Welcome!

Introducing my new Substack, EUDAEMONIC

Almost 20 years ago, Starbucks ran some sort of campaign where they had these little cards you’d get with your drink. I was 14 and picking up my go-to order at the time (a non-fat, sugar free vanilla latte with no foam, which is concerning), and the barista handed me a card that said eudaemonic: producing happiness. They were promoting the movie Akeelah and the Bee by highlighting words that have won spelling bees, I learned in this week’s research. Eudaemonic won in 1960.

I remember loving the word and the concept of producing happiness. I pinned the card to the bulletin board in my room, and it hung there until my parents moved out 13 years later. My mom recently passed off a box of the bulletin board contents to me, including the green and yellow card. It currently lives in the room we hope to make a nursery one day, tucked in the closet alongside luggage and winter coats and artwork we can’t find a spot for.

I love the push pin holes in the now-faded card.

Producing happiness.

It really stuck with me. The beauty of the word and of its concept. What does it look like to produce happiness? I’ve grown a lot since 14 (thank God!), and I’ve learned that a great deal of happiness is a choice. A choice that’s harder in some seasons than others — but a choice nonetheless. In a season that’s hard, I’m seeking ways to produce happiness, and I thought it would be fun to dip my toe back into the internet here on Substack, sharing the choices. Hopefully it produces a little happiness for you, too.

Each week, I’ll share a rundown of the things creating joy in our life. For me, that usually includes some mixture of entertaining, needlepointing, TV shows, Kindle reads, easy recipes, date nights, girls’ nights, travel recs, exercise trends and shopping finds. Maybe we’ll have them all week to week and maybe not. We’re keeping it loose to get started.

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The Weekly Rundown

READING

Like everyone else, I’ve recently started Emily Henry’s Funny Story. Not quite far enough to have an opinion, I keep seeing great things about this book. I love Emily Henry novels, so I can’t wait to see where this one falls in my personal rankings (1. Books Lovers 2. Beach Read 3. People We Meet on Vacation 4. Happy Place). Of note: my husband cannot stop raving about The Only One Left by Riley Sager and is borderline mad that I chose this one to read next instead. So, if you’re looking for more of a thriller, try that one!

STITCHING

My new hobby! My friend Anna convinced me to start needlepointing at the beginning of the year, and I can’t say enough great things. It is so relaxing and so gratifying. I love seeing the actual fruits of my labor? My first two projects are fully finished — a keychain and a Valentine’s Day door hanger — and I finished stitching this and this, which will both be made into pillows. I’m currently working on a piece for a friend and started this matchbook series (obsessed!) over the weekend.

Other things that bring joy: our pink kitchen

SHOPPING

My recent favorite purchases are from J.Crew and Gap, which makes me feel like I’m 14 drinking a nonfat latte again. I love this polka dot bathing suit set (top, bottom, pareo). It feels so cute and retro — bought it immediately after seeing on of my favorite TikTokers wearing it on her honeymoon. And, these linen shorts from GAP! They are not too short, have a wider leg opening, and feel nice and breezy. Today at 10am PST, Daily Drills has a new drop, and I’m eyeing this thermal set in grey.

WATCHING

I am so excited that Hacks came back last week! I plan to watch what’s been dropped so far this weekend. We got into bed early Sunday night to watch The Idea of You and enjoyed it! It was cute and fun, and I actually liked the big change from the book. With that and Anyone But You, I’ve loved the return of some light romantic comedies, even if they aren’t the most compelling.

COOKING

After a brief hiatus, I am back in the kitchen this week. Last night, we made Caro Chambers’ “fish and chips”, and RJ and I both hiiiighly recommend. We couldn’t stop saying how good it was! Next up, we’re trying sheet-pan roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas, recommended by my friend Shughes. We are always eating breakfast tacos, and I recently tried and loved these gluten-free tortillas. Oh! And I made these blueberry muffins for my BFF’s bachelorette this weekend, and they were a huge hit. Highly recommend!

That’s all for this week! Hope yours is happy.

xx, Annie

(Feel free to leave a comment, email or DM things you’d love to see here! And share with friends if you enjoyed 😚)