I’m not here to discuss the irony of deciding to do a No Shop Challenge in 2020 and then getting stuck at home with nowhere to go during a pandemic and somehow still managing to buy three things during a sale that I historically have been so irritated by that I have actually avoided the Internet for the month of August. I am here to tell you what I bought at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year, pretty much for the first time ever. I just found out that the sale ends today, so here we are.

• These boots are so pretty in person, and they’re even more comfortable. I usually wear a 7 or 7.5 but I got them in an 8 and they fit really well. I like that you can dress them up or down, and they are totally waterproof!

• Just a solid slouchy sweater, which I can’t get enough of. I pretty much live in leggings and sweaters like these with a tank top or tee underneath all fall and winter long. This one is long and soft and thin enough that you won’t get overheated wearing it all day.

• I have never been able to get a pair of the Spanx faux leather leggings before they sell out so I decided to try these ones instead. They are fleece-y inside and look really nice. I really like them. (I ordered a small but had to exchange for a medium because I couldn’t get my butt into them—not sure if that’s a me or them issue, but it’s something to keep in mind when ordering.)

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My rules for buying stuff over the years have become pretty straightforward:

1. Can I wear it every day and style it in many different ways?

2. Does it come in black?

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I’m mostly excited about the boots, since we are soon moving to a place with weather and I think I’ll be able to get some good use out of them. They are also comfortable and stable enough that I think I’ll be able to chase a toddler around in them, which is fun because I really haven’t worn a heel since she became mobile.

That’s all from me! While we’re talking about shopping, I also wanted to let you know that Equilibria is having a pre-Labor Day sale and offering 30% off everything on their site when you use the code FRECKLEDITALIAN (not just for new customers!) until September 3. As always, let me know if you have any CBD questions—I’d love to help!

This post contains affiliate links.

We’ve been in California for 4 years this month.

We came to the west coast chasing a dream, excited but scared to be so far from everything we knew so well back east, and while it was so good in so many ways, I was ready to to get back to Charlotte almost as soon as the movers showed up with our stuff in August of 2016.

We unpacked, and we settled in, and we found the Chinese place down the street that we would order from for Friday night dinners on the couch watching Game of Thrones. I walked Ender down tight sidewalks lined with lemon and avocado trees, big palm leaves always on the horizon.

Rob worked harder than he’s ever worked before. I wrote five cookbooks and started teaching barre in Palo Alto. We got pregnant and moved across the bay for a little more space. We had a baby and friends came to visit and that baby made time speed up faster than I ever thought possible as we delighted in every single little and not-so-little milestone. Priorities shifted, and we all grew.

We missed people more than we knew we could. We flew back to Charlotte or Virginia twice a year and saw our people as much as we could. We dreamed about one day looking back at our time in California for the beautiful almost half decade that it was, hopefully from the comfort of a place that truly felt like home again.

And now that day has come—we’re trading our bay views and bridges for muggy summers and mosquitoes, for biscuits and barbecue and the changing leaves of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It’s bittersweet for sure, because as homesick as we were most of the time, we really did love our time in California. It was never going to be a permanent home for us, but we’ve lived here longer than any other place since college. For a while, it really did become home. But now it’s time to go.

“Heading down south to the land of the pines
I’m thumbing my way into North Caroline
Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I’m a-hopin’ for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight”

— Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show

I’ve been making this quick and easy salad for lunch every other week or so, and my whole family really enjoys it. You can prep the veggies and herbs ahead of time so they’re ready to go, but it’s best when served right after the pasta comes out of the water, so definitely save this dish for a time when you’re able to cook it right before you plan to enjoy it.

Ingredients:

• About a pound of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

• About 3/4 of a box of orzo

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

• 1/4 of a red onion, diced

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus a few tablespoons to cook the shrimp

• The juice of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta

• A small bunch/handful of chopped parsley

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Optional: Half of an English cucumber

Instructions:

1. Heavily salt a pot of water and put it on the stove to boil. Cook orzo according to package directions (maybe a minute or two less).

2. While pasta cooks, heat a little of the olive oil in a large pan. Add garlic and stir. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they’re pink and fully opaque. Season with salt and pepper.

3. When the pasta is done, drain but don’t rinse. Transfer to a bowl and add the rest of the olive oil as well as the lemon juice. Add the shrimp and toss to combine. Add cherry tomatoes, red onion, most of the parsley, and the feta. If you’re using cucumber, add that too. Toss everything well to combine. Season again with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, spoon into bowls or onto plates and top with a little more parsley. Serve with a wedge of lemon and enjoy!