Musings + Essays
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Currently: The Hamptons Edition.

By: Jen Shoop

On vacation in the Hamptons! After the first few weeks adjusting to life as a mother to TWO babies (!!), Mr. Magpie and I had a come-to-Jesus moment where we looked at each other and said: “So, this Hamptons vacation is not really going to be a vacation after all…” But, we are still looking forward to all of the extra space, the new experiences for mini (a backyard! the beach! daily dips in the pool! strawberry picking! etc.), and the companionship of my sister and brother-in-law as well as our best friends, who recently had their first baby.

But, thought I’d pop in and share a few things au courant chez Magpie:

Currently reading The Falconer by Dana Czapnik as a part of our vacation book club. Our friends usually pick a book to read together as a couple when they travel (so cute), so we joined in on the fun. I have been hearing rumblings about this book for awhile and we were all drawn to the fact that it is set in NYC in the 90s and has a heavy emphasis on place/space. Next I’ll read our Magpie book club pick.

Currently wearing my Sleeper dress, lots of button-front shirtdresses, and cotton maxi dresses like this.

I have to say — my Loeffler Randall Birdie slides have been one of my favorite purchases to date, and they are on sale in a ton of colorways for around $100 here. They are comfortable (though readers should note that LR tends to run narrow), easy to walk in, and add just enough interest to any old thing. (I actually bought them in a white canvas version of this that I can no longer find online, but having them in black would be equally versatile — the colors are fantastic and go with everything I own!) And speaking of LR: these $35 slides look like the SPITTING IMAGE of a pair by the brand.

Currently obsessed with everything from the label Miguelina. Especially love this splashy dress and this linen wrap dress.

Currently wishing I’d bought this to wear for the Fourth tomorrow. Easy, forgiving, and Americana in dress form.

Currently wearing Meet My Decorator gel polish from OPI on my fingers — it’s the cheeriest, firiest orange-y red and though I know wearing gels kills my nails, it’s the only solution until I get into more of a routine with two kiddos.

Currently tearing through these mini notebooks, making a ton of lists. My mom gave me this fun little box set of notebooks as a little add-on to my birthday gifts and I love carrying one in each of my purses and stowing one in my bedside table, etc. They’ve been so helpful as I try to keep my head screwed on straight the past few weeks. They give me the chance to transfer all of my lists and worries and ideas onto paper so I can create more space for myself…

Currently stressing me out: the length of my thank you note list. I am usually ultra-disciplined about sending thank you notes within a few days of receiving a gift, but I have been swamped and now I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve received all of these gifts for micro and I’ve still not written them! I even ordered all of the stationery…one day soon!!!

Currently lusting after one of these “learning towers” for mini — love all of the colors they come in. I think she’d love to use one to help me cook in the kitchen. For father’s day, we actually baked cupcakes from scratch together and the only safe option for cooking with her was sitting down on the kitchen floor to mix and measure everything.

Currently dying over these mini Birkenstock lookalikes ($13!) for mini. OMG. GET OUT.

Currently watching: Big Little Lies, Season 2; Billions; Southern Charm; and Chernobyl. Like everyone else I know. Ha! I devoured the show Divorce on HBO during late night feeds over the past few weeks — I cannot get over how hilarious the male lead is in that show! His affect is just hysterical to me. The premise is depressing and some scenes were cringe-worthy but overall, I found myself occasionally laughing out loud and thoroughly engaged. I also drank two seasons of Very Cavallari up in no time flat. She’s fun to watch (gorgeous) and I cannot figure Jay Cutler out. Mr. Magpie insists he was a horrible leader and sportsman when he played for the Bears, and I can’t quite put my finger on his tone. Is he sarcastic? Mean? Self-involved? Awkward? Anyway, that show was a delight.

Currently loving this face mask. I like the way it makes my skin feel tight while it’s on — like it’s drying all the impurities out — and then leaves my skin soft.

What’s au courant chez toi? I am missing my in-person book club because it keeps me fresh. All my Magpie readers always bring the latest must-dos and must-reads and must-sees and so I feel completely out of touch!

P.S. These musings on the eve of micro’s birth feel so far away, emotionally and intellectually. I can’t believe my boy is over a month old. It’s true what they say: babies don’t keep.

P.P.S. Working on a new Q+A — feel free to send your questions to me via email ([email protected]) or direct message. I answer each and every one!

P.P.P.S. This post makes me weepy.

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16 thoughts on “Currently: The Hamptons Edition.

  1. My boyfriend & I also have been watching Chernobyl … so, so bleak! Eeek. I’m a terrible TV-watcher otherwise … I tend to mostly watch sporting events but always have a backup book/my phone to multitask. Horrible!

    The Falconer sounds super intriguing … adding it to my list! I’m currently reading Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret and it’s delightful. Also reading The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin and it’s … OK. It’s exactly what I had selected … a light summer read … but somehow I’m looking for more? Bleh.

    That Sleeper midi dress is beautiful! I’ve had my eye on that label for many moons now and still haven’t pulled the trigger on any of their dresses/sets. One day!

    Also really want those LR Birdie slides! xx

    1. Go for the Sleeper! Favorite fashion purchase this summer, hands down. Actually very flattering and easy to wear, and I love how versatile it is.

      xx

  2. Congrats on being a mother of two, it sounds like life is full and fun for you!

    My husband built me a learning tower (hard to find here in Australia) and we use it every day……….my little one loves it for cooking and snacking. We ‘cook’ everyday which has it’s pluses and minuses 🙂

    Currently looking for a matching apron set for us both – any ideas?

    Enjoy your trip to the Hamptons! A change of scenery is always lovely.

    1. So sweet! I’m sure mini would love to cook everyday in the real kitchen. We spend a decent portion of every day playing with her faux kitchen gear 🙂

      For aprons — yes! Williams-Sonoma! They have monogrammed styles, too:

      http://bit.ly/2G1XHsh

      xxx

  3. Divorce! Ah, the wardrobe! I love the prints, colors, silhouettes, and the COATS! Everything SJP’s character wears is sexy to me, even though most of it is extremely modest. (The hair styling helps- the rich, sexy balayage and perfect waves). I swear that show made me have a keener eye for vintage and for tailoring.

    Thomas Haden Church’s affect is amazing. If you haven’t seen Easy A, he’s a delight in that as well.

    1. YES – wardrobe is ridic. My sister and I actually tried to track down some of her dresses but literally everything is vintage. AHH. She looks amazing.

      xx

  4. I miss book club too! Looking forward to the next one 🙂 We just started watching Fleabag and it’s a bit awkward and weird (the main character speaks directly to the camera) but hilarious. I also started watching Outlander (please watch with subtitles though, those Scottish accents are thick!). I read the book which was good but my co-workers are obsessed with the show (mostly thanks to Sam Heughan who plays the male lead and I can completely see why they are all so smitten!). Always Be My Maybe , The Edge of 17, Set it Up and The Dawn Wall were others we watched recently that were good. On the book front I’ve really enjoyed The Immortalists, Less, It Ends with Us and The Idea of you. I’m also thoroughly enjoying The Sun Is Also A Star so far. Enjoy your trip!

    1. I was going to say the same thing Diana- your in-person book club misses you too Jen!! I’ve been following your mother-of-2 posts with equal parts excitement and terror for what lies ahead, but it sounds like you are managing everything very well- hope you are giving yourself grace too, and look forward to us all coming back together eventually!

      Side-bar, I just finished The Idea of You and omg- it really sticks with you. I was looking for a light and fluffy palette cleanser after Conversations with Friends but it was surprisingly well-written and deep. Would LOVE even a side book club discussion on this!

      Also, I’m 2 episodes in to the second season of Big Little Lies and can’t really get invested yet- not sure why? I don’t know if it’s too dark (literally everyone’s life is falling apart) or what but I’m finding that the next episode sits for over a week before I finally queue it up.

      1. Agree with you on BLL — it is really drawn out and boring this season so far. It’s like, “We get it. Everyone is upset. Can something happen?”

        Definitely looking into “The Idea of You.”

        xxx

    2. Gina- I felt the same way about the idea of you! It was thoughtfully written and tackled a lot of serious subjects! I didn’t love conversations with friends (even though the writing was excellent), I enjoyed normal people more. Hoping your feeling good!

    3. Thank you for all these movie and TV show recs! I respected “Fleabag” but felt it was too dark for me right now and so gave up. Worth sticking with it?

      xx

    4. Fleabag is definitely on the darker side. I also remember feeling much more affected by books, shows, etc postpartum- maybe try again another time? We’ve only watched a few episodes of Fleabag because then Stranger Things came back (yay!) and we’re watching that now. So so good.

      1. HA – you are probably right about it just not being the right time for me to see/read anything heavy. I need all the brightness! xx

  5. I love hearing that you sped through Very Cavallari! I was also quite obsessed with it. My husband says the same thing re: Jay Cutler as Mr. Magpie. Apparently his attitude was always terrible and no one liked playing with him. I don’t think he’s mean, per say, but I am sure many people think he is because of his personality. I think now, he’s just sarcastic with a VERY dry sense of humor, but hard to figure out for sure. She can be kind of hard to figure out as well sometimes so they must mesh well together!

    ….. I really have too many thoughts about this ha!

    1. Haha, me too. I have made similar observations to like half of my friends, none of whom seem quite as interested in my annotations. Haha!

      xx

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