack said you will have to cancel your subscription and resign up with the 30% off discount, as they have no way to refund the money you’ve already paid towards a subscription. I do apologize for any inconvenience!

Our one-year birthday giveaway is also still going until Tuesday!

We’re doing a giveaway of some of our favorite things and to enter, just comment on this post and that’s it! The giveaway is just for our paid subscribers as a way to say thank you for being here with us and supporting our small business. A random winner will be selected on Tuesday.

We want to thank you for reading this newsletter every week. Whether you’ve been here the entire year or you’re just joining us, it seriously means the world. Substack feels fresh and exciting and the fact that we’ve already gotten the chance to (virtually) meet so many new friends on here is incredible. We can’t wait to see where the future takes us all, and hope to get to know you even more!

5 Things We Did at the Farm This Week

1. Woke up with the sun. We don’t have blinds on any of the windows yet (but we ordered them yesterday and they should be here next week!), so that not only means that our living/dining room/kitchen space heats up during the day, it also means we wake up when the sun does. Our bedroom is situated to where the sun rises directly in the view of our French doors, illuminating our entire bedroom with a warm glow. While it’s been nice out here, I don’t think I could ever live without blinds in our day to day life. Could you?

   

2. Didn’t go to the gym. We haven’t worked out in almost two weeks, and while it’s been nice to take a break (you already know my complicated relationship with the gym), I have to say, I can tell a difference. It feels like I’ve already lost a lot of muscle mass. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I’m looking forward to getting back into the gym and working out again. And drinking less wine, probably.

   

3. The kids fell in love with Harry Potter (finally). Since we still don’t have internet at Holiday House, we brought out our old DVD player for the kids to watch TV in their room on their break, and with it, a bunch of old movies, including the Harry Potter series! We’ve tried to get them to watch it in the past, but I think they were just too young to really get into it. This time, however, they were all completely engrossed with it and were glued to the screen in-between long stretches of being outside. Finally! Just in time for the holidays, which these movies always remind us of.

   

4. PJ redid the front landscape. For the last 3 years, the front of Holiday House has been a big mud pit because of all the construction/dirt work that is constantly going on. In a matter of hours the other day, PJ put in plants and trees and turf and completely transformed the look and feel of Holiday House. It’s far from finished, and he’s already told me what he wants to change/do next to it, but it’s a start, and it looks so much better already.

   

5. Slept on the floor. Yup. We still don’t have a bed frame here, or any bedroom furniture for that matter, so we’ve been kicking it on the floor for the last month. At first it was charming and even kind of romantic to “rough it” on the floor. But now, I am more than ready to be elevated and to have a normal bedroom out here. I think it’ll help it to feel more like home and less like camping.

   

Below, some weekend reading links for you, what to watch, read and listen to this week, and two reader comments from the Tuesday letter.

---

• Our newest vlog features a tour of our dream home (we’re in love).

• This is considered the healthiest alcoholic drink (are you surprised?)

• How gorgeous (and charming) is this massive old Texas home?

• The five word phrase every kid needs to hear (sob).

• Non-Americans who have been to the U.S. share the weirdest things about America than Americans don’t think is weird (all of these made me lol).

• Did you see SNL’s cold open a few weeks ago? Also made me LOL big time.

• Is A.I. going to destroy lifestyle blogs/websites? Yikes.

• I found this Substack letter by

  Erin Carlson
  about Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and the glory days of Disney child actors to be so fascinating.

• The 9 best new colognes to wear this fall. One of them is in our giveaway. If you want to win it, you should enter!!!

• Cooper Koch breaks down that 34 minute one-take scene in Monsters. Did you watch it?! Incredible.

• The new horror movie remake of Nosferatu looks so chilling and so good.

• Speaking of movies, absolutely seated for the new Martha Stewart documentary coming out on Netflix in the next few weeks!

---

Watch: Heartstopper Season 3

I devoured seasons 1 and 2 of Heartsopper, as I’m sure you did as well, and I can’t wait to dive into season 3. I’ve heard such great things about it, I’m just trying to carve out time to watch it now! This is such a heartwarming, cozy, and pretty realistic show that portrays being young and gay in such a refreshing light.

You can watch Heartstopper on Netflix.

Read: Jennifer Lopez Tells Nikki Glaser How a Turbulent Summer Changed Her

Jennifer Lopez isn’t an artist I follow closely or really pay much attention to. But still, even the most casual viewer can tell she’s had a rough year: Her marriage ended, her tour was canceled, and the avalanche of online hate thrown at her reached a fever pitch this summer. I found her conversation with Nikki Glaser for Interview Magazine to be insightful and inspirational. Despite everything, she talks about believing in herself, never giving up, and learning to do life on her own for the first time in, well, ever. It’s worth the read.

You can read the entire interview here.

Listen: Hipster Cocktail Party Radio on Pandora

Hands down my favorite station to play on Pandora (don’t sleep on Pandora, y’all), we listen to Hipster Cocktail Party Radio every time we have guests over for a dinner party, but also when it’s just us at home. The vibe is moody, old-school, relaxed, and casual. Think Van Morrison, Alabama Shakes, Hozier, and Chris Stapleton. Perfect for a weekend away at Holiday House, sipping wine and grilling chicken on the stove. Or, you know, just for whenever.

You can listen to Hipster Cocktail Party Radio on Pandora.

---

• Says Mike: “Until I subscribed last year, I didn't realize just how much I missed long-format content like Okay Mckay. I used to follow many design and lifestyle blogs in high school and college, and it seems like social media has either truncated those stories or made them disappear entirely. Needless to say, I look forward to the newsletter every week. Thanks for restoring my nostalgia. :)”

• Says Colleen: “In answer to your question, I would have to say that my dad has been the biggest influence on my life. He inspired my love for photography and the great outdoors. He was such a positive person, too…he always held a smile on his face, had countless friends, and gave the best hugs. Quite simply, he had the biggest heart and loved everyone unconditionally. Sadly, he passed away several years ago from cancer, but was strong enough to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.

  Today I find joy in knowing that my older son carries many of his grandfather’s traits. He has the same laugh, the same smile, freely gives out hugs, and is one of the kindest people I know. He also shares our love for the outdoors (especially hiking) and has the same eye for photography as his grandfather. (My Substack photo is one my son took of our sunset from a few days ago.)

  As always, thank you for sharing your newsletter with us! Sending love to you and your family! ❤️

  P.S. My dad’s name was Thomas, and my son’s middle name is Thomas, too!!”

Have a great weekend, friends! We’ll see you on Tuesday. xo