Setting the Table: Vol. 8
Waiting for spring, celebrating renewal...
Every Thursday, I’m setting the table for your weekend…a little collection of reads, recipes, fun things and whatever else caught my eye this week. It’s the moment before the chaos when you get to decide what kind of experience you want. NOT a to-do list…just some sweet-ass possibilities.
Millie comes home Friday after two weeks at her dad’s, and I cannot wait. The apartment’s pretty quiet without her chaos, but I’ve been counting down, and I miss her adorable (and equally infuriating) mess all the same. This weekend we’re also celebrating Eid with family and friends…delicious food, beautiful people, communal dinner around the table…moments that remind you what matters.
And even though Second Winter showed right back up on schedule after last week’s Fool’s Spring (back to 30-40 degrees, though you won’t catch me with that puffer back on), I’m still holding onto that glimpse of warmth. Spring is coming…renewal is coming…and we’re almost there.
Pull up a chair.
THE GRAZING PLATE
(quick bites, short reads, things to nibble on)
The Motherhood Penalty
I know Sunday’s piece may have been a lot…about working motherhood and what we’re actually up against. But I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and for those of us living it and feeling the weight of it all…well, the data backs it up too: modern workplaces were never designed for mothers, the maternal wall is real, and women in startups face a penalty that men with kids never see. These articles lay it out exactly like I’ve felt it and seen it in my friends’ lives as well…the structural barriers, the bias, the impossible math. These might make you feel less alone and more angry, which honestly might be the point.
- Forbes: Breaking Down the Maternal Wall
- Queen’s University: Modern Workplaces Weren’t Designed for Mothers
- Motherly: The Motherhood Penalty in StartupsSpring Equinox in Chinese Medicine
Dr. Felice Chan on what the spring equinox means for your body—liver energy, wood element, releasing what no longer serves. I’m into this framework for thinking about seasonal shifts. Spring isn’t just warmer weather, it’s a whole energetic recalibration.
THE UTENSILS
(tools, recipes, the things that help you do the work)
Nigella, my girl.
Winter and the dryness have done a number on my hair this season. In search of ways to prevent any more thinning or breakage, I’ve turned to my most trusted sources of information…my friends and the interwebs. What am I trying this week? Nigella Seeds…and I just happen to have a fresh batch sourced from my latest trip to SOS Chefs in the East Village. Have any of you tried this? Or do you have other ideas to throw my way? I’ll report back in a few weeks.
THE VESSELS
(what holds us, what gives our chaos shape and space)
Star of Bethlehem (pictured above)
I bought these green beauties from Trader Joe's last week…totally thought it was just funky greenery for the apartment. Then this week…the week spring is actually coming…the buds started blooming. I was totally surprised because I didn't even know it had flowers (I thought they were leaves), but they do, and they're beautiful. Ornithogalum…also known as the Star of Bethlehem symbolizes hope, purity, new beginnings. The bulbs bloom in spring when the light returns. Feels totally right for this moment…equinox week, one year in business, things opening up that I didn't know were possible. Sometimes you buy weird plants at Trader Joe's, and they teach you something…and other times? They just make you smile.
THE GLASSWARE
(the bubbles, the refreshment, what quenches)
Anut Cairo Goblets
Literal glassware this week:) You guys, I discovered Anut Cairo on a random Instagram scroll this week and became immediately obsessed with these Palace Walk wine glasses. Hand-blown in Egypt, gold-rimmed, the kind of glass I want to drink all the things out of…from the mundane to the fancy. They're gorgeous, and I want all of them.
THE NAPKIN
(for wiping away the week’s mess, the reset)
Eid Mubarak
It’s the end of Ramadan, and even though I don’t personally observe, my family does. We are heading to Eid dinner with family and friends this weekend, and this time, I’m going as Yas’ wife. Last year, I was his girlfriend, navigating the introductions and questions and trying not to mess up the etiquette. This year feels so different, so exciting…this isn’t just his family, they are mine now, too, and I can’t wait to celebrate light and love with our people.Spring Equinox
It’s HERE!! Friday, March 20th…after what’s felt like the longest winter EVER, it’s finally spring! …and just so happens to be my dad’s birthday as well! Shoutout to Sam Boulware for ushering in the light and the warmer weather every single year. And me? I’m ushering in the new season by putting the final touches on the first edition of my Spring Equinox pantry boxes…all ten are batched, getting packed up, labeled, and ready to hand off to my lovely friends and supporters who snatched these babies up within the first 24-hours of launching. Spring is here, friends!
THE DESSERT PLATE
(the sweet stuff, pure joy, no justification needed)
Oscars Night
What a night. So thrilled for Michael B. Jordan and are you kidding me? Autumn Durald Arkapaw (first female cinematographer to win), what a badass! And yay for my first time playing the prediction markets…full disclosure…I don't like gambling generally because of the addictive and predatory nature of it all, but I liked being able to put $5 on something I'm actually interested in. Kind of like March Madness but for pop culture…and I came away with $50 that night, so there’s that, too:)
What are you setting out for your weekend?
Much love,
Jess