Happy Sunday, everyone. While this is technically the second Sunday of 2026, it really feels like the first since we have officially completed our first week back at work! Our annual kitchen trends post went up, Mal let us into her wonderful 1950s kitchen refresh, and we, of course, talked about organizing (is it January if we don’t??). We are so grateful to be back with all of you. This week, though, was yet another devastating one in our country, and while simply stating that doesn’t create any tangible change, it is important to continue to remind ourselves that THIS IS NOT NORMAL and to find ways to help move us in a safer direction. Regardless of differing personal views, we believe that the majority of us don’t want to live in a place that treats people this way. That’s all we’ll say on that today. For 2026 (and beyond), let us all try to find as many opportunities to be kind and loving while holding each other accountable. Ok, now for the inevitable tone shift jolt… here are this week’s links (they are positive, we promise:))
From Emily: While in Montana over break, failing to learn to ski AGAIN, I was relegated to the hotel lodge by myself (and spa, which was GREAT) and was able to binge a few things. Y’all, I finally finished Verity (by Colleen Hoover, of course). I had started it years ago, but it was so unsettling (I can’t really read much about kids’ deaths without high levels of anxiety), so I put it down and opted for four other Colleen Hoover novels instead (that I subsequently flew through). They are all unsettling, TBH. But over break, I had just finished The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (which I flew through in 2 days) and loved the movie (such a campy blast, but lower your expectations if you haven’t read the book), and I was reminded how engrossing a thriller is on vacation. Then I saw that Verity is coming out next year as a movie with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett (I’m really enjoying his comeback – he’s so much better than he used to be!). So I dove back into it and, of course, couldn’t put it down. It still IS unsettling, but man, it’s engrossing, and so so good.
But meanwhile, I beg of you to pick up People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry RIGHT NOW if you haven’t already read it (you’ll fly through it, although Beach Read is still my favorite of hers). By the time this link is published, I will have watched the much-awaited movie with Emily Bader and Tom Blyth. I “met” Emily in the show My Lady Jane (RIP), which was an incredible show that got cancelled far too young (it was such BS, people LOVED that show and it was so good – I’m blaming it on male executives at Amazon Prime who didn’t get it). But Emily was incredible, and I became an instant fan of her acting. Anyway, thank the media gods that all our favorite books are being turned into movies or TV shows (Every Summer After is also going to be a TV show by Carley Fortune, which I’m so excited about). If you are looking for good recs, head over to Beach Reads & Bubbles, whose taste I trust when it comes to highly entertaining novels (romance, thrillers, and even more literary novels when I dabble in those). Speaking of which – I started The Correspondent and need encouragement to finish (everyone raves, but oof, I was bored so quickly). And then I made it a solid 60% through The Death of Us, which was just so depressing (but so good!) that I put it down because it was bumming me out and opted for Mate by Ali Hazelwood instead. It reminded me of The Wedding People – Deeply dark, but with a lot of levity to it, and such strong storytelling, but ultimately, I didn’t want to live in that world for much longer. LASTLY, OH MY GOSH I CAN’T STOP – I finally finished All Her Fault and WAHOO, the ending was worth the terrible writing of the first few episodes (I still highly recommend it for a binge watch) and I finished The Hunting Wives on New Years Day (well, I picked it back up on the plane back home the day before which I do NOT recommend, lol – the cowboy sitting behind me was either thrilled or wanted to put me in a convent). SO GOOD, but be prepared for some hot lady sex. Speaking of, I’m going to dive into Heated Rivalry this weekend – I’m so excited. January is my month, y’all. Zero social engagements and so much rain, so every excuse to hibernate with good books, TV, and soup.
From Jess: I’m a fairly simple makeup person. I like a warm “natural” look on average with just a few products. But every once in a while, I get really curious about a new product, and Victoria Beckman’s Satin Kajal Liner was at the top of the list. So when I was browsing through the newish French department store Printemps (a MUST SEE if you love design, I left SO inspired) in New York City over the holidays, I noticed that they sold her line. Naturally, I took the opportunity to try out the liner before buying, and my god, it glides on like a dream, with a lot of pigment! And smudges beautifully (my preferred look:)) I bought the Terracotta and Bordeaux colors and have loved them so far. Apparently, getting the VB sharpener is kinda important, which I didn’t buy in the moment, so I just grabbed one of those:)
From Arlyn: My favorite purchases are inexpensive, incredibly useful, and effective. Which is why I’m starting off the year by recommending a pumice toilet bowl wand. I’m certain Jess shared one similar nearly a year ago, but it’s likely time to bubble back up again. When we moved in, I noticed some rings in the toilet, specifically in the downstairs powder bathroom. Assuming it was just a result of sitting vacant for a few months, I assumed a simple bleach scrub was all it needed. I was wrong. Almost three years later, those same rings still exist, no matter how often I clean my bathroom, thanks to hard and high-mineral water. Frustrated and finally wanting to take some real action, I remembered Jess’ pitch to me about it from the past, and I’m so happy to report that I now have ring-free bowls without having to use any harsh chemicals or get my hands dirty. WHAT A RELIEF! If you have stubborn hardwater stains that you’re dealing with, please don’t wait as long as I did to try this solution.
From Gretchen: I’m not sure why, but every so often, I will wake up with an excruciating headache. And no, it’s not the hangover kind (although I’m no stranger to those). But these weird headaches I tend to feel coming on at night, knowing that by morning I’ll wake to a throbbing pain. It sucks. I haven’t found the perfect cure yet (or prevention, obviously), but I have tried all the meds, weighted eye masks, essential oils, caffeine, hydrotherapy–you name it! A combination of these tools usually tends to help, but I’m always on the hunt for a better solution. As I was trying to fall asleep last night, knowing a morning migraine was on the way, I looked for a new fix and stumbled upon this acupressure mat. I’ve heard great things about them and the concept made enough sense to me: a bed full of tiny plastic spikes meant to stimulate pressure points on your body, similar to acupuncture, just without all the needles. It’s supposed to help with relaxation, muscle tension, and, for many, chronic headaches. And for just $18 with a 7 am arrival the next day, I thought it was worth a shot. And guess what? It totally helped! Or at least, it worked very well in combination with a few of my other headache hacks. But once my body settled into the spikes (yes, it’s a little jarring at first), everything unclenched, and I could actually feel my headache slipping away. I really felt a difference when I lightly rolled the head pillow around on my forehead. Something about a bunch of tiny, sharp spikes just seemed to do the trick. I laid on the mat for about 10 minutes and genuinely felt rejuvenated afterwards. I’m going to keep using the mat, headache or not, because I for sure noticed a difference in overall body tension, and the sensation just felt so relaxing.
From Marlee: If you’re looking for ways to get off your screens this year, I highly recommend Puzzlemania – we had this in our gift guide, but I was gifted it for Christmas, and it’s SO fun. I love love love puzzles and look forward to my minis and Wordle every day, so I was so excited to receive this book. It’s essentially just a puzzle workbook that contains a ton of crosswords (all with fun twists), little Wordle puzzles, word hunts, Sudoku variations, and a ton of other mini games that would be fun to work on solo or try doing with your partner or a friend! There’s also a massive unfolding crossword puzzle in the middle that I think I’m going to tear out and hang on our kitchen wall so that guests can try to help us solve it when we have people over. I’m really excited to reach for this and work on it while I drink my coffee or when I’m bored. Happy solving!! <3
From Mallory: I had seen a few people sporting this baseball cap around town and thought it was SO adorable…so I was THRILLED when I opened up a Christmas gift and inside the box was this!! I’ve been wearing it all the time – I absolutely LOVE it.
From Caitlin: I’m here to end the link up on a bit of a sad note: my mom, Brenda, passed away the day after Christmas following a 10 year battle with Renal Cell Carcinoma. (Now you know why we were knocking out those bucket list trips with fervor – remember Antarctica and Australia?) Sharing her with you all was the honor of my life. And I can’t thank Emily and the EHD team enough – they allowed me to step into a full-time caregiver role in Delaware at the top of 2025 without a second thought. (And thank you to Dennis, partner of the millennia, who moved into my childhood home and helped keep the world running.) I don’t think I’ll ever be able to articulate how grateful I’ve been for all of their support – they gave me the gift of quality time spent with the most important woman in my life. You can check out her obituary here (and check out the fawning from her former colleagues and employees here – their words put the biggest smile on my face!). Everything I did was in an attempt to make her proud. I was so, so, so lucky to be her daughter.
That’s it for this week. Thank you for spending this little bit of time with us, and see you tomorrow<3
Opening Image Credits: Design by Mallory Wackerman | Photo by Lyle Nelson | From: Mallory’s 1950s DIY Kitchen Makeover (You Won’t Believe This Before and After)
View the original article and our Inspiration here
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