The Link Up: The Page Turner Novel Emily Finished In One Day, The $18 Denim Shorts Ryann Didn’t Think She’d Love, And A Really Great Mother’s Day Gift Idea

Are the May flowers here? It’s the 2nd! We are extremely ready. I’m sure you are also ready to enjoy your Sunday (we hope the weather is nice where you are) and kick all the way back. So to start off this day of leisure, let’s first get to our links. Y’all Em’s is VERY good (hit on Kindle link and add to cart;))…

This week’s house tour, designed by Jason Mowen via The Design Files, feels like home we needed to see today. Like a hug from a really beautiful and soulful friend. The scale gallery wall of the galley wall art is amazing, the open shelf bookcases are such a beautiful feature (and only proves what we said in this post), and the rest of the space is just so perfectly layered, curated but completely unpretentious. Enjoy:)

From Emily: It’s no surprise to my friends that I’ve been nose deep into romance novels since the pandemic started – I grew up on them, unbeknownst to my parents and I think they seriously shaped who I am. I’ve read close to 40 romance fiction books this year (everything from The Wedding Date series, American Royals, The Union of Rakes series – all SO GOOD). Some are literally the 4.99 soft-backs you see at CVS (which I just download on my kindle, duh).  When I picked up Beach Read at 9 pm on Monday, after putting the kids down (and seconds after finishing The Duke Heist) I was immediately into it. I stayed up till midnight (not advisable) and then read it every second I could in between meetings on Tuesday, concluding on Tuesday night at 7 pm (yes, it was poor parenting). It’s funny, witty, smart, relatable, and yes STEAMY with so much almost kissing (and a lot of actual kissing). Emily Henry is doing the modern romance genre RIGHT and I actually just preordered her next book – first time in Emily Henderson history. I NEVER preorder a fiction book but am so excited for May 11th when her next book comes out. Anyway, if you want to escape, feel good, make your tummy feel warm (says my 12-year-old version of myself), and maybe spice up your nighttime mood, read BEACH READ.

Did you check out our Mother’s Day gift guide?? Well if you still need ideas we asked our Instagram community what they actually wanted and let’s just say the list is good and thourogh.

Now we are going to talk to Max Humphry’s (Co-Designer of the River House) new book in much more depth later but it’s out and you should BUY IT! We are SO happy for him and can’t wait to dive in!

From Ryann: After reading Em’s swimsuit post yesterday I felt inspired to find the right suit that I would feel good in for summer, and then I remembered that I’ve been wanting to try out You Swim for some time now. I am super intrigued by them because their swimwear is one size but fits U.S. size 2 to 14 or UK/Aust. size 6 to 18! I think this is very cool and I love seeing a range of bodies so I can envision how it will look on me. I hope that by supporting them they can make even more inclusive sizing past a size 14 so I ordered their Eva Standard Waist Two Piece in Aster and will report back on how it fits!

Also From Ryann: I am admittedly a bit of a denim snob so when I was looking for new cutoff denim shorts for summer (mine don’t fit like they used to :)) I was skeptical to try these from Target in Medium Blue. I decided to try them out anyway and I was shocked at how well they fit! I like that they have a longer hem and the stretch fabric is super comfortable but doesn’t look cheap.

From Mallory: Chase and I made these healthy enchiladas for dinner with some DANK flour tortillas (these are my all-time favorite) and they were amazing! We also started using greek yogurt in place of sour cream for almost everything because we like it better and apparently it’s a lot better for you…do you guys do this?? What a life hack IMHO. Also, since we’re on the subject of food, I’ve been craving buffalo sauce an insane amount recently, so we’ve been making some at home. We use Sam the cooking guy’s recipe (go to like 5:30) as a loose guide to make ours and MAN it’s good. If you’ve never made homemade buffalo sauce this is your sign to start!!

From Caitlin: If you’re into skincare and not following @namvo on Instagram, you are missing out!!! She’s fun to watch, very relatable (e.g. open about not drinking enough water, eating foods that can cause breakouts, etc.), laugh-out-loud hilarious, and SO DEWY AND BEAUTIFUL. She’s also really passionate about the NuFace and I just found one on sale right now – I’ve been doing a ton of research and am pretty much ready to enter my credit card details, but I’d love any first-hand accounts from you pals! Has anyone else tried one? (PS. Sometimes she also posts the most oddly satisfying spa videos and they make me SO JEALOUS.)

From Jess: This is my third time this week talking about Bloomist’s new live plants because that’s how much I LOVE them. They come to you completely beautiful and potted which for someone who isn’t great with plants (aka me) it’s so awesome. And guess who’s having a sale? They are! So if you use code MOTHER15, you get 15% off and it runs until the end of day Monday. FYI you’ll need to select express shipping to get your plant to your mom in time and Monday is the cut-off. I also want to mention that they only do two sales a year so if you’ve been eyeing anything now is the time to get to it.

Also From Jess: Do you love bread, delicious toasts, wonderful small businesses, AND live near Napa? Well, one of my best friends and her husband just opened up an incredible bakery in Napa, CA called West Won Bread. This has been SUCH a labor of love and my dad even built the fence of their outdoor cafe area! My dad also officiated their wedding so it’s pretty awesome there’s a piece of him in their first brick and mortar:) Anyway, if you live in the area or are planning a trip in the future go see them and eat some really good bread!

Ready for another wonderful and joy-inducing Etsy collab?? Well, designer Prabal Gurung has brought pastels and springtime to the scene in such a beautiful way. Go check out this awesome collection!

While we are extremely lucky to have ample vaccines in the US, India is in a COVID crisis. Via Sara’s Instagram stories, I saw this post that gives a handful of organizations we can donate to. Until the entire world is rid of this horrible virus, it’s not over. We are truly in this together.

Well, that’s all we have for you today. Hold your loved ones close and be good to each other. See you tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Jason Mowen | Photo by Nicola Sevitt | via The Design Files

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