A weekend update, J Crew Fall finds, a fabulous Youtube channel and so much more on Monday morning musings.
Weekend Update
Good morning friends, can you believe it is almost Labor Day? Summer is just about over and “cosy season” is just getting ready to start. The temperatures are still high here so I don’t think I will be breaking out my Fall wardrobe yet. But a girl can dream of mornings by the fire, cashmere sweaters, plaid throws and pots of chili simmering on the stove can’t she?
Our weekend did not go exactly as planned but it was nice non-the less. We celebrated our wedding anniversary, spent time at the farmers market and hovered around the house. I say that because we are nearing the end of the kitchen renovation but are still not able to “move in” or unpack the rest of the house. Everything from the kitchen and dining room is in part of the family room, part of the family room is in the living room, the guest bedroom is a “kitchen” and the chaos goes on and on and on.
We had plans to put the house back together but the painter wasn’t able to finish the painting therefore the tiler couldn’t finish. So here we sit. Now I have my fingers crossed that we will be moving back in this Labor Day weekend.
School starts today for many of the kids in the village. Hats off to parents who have the hardest job in the world, you are amazing! Raising children is not for the faint of heart. I spent almost every Thursday this summer with my niece, who has Rhetts Syndrome and my admiration and respect for my brother and sister-in-law increased tenfold.
Now that I caught you up on the weekend on to 5 Things.
5 THINGS
1.WATCHED
Homeworthy is my new favorite entertainment. I love interior design and getting a glimpse into peoples homes. Saturday I shared a video on Homeworthy about Bunny Williams’ home and today I am sharing the home of Victoria Leiter Mele. You are going to love this video, especially if you are a fan of Edith Wharton or Nick Mele(photographer and Instagram).
Incidentally, Nick Mele and interior designer Ruthie Sommers have a book out about Newport called A Newport Summer.
2. Reading
Just started reading Lost and Found in Paris and I can’t put it down.
The ultimate escapist adventure in Paris, told with wit, style, and a touch of intrigue, by the popular and dynamic author of The Sweeney Sisters.
Joan Blakely had an unconventional childhood: the daughter of a globe-trotting supermodel and a world-famous artist. Her artist father died on 9/11, and Joan—an art historian by training—has spent more than a decade maintaining his legacy. Life in the art world is beginning to wear on her—and then one fateful afternoon her husband drops a bombshell: he’s fathered twins with another woman.
Furious but secretly pleased to have a reason to blow up her life, Joan impulsively decides to get out of town, booking a last-minute trip to Paris as an art courier: the person museums hire to fly valuable works of art to potential clients, discreetly stowed in their carry-on luggage. Sipping her champagne in business-class, she chats up her seatmate, Nate, a good-looking tech nerd who invites her to dinner in Paris. He doesn’t know she’s carrying drawings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But after a romantic dinner and an even more romantic night together, Joan wakes up next to her new lover to discover the drawings gone. Even more shocking is what’s been left in their place: a sketch from her father’s journals, which she thought had been lost when he died on 9/11, and a poem that reads like a treasure hunt.
With Nate as a sidekick, Joan will follow the clues all over Paris—from its grand cathedrals to the romantic bistros to the twisty side streets of Montmartre—hoping to recover the lost art, and her own sense of adventure. What she finds is even better than she’d expected.
3. Fall Finds at J. Crew
I love this shirt, this sweater, this gorgeous green sweater and this tote.
4.Weekend Links
Financial Life Lessons from the Depression We Can All Us Today
The Number One Things You are Getting Wrong About Hydration
10 Fascinating Facts About the Moon
Sheet Pan Thai Chicken Dinner this sounds perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
The average human body temperature isn’t what it used to be
It’s the 25th Anniversary of Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson
The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli/ Musee des Arts Decoratifs
8 Easy Recipes for Your Extra Garden Tomatoes
The Secret to Keeping Your Sweaters Brand New
15 Single-Serving Desserts for When You Just Need a Lil Treat
5. Weekend Meanderings
Just in case you missed weekend meanderings I shared all things pumpkin spice, a Bunny Williams house tour and so much more. Don’t forget to visit with Kim and Juliet. as well. THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
I hope that you had a lovely weekend and that you found something on Monday Musings that piqued your interest.
Take care and thank you for spending part of your day with me. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see daily stories and life at home with my pups who make frequent appearances. Or subscribe to the blog so that you do not miss a thing.

That Thai chicken sheet pan dinner sounds like a winner and Homeworthy sounds fabulous! Thank you for introducing me to it!
You are welcome Cindy!
What a lovely quote about the rains of summer’s end. I hadn’t read that one before. Interesting about the owls. Everyone here says we have owls around, but so far I have yet to see one. Sorry your renovation is taking so long.
Brenda
I thought it was so beautiful Brenda, I hope that you are well my friend and healing.
WE USE THAT SODA SPRING?WATER MACHINE SO WE ARE A-OKAY!
I REMEMBER WHEN GATORADE WAS BIG FOR THE ELECTROLYTES.
SO PUTTING A SLICED APPLE IN YOUR WATER IS GOOD TOO?
Thank you for the tip Elizabeth!
Hopefully it’s all sorted soon.
Thank you William, I think(fingers crossed) Monday!
Thank you William
That YouTube channel sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing Elizabeth!
Thank you Cindy!
Thanks for sharing and LOVE the pumpkin sign. I’m so ready for fall!