The Weekend Edit No. 17
Three great things to watch this weekend, the recipe that tastes just like a brown sugar cinnamon Poptart, and our friends got engaged!
Dear reader,
Happy Saturday, and happy Valentine’s Day weekend! How was your week? It rained nonstop here all week, making everything feel dark and dreary and completely uninspiring, so when the sun finally broke through yesterday and illuminated our entire house, it felt almost surreal. Watching the light pour through our windows and fill the house was pure joy. It instantly lifted our spirits. Funny how weather has such an effect on our moods.
Today marks our 14th Valentine’s Day we’re spending together, which, does that mean it’s our golden Valentine’s Day? 14 years on the 14th. Feels poetic somehow and definitely worth celebrating, which we’re doing by staying out at the farm this weekend since the kids are off school today and Monday (I swear they never go to school anymore, haha).
I came across this clip of Miss Columbia 1994 the other day and it stopped me in my tracks. It was the winning answer that Miss Cesar, Tatiana Castro, gave to the final question. The presenter asked her, “What would you save from a museum on fire: Famous paintings or the guard dog?” Ms. Castro, without hesitation, answered, “Oh my god! The dog! The paintings are art and art is to be given away like love or like peace. Animals, plants, and people are life, and life is to be kept.”
Isn’t that beautiful? Moments later, she was crowned Miss Columbia. I think we could all learn a thing or two from her outlook on life.
Here’s what else went on this week:
I broke out our Pride Members Only jacket this week since it was just chilly enough to warrant a light jacket, and I had forgotten how much I love it. It fits like a glove (I’m wearing a large) and will be perfect for Pride Month in June.
We made a Cobb salad for dinner last weekend and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t believe we haven’t had one for dinner before. Ours included grilled chicken, grilled corn, cheery tomatoes, chives, a red onion, and sharp cheddar cheese. We loosely followed this recipe from The New York Times Cooking, if you want to make it for yourself.
In baking news, I made one of my favorite desserts this week: a shortbread that tastes exactly like brown sugar cinnamon Poptarts. They’re so buttery and warm and they melt in your mouth. I’m not kidding when I say they taste exactly like the best Poptarts ever. They were a hit, and one of my favorite things to make in the winter.
We normally have friends over at least once a week for dinner, serving something along the lines of pasta or tacos. But this week, our friend Jerryd had the brilliant idea of making breakfast for dinner! We all pitched in and brought something delicious: quiche, biscuits and gravy, French toast, eggs, etc. It was such a fun twist on a weekly routine that I think we’ll do it again soon. You can click here to see more photos of that night, if you want.
Yesterday afternoon, our farm played host to a marriage proposal of two of our best friends! Against the backdrop of the sweeping mountain range, our friend asked his boyfriend to marry him and we got to be there to capture the whole thing. It was so beautiful and we felt honored to get to be a part of their beautiful day. We can’t wait for the wedding!!!
Have a cozy weekend, friends.
Welcome Distractions
Something to Watch
“Blink Twice” on Prime. Zoe Kravitz, in her director debut, gives us a thrilling film in which “Tech billionaire Slater King invites waitress Frida to join him and his friends on an island vacation. As the wild nights blend into sun-soaked days, the guests suspect something is off. Frida seeks to uncover the truth and make it out alive.” I was sweating for the entire last half of the movie. Such a thrill ride and one of our favorite movies so far this year!
“Black Doves” on Netflix. I kept seeing this show everywhere, and I’m so glad I finally sat down to watch it. It’s SO addicting and good. Kiera Knightly stars as Helen Webb, a devoted wife and mother who secretly works as a covert spy, who is forced to hide her true identity from her family while navigating a dangerous web of espionage, betrayal, and high-stakes intrigue. There are so many twists and turns and it keeps you guessing the whole time. I live for espionage spy thrillers, and this is a good one.
“Heretic” $7.99 to rent. We haven’t been able to stop thinking about this movie since we watched it the other night. “Heretic” is the kind of slow-burn thriller that sneaks up on you and won’t let go. It follows two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher) who knock on the wrong door and end up in the clutches of Hugh Grant’s Mr. Reed, a man who seems polite at first but quickly becomes something much more sinister. The film plays with faith, doubt, and power in ways that feel unsettlingly real, and Hugh Grant delivers one of his best (and creepiest) performances ever. It’s tense (I was also sweating the whole time through this!), thought-provoking, and the kind of movie you’ll want to talk about long after the credits roll.
Something to Read
“14 Little Things We Stopped Worrying About” Because don’t we all need to stop worrying so much? From Bustle, this article lists some seemingly common sense things to stop worrying about, but so many of them are easier said than done. Some points on the list to stop worrying about: Being the bad guy, other people, Instagram, panicking about politics, being online 24/7. Amen to all.
Something to Listen to
“Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe)” Sabrina Carpenter released a deluxe version of her no-skips album “Short n’ Sweet” on Friday and the bonus songs are good! They’re not as good as the ones that made the original cut of the album, which is probably why they’re on the deluxe version, but “Please Please Please” with Dolly Parton is definitely a highlight. You can listen wherever you get your music.
President’s Day Sale
So many of our favorite items are on sale this weekend! We rounded up some of our favorites for you here.
A Closer Look
My sister sent me this absolutely breathtaking poem by Jessica Urlichs and it gave me chills. This is just one of the slides from it, my favorite, but the entire thing is so good, each page better than the next. You can click here to read the whole thing.
You May Have Missed…
This Week’s Vlog
In this week’s video, PJ takes you through his morning farm chores, saves a baby lamb who was thisclose to dying, we spend the first weeknight at the farm (which meant getting up earlier for school), and deal with some major sickness. Hope you enjoy.
Have a wonderful weekend. We’ll see you on Tuesday. If you feel up to it, please like this post and share it! It helps get the word out and lets others discover Okay McKay. Thank you, friends!
I was one of the many people who recommended Black Doves when you were asking for show suggestions and I’m irrationally happy you liked it. Also I want those cookies. Also congrats to your friends!
I love breakfast for dinner, and the idea of doing that with friends sounds amazing. I don’t really have a group of friends to get together with like that, but I did have lunch with a friend at his house before watching a movie, and he cooked delicious ribeye steak steaks with mushroom gravy, along with the baked potato and green beans, and it was absolutely delicious. i’ve actually seen two movies with this friend the last couple of weeks, and I liked both of them a great deal: “A Complete Unknown” with an absolutely amazing performance by Timothée Chalamet, and “A Real Pain” with Jesse Eisenberg (who also wrote and directed) and Kieran Culkin. My friend Alan is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and he gets to vote for the SAG awards, so he gets screeners of all the nominated films. I hope you are both all better from the illnesses that have been plaguing you!