The Weekend Edit No. 41
Books you can read to channel You've Got Mail, a spooky new podcast about AI, and why we're going to be "quietly" celebrating our kids' birthdays from now on
Happy Friday evening, friends.
How was your week? We’re right in the thick of basketball season (even though it just started), and last night I drove back and forth between dropping our daughter up from her practice, picking up our son from his additional basketball practice, and then booking it to our other son’s first basketball game (they won!), and then back to pick up our daughter and drop off our son at his real practice (are you confused yet?), all while PJ stayed at our son’s game to watch and cheer him on for us both. It was a whirlwind, and it was both exhausting and so much fun. I kept thinking the whole time, thank goodness there are two of us so we can both be at their events and tag-team everything together.
In other news, we plan to get Christmas decorations up this weekend! We normally like to decorate at the beginning of November, so we’re already a little behind this year. We love to put on Christmas music or a Christmas movie, light a candle, make cookies, and decorate the house with the kids. We all love the holidays so much and look forward to this time every year. In similar news, we’ll be releasing our annual holiday gift guides next week. Gift guide season is also another reason this is my favorite time of the year! I live for them, and can’t wait to share all of our finds with you.
Lastly, we quietly celebrated our son’s 9th birthday this week. I say quietly because we spent the majority of the day at basketball practice, but we did have time to hang a few banners, surprise him at school with cupcakes, and give him his presents. We’re going to celebrate with family this weekend after their games tomorrow morning, but we’re still keeping things pretty lowkey. We’ve been talking a lot lately about how big or small we want their birthday parties to be, since we normally go all out at our farm for each other them. Now, though, and especially in this season of life, we’ve decided to only do big celebrations for milestone birthdays like 10, 13, and 16. That will give us enough time in between each one to breathe a little, don’t you think?
ICYMI: Below is this week’s vlog, where we take you through our Halloween spent with family and friends, some new and old. Adults and kids alike, all decked-out in their costumes, were coming and going all night, and it reminded me why this time of year is always my favorite. We also recreated our the costumes we wore when we first got together 15 years ago (they were in no way related to each other!).
Enjoy.
This happens pretty much every Weekend Edit—this newsletter is too long for email, so you may want to click through to Substack see the whole thing.
Frankenstein (Netflix)
We’ve been waiting for this movie for a while! Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited take on Mary Shelley’s classic has finally arrived, and it’s every bit as haunting and heartbreaking as you’d expect. With a cast led by Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi, the film blends gothic horror with deep humanity, asking what it really means to be alive, and to be loved. Dark, poetic, and visually stunning, it’s a perfect choice for a crisp fall night in.
Six Books to Read When You’re in a “You’ve Got Mail” Frame of Mind
If you’ve ever wished to live inside a Nora Ephron movie, where it’s eternally autumn, the bookstores are independent, and New York feels like a character itself (because honestly who hasn’t wished this?), this list is your dream reading guide. Dominika lists six books to read to channel that certain vibe, from Helene Hanff’s Letter from New York to Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking, and these cozy, bookish picks capture that nostalgic, coffee-scented magic of 90s NYC. Each title offers a reminder that slowing down with a good story (and maybe a cup of tea) is its own kind of romance.
The Last Invention (Podcast)
A gripping new limited series that dives into the race to control artificial intelligence and what might happen when the machines we’ve built start outthinking us. Smart, unnerving, and impossible to pause.
We got a few of these KONGS for our dogs for when they get anxious after we leave the house, and just for them to play with in general, and they’ve been life savors. You fill them with peanut butter and then freeze them so that the peanut butter lasts longer. They just lick and lick and it’s the best distraction for them. Everyone wins! Get them here.
Classic Chicken Casserole with Buttery Ritz Cracker Topping
I made this last week for the family, and everyone agreed it was their favorite chicken casserole ever. I think the secret is in the buttery Ritz cracker topping. It gives it that magical crunch that you can’t help but having a second bowl of. Perfect for cold nights.
Try one evening this weekend without background noise. No TV, no podcast, no playlist. Just the hum of the house and your own thoughts. You might be surprised what you hear when the world quiets down.
Here’s to slower dinners, second glasses of wine, and finding warmth even in the shadows. Have a good weekend. ☕️
Lovely as always, friends.
The kids basketball calculus makes my brain hurt. You’re amazing, and so are they! Love the quiet birthdays, it will make those milestone ones that much sweeter!! (I’m not crying, you’re crying)
AI!!! I was talking with my cousins (in journalism world), and it’s just so wild to think how pervasive it is and ethically what role it should play- especially in art!
Taking a break from hanging the inside Christmas lights ATM and maybe needing the you’ve got mail vibes later.
Happy weekend🫶
Hi both, I loved the blog tonight, sitting in my living room reading it and listening to the rain on the window, really cozy. I loved the film you've got mail, I agree full autumn vibes. We love autumn, my youngest still kicks leaves at nearly 29! I must admit I'm often tempted too!
You must be so proud of the kids, and being a tag team is the only way, sending you both lots of hugs and love to you all, Julie xx