Issue #5: hello 47
rebecca BDAY giveaway, wallpaper, middle eastern recipes, granola, + more
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It’s REBECCA’s birthday issue! Help us celebrate this week by commenting with topics you would like to hear about and sharing our newsletter with others who might enjoy it and benefit from the content. The biggest gift you can give us is to help empower other women and encourage conversation about the things that matter to our mental, physical, and emotional health. Thank you for being here.
TASTE: Cookbook Club. This past month, my friend Christina hosted our neighborhood cookbook club…one of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday afternoon! The host chooses the theme or cookbook and this month, to enjoy some of the recipes she grew up with, Christina chose Middle Eastern food. From the Hummus and Muhammara (red pepper walnut dip) from Olives, Lemon, and Za’atar, the Eggplant Wrapped Kofta in Tomato Sauce and Zuchinni Baba Ghanoush from The Arabesque Table, the Labne with Sizzled Scallions and Chile from Alison Roman (image below), and the Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken Shawarma, we enjoyed an amazing spread made special by the stories that were shared.
SEE: Wallpaper. We remodeled our main living area and kitchen a year into the pandemic and, three years later, we still haven’t decorated. While I like minimalist decor, I am craving color and patterns and artwork on the wall. It would feel nice to have a space (or even a room/wall;) that feels complete. And as of late I cannot stop scrolling for wallpaper inspiration! 12 wallpaper trends to have on your radar in 2024. 9 Best Removable Wallpapers of 2024. 8 Designer-Approved Wallpaper Trends We're Loving for 2024. Have you done wallpaper recently? I have a few samples in my cart from Chasing Paper! Would you recommend traditional wallpaper or peel and stick? What have you used? Any favorites?
SMELL: Grain-Free Granola. In an attempt to mix up our breakfast options, I went on the search of a homemade high-protein granola recipe. I found this one and modified it (see the end of the newsletter for my version;) and everyone I make it for LOVES it. I love how the smell of cinnamon that fills the house after making it and the batch is good for two weeks.
HEAR: On My Playlist this Week. I have been enjoying the album Messy from Olivia Dean- thanks Spotify for the recommendation. I have also been listening to the Confidenza Soundtrack from Thom Yorke. I love that his music has spanned my musical life. Radiohead is probably in my top 5. I was excited to hear of the release of the soundtrack for the 2024 Italian drama and find it interesting to see how a musician evolves and the projects that align with their sound. My husband got me (and my daughter) The Tortured Poets Department on vinyl so we have been making our way through that. And finally, this episode of We Can Do Hard Things that my dear friend Amber recommended: “REAL Self-Care: Burnout Is Not Your Fault & the Way Out with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin”.
TOUCH: Pilates + My Birthday GIVEAWAY. One of my goals for this year is to feel strong in my body. My core strength has always been an issue and my C-Section six years ago did not help. In thinking back to when I have felt the best and strongest in my life, it was when I was consistently doing pilates. After a chat with Theresa, I decided to make the leap and have been going to reformer classes at Club Pilates since March. I am obsessed and amazed at the changes I am seeing in my body in a short period of time. It feels good to commit time to myself and I love that it is great for all levels. SO, we thought it would be fun to organize an Interwovxn group class for my birthday! Have you wanted to try pilates on a reformer (learn more here)? Love the idea of an afternoon with some other women and doing a class together? Stay tuned for more information on May 7th on how to enter to join us for a free class in June!
What is appealing to your senses right now? What are you reading? watching? cooking? wearing? loving? obsessed with? We would love to share some of your picks in future newsletters!
IW WORKSHOPS at MKE Women’s Entrpreneurship Week
To learn more about WEW events next week and to register, go to shestandstallmke.com.
Season 6 of the INTERWOVXN podcast arrives in May 15th! Intimacy + Sexual Health.
Exploring pelvic floor health, reestablishing a connection with our bodies, embracing our sensuality and sexuality as we age, and engaging in conversations with our partners and children about relationships and sexual well-being are integral aspects of our journey towards personal wellness. Join us this coming season as we connect with experts and women to discuss the ways in which intimacy and sexual wellness can promote overall well-being and bring us closer to ourselves.
Until then, catch up on episodes you missed on our website, here on Substack, or wherever you listen to podcasts!
my (rebecca) CHALLENGE: take more pictures of myself (or have others take them)
I recently realized that I have very few pictures of myself. I have a phone full of photos and videos of my daughter and many of my husband and daughter together, but I am in few. And those that do include my face are often just that- a selfie with basically just my head (and maybe someone else’s) from often a not very flattering angle!
This past weekend my mom, daughter, and I went to visit my mom’s cousin. I love her home, partially because it is the one place remaining from my childhood, but also because it is full of photographs. Pictures of my grandparents and their siblings (and the family that then followed) fill the walls. I feel more connected, when I am there, to where I came from and those I have lost. I want that for my daughter.
It is interesting to think about how photographs capture a life and how it is that you want to preserve yours. Not for social media, but as a marker of memories and a reflection of the person you want to be remembered as when the time comes. I don’t want to be absent from the photographs of our life together.
So with the coming year, I want to take the opportunity to explore being on the other side of the camera and finding more of myself in the process.
a few things on my radar in my 47th year…
Get in rest daily (even if for 10-15 minutes). Connect with the Midlife Midwife to formulate a peri.menopause plan of action. Schedule weekly date nights/afternoons/mornings. Daydream and find inspiration for possible Portugal/Spain trip in 2025. Get new bedding that feels good and makes me never want to leave our bedroom. Start weightlifting a few times a week with a friend. Take time to look at beautiful things and be in my happy place whether art museum, shop, farmer’s market, library, etc. Find a new therapist- I have found this to be invaluable at various times in my life and having some space to talk about all the balls in the air at the moment feels like it would be helpful. Get tickets for Love MKE Summer Soulstice Celebration!
And we leave you with…
My modifications to the Grain-Free GRANOLA + my favorite yogurt
I use maple syrup instead of honey (I prefer the taste), add salt, used one bag of pecan pieces and one bag of sprouted seed mix (both from our local coop Outpost) instead of the first three nuts. I also omit the chia seeds as sometimes I feel like they don't agree with me and add hemp seeds. The fun part is that you can mix things up and use whatever nuts and seeds you like. Interested in trying seed cycling for hormone balance? Use flax and pumpkin seeds days 1-14 of your cycle and then sesame and sunflower seeds in the second half of the cycle.
And this the YOGURT I am obsessed with (dairy-free and high in protein).
Have a great weekend!
