Lake Life
Five Fine Things from a week at the lake with my family
My family has had a house on Lake Placid since I was about 5 and I’ve spent time there every summer since. Our house is on an island that is only accessible by boat. As kids, we would come up for a full three months of summer but now, we have just one solid week of the year that we aim to all be here together as a family. We’ve commandeered 4th of July as our family’s celebration and it’s so nice to know that it’s one can plan for and look forward to every year.
I’m excitedly pregnant with our second child, due in mid November! Being up there with our son, my three nieces and nephews, and another baby on the way is a totally new way of being at the lake and changes with each year. This year was really all about the kids, and it was fun to lean into that for a full week. It was also about lot’s of boat time, outdoor showers, homemade meals, swimming, relaxing, naked kids, and time with my parents and siblings.
With that, here are some “things” worth sharing from this week:
Things You Should Make
My family is a food-first family. Everything revolves around the meals and the cooking and the shopping. It’s mostly a blessing, because I love to eat, but can be a curse since it can be overwhelming to think about food for so many people all the time. We did well this year with a mix of simpler meals that included the kids, and some really nice multi-course ones after they went down. There were so many great things we ate but the two I had to share here were the ones I couldn’t leave without the recipes for.
First up, my mom’s date and walnut “breakfast cookies.” She had made a batch before I arrived and had them in the fridge. They were so delicious and very much my kind of thing - not too sweet, nutty, and wholesome, but kind of cake-y too. A few days in, she made another batch and warm out of the oven they were even more amazing. We fed them to the kids, ate them for breakfast, and snacked on them between meals. She kindly wrote up the recipe for us here!
The first ingredient listed is “coconut oil,” and when she says “whirl and pulse in the Cuisinart” she means to run it all through the food processor. I say if you’re getting everything out anyways, double batch these! 
My mom scoops hers with a big cookie scoop, and they’re just perfect! You could also flatten more into a cookie shape. Next was my mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb Cornmeal Cake (recipe here). This was incredible!!! It was presented after dinner and eaten up so fast I have no photos but trust that this is worth going out of your way to make. I’ve had so many fruit tarts and summer cakes as dessert at restaurants over the past few months and nothing holds a candle to this. It was moist, dense, cakey, not overly sweet, and everyone loved it! Serve it with a little maple syrup sweetened creme fresh or whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Please tell me if you make it! I’ll be seeing if I can do as well as my mom this weekend.
I’d say skip the rosemary whipped cream (like she did) and just make it easy with something simple to ice cream.
The 3 MVPs of the Clothes I Packed
I wore this polo almost everyday, and now my sister’s buying it too 
Took this too early in the morning before our 5 hour drive to show my face, but these pants are great, pregnant or not! Even though I packed a few cute outfits, most days lived in a bathing suit, t-shirt and simple shorts. I love going on a trip where I can be so casual and find that the clothes I reached for most are the real workhorses of my wardrobe at home too. My three favorites this past week were: This Rag and Bone Stripped Polo Shirt that is great quality and works well in so many situations from thrown over my shoulders to worn on a boat ride. These Rag and Bone Jeans/Sweatpants (now on sale!) that are perfect for being pregnant and don’t look like jeans trying to be sweats. These run large - I have a small and they’re a little big, even at 20 weeks pregnant. And lastly, this Doen Cardigan that my friend urged me to buy awhile back - how great could a cardigan be?, I thought - but I wear this constantly! I think it’s the wool blend material that just makes it easy to layer, more interesting in texture, and good for all seasons. I have the grey and really want the light blue next! My sister bought one after my recommendation, says she wears it all the time, and brought hers too.
Amazon Sunglasses
These are the sunglasses I’ve worn all summer long. They are $15 on Amazon and actually a dupe of a Prada pair. To be honest, I don’t usually love a dupe, but I actually liked these better than the real Prada ones I tried because I really like the maroon color. Plus, I am not very careful with my glasses and I love that I don’t have to be precious about these at all.
Beatrice Valenzuela Sandals (and my go to pedicure color)
If I could pick one shoe to wear all summer long it would be these. They’re elevated enough for work or dinner out and casual enough for a walk or the beach. I’ve had a few pairs of this exact style (sadly lost 1 or two) but this pair I got years ago and they’re still going strong! I only packed these, sneakers, and Birkenstocks for my whole week away. Also, thought I’d share the nail polish color I’ve used on my toes almost exclusively for years - OPI Gala-Vanting. Any time I deviate for something else I’m disappointed. For me, this is the perfect deep red and it works well in every season.
Facial Gua Sha and Cleansing Balm
When I pack for a trip like this I go very minimal on my skincare routine and I actually forgot my makeup bag and didn’t miss it once. It is a super casual vibe up there. But, I did bring my dry brush for body brushing (which I am obseessed with) and my Gua Sha and cleansing balm. When it comes to dry brushes and Gua Shas, I actually think most good quality ones are created equal (but I linked the ones I use if you’re looking for one). However, one thing I want to put you onto is this specific cleansing balm that I really love for using with my Gua Sha. I put it on in the shower, then do my Gua Sha routine in there - I find this makes me much more likely to do it, since I love the shower. I like that this product makes the Gua Sha so easy to use and slide around my face, that it is also my daily cleanser, and that it rinses off so easily. Most other cleansing balms I’ve used are much tackier and hard to rinse off which I don’t like. I’ve only recently started using a Gua Sha, inspired by my friend who's 40 and looks younger than me!
We got back to Brooklyn Friday afternoon where the stomach bug that got Richie on the second last day of our trip hit both Rich and me! Thankfully my in-laws came to the rescue to take Richie for a sleepover and we got a MobileIV to come over and revive us 24 hours after it hit, which was a Godsend. If you have not used them in NYC, I highly recommend!
Now that I’m in better heath, I’m looking forward to a week ahead, back in our routine and back to work!
Talk soon, Madison
Congratulations on baby #2! Can’t wait to try the recipe. Does your mom use soft or melted coconut oil?
Madison! I had missed this news, congratulations!!! And love all the sweet lake pics, so special to have a family spot like that.