the cost of saying yes and showing up

just the hits #8

I had a really great week - and I think I overdid it.

I got to celebrate my friends. I went out on Tuesday and Thursday nights to celebrate Neerja’s 15 year anniversary of her business (which felt like a full on Indian wedding) and Mary’s collection with Addison Bay (go shop it before it sells out!). I learned about the latest updates from Microsoft Copilot (and got some 1:1 time with Microsoft AI’s CEO, Mustafa Suleyman) on Tuesday, and found so much inspiration at Marie Claire x Clé de Peau’s Power Play Luncheon on Wednesday. We ducked away for a date night to see Left on Tenth, based on Delia Ephron’s memoir (I laughed, I cried, I absolutely loved it).

hithapalepu

A post shared by @hithapalepu

And I woke up to a migraine most days this week (needing my coffee, pain meds, electrolyte sparkling water, and my TheraIce cap before I could get out of bed).

Even though every event was a “hell yes!” for me, every morning was a reminder that I need to probably say “no, but thank you for the invitation” more. Here are a few ways I’m fortifying my boundaries:

• setting an evening alarm at 9:30 labeled “get ready for bed”

• blocked my evenings at home on my calendar, and listed what I’m doing once the kids are in bed (finishing Nobody Wants This, stitching this old needlepoint project)

• planned my workouts for the week (3 strength workouts, 1 outdoor run, 1 Peloton ride, and 1 longer yoga practice)

Here’s to showing up - for others, but also for ourselves.

september '24 things

just the hits #7

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In the Shadow Garden

by Liz Parker

This was the pefect book to kick off witchy season - it’s Practical Magic, Gilmore Girls, and Witches of East End set in bourbon country, in a magical small town. We have second chance love, family legacy, entitled rich people, and an unsolved, mysterious death. It’s so good that I stayed up way too late/woke up way too early to read it in two sittings, and I have zero regrets.

You can find my 2024 reads here, and my September reads here.

Megababe Bust Dust ($13)

This one is for my perimenopausal/sweaty girls - this powder has been one of the only things that helps me feel drier despite multiple hot flashes in a day. I use the dust puff to apply it all over (and for easier back application), and I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s changed my life. If powder isn’t your thing, Megababe also makes a lotion that provides the same dry relief.

Find all my Amazon favorites here.

This is how Waffle House stays open during storms — including using a natural disaster playbook, emergency teams, and limited menus

published in Business Insider, copy and paste the link into 12ft.io to bypass the paywall

In my ideal world, the private, public, and philanthropic sectors would work more collaboratively to improve healthcare, housing, and clean air/water and healthy food to improve lives at scale. Until that day happens, I can take some comfort that Waffle House’s storm playbook helps FEMA determine where to deploy aid, and that the restaurant stays open to help their communities (and that World Central Kitchen is often the first on the ground to provide aid).

I share smart & fun reads, cheap (and useful thrills), and outfits on Instagram, and random musings on Threads. If that’s your thing, please hang out with me over there!

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Sharing

• I’m fully in the witchy mood with this playlist, Agatha All Along, adding some whimsigoth touches to the house (these are my favorite witchy decorations), re-watching A Discovery of Witches, and this Armoire closet.

• Have you checked your voter registration status? Made your voting plan? Talked to your loved ones about their voting plans? Signed up to volunteer?

• My hero items when the kids don’t have school - paint-by-number kits (and coloring vinyls for younger kids), the Brick-It app, making pizza cupcakes, and karaoke parties (my cousins gifted me this machine for my birthday and it’s kind of the best).

• A fun what’s-in-my-bag (and some money talk) feature, thanks to

  Lindsey Stanberry
  .

Making

all the festive fall plans for next weekend in PA - apple and pumpkin picking, canvassing, voting early, and many trail walks.

I also made a few incredible dinners this week:

• Serena’s one-pot cheeseburger fusili (we used Beyond Meat ground, added serrano pepper, and used tamari instead of Worcestershire sauce)

• Biryani in my new Anyday microwave cooking dishes (I used tofu instead of chicken and marinated it for most of the day - will add more salt and a nice helping of Indian chili powder next time)

Answering

• Do you have recommendations for casual work items?
  I do! Here are some of the items I’m wearing on repeat:

  • my go-to trousers (super comfortable, great stretch, holds up to multiple wears). I also love these front slit ones.

  • I love how crisp this button down blouse is, and the smocked sleeve is a great twist.

  • A great shirt dress (100% cotton) that you could belt or wear a sweater over the dress, for a more polished look.

  • These loafers are still going strong, 3 years later (I just bought the all-black pair).

• What’s the powder foundation you recommended?
  Laura Gellar Balance-n-Baked Foundation - I use the Kabuki brush for my T-zone, and a fluffy brush to apply on my cheeks.

These are my most popular recommendations.

Reading

• The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Lee Harkness (a re-read, but an excellent one)

Trying

• to use Microsoft Copilot more (side note - it’s AMAZING). Here are the conversation starters that really helped me this week:

  • “Please help me list and prioritize what I need to do today. (I rattle off all the to-dos off the top of my head, and mention what has a specific time or is urgent)”

  • “My kids are 5 and 9 years old, and are home from school today. Can you please recommend a screen-free activity that will keep them busy for an hour?”

  • “I have frozen vegetables, cooked rice, tofu, and a lot of sauces and spices. Can you tell me what to make for dinner, in about 15 minutes?”

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Wishing you a wonderful Sunday.

xo,
HPN