Weekend Reading 8.21.22

By Kate Riley August 21, 2022

I spent all week getting my daughter ready to move to the east coast for college. Yesterday we drove her to the airport, to fly in early and Matt will follow a few days later to get her settled in. I’m visiting in October to bring warm weather clothes. It was a really hard day. She’s occupied the same bedroom for 18+ years since I brought her home from the hospital so it’s sad seeing it empty. She will be back for the holidays and next summer, and I’m truly excited for this new season of her life, but it’s an emotional adjustment for sure!

Now that we have half an empty nest, it opens up my schedule a little more. I started an eight week ceramics class at a local pottery studio and I love it. We’re learning to build with slabs using templates and molds, it’s so fun! After this class I’ll learn how to use the wheel and I can see ceramics being a new creative outlet for me. If I feel skilled enough, perhaps I’ll sell on Etsy in the future, who knows!

Favorite links from the week:

This elegant beach house in New Jersey. More pictures here.

This reinvented former poultry farm in Sonoma.

Ideas for where to store your throw blankets as the weather gets cooler.

Indoor fruit trees that you can harvest year round.

Clever IKEA Tarva nightstand hacks.

How to make macramé feathers.

Real words for emotions you feel but can’t explain.

Very cute: flower girl inspiration.

This list of charming small towns across the USA includes our local Calistoga.

4 comments

  1. longtime reader, first comment, Kate. Empathy. I’m about to take my younger son to college and I’ll have an all-the-way-empty nest! powerful transition moments in our lives, for sure. Thank you for the blog, by the way, and all good wishes to you and yours.

    • so kind Andrea! I feel the emptiness but I also am so excited for her so the emotions are across the spectrum!
      empty nests are challenging transitions!

  2. You are a very busy and active lady, I think you will adjust well!! I was okay after having kids home for 35 years, We had a big space between babies! However the emptiness was really hard my daughter moved to the country and they got a puppy and that is when I knew I needed a Golden Retriever !!!!! I just needed a 4th kid!! lol

    • a dog… now that’s an idea!
      although I travel a lot so I think I’ll wait a few years on that one.
      But I predict a pup in my future! It’s nice to have something/one to take care of.

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