FFT, No.8
Parenting, Protein, and a Sleeping "Potion"
I love that gathering up Five Fine Things has become a little practice of noticing more in my daily life - be it simple joys, a great product, or a poem worth sharing. I am writing you fresh from a great long weekend spent in Vermont with friends. These friends have a daughter the same age as our son and it is such a fun thing, at this stage, to travel together. I feel lucky to be building a community in New York of other families who we love. As I rounded up a few personal photos to share, I found the screenshot of a text I received from a random stranger whose car I “grazed” as I parked alongside a snow bank last week. I love that she was so generous with her words about my response to hitting HER car, and it was just a nice reminder that people are good and our energy is everything!
With that, enjoy Five Fine Things worth sharing:
Magazine Subscriptions
Some sauna reading! A few months ago, I decided to treat myself to some magazine subscriptions. I was telling someone how affordable they are these days (typically about $15/year) and what a great little gift they make (my mom gave me a subscription to Milieu - my new favorite!- in my stocking this Christmas), so I took my own advice and subscribed to a few more. I mainly read them in the sauna and it’s a little routine I love. Sadly, I don’t think magazines are as good as they used to be but I like that I can get through quickly and that it diversifies my content consumption from Instagram and Substack.
Parenting
I saw this quote online last week and saved it because it really hit home for me about how I want to raise kids. It’s something my husband and I share and talk about, though not as beautifully as this poem puts it. Then, this past weekend, we were away with friends who parent very similarity to us and we all talked a lot about our own parents, too. My takeaway from all the reflections on our conversations, and this poem, is this: there are a lot of jobs we have as parents but my favorite one is making “the ordinary come alive.” Both because it’s good for my son, and because I need that too.
Architectural Engravings
We recently organized all the hand engravings in our photo library at Fewer Finer by subject - a big project since we have done many of various styles. One category I loved reviewing was architectural engravings of houses and churches and bridges that were meaningful to our clients. It’s actually a rare category of engraving where I don’t yet have a personal piece. It got me thinking about what I would engrave… perhaps The Fewer Finer Townhouse on a Classic Rectangle Charm, or my family’s log cabin on a signet ring? I’m still deciding! I love how much our client’s ideas can influence other people’s designs, including my own. Note: if you do an engraving with us, we mock up all the options and work with you to ensure we have the design just right before you give a final sign off. That’s what we do for all hand engraving work and I’m trying to be better about making sure our clients know they can lean on us for the design! You can view a library of our engraving work here.
I have talked about this on my original brand newsletter multiple times and to family and friends countless ones, but let me tell you now - you must try this lotion! I discovered it at The Well, a great spa in NYC that uses the best natural products. I was encouraged to use it as a foot lotion before bed for maximum absorption. I have never evangelized a product more than this! It deeply relaxes your body, has the perfect consistency for foot cream, and is a household favorite!
Protein Powders
I am very much not a macros counter or protein obsessive and I have been put off by protein powders for so long (too chalky, too sweet, too many weird ingredients), but about a year ago when trying to eat more protein after I had my son, my sister-in-law gave me a really good run down of the market and convinced me that a super clean, single ingredient, whey protein was the way to go. She found me this one that I still use and have purchased over 10x times on Amazon. I also really love the Be Well By Kelly Protein because, while not whey, which is technically more effective at a cellular level for muscular growth, it’s dairy free and I love that it is unflavored and has just one single ingredient - beef collagen from Swedish cows. Now, I just alternate between the two. I’m not a big smoothie person unless its high summer, so these days I mix it into yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal if I know I want a more satisfying, blood sugar stabilizing, breakfast or snack. I really do notice a difference in that I’m less quick to get hungry and more satisfied if I use it.
That text message!!🥹