Storage Ottoman Achieved!

When I was looking for a new coffee table, I was hoping it would have storage and be the height where I could comfortably put my feet and legs on so I could lounge out. Julie informed me such a thing was called a storage ottoman.

I ended up going in a different direction, storage ottomans being in short supply, but what should I find at Ikea, but a very small storage ottoman for thirteen dollars!

It nicely matches the chair that has always needed a footrest.

From the future, I can report that I went back and bought two more of these storage ottomans and they sit at the end of the coffee table. I put them against the couch and can now lounge out, like I always dreamed.

They will also be a great place to put scraps of fabric.

Thanks, Ikea!

Independence Day Fireworks from Willamette Park

For the first time in many years, we headed out to watch the fireworks. Specifically the Oaks Park fireworks from across the river at Willamette Park.

You can see that it was not a particularly warm night. Also, check out the very dead grass we were sitting on.

From later in the evening as the sun went down. That stand of trees to the left of Matt’s head was where the barge with the fireworks was.

This meant that we saw most of the fireworks through the leaves of those trees. This was clearly our first rodeo at Willamette Park.

A subpar fireworks picture (taken with my fireworks setting on)

People near us brought glowing balls to swing around. They were fun to watch, and photographed a tiny bit better than the fireworks.

I’m always happy to watch fireworks, even on a not-warm night with trees partially obscuring my view.

Books Read in June 2025

(I wasn’t paying attention and some July books snuck onto this list.)

*book group selection | bolded means favorite

Picture Books

*Fireworks by Matthew Burgess and Catia Chien
*Mistaco: A Tale of Tragedy y Tortillas by Eliza Kinkz
*Hurricane by Jason Chin
*Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan
*Faith Takes the Train by Kesi Augustine and Mokshini
*Pilgrim Codex by Vivian Mansour and Emmanuel Valtierra

Middle Grade

*Halfway to Somewhere by José Pimienta
*Speak Up, Santiago! by Julio Anta and Gabi Mendez

Young Adult

*The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum
The Beautiful Maddening by Shea Ernshaw

Grownup Fiction

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

Young Nonfiction

*Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Andrea Fajardo

Grownup Nonfiction

The Art of Dressing Curves: The Best-Kept Secrets of a Fashion Stylist by Susan Moses

Another book with too much talk of problem areas. It also covers a much fancier class of clothing than I wear. Apparently the art involves a lot of shapewear which, given that my qualifying clothing question is “Do the men have to do this?” is not something I am interested in.

That said, a lot of interesting information and resources. And if you are interested in shapewear, this is the book for you.

The Wardrobe Wakeup: Your Guide to Looking Fabulous at Any Age by Lois Joy Johnson

Whoo-boy did I hate this. It was incredibly prescriptive (I will continue to wear long skirts, thank you) and incredibly self-congratulatory, which is a thing that drives me crazy about baby boomers. There was some lip service to looking good no matter your weight, but every woman featured in this was tiny in that way that means endless salads and no pasta.

The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe by Anuschka Rees

I’m not so sure about this being a simple system, but it does seem to be a solid one for slowly building your style. No mention of problem areas.

The Ultimate Book of Outfit Formulas: A Stylish Solution to What Should I Wear? by Alison Lumbatis

Lumbatis is much more of a fan of wearing gray than I am, and the clothing was a little more informal than I would choose for work, but there was some good inspiration in the shoe department.

How to Get Dressed: A Costume Designer’s Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing by Alison Freer

This is a book to buy and keep on your reference shelf. There is no mention of problem areas, Freer comes out hard against shapewear (and for granny panties), and she’s full of tips and tricks. I’m not on board with all her laundry instructions, but it’s good to know they are there should I ever have a change of heart. And it contains the most extensive list of stain removal methods that I’ve ever read.

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green
Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir by Lacy Crawford
Ahead of the Curve: Learn to Fit and Sew Amazing Clothes for Your Curves by Jenny Rushmore
The Re:Fashion Wardrobe: Sew Your Own Stylish, Sustainable Clothes by Portia Lawrie
Radical Sewing: Pattern-Free, Sustainable Fashions for All Bodies by Kate B. Weiss
Postdiabetic: An Easy-to-Follow 9-Week Guide to Reversing Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes by Eric Edmeades and Rubén Ruiz

Movie Quiz Results June 2025

Battleship Cinematic Universe had such a good first round! 76 points! Amazing! We only missed 4 out of 40 on the grid round, which was a feat, especially because my handwriting had me thinking the word was “Bayan” rather than “Bryan.”

And then the second round had too many horror films and we tanked.

Favorite names: Baby Fish Mouth, Eternal Sunshine of Midsommer, and Tom.

Gnocchi was sitting in front of us. They had a similar experience with the rounds as we did.

Postcard re: Étoile Episode One

Ariel and I are watching Amy Sherman-Paladino’s new show about ballet, Étoile and then exchanging postcards. Her first one arrived today.

I wasn’t bowled over by the first episode, but I will happily sit through anything with Luke Kirby in it. I also enjoyed the dancing.

Ariel was not at all thrilled, calling it verbose, but not at all brilliant so far. She also was annoyed at the missing L apostrophe that should be before Étoile. It’s never a good sign when the postcard ends with “ugh!”

Matt’s Birthday Dinner at Janken

Matt’s mother offered to take us out for dinner on his birthday, and Matt picked Janken, a recommendation from one of his friends at the gym. The Japanese-Korean fusion tapas was delicious and service was great. I had edamame, crispy brussels sprouts (fabulous!) and miso soup. Matt ordered the Bignsu dessert which was big enough to share.

He also got cream puffs with a candle for his birthday celebration.

Look at that Bingsu! So good looking.