My Week in Review, July 15

Well, Friday came and went, and I didn’t get a chance to do my weekly write up. This week I hosted family and family friends who came for an extended visit. I have a hard time balancing writing with family commitments, but then, who doesn’t? Here it is a day late.

There were a lot of meals out and just a few eaten at home. This weekend I want to get into the kitchen and make something yummy. Here’s what’s on my cooking agenda:

• Spicy Beefy Meatballs from Created by Diane
• Very Blueberry Scones from Smitten Kitchen
• Fattoush Salad from What’s Gaby Cooking

Interesting reads:

• The Get Un-Grounded Checklist from Suburban Bitches: I don’t have a child old enough to get grounded or do chores, but I love the idea of this for the future.
• Go from Overwhelmed to Accomplished with a Simple Mindset Shift from Good in the Simple: Finally! Advice on how I can get stuff done by relieving the pressure I put on myself. The more I add to my list, the more paralyzed I am and the less I get done. Go read this immediately.
• Five Lessons Learned from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up from Invented Charm: A good old self-plug. I worked on this bit by bit in between entertaining guests. I’m super proud that these lessons stuck!

Podcasts I listened to this week and enjoyed:

• Open Account with Su-Chin Pak: I just listened to Redefining Success: Neal Gabler on the Secret Shame of the Middle Class. Neal wrote this eyeopening piece for The Atlantic about being part of the 47% of the American middle class that could not come up with $400 cash in the case of an emergency without borrowing or selling something. His written piece is meaty, but the podcast is succinct and emotional. I recommend starting there first.
• The History Chicks, Episode 71, The Schuyler Sisters: I am not a Hamilton diehard, but I decided to give this episode a listen and I have to say that I’m intrigued! Maybe I’ll be a latecomer to the Hamilton fandom after all…
• Gilmore Guys, 710 – Merry Fisticuffs (with Allie Goertz): The saving grace of the later episodes of this podcast are the guests. Allie Goertz made me love the Gilmore Guys again. I think she brought a lot of nuance to the conversation, and a much needed female perspective.

TV!

• The Americans: CATCH UP NOW OR START WATCHING! Finally in its fourth season, the show got nominated for Emmys! Stream it on Amazon.
• Mr. Robot: It’s baaaack. Watch it on USA or stream this current season on Amazon (episodes available the day after airing).
• House Hunters Collection on Netflix: Yeah, I burned through all 25 episodes this week. Don’t judge me, I am weak.

Come pin with me on Pinterest! I’m inventedcharm there. Comment below and tell me your username and I’ll follow you back. I had an old account on Pinterest that was so disorganized that I decided to start a new one for the blog.

Enjoy your weekend!