A portion of my wife’s ancestry is from Finland. She and her grandmother would always bake this sweet desert bread called Nisua when the family would get together. My ancestry is from the British Isles and I’m a huge fan of my wife’s homemade scones she makes from sourdough. Her blueberry scones are great, but the orange cranberry ones are second to none. This morning she made Nisua scones for the first time. Both of our ancestors would probably be shaking their heads at these things but they’re perfect and going great with this afternoon coffee

My wife doesn’t spend a fortune on clothes, which I’m thankful for because we don’t make the type of money you need to spend loads on a wardrobe. Her way of keeping the cost down is buying pieces that can go with the majority of everything else she owns. You’ve probably seen the Steve Harvey clip where he talks about buying a few jackets and pants in neutral colors and being able to alternate them to make several combinations. That’s pretty much what she does and it’s definitely a good way to save, but it can feel pretty boring. You don’t need to stand out with a pair of red chinos or a pink cable knit every time you walk outside, but sometimes you do. Dressing is meant to be enjoyable. There are times we want a little more than whites, tans, and browns. My wife and I recently had our anniversary so I bought her this awesome purple Shetland sweater from O’Connell’s. It’s something she’d never buy for herself because of the price but also because of the bold color. She’ll never go buy a light blue skirt or yellow pants to pair with it, but it’ll go great with plenty of the neutral tones she already has and will be a blast to wear. Once you have the basics it’s time to venture out into the fun stuff.

My son loves to put things (like this book) in his mouth that he shouldn’t and I’m constantly telling him no and taking the thing away from him. Now whenever I don’t have my eye on him and he grabs something he’s not supposed to he always lets out a quiet “no” right before he puts it in his mouth. He’s just copying me and he doesn’t even realize he’s telling on himself. That’s a good reason there aren’t more slobber stains on things than there already are.

Sperry has a 30% off sale going on right now. Of course the most popular colors are exempt but it’s a great time to grab a pair of boat shoes for the summer if you’ve had your eye on a color that isn’t super popular

I can’t get on board with the madras look. Maybe that’ll change but it rarely looks like a summer pattern to me. It’s a busy look and most of the time the colors are just too dark. Summer is simple and light.

Watching my wife and kid laugh together is my greatest simple joy in life

75 and sunny. Still in my church poplin which now has a nice mid day wrinkle and is quickly losing buttons. I’m sitting on the front porch drinking prosecco Aura maxxing

So many factors can pull what you chose to wear in different directions. We did mass this morning at a small church on the beach. It’s a hot sunny day perfect for casual attire. Perfectly suited for shorts if that’s your thing. At the same time shorts just don’t feel right in church unless it’s really hot. We went with the standard stone chinos to keep the uniform a little more reserved but I love this teal poplin stripe at the beach. There’s no better place for this color untucked

A small watch with a leather band just feels right when the weather heats up. We’re wearing broadcloth, poplin, and seersucker. Our watches should feel warm too. The metal bands and bulkier watches can rest for now

There may be no more obnoxious social media type than the optimizers. The guys who get 9 hours of sleep every night, no coffee after noon, no meals after 6pm, an hour of morning sunlight every day,10k steps every hour, and pretend it’s all doable for the average guy. You know the type. These guys have never had a 9 month old who just refused to go down at bed time, never had to cut the grass 5 times a month in summer, etc. They don’t live real lives, but they convince everyone it’s just about will power. Ignore these guys. A cold brew hits even harder at 3pm in the spring

Windows are open. Can hear every bird within a half mile radius. The house feels alive and life is good

There’s no more manic part of the day with kids than the morning. Everyone wakes up hungry and you’re scrambling to cook breakfast, unload the dishwasher from the night before, get a pot of coffee going, let the dog out etc. It’s a madhouse. The best you can do is turn some music on and get in a rhythm. The shuffle landed on some hits this morning.

Western isn’t my style but if it’s yours I do like some @West Major pieces. Specifically the clay Railroad Stripe Flannel and the brown Chore Coat. Do your thing cowboys

Maybe the last weekend cool enough to toss on some layers until fall. Gotta smoke ‘em if you got ‘em

It’s cold, rainy, and we have errands to tend to. We’re keeping it practical.

One mistake I always see guys make when buying/wearing chinos is treating the “British Khaki” like it’s a neutral color. British Khaki has orange/yellow undertones and doesn’t pair nearly as well with colors like red or pink as a stone chino would. Maybe it’s just not my thing but I can’t really think of a color it pairs with better than a classic stone chino. Unless you really love the color I would probably skip buying it all together

I’m not sure why but my parents never opened the windows when I was a kid. Now anytime the weather is in that perfect range I’m sliding them open in every room. There’s just something about fresh air that’s hard to explain but you can tell the difference the second you take a breath. It instantly gives you a slight boost of energy and improves your mood. It’s a noticeable difference and opening windows is a great way to feel like you’re not wasting one of the rare days where the weather is just right even if you’re stuck inside working or whatever.

Sitting downtown with the toddler drinking an evening coffee and watching the dogs walk by (he points in amazement at every one)

Sunday with family