Cup of Jo

What are you up to this weekend? We’re heading home from our family trip, and I’m looking forward to catching up. Much to discuss! Hope you have a good one, and here are a few links from around the web… Okay, this is making me excited for sweater weather. “I feel like I was born in Paris,” hahahaha. How to give a eulogy. Beautiful. Is this the coolest place for everyday pants? (Into these, too.) The best dinner to make with summer zucchini. There are 17 paint colors in this Brooklyn townhouse.

What are you up to this week? The boys and I are in England visiting our family, and our other editors are mostly out of the office, as well. In order to take a real break and soak it all up (fresh air, chubby babies, sibling squabbles, the whole shebang), we’re pausing the site, and will be back on August 21st with a bunch of new posts. Thank you, as always, for being here.

What are you up to this weekend? We are arriving in England to visit our aunts, uncles, and cousins. I’m excited for freezing ocean water and endless cups of tea. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few links from around the web… What a gorgeous London house. That cloud wallpaper! The trailer for The Invite didn’t grab me at first, but I keep hearing rave reviews. Have you seen the movie? The easiest dress for warm evenings. Also love this one. Summer pasta with zucchini and corn.

Last week, Anton, his friend Nick, and I were very excited to head to the Florida Keys...

Remember Owobu Ijewere, the stylish stranger Joanna met on a neighborhood walk this past spring? She’s a 27-year-old graphic designer, who rents a 330-square-foot studio in Park Slope, Brooklyn. “I’ve learned how to make it feel cozy, but I’m still figuring out how to host overnight guests,” she says. “When my sisters visit, we clear out the living space, blow up the air mattress — and then they’re sleeping two feet away from me.

During my parenting career, I’ve ushered my children through back-to-school season 12 times. That’s 12 nervous bedtime cuddles, 12 first-day-of-school breakfasts, and 12 squeezy hand-holds on the walk to school. Over the years, I’ve learned that a little festivity can make a big difference. Here are a few of the tips I’ve picked up, to make things more relaxed and fun for everyone… 1. Bake morning muffins. I challenge you to name a yummier weekday breakfast than warm muffins.

“This week, while visiting friends, we started talking about funny idioms, as one does. In the U.S., if you’re mad, you might say, ‘He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.’ Our French friend said her family will say, ‘Ce n’est pas la chips la plus croustillante du paquet’ — literally, he’s not the crispiest chip in the bag.

I’ll cut to the chase: You’ve got to make this soup. I could wax poetic about it’s deep, multi-layered flavor, and rave about how satisfying it is — and add that if you have one of those big bag of greens in the fridge that absolutely must be cooked TODAY, then this is how to use it. But even that would undersell it, so please, just take my word on this and make Caroline Chambers’s Hella Green Soup. The recipe came about after Caro’s Hella Green Pasta recipe blew up, back in 2023.

Has anyone ever given you an especially memorable compliment? A few years ago, Joanna told me I was “really good at getting presents” after I flipped out over a bottle of fancy rinse-free hand wash that she gave me before a flight. That hand wash was pretty great, but what really stuck with me was the compliment. Being good at receiving gifts? That’s a really nice attribute to have. It’s the kind of thing people always notice, but rarely mention — let alone compliment.

A few months ago, my husband Max and I celebrated eight years of marriage. After nearly a decade together, I thought I knew all his go-to moves to impress me. When we were dating, he’d pick me up in his red, 1966 Mustang, and we’d spend the day driving down Highway 1, stopping at scenic outlooks on the California coast. When we were first married, he’d throw in a batch of slice-and-bake cookies to enjoy while we watched our favorite TV show.