We're Taking Our Coffee Outside

A new bob, a gotcha-versary for Graham, and what to bake for Memorial Day weekend.

Hi friends,

Last week I told you about my new short bob but... forgot to show you a picture. Forgive me. The haircut does make a cameo in the video below, where I’m making homemade dog treats to celebrate Graham’s one-year Gotcha Day (he's officially been ours for a whole year). Let me just say: if you’re thinking about cutting your hair — do it. It’s the season. It’s the moment. I’ve gotten enough compliments to never consider another style again. It’s easy, breezy, and honestly? I’m embracing the curly triangle hair I spent ages 10 to 17 fighting against.

This week’s newsletter has all the good stuff: Amy’s Sunday post is a gentle, joyful reminder to notice the world around you. We’re celebrating Graham, obviously. And we’ve got ideas for what to bake for Memorial Day weekend. Yes, there’s cake. There’s always cake.

Let’s get into it!

Let It Be Sunday, 517!

This week in Let It Be Sunday, Amy reminds us that joy doesn’t have to be loud — it’s often quiet, sensory, and right under our noses. As summer tiptoes in with jasmine in the air and strawberries ripening in backyard gardens, Amy challenges us to actually notice it all. Not just the beauty, but the body—we’re talking five senses, grounding exercises, and the strangely comforting truth that being inconvenienced might just be part of a good life. There’s also talk of the best walking shoes, using exercise for mental health (ugh, fine), and dressing cute for long flights — because sometimes joy is just the right airplane outfit. This is a love letter to microdoses of delight, and to slowing down before the season slips past. Read it now, then take your coffee outside for gaze around.

Read it here: Sensory SZN.

Of Courses I’m Making Cookies for the Dogs, Too.

A year with Graham 🐾 means we’re making homemade dog treats to celebrate! These are Graham’s Crackers—made with love, whole wheat flour, pumpkin, and sardines (good for dog coats and Tron also loves them). Graham (and his best friend, Emma) deserve a homemade treat and your pup does, too!

Here’s how to make 'em:
Mix together 3 cups whole wheat flour, 1 large egg, 1 cup pumpkin purée, and 1 (3.75 oz) can of unsalted sardines in water (yes, the whole can—liquid and all).

Knead into a dough, roll to just under ½ inch thick, cut into 2¼-inch squares (or any fun shape you like), and bake at 350°F for 18–25 minutes until golden and dry. Let cool completely.

What Are We Baking for Memorial Day?

We’ve got a long weekend on the horizon, which means it’s time to start thinking about what sweet things we’re showing up with (preferably in a 9x13 pan and served with a side of sunscreen). Here’s what I’m thinking!

• The Texas Flag Cake is cream cheese pound cake that’s soft but sturdy, buttery, and topped with a whipped cream cheese frosting under a blanket of fresh berries. We arrange them roughly in the shape of the Texas flag but any berry configuration will be delicious and highly snackable.

• It might be a touch early for perfect strawberries, but when you bake them into a jammy, bubbling crumble with tart raspberries and a buttery oat topping? It’s always the right time. Serve this Strawberry Raspberry Crisp with vanilla ice cream, of course.

• Speaking of ice cream - this one’s for the no-bake, sweet-tooth, caffeine-loving crowd. Bitter coffee ice cream meets swirls of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, all made magic with sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream. Put this on repeat: No-Churn Coffee and Cookie Ice Cream

Have a wonderful Sunday, friends! More next week!

xo