turning forty, my new fav afternoon tea, and grandma hobbies

07.31.26

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.

Reading was a little lighter in the month of July, and I had a lengthy book that I was determined to finish. After I finished The Count of Monte Cristo last year, I had a hard time deciding what to read next. I had major book hangover and was also extremely pregnant. For some unknown reason, I picked up The Man in the Iron Mask. I started reading but realized I was not in the right frame of mind to read a 200 year old book while also miserably pregnant with a very large baby.

I finally picked it back up in July because I cannot leave books unfinished. I realize no one is making me read these huge classics which sometimes I love and sometimes only sorta like, but I do it anyway.

I love Alexandre Dumas’ writing. He is incredibly funny but also very very wordy. (The man wanted to get his coin on his books.) What I didn’t realize is The Man in the Iron Mask is the fourth book in a series on the Three Musketeers. I am very familiar with the Three Musketeers story so it wasn’t a big deal for me to dive in. What I wasn’t expecting was that the plot had hardly anything to do with The Man in the Iron Mask. Being a young teen in the 90’s, I loved the cheesy film, so I was expecting that plot. (I actually rewatched the movie after reading the book and it is truly so cheesy… like why do Leo and John Malkovich have American accents, Gerard Depardieu and Christine are French, and a few people have British accents?)

I greatly enjoyed the banter between the Musketeers, D’Artangnon’s loyal character, and the fight scenes. I was very much on the edge of my seat with their swashbuckling and taking down an entire army. However… I was incredibly disappointed in the ending. I felt like it got away from the “One for all and all for one” motto of the Musketeers.

I only gave it three stars because of the ending. It is worth reading, but just know that you might not like the ending. I probably should have at least read The Three Musketeers first before opening this book up. I believe most people skip the two in the middle, which it was originally published as a single 2,000 page novel…

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I think summer is the perfect time to stock your freezer and get ahead of the school year with cooking. Like I said, I went a little unhinged and baked 120 muffins testing different recipes. (I have several coming here to post and will do a big breakfast meal prep plan)

I know 120 muffins sounds like a lot, but I have two hungry kids who have only increased the amount of food they eat. (One isn’t on solids yet thankfully!) All my recipes have to pass the gluten test before I post them here, so here have been the ones my family has been loving:

In case you missed it, I wrote a guide for paid subscribers that does a comprehensive meal prep for back to school. You can spend 90 minutes and get 12 servings of breakfast and 20 lunch items prepped to get ahead of the school year.

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I have done a lot of celebrating lately for the big 4-0. It has been so so fun but it’s also kind of weird entering this decade. I’m not super young, but I’m not old. I’m rediscovering hobbies that I enjoyed as a child, and I’ve always had a penchant for “grandma hobbies.” As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been learning to play Mahjong with friends and it is just so fun. Through a class, I recently discovered Mini Mahjer as a way to learn as well as teach children. I initially thought it was for children only, but it’s a way for players of different levels to learn and play together. You can start learning at age 5 and all sorts of levels can play together. The way it advances is putting longer and more complicated lines together to be able to “Mahjong.” (You can also just buy the cards if you already own a tile and game play set up!)

If you’ve ever researched Mahjong tiles, you know the entire game setup can be quite an investment. I love this option to allow the entire family to play together at different levels with a much lower entry point. I think it would be a great Christmas present. (Which if you have been around awhile, you know I start early! I don’t want to be stressed with it!)

I also got my first Mahjong ever the week of my fortieth which felt serendipitous! Winds for the win!

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I ditched my Apple watch years ago and have been on the hunt for a classic watch. I couldn’t take the constant pinging and tracking every single little thing. I’ve been eyeing this one from Anthro that will save you $25k and looks just like the real thing. I’ve been so choosy in finding every day items that are classic and will last awhile. I absolutely love the look of this watch and find it so chic for such a reasonable price. (You’ll be shocked!)

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At the beginning of the year, I decided to cut out anything with Stevia in it. I realized that I simply consume too much on a daily basis and for many reasons decided to cut it out.

I’ve really missed having an afternoon drink to enjoy. I was really exited when Happy Being reached out sent me these white tea drinks. I got the orchard variety pack and love that they have a non carbonated version of all their drinks and that they don’t contain caffeine. I can’t decide my favorite flavor but maybe the cherry ones? They aren’t overly sweet and enjoyable when you are tired of drinking water all day and want to switch it up.

I did ask them the source of natural flavors in their drinks, because it’s something that I’m mindful of:

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For my birthday, I treated myself to this Harper Muse Classic edition of Jane Eyre from our local bookstore. Even though I usually purchase hardcovers of classics, I was so drawn to the pink edges of this copy. I was so surprised when I had some points to use at the bookstore so it felt worth to spend them on a Bronte novel.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous report, this one is one of my door stopper novels of the year to read. I’m saving it for the fall per suggestion of a reader on Substack. I remember reading it in high school and thinking that I’m more of an Austen girl than a Bronte, but I want to give it fresh eyes as an adult. The Literary Life podcast did it as one of their books for the year and they opened my eyes so much to Mansfield Park, that I’m going to have to give it a try again!

Support your local book store, but if yours doesn’t have a copy, Bezos does.

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Let me know any of your recommendations below! I would love to hear them.

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