October 25, 2025

A Few Things to Tell You Vol. 6

Two intense reads, sewing projects, and an interview!

Well hello there ~ happy Saturday! So nice to be in your inbox today ♡

This weekend is my family’s celebration of life for Oma AND my youngest’s play weekend ~ whew. I attended opening night of the play last night and now we’re dividing up for the weekend ~ the oldest and I are attending the family gathering across the state and the the youngest and my husband are all-in on the remaining performances of the play … and the middle is on call for work.

So, I’m on the road for the next few days ~ I can’t wait to gather with my mom’s family and celebrate our beloved Oma together ♡

Two Intense Reads

Ahhhhh, these books were both SO GOOD!

I recently read Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall upon the insistence of a colleague, and I’m so glad she pushed me to pick it up. I had been avoiding it because I knew a dog was shot in it, but my colleague was so right that that situation was the least of the drama and trauma. I was absolutely riveted by the story, but be cautious if reading about the death of a child and grief over the death of a child is not a good fit ~ that’s ALL this book is really about. Well, that and a love triangle, again something that not everyone loves in their books. For me, it was a solid 5 stars.

I also recently listened to Glass Houses by Louise Penny ~ the 13th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series. I have been slowly enjoying this series since I started it in 2017, and have learned that I love these books best on audio. This is one of my favorites in the series since it’s so focused on Gamache and a big crime vs side characters and history. If this series is new to you, start with Still Life.

In Sewing News

I was thinking that I hadn’t created much this week, BUT actually I got a lot done!

Last weekend I added elastic to the back of a waistband of a pair of favorite jeans that were just a bit too tight for comfort, and now, as my daughter’s girlfriend stated, “they’re full squat jeans”. Huzzah!

Perfect aesthetically? Nope, but black is the only elastic I had, and I don’t wear short shirts with these jeans anyway. There is a LOT of zigzag stitching going on here!

I also did this for a pair of navy cords that I LOVE but that have zero stretch ~ fit in the morning, but by the end of the day they were unbearable. I did the two pieces in the back AND two pieces in the front and BAM, amazing.

As our bodies shift and change with time, we have the choice to 1) buy new clothes, 2) just be sad we can’t wear our current clothes comfortably, or 3) ALTER our current clothes! When it’s possible, I do love the altering option.

I was also feeling the need for a different sash belt to wear with my favorite denim dress, so I whipped one up on Tuesday morning before work. I love that something like this makes it feel like a whole new outfit, and most importantly, it let me be creative for a bit before heading to work for the day.

And finally, I laid out the pattern for my next sewing class and traced and cut out my size on tracing paper. Next up is actually cutting the fabric and interfacing ~ so many steps!

Some Random Tidbits

• Another new album for the month ~ what a TREAT! My crew has dreams of attending her February show in Minneapolis WITH THE HEAD AND THE HEART OMG. Fingers crossed we can get affordable tickets!

• I loved this piece and laughed/shook my head at this part: “It’s not like Ross Douthat and Bari Weiss spend their Thursday nights in dimly lit church basement arguing with anarchists about whether to utilize progressive stack. They’re too busy taking long lunches, rearranging their shrines to William F. Buckley, and searching thesaurus.com for classier ways to say “dangerous Muslim socialist” in their next column about Zohran Mamdani.”

• My new favorite Alina Khan has a newsletter! I loved her recent piece about Pema Chodron’s talk “Don’t Bite the Hook”, which I found in audiobook form to listen to on my walks. LOVE. The part about lessening our attachment to our likes and dislikes and beliefs applies so very much to our currently divided culture.

And finally, I’m excited that I have a rare-for-me interview piece ready to hit your inboxes on Tuesday! This piece will be available in full for all readers (no paywall), and will feature one of my favorite nonfiction books of the year. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Thanks for stopping by!