Five things

Happy Sunday, everybody! I hope you’ve had a great week. I felt a bit listless with the kids back in school (WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?) and found myself cleaning out drawers and wiping down baseboards (again, HIGHLY UNUSUAL BEHAVIOUR) but it’ll pass. Here are a few things I’ve been loving lately. 

Take a Compliment: 50 Posters to Pin, Share, and Treasure. I bought this book a while ago but couldn’t remember where I put it until just this week. (duh) Each page has a flattering phrase like “You make hearts flutter” and “You are loved” and six perforated tabs with that same phrase to tear off and take. (Sweet, right?) I stapled a poster to a telephone pole on our street on Friday and hope it’s made at least a couple of people smile. If you want to put one up in your neighbourhood/workplace or wherever, shoot me your mailing address and I’ll send a couple of pages your way until I run out. (Email me at trysmallthings@yahoo.ca or message me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.)

Grace’s adorable raincoat and rain boots. I LOVE! But I don’t think I could do the three-inch heel even if it is a wedge. Plus I just ordered these booties at 40% off. (I’ve never had such short rain boots. I hope they’ll keep me dry.)

The first two chapters from What If It’s Us?, the new YA novel from Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. Arthur is a boy from Georgia spending the summer in New York interning at his mother’s law office and Ben, a New Yorker, is stuck in school for the summer reeling from a recent break-up. The two have a meet cute at a post office where Ben has gone to express post a box of mementos to his ex, but they’re abruptly separated by a flash mob before they have the chance to exchange numbers. Are they fated to be together, or was their meeting just a happy accident? We’ll have to wait until the book comes out on October 9 to find out.

Reese Witherspoon’s guide to Southern hospitality, Whiskey in a Teacup. Simon and Schuster Canada sent me an advance copy this week and I am LOVING it so far. Watch for a review and giveaway on September 18 when the book will be available everywhere. I’ll also be sharing a chance to win September’s Sweet Reads Box (it’s their first anniversary!) and some of our favourite pantry goodies from Gourmet Trading, which just launched its online store. And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter to win a super fun Pipsticks X Workman planner and accessories! That one ends September 14.

Finally, 25 new words Merriam-Webster is adding to the dictionary in 2018. I don’t know how ‘hangry’ isn’t in there already and do you know anyone who says ‘marg’ instead of ‘margarita’? See any of your faves?