I procrastinated writing this newsletter all week. Not just this week but the past few weeks since we moved. It’s not that I don’t want to do it but I feel so scatterbrained and unsettled that I don’t know what to even write about.
This week I have really had to buckle down on my time in the kitchen. Thanksgiving is around the corner and I have a lot to do. I successfully worked through my to-do list but half of the time I found myself frustrated instead of focusing on cooking. I don’t know this kitchen well and the little things have been getting to me. I can’t remember where I have put everything and I am constantly searching for items. My drawer organizers don’t fit in these drawers and fly around when I pull one open. We haven’t purchased a nice stool to set out in the kitchen yet, so I have to walk into the other room to get the ugly stepstool out 7,000 times a day because I can’t reach any of the top cabinets.
None of these very small things really matter. They are not serious problems to have and I know I will get in a flow soon but constant little battles throughout the day leave me exhausted.
While we were on our flight back I pulled out my new planner to organize my week. This planner is beautiful and new with everything I need in a planner but after it was filled in, the close lines made things feel chaotic and crammed together. Reading it made me feel stressed and it was hard to understand. In hindsight, knowing I am very visual with large handwriting, I should have got something twice as big.
This is how I am feeling about our home. It’s beautiful and new with everything I need but the lack of furniture means we have stuff everywhere still. The chaos and visual clutter is exhausting. Every day I run around trying to get it “together” but because we don’t have furniture to put things away in, it never feels there. This is such an unimportant and privileged problem to have, please believe me when I say I know this, but ending every day with my space a mess makes me feel like my life isn’t together. I don’t know where this comes from but it is definitely not the first time I have felt this way.
So while I am trying to tap into myself to create and work I am stuck in this daily struggle of feeling unsettled and like I am perpetually failing. The reality is I am not, I am trudging along just fine, but I want to do better. More importantly, I want to feel better about how I am doing.
On a positive note, we built an office/ gym! I mentioned this briefly a few weeks ago and want to give you an update.
During the pandemic, we hopped on the Peloton train and purchased the bike. Later on, we added the treadmill and eventually, we turned our garage into a gym. As a workout class addict, adding these machines to our home during the pandemic saved me. Marco fell in love over time and he is in the best shape of his life. The best part is how much money we save by canceling our gym membership and class packs. Marco has declared he will never go back to a gym now.
Having space for a little gym was high on our checklist while looking for houses. We fell in love with our home but it was lacking a little bonus space for a workout area. Before we closed we knew we would have to build something or get rid of the machines.
We came from a house with enough space to grow into and here we downsized and had to build an additional structure. The concept of buying a home but building another structure immediately is kind of…insane. In actuality, the majority of the houses we looked at had separate structures in the backyard. That’s living in Los Angeles for you. You can’t afford a bigger house but you need more space, ya do what you can do.
We also both work from home. Me full time, Marco most of the time. This additional space allows us to separate work from home. If you work from home, you know how great that is.
It’s not an ADU (additional dwelling unit) because we didn’t run water to it but it is a perfect 11x12 bonus space. It is insulated with AC and heat, a little deck, and cute french doors. I tried to match the colors to the main house to achieve the look that it was always supposed to be here instead of an out of place addition. We are over the moon in love with it!
Along the back wall, we have an extra long desk with two seats for each of us and plenty of drawers to keep all the office shit out of sight. While you are sitting at the desk you can look out the window up at the main house. The Peloton treadmill is along one side wall and the bike is on the other wall with space in the middle for floor exercises. With the french doors open you get to look out into the canyon to distract you while you work out. It rocks!!
One day, while procrastinating on this newsletter, I brought all the office boxes down and moved all the weights off the deck. I meticulously cleaned everything before putting them in this brand new beautiful tiny house and spent a few hours organizing. I was able to get a few boxes empty and give a bunch of items a home. It felt good, really good. It has helped me feel one step closer to being settled and relaxed my mind a bit.
Cheers to making it another week! And if you need a contractor in LA, I’ve got a guy.
I’m having a lot of days where I don’t have the energy to make dinner after cooking or running around all day. This has been my go-to roast chicken recently:
Cover a whole chicken in kosher salt and Goan masala
Arrange potatoes and alliums in a pan or on a sheet tray
Lay the bird on top and drizzle olive oil over everything
Roast at 425º for about an hour, until the internal temp is 165º
This week we had it over arugula to get some greens in, 10/10. This is hands-off cooking, delicious, and really comforting. You’ll have leftovers so there you go, you just meal prepped!
I made a Reel over on Instagram with more details. Watch it HERE.
The Best Wine Shops in the U.S., According to Pros * I spy Big Mood 👀
Will TikTok’s ‘Butter Board’ Become the Next Charcuterie Board? *The number of people that sent butter board videos to me over the last week… no, no they will not become the new charcuterie board. My prediction is this trend will fade away as fast as it popped up. But they are pretty and I like pretty food.
As her grandpa-in-law prepared for the end, Rachel called to say goodbye. *An interview days before a voluntary assisted death, grab the tissues.
Nothing to report yet BUT since we are back in California we are now able to join Subject To Change’s wine club. We have had, and loved, a few of their wines before (FKA, Monster Party, Disco!) and Marco went a little overboard ordering some wines this week…13 bottles! I’ll report back after we try a few. If they are anything like the others, I know we will love them.
(I secretly love BeReal)
I don’t have a single negative thing to say about n/soto. It is run by the same chefs from n/naka, which has two Michelin stars. n/soto has it all – rice dishes, skewers, sushi, and more. Order a little bit of everything and you will leave happy.
I got rid of my clunky box grater in the move. This guy takes up less space AND is easier to use. You need to toss your box grater too and get this flat grater.
Extra extra bonus is we can use this office/gym as a place to put the cats when we host. That way I don’t have to worry about them getting out. I brought them each down here to test it out. Lola likes it.
After writing this newsletter on Friday, I spent the day in my pajamas Saturday unpacking boxes. I took all the books out and arranged them nicely along the wall where a bookshelf will go eventually. I consolidated the other crap and moved everything out of sight into the guest room. The reality is we have boxes, I can’t change that right now, but I can change how we store them. This way our living room is clear and feels put together and our guestroom is storage, which is totally fine! I feel better already.
Talk to you next week, Xx M