Currently
obsessed.

Good butter is a personality trait.

I have developed a genuine affection for French butter and the company I keep ordering it from. I buy it directly and sometimes pick up butter at Whole Foods, which is basically part of my weekly routine at this point. I also have a very specific coconut chocolate mousse yogurt situation: the big container at Whole Foods, the little one at The Fresh Market, and very little interest in negotiating about it.

This is the kind of mundane luxury that makes an ordinary Tuesday feel a little nicer. I will absolutely talk to you about butter.

The Fresh Market understands the assignment.

Their five-for-$25 dinner is the sort of thing I wish I'd invented. I made one recently, it was easy, and everyone in my house ate it. Everyone. Honestly, that deserves a standing ovation.

It's also one of my first stops for pastries, parties, and holiday meals when I want things to be lovely without pretending I have unlimited time. A little help from the grocery store is not a moral failure. It's excellent operations management.

My HigherDOSE era has no end date.

I've followed HigherDOSE since its earlier days. I own the heat mat, sauna blanket, and red light mask, and I keep eyeing what they release next—including the hat. The heat mat has become one of my favorite rituals. Even Max, my dog, wants to get in on it. He likes lying with me on the mat, and yes, it's as adorable as it sounds.

I talk about these things because I enjoy using them, not because I believe a product can magically fix your life—or treat a medical condition. There's a difference.

Flamingo Estate has me hoarding matches.

I subscribe to Flamingo Estate's curated boxes. Are they expensive? Absolutely. Do I still get excited when one arrives? Also absolutely. The Practical Magic box was especially beautiful, and I've been protecting the matches like tiny museum pieces. I can't bring myself to use them.

I like a little drama in everyday objects. A candle should smell wonderful, yes, but if the box is gorgeous enough to make me pause before opening it? Even better.

Magnolia, Michaels, and the art of making a room feel lived in.

I love Magnolia, including the Target collection. Pottery Barn and West Elm are in my orbit too. I'm forever watching Homeworthy and borrowing ideas from the homes of people who clearly understand the magic of warm lighting and a room you actually want to sit in.

Then there's Michaels. I went in for Halloween party supplies and emerged with blankets and Ashland candles at a serious discount. This is how a perfectly reasonable errand becomes a seasonal decorating event. Ina Garten and Martha Stewart remain guiding lights for the fantasy version of my domestic life.

Antique stores, estate sales, and the J.Crew shirt that got away.

I love antiques, estate sales, tag sales, thrift shops, and Goodwill. I also give away an almost ridiculous amount of good stuff—sometimes brand new, tags still on.

Is there a smarter way to do it? Of course. But I like imagining someone heading to a job interview who happens to find that J.Crew shirt I never wore because it didn't fit quite right and I never got around to returning it. Maybe it finds exactly the person who needs it. That's a pretty good outcome.

Flats that actually earn their closet space.

My brown suede Sam Edelman flats are the kind of shoes that make an outfit without making my feet miserable. I feel the same about J.Crew's Italian leather ballet flats: comfortable enough to practically live in, cute with everything. Anthropologie will always get my attention; Free People is more where I shop for my daughter these days. And yes, I recently stocked up on clothes for a conference.

Chanel's holiday collection is testing me.

I adore Chanel, and the new holiday collection is very much on my wish list. To be clear: coveting, not claiming ownership. Sometimes the fantasy shopping is half the fun.

My subscription box problem is thriving.

I'm an annual FabFitFun subscriber. I love the seasonal boxes, the add-ons, and—of course—the occasional extra for Max. I subscribe to Flamingo Estate's curated boxes, and even their matches are too pretty to burn. I also love gifting children's activity boxes and buying Advent calendars, including LEGO Star Wars for my son. The surprise is the point. Apparently I need something to look forward to arriving at the door at all times.

MarieBelle chocolate, forever.

I have been shopping at MarieBelle since my twenties, which makes this a very long-running love affair. Their chocolates are beautiful, but it is the holiday collections that really get me: the kind of special little luxury I love to give, receive, display, and occasionally keep entirely for myself. Some things are worth making a tradition.

The beauty brands I keep coming back to.

Philosophy facial cleanser has been in my routine since I was about 22. CLEAN perfumes have been another longtime favorite since my early twenties. And I have loved Tarte makeup for years: I admire its woman-founded story and would love to work with the brand someday. These are genuine decades-long favorites, not new discoveries.

Concerts, the shoreline, and stories worth telling.

I love live music, including a recent fantastic Sabrina Carpenter show, and trips to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. I love the Connecticut shoreline, Bishop’s Orchards, Madison Beach Hotel, local seafood, and making dinner plans part of the fun.

On Valentine’s Day I tried clams casino at Madison Prime, met a wonderful couple, and ended up with new friends. This is exactly why I love going out: the best souvenirs are sometimes the people you meet.

We went to the Hudson Valley for a candy shop. Obviously.

One of my favorite family adventures was a little getaway in the Rhinebeck and Ulster County area: a bed-and-breakfast, antique hunting, a wonderfully old-fashioned diner, and a special trip to Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck. I have loved Hilarie Burton Morgan since One Tree Hill, so seeing the sweet shop associated with her, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Paul Rudd was reason enough to make an occasion of it. The vintage diner felt like an old railroad dining car. A good family day is sometimes candy, coffee, antiques, and following a slightly ridiculous idea wherever it leads.

Books are another favorite excuse for an outing. R.J. Julia is a longtime favorite, and I love browsing distinctive independent bookstores and making a whole day out of it. Friends & Company is on my local favorites list, too—exactly the sort of place I want to keep coming back to.

Samuel’s Sweet Shop and its owners are confirmed. I’m still identifying the exact B&B, diner, and a couple of the bookstore and breakfast spots before naming them as specific stops.

The flats I would happily live in.

My brown suede Sam Edelman flats are the shoes I keep reaching for this season. Comfortable, cute, and somehow right with nearly everything. The Italian leather ballet flats from J.Crew are right up there too. This is what I want from a shoe: make me look like I have it together without requiring my feet to suffer for it.

Anthropologie remains a forever love. Free People is increasingly more for my daughter. And lately I've been buying clothes for conferences with a renewed appreciation for outfits that work as hard as I do.

Chanel's holiday collection has my attention.

I love Chanel, and the new holiday collection is very much in the category of things I'm coveting—not things I'm pretending I've bought. There's room in life for a fabulous wish list.

I have never met a beautiful subscription box I didn't want.

FabFitFun is my ongoing seasonal ritual: I have an annual subscription, I love the seasonal boxes, and I almost always find a reason to shop the add-ons, sometimes even for Max. Flamingo Estate's curated boxes are another obsession, especially the Practical Magic box and the matches too beautiful to use.

I also love giving subscriptions and surprise boxes. Children's activity boxes for the family, Advent calendars for the kids, LEGO Star Wars for my son, and Amazon beauty calendars for the girls. It's the anticipation, the little surprise, and the excuse to make an ordinary day feel special.

A dirty martini is practically a decorating decision.

I love an excuse to make an ordinary evening feel glamorous: a beautiful martini glass, proper olive picks, excellent olives, and a drink served with just a little ceremony. Make it dirty, vodka, three olives. The glassware matters, because of course it does.

And yes, there is room in my life for caviar, small indulgences and anything that makes having people over feel slightly more fabulous. This is not about perfection. It’s about making Tuesday look like it has plans.

Max has designer luggage. I'm not taking questions.

My Maltipoo’s collection includes purchases from maxbone, DOGISTRY and The Foggy Dog: designer carrier bags, a Christian Cowan holiday jumper, a Rockstar harness and leash, and walk sets for the seasons. There is an entire separate edit because his taste, apparently, deserves its own website category.

Meet Max and shop his actual favorites →