How I style my hair + Easter gifts

Also in here: mini book report and sweatpants birthday dinner

Hi my darlings! A gorgeous quote to begin:

“One sort of optional thing you might do is realize that there are six seasons instead of four. The poetry of four seasons is all wrong for this part of the planet, and this may explain why we are depressed so much of the time. I mean, spring doesn’t feel like spring a lot of the time, and November is all wrong for autumn, and so on. Here is the truth about the seasons: Spring is May and June. What could be springier than May and June? Summer is July and August. Really hot, right? Autumn is September and October. See the pumpkins? Smell those burning leaves? Next comes the season called Locking. November and December aren’t winter. They’re Locking. Next comes winter, January and February. Boy! Are they ever cold! What comes next? Not spring. ‘Unlocking’ comes next. What else could cruel March and only slightly less cruel April be? March and April are not spring. They’re Unlocking.”

—Kurt Vonnegut

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today’s bouquet

• Marionberry hazelnut toffee made its way into my CSA box this week… it is now gone.

• Spring break bingo card for good-enough moms!

• Go read E.E. Cummings’ poem [O Sweet spontaneous] pronto. (via Mary)

• If you’re looking for a floral embroidery project, look no further. (via Jacqui)

• American woman trying her best ahhh I can’t stop laughing.

• Long overdue sweater, wowwww.

• Hear it break your heart.

• New favorite: the dahlia collection from Rifle Paper Co. It feels so special and bespoke. My current notebook is nearly full, so this will be my next one, and I’m rewarding myself with these file folders when we finish our taxes.

• Handpicked reader Hannah M. asked if I could share photos of my hair wet, dry, and styled since chopping it from long to short in January. This article and Keira Knightley’s haircut in the show Black Doves were what pushed me to finally cut it, after thinking about it for MONTHS. I’ve had long hair pretty much my entire life, minus a few times throughout my youth when I would grow it out super long, chop it to medium long, repeat. I am so happy with this length because it takes a fraction of the time to style it! (I have a ton of hair on my head.) Here’s a photo of it styled, I use a 1” curling iron in sections around my whole head, then I go back through it with a straightener because I’m insane and don’t know how else to get the look I want. Below you can see it wet and then air-dried after twisting it into a half-up so my front pieces would get a little shape. That’s it!

i always like my hair best after i sleep on it lol. i use a purple shampoo and sun-in :/// a couple times a month. also these tanning drops friend of the newsletter cynthia gave me!

• The other night my friend Aarika had a “sweatpants and burgers” birthday dinner, it was SO FUN. We talked about everything you can think of, including some stuff we agreed never to repeat! Haha. Most of my friends in my ward (local Latter-day Saint/ Mormon community) are a few years older than me, which I love. They’re so beautiful and wise and make me feel like I’m going to make it.

right after i admitted how many boys i kissed in college

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book bag

• Sato the Rabbit made Charlie say “wow” (this is big — he’s not a fan of reading time) and made me realize my favorite color is peach?! It’s an extraordinary experience masquerading as an ordinary children’s book. And I don’t care if that sounds cheesy! Charlie also likes Earl & Worm.

• Mick has reached the age that all four of my children reached somewhere in their second or third year: an insatiable obsession with I Am a Bunny. We’ve read it six times (so far) while I’ve edited this newsletter.

• Time for a mini book report! I can’t pick a favorite and honestly recommend all of them. [Two books I quit: The Wedding People and The Elegance of the Hedgehog.]

mini book report!

a terrible drawing of my lap on the couch on sunday night, inspired by How To Be an Artist.

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in my cart

• This floral cutout one-piece is a vision. (via Jen)

• Ohmygoshthisbag. (via Lizzy)

• Eyeing a blue hydrangea picnic blanket with a free monogram…

• Seen on

  Patricia Rodi
  : a magnificently colorful top — might as well throw this in my cart too…?! (Short version!)

• Predicting that this headscarf contains magic powers that will immediately transform me into Julie Andrews c. 1965.

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easter basket

• An Easter egg hack using silk! I couldn’t find silk squares, so I’m going to cut up inexpensive mulberry silk scarves, this blue and white one and this super floral one. (via Susan P.)

• I grew up on Beatrix Potter videos (which are now on YouTube! that intro omg); her illustrations feel very Eastery to me. I bought this Peter Rabbit board book and wood toy for Mick and this art book for myself. PS: Highly recommend listening to the Beatrix Potter audiobook with your kids because it’s narrated by **Andrew Scott** and it’s perfect.

• A $6.00 artwork for the season.

• Fun alt if you don’t care for eggs but want to make something springy: flower kaleidoscope kits. (via my MIL Cindy!)

• This year I’m trying to make the Easter season feel as joyous as Christmastime, so I’ve been setting out more Easter decor and connecting it with our religious traditions. We were thrilled when the Coral & Tusk team offered to share a few items from their Easter collection with us. I have their mother hen pocket pillow on the rocking chair in my boys’ room, and my girls were sooo charmed by the little lamb in the pocket of the sugar egg pillow. Their embroidered Easter friends basket is the new home for our set of twelve wooden eggs that tell the story of Easter. Thank you so much, Coral & Tusk! Coral & Tusk is offering Handpicked readers 20% off most items on their site with the code CTXALEX, hooray! Thanks for supporting small-shop mentions in Handpicked.

Mick’s middle name is Shepherd, so we love all things sheepish around here :)

Can you believe that little fuzzy cotton tail

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last thing

• Most popular link last week: the tulip dress!

• Readers today: 2,020

• Grateful for you.

if you made it this far, here’s my current painting looking all cute and stripey in the morning sun. the blue tape is a hint! trying to channel paige!

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1. tell someone about it

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3. buy me a tea

xoxo a.s.