Lifestyle
The Link Up: Em’s 2 New Utility Boots, Gretch’s CUTE Sweater, And The One Kitchen Gadget We’d Travel With
Happy Sunday, everyone! We just had a wonderful couple of days together at the mountain house, and as always, it was so, so good. We laughed, hiked, swam, and did A LOT of EHD planning that we think you are all going to love. Honestly, there was just so much gratitude for each other and, of course, all of you:) Here’s to a great Q4 and now onto the links!
This week’s house tour is a treat! If you love Jessica Helgerson as we do, then get ready because this project is a 38-Square-Foot Paris Pied-à-Terre. It’s just stunning, and interesting, and cool, and welcoming. Please enjoy!
From Emily: A couple of pairs of utility boots didn’t make it into the roundup because they felt just far more utilitarian than the rest, but they are worth posting about for those of you who are in the market (and more affordable). These Sperry rain boots are cute (I love the white sole) and look especially good with chunky socks and leggings (I’m not really selling them here), but they are also really comfortable with a soft footbed.
These Amazon dupes of the leather Sorels (that I kept and love) are pretty dang good for $50. They were really comfortable (soft on the inside, great footbed, and wide – very roomy), and the materials felt good. They are more lightweight, too, for those who don’t like wearing clunky boots.
From Caitlin: My favorite documentarian, John Wilson, just released a new film that is right up my alley: it’s called The History of Concrete, and it is SO MUCH MORE FUN/smart/poignant/joyful than the title suggests. You might know John from his eponymous HBO series (if you haven’t seen it yet, stop what you’re doing right now!!! Go watch!) and the new film is the perfect follow-up – every shot makes me laugh or think or love people a little more. (If I were packing a parcel for the aliens, all of John’s work would be in it.) Head to your local theater and give it a whirl – you will be SHOCKED to have been touched by a documentary with a title so dry. (It’s more about people than concrete, anyway.)
From Arlyn: It has become very clear to me when I get dressed every morning that my wardrobe needs some serious help. I reach for one of the same three T-shirts and two button-downs every day, paired with some stretchy pants for comfort to run my errands or work at my desk. I want to be comfortable at all times, with few exceptions, so I was on a mission to find cute but roomy and stretchy things that make me look put together but feel like pajamas. I found that in the Pact Go Anywhere Dress. It feels like a straight muumuu in all the best ways. I can wear it casually with ballet flats or even some sneakers, or jazz it up with a heeled boot. My typical size these days is between Large and XL (typically an XL if there isn’t much stretch); I got an XL here, and I do wish I had been patient enough to return it for a Large instead because it’s a touch too oversized. All that to say. If you’re between sizes, size down for sure.
From Gretchen: I found a pullover sweater that looks and hangs more like a sweatshirt and feels just about as soft. And of course, it’s totally affordable and from Old Navy! This sweater is the perfect bright red color with cute, sporty white stripes on the sleeves, and the way it drapes around the midsection is everything I’m looking for in a crewneck sweater. I’d normally order a large in Old Navy tops, but I went with an XL Petite to ensure that it would be a little looser and crop more at my waistline. It fits perfectly, and now I’m considering snagging more colors in the same cut. Sadly, it looks like a lot of them are selling out fast, so get ’em while the gettin’s good!!
From Jess: Last Monday was my birthday, and I got the new Apple AirPods 5! I had been sporting a single AirPods Pro for almost the whole year because I wanted to teach myself a lesson since it wasn’t the first time one had gone missing. Anyway, I never felt like the Pros fit great and missed the old design. Well, the Apple AirPods 5 are that design but with a noise-cancelling option. The dream. There are more features I can’t wait to try out too! Oh, I was also gifted these anti-slip ear covers in case I still had issues with the fit, and they make them stay in even better.
From Marlee: I love to cook, and while I really love finding the most efficient way to do a lot of things in life, I am what some might call “anti-kitchen gadgets”. To be fair, I just moved into a house with a very small kitchen (we literally can’t find a spot to store our soup ladle), so having extra kitchen gadgets just isn’t an option. But there is ONE gadget that I will ALWAYS make room for, and that is my Zojirushi rice cooker. The one I’ve had for 5 years now is an older model that my mom found at Goodwill for me, and it’s held up incredibly. I’ve used the newer one too (my roommate had it for the last 2 years), and it’s exactly the same. It truly cooks the rice PERFECTLY – and does a really good job of other grains/rices too. I don’t mind making rice on the stove (in fact, I think I’ve finally mastered it), but being able to set it and forget it, even hours in advance, is SO convenient. It keeps your rice warm for so long, and bonus points because the song it sings when your rice is ready is very cute:) Also… here is a funny quote from a review I found while getting the link to share: “Can’t leave home without it. Years ago, I saw a lady in Las Vegas coming out of the hotel carrying her rice cooker. I thought that was crazy. What the heck? Now when I go away for a weekend, friends, or vacations, I take my brand-spanking-new “rice cooker.” A kitchen gadget worth traveling with!? Now that’s saying something:)
From Mallory: I’m a BIG Vuori fan, and the other day my boyfriend’s mom went to a big Vuori sale and brought me back the MOST incredible sports bra. Lately, a lot of my sports bras have been cutting in and feeling uncomfortable, but not this one. It’s soft but still supportive and has the cutest ribbed detail. It’s a new favorite for sure – oh, and btw, I got it in black, but it’s currently on sale in these colors if you’re interested
And a few long weekend sales for those looking to save some dough…
- Up to 60% off at AllModern
- An extra 50% of sale (and up to 30% off select fashion and home) at Anthropologie
- Up to 60% off clearance at CB2
- Pick your poison at DWR: save $500 on orders over $2,000, take 20% off hosting essentials with code HOSTING20, or score up to 40% off markdowns with code EXTRA25
- Up to 30% off at Leesa
- Enjoy up to 30% off for Lulu & Georgia’s birthday sale
- Up to 30% off at Terrain
- Up to 60% off at West Elm
- 40% off all jeans and 30-50% off everything else at American Eagle
- 30% off plus an extra 10% off at Everlane
- 40% off everything at GAP
- 30% off everything at J. Crew for loyalty members
- 30% off fall selects + an extra 30-50% off sale styles at Madewell
Thanks for hanging with us, and see you tomorrow! xx
Opening Image Credits: Design by Brady Tolbert | Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: Brady’s Living Room Refresh with The Citizenry
I love my Zojirushi!! I’ve had it for about 20 years now and it’s still going strong! I love that it’s pretty fool proof. I’ll put in rice and then top it off with a 1/4 cup of quinoa and it comes out great! I make coconut sticky rice in it all the time. I also love that you can set it for the time you want it to be done and it will figure out the rest. So you can make oatmeal and it will be ready the next morning. My favorite part are the cute little songs for when you set it and for when it’s done!
I do the same! Nothing like waking up to steel cut oats that are already perfectly cooked! And of course it does rice perfectly, too. Sometimes we add lentils to our rice. I used to think there was no reason for an extra appliance when I knew how to cook rice on the stove, but an Asian friend assured me that I’d never want to go back, and she was right!
I love mine, too–but am dying to know how you make coconut sticky rice in it! That’s not a trick I’ve learned yet.
So my zojurushi is so old it doesn’t have a sweet rice setting but I know newer ones do. I buy sweet rice but you don’t have to, and I’ve made plenty with other types like jasmine. I use 1 cup rice/1 cup canned coconut milk and 1 cup water, pinch of salt and a table spoon of brown sugar or maple syrup. If I had the sweet rice setting I would probably do all coconut milk. You might have to experiment a little. I make overnight oats or chia pudding with the leftover coconut milk.
I serve with a sprinkle of coconut flakes and top it with cut up mango. I usually make salmon and broccoli when I make coconut rice and it’s one of our favorite dinners.
Just wanted to note I am just making coconut rice, not a specific cuisine like Thai mango sticky coconut rice. I think there are different methods!
I love making coconut rice in there! A go to for me recently has been throwing in some Chinese sausages + bok choi during the last 10 minutes of the cooking time to steam. There’s so many great recipes on tiktok too that I’ve saved but haven’t had the chance to try yet:)
Pact is one of my favorite clothing brands! Everything they sell is crazy comfy. I do find their sizing a bit inconsistent, but my usual size is generally fine.
Lately, when I click on your referral links on my phone, the link opens twice (in two tabs). Any suggestions?
Good post – really like the home tour, History of Cement was perfect rainy day movie, and ordered dress in Plum – thank you
The Paris apartment is gorgeous! I couldn’t wait to see what could actually be done with 38 square feet. I thought you might have meant meters. But it’s actually 538 square feet, according to the AD story.
You don’t actually need a soup ladle. Just use a measuring cup carefully and set it in a soup bowl or on a plate to catch drips.