There was not going to be a party (who would I invite?). There was not going to be a trip (where would we go?). There was not going to be a big gift (what did I even want?). There was not going to be a fancy date night (although there may yet be, but, between my husband’s work schedule and my in-service, at what point in August could we possibly make it happen?). There would simply be a birthday, my 30th, a number I had finally come to accept. How then to celebrate?
Naturally, I started by making a list. Things I had often thought “Oh, it would be so nice to [fill in the blank].” Things that would be nice to cook. Things that weren’t chores, per se, but should be done. Things I wanted to do before summer ended. 30 ways to celebrate turning 30. Thus the month became a sort of quest: how many could I check off before August ended?
As it turned out, quite a few. I checked off another recipe from The Newlywed Cookbook: the Beautiful Bowl of Ricotta, savory edition, along with a snack plate featuring homemade focaccia, ripe nectarines, olives, balsamic drizzle, and prosciutto, pregnancy restrictions not forgotten so much as deliberately ignored. I brought my friend a meal after the arrival of her new baby, and we chatted while the baby slept, quite contentedly, on my chest. I took the first Emma M. Lion book to the coffee shop I walk past nearly every day and read until it and my iced chai latte were both finished. I tracked down the weekly schedule for the Thai food truck that frequently parks downtown so I could take myself out to dinner one night when my husband had a work commitment. The pork noodle bowl was generous enough for two meals. I stopped by my childhood favorite ice cream parlor for an ice cream cone. I never knew dirt cake ice cream was so delicious. I took in a sunset and some birdwatching with my husband. I put on my ugly new maternity swimsuit and floated the lazy river at the Kalahari after my professional development sessions.
Some items on my list proved to be out of my hands. Some no longer sounded appealing by the time I reached the tired end of the month. This was not, I had to tell myself, a checklist; it was a menu. I did not have to order anything that did not sound appealing. Some of the experiences were also expenses, but some—the majority, in fact—were free. Each was a reminder that the life I have is worth celebrating, even in the smallest of ways.
The morning of my birthday, I put on the new dress I had bought for the occasion and headed down to the farmer’s market to complete item 1 (go to the farmer’s market) and item 3 (make BLTs). As I approached the small cluster of tents I saw beneath one canopy a bucket of gladiolus stems (Item 18: buy a bouquet of gladiolus). The farmer and I chatted about babies while he wrapped three stems: two red, one white. I cradled them in my arm like a pageant queen all the way back to my car, beaming. Today is my birthday, I wanted to tell everyone. Aren’t there so many beautiful things in the world to enjoy?
Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of August.
What I Read
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1, Beth Brower (★★★★★)
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 2, Beth Brower (★★★★)
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 3, Beth Brower (★★★★★)
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 4, Beth Brower (★★★★★)
The Midnight Train, Matt Haig (★★★★)
Land, Maggie O'Farrell (★★★★)
We're Pregnant: The First-Time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook, Adrian Kulp (★★★)
The Story She Left Behind, Patti Callahan Henry (★★)
If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.
What I Cooked
I wouldn’t say I have a go-to chicken parmesan recipe, mostly because it’s fiddly to do it right. This was reasonably tasty and extremely easy, so it definitely scratched the itch. Just use half of the recommended Italian seasoning.
Somehow I have made it deep into 2026 without trying the smash taco trend, but I thought these would be a tasty birthday dinner, so I gave them a try. I doubled the recipe and used 2 packets of onion soup mix, which made the meat overly salty. Even with 1 pound of ground beef, I think the single packet would have been sufficient. I also added a little chive sour cream with Worcestershire sauce. Worth trying a smash taco at least once, I would say.
At some point Tieghan is going to have to remember the recipes she has already made and stop perpetually reinventing them. In her first cookbook, she has these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (which can be made in bar form) that are unbelievably delicious. Everywhere I bring them, I make friends. The oatmeal bar base in this recipe, unfortunately, is not the same as this one. Even though I did not use almond flour, the bars were still insanely dry and barely sweet at all. But, with that being said, the peanut butter and chocolate layers were incredible. I definitely want to combine those parts of the recipe with the original oatmeal bar base from the cookbook just to see how it works together.
What I Created
May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.
