Coffee With Kate #5
Thoughts on ending the year, a yummy vodka pasta recipe, and we're all selfish
It’s around this time of the year that I start to get big “finish strong” energy. I begin to think about what I need to do to make the year feel like it was worth it. What did I accomplish? What did I want to accomplish that didn’t get done? There are books I didn’t read, shows I didn’t watch, projects I didn’t finish, etc. We still have not built the Pottery Barn bedframe that we needed but has now been sitting in our garage for a year and a half 🫠 I don’t feel good about leaving things on the table so to speak, but it is what it is.
I’ve already been thinking ahead to the new year to consider what habits I want to recommit to. In 2024, I’ll have two toddlers and will turn 36. While I am firmly in adulthood by all accounts, I still feel like I’m new at it and just figuring it out. Do we ever feel like we figure it out? Is that why everyone talks about how amazing their 40s are? I’ve already set aside some time for my husband and me to sit down and talk through our goals and plans for next year. One big thing I’d like to accomplish is for us to run our household more effectively by really evaluating our priorities and keeping those top of mind as we make decisions.
I’ll share more about 2024 ideas/goals soon because I find them incredibly motivating. And the fact that the new year begins on a Monday is just *chef’s kiss* to me. Anyway, knowing there is work ahead, I am letting myself rest this season rather than worrying about finishing strong. The only big projects getting done are this gingerbread farm that my daughter just had to have from Target and a birthday party for my soon-to-be 1-year-old. And that’s enough.
This Week’s Intention
Go with the flow
I used to be such a fun, breezy person. I say that with absolutely no irony behind it. I’m still pretty breezy in a lot of aspects of my life, but the ones that I’m not are the parts of my life that take up 90% of my time and energy. We had a delightfully chill Thanksgiving weekend and it’s because I went in with very few expectations. It’s a weird time of the year, the weekend of the year as some might say, so I’m going to lean into that mindset and keep it going. I’m still thinking about goals for the new year, so as we look ahead I’m not doing anything different or new to mess with our current state. I’m keeping my expectations low and letting go of the reins.
R.E.P.O.R.T.
does this cute thing on her Instagram called a REPORT and I thought it would be fun to borrow for this newsletter to help document things a bit better.Reading: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. It’s the second book in The Empyrean series, following Fourth Wing. It’s such a good series complete with dragons and lot of steamy scenes. I compared Fourth Wing to Harry Potter meets Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games. I’m so into it. I feel like I’m watching a TV show as I listen to the audiobook. Highly recommend!
Eating: This vodka pasta from Half Baked Harvest has been one of our favorite recipes for a few years now. We’ve made it for the whole family when we’ve had them over and it’s been a hit. We made it for our kids for Sunday family dinner and it was a hit! Both ate multiple servings of it. We also had a ton of leftovers for dinner on Monday night as well. If you’re a meat lover, I recommend adding a combination of hot and sweet Italian sausage.
Playing: The Bluey Scavenger Hunt Board Game with my toddler. Right before Thanksgiving break, my husband and I panic-bought a few games that we could play with our daughter while she was home with us for 5 days. She’s not hard to entertain, but we’re not great at knowing how to play with her, and left to her own devices the only game she wants to play is “books”. She loves Bluey so we grabbed this game. She’s a little too young for it at two and a half, but we made it through with some patience and a lot of refocusing. It’s a quick and silly game.
Obsessed with: The cold weather here in Dallas! It’s been in the 30s and 40s in the morning and once the sun goes down and I am living for it! It’s the perfect temperature to always wear a sweatshirt and to be snuggled up under a blanket. It makes me so happy!
Recommending: One of my favorite Instagram accounts, Smarter in a Sec, launched her Substack and I’m so excited for it! Check out
. Julia always shares links to the most interesting think pieces. I actually feel smarter for following her and reading along.Treating myself to: All the PTO!! I am officially off every Friday between now and the end of the year with some other PTO days sprinkled in there and I am LIVING for it. Use up as much of your PTO as you can!!
Recommendations
Things.I.Bought.And.Liked’s Annual Teacher Wish Lists | Every year around this time, the internet stops and giggles along as TIBAL harasses brands into donating to fill teacher wishlists while simultaneously crying along as those lists get filled. It’s such a cool thing to see influencers use their platform for good and TIBAL does this incredibly well. I’ve linked to her list of wishlists above, but check out her stories for the entertainment that is her DMs with brands. They are saved under the 2023 Giving Tuesday highlight.
Travis Kelce Opens Up About Taylor Swift and His Life After the NFL | I’m so hesitant to add to the Taylor Swift noise out there right now because I know it’s a lot, but I just love this relationship for our girl so much. Also, I might have to head on over to
to write about my personal beef with Taylor Swift theorists because it’s just getting to be too much.- | The essay really struck a nerve with me. I feel like it’s what we’re all thinking but too distracted to say. Essentially, Victoria writes about how selfish we are as a society and as individuals. The apps have made us so reliant on getting exactly what we need almost immediately that it has become our default and as a result, we’ve stopped connecting with each other. We’re so quickly on to the next thing once we’ve satisfied this task, this feeling, this need. There are a lot of great quotes throughout the essay, but this one stood out to me and really made me think about how complicit I can be to get what I need without regard for others.
And when you render other humans invisible—when they are but a cog in the wheel to your own gratification—it is a slippery slope to no longer thinking about them at all.
I went down a small rabbit hole when I saw that Hannah Waddingham released a Christmas special on Apple+. I knew she had an amazing voice, but I wasn’t familiar with her background beyond Ted Lasso and the awful shame nun on GOT. Then I saw this interview with Hannah on Tiktok and I fell in love with her.
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ICYMI
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Cosigned on the Bluey game. My 7-year old got it as a gift for his birthday this fall and we play it daily. I think I've found every purple item in house at least 37 times. In regards to the strong finish, I'm in that zone right now, too. Treating December like the Sunday of the year, and 50/50 doing productive things and like, also not. Bumping some goals into 2024 to deal with in the new year, but GD it, I will finish this reading list!
I’m turning away from the big push to do more at the end of the year for once. But also thinking ahead about all the changes 2024 will bring for my family. We actually started watching Ted Lasso last night so funny timing with the Christmas special! (Also... not sure I’m into it... do I keep watching?) Thanks for the shoutout! I love the weekly report. If you haven’t tried HBH’s French onion pasta with prosciutto and buratta it’s a favorite. I made it recently with some particularly good Gruyère and it was chefs kiss!