💌 shared notes | june monthly musings (no. 2)
A cozy, full-of-everything catch-up from both of us – saved for the first Saturday morning of each new month.
It’s officially been one month of posting on Substack, and we are loving the community! We’ve found ourselves choosing to scroll on Substack (subscriptions for our fave newsletters and notes to discover new writers) instead of social media throughout the day, and it’s been SO much better for our mental health! Whereas social media can feel draining and fear/fomo-inducing at times, Substack has made us feel seen while also being inspiring.
We hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day Weekend (for those in the US!), and we’re so grateful to share these moments of your Saturday morning with you.
Now, grab a coffee (or leftovers from your toddler’s plate, if that’s also your stage of life right now), and let’s catch up! ✨
xo,
Brooke & Kelcy
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links we can’t stop sending each other, products, links, current faves
We love this idea of creating a summer bucket list that’s written on real paper so it can be put right on the fridge.
Our hair is naturally wavy, but we always style it by straightening or straightening then curling it. We recently got on wavy-hair tok & we’re excited to report back on if actually styling our hair using curl products and air drying will have great results like this girl!
We tested two different booster seats for our dining table chairs, and the OXO Tot booster seat was definitely the winner. The bottom strap that attaches underneath the chair is much longer than the other option we tried, so it actually fit our dining chairs.
Now that the kiddos are approaching two (🥹), we also got this cute little potty to get them acquainted for future potty training. We also have the little-seat attachment for our regular loos. If you have any potty training tips, please please share in the comments!
get the look: coastal, neutral & vintage living room
We are loving woven textures for a coastal feel this summer! This buffet/console table, budget-friendly accent chair(s), and seagrass basket set are fueling our summer feels.
It’s so hard to find a good coffee table & side table combo, but our motto: it’s okay to mix wood tones! They’re mixed in nature, so why not in your living room?
This vintage one-of-a-kind rug has our hearts! If anyone has the budget, please please please add it to your space – it’s a gem 🤍
Kel just purchased six of these gorgeous gallery frames for her dining room wall that’s been bare for a year, and the deal is just too good! A 24x24” square gallery frame matted to 11x14” for only $25?! Get it while you can!
Other things to make summer feel special: lighting a shell-style candle (or a regular candle), ensuring faux florals (options 1, 2 & 3) make sure you don’t have to worry about picking up anything before guests come over, and a cute frame
We will never stop putting this faux olive tree in our designs (we have it in two rooms)!
what we’re watching
Between B’s husband pushing for it and
’s recommendation, we have both really been enjoying Your Friends & Neighbors on Apple TV+. We also really want Olivia Munn and Amanda Peet’s skincare & workout routine!Somehow, even with B’s longtime love of Ben Affleck, we had never seen The Accountant. So in the same weekend, we all watched The Accountant 1, and then B and her husband went on a date night to see The Accountant 2. Both were actually so good & we’re surprised they’re not getting more love online or among our friend group.
If you have any show or movie recommendations that you’ve loved (new or old!), send them our way! Leave a comment or message us – we always love getting new recs.
what we’re reading
So confession – we didn’t end up reading The Talent by Daniel D’Addario, our last book club book. The girls were split on liking it, so we’ve moved on to the next pick…
… which is: All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett. B finished & Kel is still reading, so obvi we won’t give spoilers, but let’s just say it made us excited to read again & also got us all giddy & ready to book a trip to London (and Saint-Tropez!).
After listening to Dr. Morgan Cutlip on some podcasts, Kel decided to order her new book A Better Share on Audible to listen with her husband. We’ve only listened to the intro together, but it already seems so great for keeping everyone on the same page with expectations, parenting, the mental load, etc.
We also love new book recs! We’re part of a book club, so we’ll share what we’re reading the first Saturday of each month in this Monthly Musings series & hope you do the same!
what we’re listening to
After watching Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary on the plane to San Francisco, B has been blasting yacht rock playlists even more than usual. Her new obsession with Michael McDonald’s voice makes for a fun game since he’s featured on so many tracks from that time.
We are loving
’s recent podcast episode with on fun things to do if you’re following the summer novelty rule. Taking notes & can’t wait to try some of the activities that can make time slow down a bit – and make summers feel more how they did when we were kids (when we had time to get bored!).
what we’re eating/drinking
We’ve been obsessed with
’s cookbook Seriously, So Good for over a year now. Our favorite go-tos are: spicy beef rice bowls (shoutout Abbot’s for a veg option that’s clean & rated excellent on Yuka), smashed burgers with mac sauce, and pesto meatballs with whipped ricotta. We also are forever obsessed with her cheesy gordita crunch & crunchwrap supreme recipes!We visited Ponte Winery in Temecula on the way home from a day at Murietta Hot Springs for Mother’s Day Weekend and treated ourselves to a little tasting. Of the six wines we tried, the Vermentino was surprisingly our favorite!
Speaking of gross-sounding-but-delicious avocado toast combos (see last month’s newsletter), B has been loving avocado/hummus toast for an easy lunch or dinner. Start by toasting Ezekiel bread and top with garlic or jalapeño hummus + mashed avocado with salt/pepper/everything-but-the-bagel seasoning/crushed chili peppers + habanero hot sauce drops + a drizzle of Frank’s red hot sauce + crumbled goat cheese. Add prosciutto if your heart desires!
little joys
We got together with our college besties & their families for MDW – the first time we’ve all been together with all of our kids! – and it was just the perfect way to end the month… & a great reminder to start planning more moments like that!
This month marks Kel & her husband’s 3rd wedding anniversary on the 11th & her daughter’s 2nd birthday on the 17th!
We are also super excited that Father’s Day is earlier this year since it typically falls on or day(s) away from our birthday. Thinking of an experience gift, but send any recs you’re loving for physical or experience gifts!
Speaking of, it’s Gemini twin season & we turn 35 on the 20th! We’ve officially hit our mid-30s & are actually kind of excited about it. Although we don’t love the idea of our next pregnancy (fingers crossed & knock on wood) being labeled as a geriatric pregnancy… but it is what it is!
Thanks for spending part of your Saturday morning with us – it means more than you know. Whether you’re sipping coffee, chasing toddlers, or just enjoying a slow scroll, we’re so happy to be a small part of your day.
See you next week, when we’ll be sharing either a capsule wardrobe selection or how we organize our life digitally & be sure to comment or message us on what you want to see first! 💌
xo,
Brooke & Kelcy
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