What's on the Porch? | Wednesday (6.18.2025)
Welcome to What’s on the Porch? Wednesday, a casual little check-in I’m hoping to make a regular thing around here. I'm always curious what other people are loving in the moment- whether that means: books, new drink flavor combinations, travels or little hole-in-the-wall spots to stop and eat, candles, running shoes, skincare or good deals online.
Here's what’s on my porch this week:
No endorsements here - these are all just some small things I'm really loving at the moment! To eat, drink, read, journal with, and explore.
So far, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore feels...disjointed (I think that's the right word for how I'm feeling) BUT I'm only four chapters deep and had a hard time stopping earlier when I needed to get started on other tasks. That's got to be a good indicator right? -- Have you read it? What were your thoughts, if so? I'm listening to it via Audible but wishing I had a hardcopy to snuggle up with tonight.
I stepped into Yellow Dog Bookshop last weekend, after attending Columbia's "Adult Book Fair" at Rose Music Hall. (More on that later.) I'd forgotten how much I love Yellow Dog's space for used books galore; Columbia is really lucky to have them. I made a full swing that afternoon and stopped by Skylark Bookshop, too, then grabbed some ice cream at Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream with a friend. Such a great little area tucked along 9th Street, south off Broadway.
Sharpie S-Gels have become my ride-or-die when I sit down to journal. I love a good pen and these are smooth, don't bleed through onto the back of the page, don't smudge very easily and are comfortable. I prefer the black ink barrels but might experiment with color this month.
The snacks and sippables are self-explanatory but, I think it needs to be said within this first week on The Porch: I'm a Sonic-lover. Throw me any of your favorite combos for fun drink mixes - I love trying new flavors! -- This lemonade cream cooler: to DIE for! It's lemonade + soft serve vanilla and it truly is the perfect blend of tart and gentle-sweet.
Nivea's "Maximum Hydration with Aloe Vera" is a recent favorite that I found in the men's aisle. (Go figure - they really do have the best stuff, don't they?) It has a distinct manly smell but I tend to lean toward masculine smells anyway. If masculine smells aren't your thing, there's a women's line as well, based off what I have seen on Amazon. The hydration factor + aloe vera: 10/10. A little goes a long way but it's made a world of difference on my summertime ankles, knees, and elbows. It also seems to do well overtop my tattoos and feels great after sun exposure. It's not greasy and the fragrance doesn't "sour" after you put it on. I flit from lotion to lotion but am really liking this one lately.
So, what’s on your porch this week? Leave a comment below and let me know what you're reading, snacking or sipping on, where you're traveling to or something little you're loving right now.
Oooh, I love this! I'm currently reading "The Midnight Feast" by Lucy Foley. I have liked her other books, but had a harder time getting into this one. I'm about half way through now, and like you said, don't want to stop to get to work on other tasks. My current favorite (unhealthy) snack is a batch of 7 Layer Bars I made this week. I was cleaning out a cabinet and decided I better use up a can of sweetened condensed milk... I'm working on planning a summer trip (I know--late for me!) north into Canada and have fallen in love with Milwaukee. So much that I was literally on the verge of just buying two train tickets for Cliff and I to go for the weekend without kids before going back as a family in a few weeks. I haven't been a big fan of Wisconsin in the past (based on previous visits there), but Milwaukee has won my heart--a riverwalk, breweries and old mansions to tour, oldest bowling alley in the world, art/murals, beer gardens galore (they call the summer "beer gardening season"), lighthouses, public markets, a "cheese mart" (c'mon!) and a self-serve beer fountain! My other current favorites--Pillsbury's veggie pizza recipe, the "Everything Chopped Salad" from Aldi, my mini trampoline for rebounding, and getting a regular weekly phone call on the calendar with an old friend that now lives in Florida.
ReplyDeleteOk, so, Shane and I LOVED Wisconsin when we went north 2 summers ago! We felt like we didn't get to explore nearly as much as we wanted to, since the UP was the primary goal of the trip, but we said multiple times that we'd come back to Wisconsin in a heartbeat. I can't wait to hear allllll about Milwaukee because that sounds like the ultimate "stopping point" as you head further north.
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