fiber arts, hydration, and Bubba Gump week
the weekly R.E.P.O.R.T. 04.24.26
What is the Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T? I wanted to create a fun weekly format to share food, reads, hobbies, items, shows and more that I’m currently loving or making my life easier. I see “Efficient Kitchen” embodying the whole home as well as the people in it. I also want to hear from YOU. What are you enjoying? Comment on the post anything you’re loving in a R.E.P.O.R.T category.
In January I started reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen and set it down at the end of volume one and shelved it as “did not finish” on GoodReads. Since Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, this felt like an absolute crime against myself, Jane Austen, and literature. I was encouraged at book club to give it a second chance after listening to the Literary Life podcast on it. I’m so glad that friend suggested to press on, because I was reading the book completely wrong. I couldn’t understand why she drolled on about a play for so long, and I couldn’t stand any of the characters. I thought that Fanny Price was weak spined compared to a Lizzie Bennet or an Anne Elliot.
After listening to the podcast as I read each volume, I see that this book has so many layers to it and her observations on morality and character. Some questions that the book raises:
Is there someone that I am overlooking because I don’t think them to be very “important”?
Am I trying to get between my children and their struggles to prevent them pain? When in fact, that’s exactly what they need to grow in virtue.
Am I raising my children to know the virtuous answer (because children are quick to know what you want to hear) or am I raising them in virtue?
Struggles create gratitude. It’s hard to develop gratitude without some sort of struggle in your life.
I wouldn’t say that I loved the book, but I liked it and will read it again. I think it’s a book that grows with you over time because it’s so deep. It’s really hard to catch everything in one read. My favorite thing about Jane Austen’s writing is her dialogue. She is so witty in her dialogue between people, and she truly captures women to women conversations well. I think what’s hard about Mansfield Park is almost everyone in the book is a fool, so Fanny can’t have a decent conversation with hardly anyone!
We had Bubba Gump week around here. If you’ve been around the Efficient Kitchen long enough, you know what that is. My husband smokes a huge pork butt that we get creative in how we serve it for most dinners and then freeze the rest. We got more creative this time with serving it, and I really enjoyed the dinners without getting tired of it. I am going to write up a full post about it because it’s one of the most cost effective meal preps. We also enjoy doing a slightly larger pork butt for potlucks at church and have plenty to share and freeze.
I finally capital F finished my needlepoint for my son’s door. I have one kid left and am stumped on how I will design the canvas for it. Needlepoint, reading and recipe creating are all hobbies that fill my creative cup. I highly recommend to have something that you enjoy doing. You almost have to create time for it though because there is always something you could be doing to be productive. Slowly down to create is against my nature, and I stopped doing so many things I enjoyed for a long time during college and my early career. It wasn’t “productive.”
I’ve changed my views on productivity and stopped trying to find my worth in it. It’s taken a lot of practice, and I still have to fight it sometimes. If you want to learn needlepoint, don’t be intimidated at all. It’s very easy once you learn a tent stitch.
I saw someone on TikTok post that Michael’s has a collab with Jonathan Adler for kitted needlepoint pillows for $40 and you can use coupons on it. CRAZY! I also think these would be great gifts for someone who enjoys fiber arts. I am always on the hunt for lowering the barrier to entry to it!
Spring time clothes, purses, and shoes are my favorite. I love that all the color is in full bloom in the clothing industry. I am not purchasing clothing right now as I am navigating a still freshly postpartum body, but I have seen SO MANY cute pieces of clothing and purses. I have linked all my favorite here.
(Ha Hill House is my GOAT because they are like yoga pants and love you with whatever your body is currently doing!)
I think I’ve been through all the water bottles starting with a Nalgene in the 90’s. I had been so resistant to a strawless water bottle but my kids were told to switch to Owala’s for oral development. I truly love a flip top straw water bottle and thought I found the GOAT with the Hydrojug. However, I could not keep that thing clean. It got mold in every crevice. I grabbed an extra one we had in the cabinet, and I’m sold. I think this is the final boss. Like can we come out with new water bottle technology? I don’t know.
One of my hesitations was that I don’t like the colors. (I know that’s lame but color is a big thing to me) Owala came through with their spring drop and they are SO CUTE. (we had a lost and recovered Owala situation over here so I had ordered a new one for an unnamed child ha!)
I know that I mentioned awhile back about doing Sarah Kleiner’s hydration protocol. WOW. It was very simple and easy, but I’m so much less thirsty. I think we go too hard as Americans with our water sometimes. I actually stopped carrying a 40oz bottle and dropped to the smaller size. Doing this protocol made a massive difference in energy too. She has the protocol on her paid Substack.
Also sidenote: If your kid is prone to leaving water bottles places, I like the Inch Bug Orbit labels. I have used the same ones on my kids baby bottles and they transition to water bottles.
We had an ice cream social to attend recently so I whipped up my homemade ice cream recipe. Our kids have been telling their friends that they have had ice cream parties every night, which is so funny to me.
It’s truly the best recipe and we use corn and dye free sprinkles for the kids along with the best chocolate sauce. There is a local coffee shop that makes the best mochas and I asked them what chocolate they use for it. They told me and now that’s all we use!
You can find the recipes here:
Let me know any of your recommendations below! I would love to hear them.
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