Reader, welcome to Afternoon Tea! As a self-confessed hopeless romantic and anglophile to the highest degree, it is one of my deepest sorrows that I am not one to regularly partake in the privilege that is afternoon tea. Although I often enjoy a cup of Earl Grey on slow afternoons, my chipped mugs and sliced bananas are poor substitutions for the Spode china and brilliantly colored petit fours that would abound in an authentic ceremony. As such, I invite you to a virtual celebration of the elegant pastime that begs us to appreciate beauty and focus on being present. Here, you will find a somewhat jumbled collection of my revelations, reflections, and that which I relish from the week. So please, brew a warm pot of tea, procure for yourself an array of scones and biscuits, and peruse with me what is lovely in life.
Thanking the Academy
What does it mean to thank the Academy? To do so is to extend a breathless word of overwhelming appreciation to a higher power, to a force second only to the Universe in terms of its ubiquitous and enigmatic presence. As such, here you will find my own earnest appeal to make my gratitude known – a profound and dreamlike thank-you to that manifestation which is omnipresent, alluring, and all-encompassing.
- Morning workouts with my roommates a la Joja (which is hosting a site-wide 50% sale, as of writing this).
- Checking off my to-do list, one item at a time.
- Nighttime drives.
- Friends who let you vent at midnight over the silliest of dismays.
- Painting with a friend.
- Dinner at my grandparents’ house with my entire family.
- The most scintillating tidbit which I would very much like to relate to you, but am unable to do on account that its implications are far too sensational to share. Intriguing, indeed.
- An enjoyable afternoon of shopping for my sister with her boyfriend.
- Mexican food with the sweetest new friend.
- The resurrection of my journal.
- A new lunch obsession (which will last who-knows how long) – udon noodles and thai peanut sauce, alongside greens. Delicious.
- The 21st birthday of a precious friend, which I was not able to celebrate in-person, but can not wait to do when she returns to school.
- Waking up at 5:30 AM with my roommates to drop off one of our party at the airport, followed by Dutch Bros coffee.
- A freezing apartment in the heat of July.
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things…
In an unending effort to live just as my icon, Ms. Julie Andrews, below you will find my own weekly compilation of that which brings me just as much joy as “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”.
- The Barbie movie, of course. I am seeing it on Monday and Tuesday of this coming week, but all the buzz of the last few days has made me even more excited than I was before.
- This mattress topper I bought off a lovely woman in my sorority, which has me lounging at all hours as if I were Helen of Troy (who very likely did not lounge often, considering she was the victim of the wrath of three goddesses, but I wish she had been able to do so).
- The Stanley Cup, which I am just now learning is customisable (!) and would make a nice gift. I have tripled my water intake since toting around this orange bottle.
- These sneakers, which give a Dolce look for a much lower price tag.
- Reader, you know well my love for Inslee, and all the wonderful things she creates (dresses! Paintings! A new calendar coming soon! oh my!).
- If I want Inslee’s work to adorn my walls, Reader, I want Nicola Bathie on my wrists and ears. This ring stopped my heart, these cufflinks made me long in a moment weakness to be a man, these baubles are too whimsical to be penned by any words of our world, and just look at the tiaras for which I am lying in wait.
- The creativity of crafters. I loved this video, what a sweet thing to share.
- A simple scent for every day.
Seven-Day Design
A word (or two) of wisdom to guide the upcoming week.
Immortal Echoes
- If you are born an artist, you have no choice but to fight to stay an artist. – Lana Del Ray
Evanescent Intentions
- This week, I will be real.
Reader, for those who know me personally (and I should think many of you do, for there are not many of you altogether), you know I am fond of the TikTok-born phrase, “be so real” and its many iterations. This turn of phrase, most often employed by a disbelieving speaker, implores of its subject to ground themselves, take a moment and check in with reality. It is a silly and fashionable expression, and, having long been susceptible to adopting the idiom of the day, is common in my vernacular.
I do not necessarily think I need to “touch grass,” as they say, but I would like to spend this week checking my flights of fancy and grounding myself in the person I have worked very hard to be proud of, and the person I would like to be. Reality is rarely a fixed entity in my life, and as school approaches, I think it may be beneficial to observe the growing gap between expectation, speculation, and actuality with a little more scrutiny than is known to me.
Reader, I hope you are not real too often, save in the sense of being unequivocally genuine. I do, however, hope that when it comes time to drill-down and focus, you are better equipped than I to do so. I think it very likely.
Love,
Lettie Anne