Happy Friday, friends! This week went by in a whirlwind. I turned in the majority of my book on Wednesday and gave myself a well-deserved day off after such a crazy month of work and moving. I went to the gym in the morning, then stopped by my favorite coffee shop for a leisurely cold brew before heading home to play with Ender in the yard before Rob went to work. Then I met Rob for lunch on my way to a 90 minute massage he had booked for me earlier this week! 

Now that most of the work on the book is done for now, I can focus on settling into our new house and getting back to regular posting on the blog! I can't wait to share more with you about the cookbook, but until then, I'm just happy to be back to regularly scheduled life for a while. This weekend we're doing a lot of hanging around at home--Ender's best bud Lyla is staying with us on Saturday night, which should be fun. I haven't had a weekend with nothing to do in a while, so I'm ready for it!

Before I shut down my computer for a few days, I wanted to share some links I've been saving:

To Read:

• "Instagram is ruining vacation." What do you think? I love sharing and looking back on photos from trips but I am guilty of sometimes seeing everything through the lens of my phone's camera.
• I loved this piece about anxiety and self-care. 
• Also on the subject of anxiety: does this GIF calm you down? I love it.
• This fantastic woman is still running at the age of 100. What an inspiration.
• All Twisted Up by Gender Bending. Such a beautiful and interesting essay.
• My good friend Chad is a psychiatrist and shared this link on Facebook the other day. I think it makes some really great points that most people don't think about very often.

To Watch: 

• Cutest little sugar glider! My old dog Rocky used to do something similar when you put him in water.
• I'M ALL ABOUT THIS SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES, Y'ALL. I feel like I want to start a club where we all talk about it non-stop every Monday morning.

Wish List:

• This looks like the perfect tank top.
• This vintage Yves Saint Laurent skirt is pretty dreamy (and reasonably priced, too).
• Can we talk about this polka dot dress that's only $22 right now?
• Do you think I could pull these funky sunglasses off? I think I need them.
• In case you missed it in my last What I Wore post, this is my current favorite hat and I wear it at least once a week.

--

That's all for now! What are you up to this weekend?

We moved into the new house on Wednesday of last week and since then it's been a frenzy of boxes and carloads of random things that were in a closet of our apartment and so many recipes for this cookbook I'm so close to finishing. 

Usually when we move it's the only thing on my plate, and I tend to be super sentimental and need time to process change. But this time we moved in and kept hurtling forward, so every now and again, in a quiet afternoon moment I'll find myself feeling sad that I'm not sitting in our South End apartment with the big bathroom and the grey granite countertops and the super bright bedroom with a citrus-green wall. I'll be sitting at the kitchen table in a sunny room full of light that I dreamed of for months and wish, not to be back at the apartment, but for something.

I keep forgetting how long it takes for a place to feel like home, and even though I love the house and the yard and the big open kitchen I suddenly feel nostalgic when Rob walks through the door after work and Ender isn't quite sure where to greet him. This is our first move from one place to another in the same city, and I almost feel like I'm channeling some of those new state vibes, even though we've been in Charlotte for almost two years and only moved ten minutes down the street. We had such a routine in the apartment, and now we're in the house but only slightly unpacked, so it feels like a great many different things, and none of them are really home yet.

Also, I'm tired.

I have written 118 pages in three weeks and I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. What an opportunity though, to write a book--as soon as I catch my breath I'll take the time to properly acknowledge the fact that one of my most passionate dreams came true.

Until then, some thoughts from a woman up to her elbows in Brussels sprouts and boxes, for you on a Tuesday. 

I'll occasionally bust out a few bright pieces for spring and summer but for the most part, I stick to black, white, grey, and tan all year round. This tank top is one of those really awesome basic pieces but it's my mom's--she left it at our apartment a few visits back and I guess I have to give it back to her this weekend since it's Mother's Day and everything.

Everything piece of this outfit is at least one year old, with the exception of this hat, which was a great purchase at just $13--I've already worn it 3-4 times already. It's the perfect spring hat because it's not too hot and I think it looks pretty cute on. It also matches everything in my wardrobe because you know; black, white, grey, and tan.

Hat: Merona at Target | Skirt & Tank: J.Crew and 25% off with code GET SHOPPING 

Sandals: Steve Madden | Clutch: Lauren Merkin | Glasses: Tory Burch

What's your go-to spring outfit? Have you found a perfect hat lately? I'm always looking for a new one so let me know!

Photos by Andi Perullo for Freckled Italian.