We spent the first half of last week in Tomales Bay at one of the best Airbnbs. It was chilly and gray but we saw baby sea otters right under the house, had a private beach to look for cool rocks, went in the hot tub, and Piper and Paul did a cold plunge off the dock. We ate our lunches out (at Nick’s Cove and The Marshall Store) and cooked our dinners at home. Both girls tried oysters for the first time. We have reached the point in parenthood when vacations are actual vacations and not just trips and it’s thrilling.

Early this month I recorded a garden tour. It’s already out-of-date (the garden changes so fast) but it’s still a fun walk-through if you want to see what I planted and what’s growing so far this season.

I picked up this Butterfly coffee table book on the new releases shelf at my library and it’s the prettiest book I have ever seen. It was curated by the folks at Phaidon and is filled with over 250 pieces of butterfly imagery including the a fossil from thirty-four million years ago, a stone amulet from ancient Egypt and work by Frida Kahlo, Eric Carle and Van Gogh. I already loved butterflies but paging through this gave me a new appreciation for them. (And related, our Airbnb last week had a copy of Plant from the same publisher and it was also stunning.

After completing MMMay last month, I realized I had to get rid of all my ill-fitting shorts. I have replaced some of them with these from Gap factory. I bought the “pale lilac purple” and “outdoor green” versions and love both. The sizing reviews are scattered but I found them to run true-to-size. They have a button fly but an elastic back waistband and the wider leg opening feels comfortable. Good price, too.

Next week, America turns 250 and my favorite piece about the milestone so far was this one about artisans recreating ships, coats, flags and wallpaper from the revolutionary era. The visuals are amazing and, of course, I love the commitment to craft.

My own craft of the month was ceramic ruffle bowls. After trying to throw tall vases and add mug handles early in the spring it was such a delight to go back to my roots and just throw bowls. Bowls! So easy! Ruffles! So cute! If you’re interested, I recorded a short video of my throwing and shaping process. You can watch it right here.

I am pretty sure I shared this super simple recipe in a Postcard newsletter last summer, but it deserves another link. Tomato cheddar toast is all I want to be eating for lunch from now until October. (I wish I had made that blue plate but it’s from the Target dollar spot circa 2007. One of the first home purchases I made when Paul and I moved in together.)

One of my spring goals was to paint the the upper portion of the girls’ bathroom. I originally planned on flowers then I thought I should paint stripes. But stripes are hard! They have to be measured out and taped up and it’s a whole precise ordeal. I was really dragging my feet on the project until I pivoted back to flowers late this month and then couldn’t wait to get started. I didn’t measure once, just went for it, and while imperfect, they work so well. I smile every time I see the room.