Have a Great Weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We’re grateful to be meeting up with old friends (Sharon Beesley, some of you know her old blog:) at this Kid & Coe house in East Hampton (thank you so much, Kid & Coe!). Our kids are excited for the bunk bed room that sleeps six kids. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun links from around the web…

When Harry Met Sally almost had a very different ending.

Obama surprises some Chicago interns. Their shocked faces!

These award-winning nature photos are incredible — including an eagle stealing a rabbit from a fox.

For sibling battles, be a sportscaster, not a referee. (New York Times)

Would you like to eat a sandwich with pickles as the bread?

Hahaha.

Driving a car through France? Oh my gosh, these photos. (New York Times)

Reading what your kids are reading.

I’m into this at-home facial that has a cult following. Have you tried it?

Sad Animal Facts make me laugh every day.

And thank you for being excited about our editors’ picks! We’re looking forward to updating them with answers to reader requests (non-fiction books, maternity dresses, a daily sunscreen, etc!)

Plus, two reader comments:

Says Andrea to a low-key summer checklist: “The other night, kinda wiped out after a big day at work, I came home and changed out of my work clothes, but instead of getting dressed again, I threw open my bedroom windows, turned off the air conditioner, turned on the ceiling fan, and laid down on my bed in my bra and undies and read a book. Suddenly I was a sophomore in college again, living in an old house off campus with no air conditioning. My 12-year-old daughter came in my room, saw me, ran and grabbed her Wings of Fire book and laid down next to me. We didn’t drive to soccer, we didn’t cook dinner (about 8 p.m. we got up and ate some watermelon) and I think it’s a night I will always remember.”

Says Emily on what road trip songs do you love: “We always end with Sloop John B by the Beach Boys (‘I want to go home, let me go home, why don’t you let me go home…’) It is PERFECT when you are almost home and tired of being in the car for hours!”

(Photo of the When Harry Met Sally crew — Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan and director Rob Reiner — on set in 1989. Pickle sandwiches via Kottke.)

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Anna

July 23, 2019 2:48 pm

Late to this, but if you are going to look in to maternity dresses, consider doing a round up of nursing dresses as well. A good nursing dress is hard to find and sometimes all I want is something that I can throw on- no extra cami layer, no weird wrap front, and not from an expensive boutique. For example, This Gap dress
fits the bill, and H&M also often has surprisingly good options.

Hali

July 23, 2019 1:52 pm

My husband joked with me that he was going to email you to ask you for advice on what to get me for my birthday… big and long time fan of COJ GG’s over here. Many a hint has been dropped over the years around xmas.

Instead of writing in, he got side tracked and discovered a way to find ALL of the comments I’ve ever left on this blog. Now in conversation he’ll casually mention very specific anecdotes I’ve shared here with a smile and a little side glance until I realize what he’s referencing.

At first I was mortified until he admitted that I am very much the same in my commenting as I am IRL so he found nothing super interesting or funny to read.

Needless to say… I’ll drop the editors picks in his email from time to time before special occasions.

Important to say… we hardly actually give or get gifts to or from each other. At this point it’s really just a fun joke! But I AM VERY GLAD to have this little editors picks section in my life.

Heather

July 23, 2019 12:48 pm

THANK YOU for curating a beautiful selection of items in your “editor’s picks” that you are not shoving the “sell” of down our throats :) Seriously appreciate that.

Rachel

July 22, 2019 4:29 pm

I love Hanacure but it’s too pricey for my teacher budget. I found this on Prime day, and while it’s not quite as great, it’s an awesome dupe and is cheap enough I can do it way more often!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XZV7ZGC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

July 22, 2019 11:21 am

I used to love when Harry Met Sally but have been reevaluating my movie choices in light of how they portray women. I found this piece in particular enlightening, and it describes my frustration with the film better than I ever could: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/07/when-harry-met-sally-and-the-high-maintenance-woman/594382/

Sasha L

Reply to B

July 22, 2019 4:06 pm

Whew, that was a really great read. Thank you for sharing.

July 22, 2019 3:25 am

also re: children’s books– do you guys remember The House on Mango Street? That book changed my LIFE. It blew my MIND that you could write like that, short, and snippety, and describe things like that, kinesthetically. It blew my mind that we were reading such a well-rounded book by someone nonwhite, (I’m not white either, and actually still didn’t have a concept of white at this point, just slowly realizing there were the “American” kids, and the rest of us). We read it in 5th grade and I haven’t seen in mentioned outside of K-12 ever since.

July 21, 2019 3:56 pm

Omg the reading books with kids and the comment about reading side by side in underwear under a ceiling fan makes me so excited to take care of a kid someday…I’ve always loved babysitting and kids but have never felt precisely *parental* but…yeah, those memories to have sound really nice.

Also, I love fans. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be *unbearably* hot ( be safe, guys!) without air con, but in our apartment now in Amsterdam we don’t have any, and it’s supposed to reach 35 degrees celsius this week. However, I almost enjoy it (although to be fair we don’t live in a particularly stuffy region). We have big windows all around the studio. I love baking like a lizard in the sun, clumsily biking around with the sun beating down and the slightest breeze created sheerly by moving through the air, and using stuff like fans cold showers and ice packs and cold bodies of water, and the aforementioned laying on the bed (or the floor) starfish style.

Sally

July 20, 2019 6:09 pm

Over the past several summers, I’ve been asking my now 11-year old niece for book recommendations, and it’s been SUCH a lovely bonding experience (we live long-distance, and I’ve found it to be one of the most effective/delightful/inspiring ways to shorten the gap). It’s so fun to talk about the books once we catch up, and hearing her discuss various characters and plot lines is compelling. She most recently suggested we try Song for a Whale, and I can’t wait to hear her insight. She also introduced me to Grace Lin’s books (this author is now spearheading some amazing work in children’s literature https://www.kidlitwomen.com/ – worth checking out if you haven’t listened already!).

Aileen

July 20, 2019 6:00 pm

I used to work at Urban Alliance (the amazing organization whose interns Obama surprised!), and it is awesome! Those interns were lucky to meet President Obama, but he was lucky to meet them, too! You should do a feature periodically on organizations taking action and doing work to make the world a better place… start with Urban Alliance!

Courtney

Reply to Aileen

July 21, 2019 9:49 am

Yeah yeah yeah! That would be an awesome series! I can see how it would require a lot of research, though.

Laura C.

July 20, 2019 4:36 pm

Re: nature photos I can’t forget those hilarious photos of the falling owl, can’t find the post Joanna!

Ann

July 20, 2019 1:59 pm

That President Obama video had me in tears. I miss him as the leader of our country so much.

Sara Cotner

July 20, 2019 12:44 pm

Okay, I will now read every book my children are assigned to read from school (it hasn’t started yet). This blog has once again changed my life! Have a great weekend, Everyone!

Brigid

July 20, 2019 12:40 pm

Hey! I’m loving all the editors’ picks, but it’s a major bummer to see you guys pick the ikea knock off of the Aalto stool, especially when it’s such a precise copy of the original. It seems so incongruous with all the lovely work you guys do!

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Brigid

July 20, 2019 7:56 pm

Oh I actually didn’t realize it was a knock off!! (Forehead slap) Thank you for letting us know. Xoxo

ANDREA

Reply to Brigid

July 21, 2019 12:46 pm

The Aalto stool is $219 versus the $15 IKEA Forstup. The Aalto stool was designed in 1933, so I’d wonder if another version of this wasn’t on the market by now.

I am into giving people their due, but having the Aalto and the Frostup seem to be for different markets at this juncture.

Reply to Brigid

July 23, 2019 6:55 pm

Hi Bridgid, I love your comment but I want to say that in the furniture design world three legs versus four legs on a stool seems like a very big difference and therefore not at all a precise copy. Am I wrong?

Natalie

July 20, 2019 10:52 am

Love these Cup of Jo! Always a bright, positive, affirmation for the world :)
Love the Barack post – need that now ;)

Denise

July 20, 2019 10:24 am

I got teary eyed seeing the President’s face as well as the surprised looks on the interns faces. I miss him . . .

Laura

July 20, 2019 9:34 am

I’m pretty sure all I’d have to do is look at the pickle sandwich and all the fillings would shoot out the other end.

Nade

July 20, 2019 8:07 am

Many thanks from an gluten intolerant person for featuring sandwiches with pickles as a bread! I’m really missing sandwiches so looking forward to grtting a humangous one this weekend. Cheers!

Hannah

July 20, 2019 7:28 am

That house is so lovely, but those open stairs without a handrail make me so nervous just looking at them! (But, you know, I wouldn’t decline an invitation to stay there!)

Kay

July 20, 2019 12:38 am

2 of my friends and I went on a French countryside road trip a few years ago. We started off in Paris and traveled down to Provence, Burgundy, Montignac (to see the cave paintings) Carcassone, etc all the way down to Nice. We had a blast stopping along the way for gas station cheese (even gas station cheese was delicious in France), stopping to take pictures at random vineyards along the road and singing along to French pop music.

Paige

July 19, 2019 10:30 pm

My mom and I started our own two person book club. It’s a fun way to keep in contact and have something to talk about when I don’t feel like talking about anything in particular.

July 19, 2019 9:55 pm

Hell yes with the pickles as bread sandwich! I have had T1 for nearly 30 years and have been low carbing for ages. Healthy as anything and not missing out.

STK

July 19, 2019 9:38 pm

Yum the pickle sandwich!!

rosa

Reply to STK

July 22, 2019 6:59 pm

How’s sharon doing? I miss her blog!

Rikki

July 19, 2019 9:31 pm

That pickle sandwich place is in my town! ?? They are delicious! I’m pregnant with my 4th (!) and my friend brought me one during an intense pickle craving period. Best thing ever.

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Rikki

July 19, 2019 9:53 pm

That is so cute!!

Joanna

July 19, 2019 9:20 pm

My husband is from this part of France and it really is so beautiful. Much of it feels completely wild. The only downside is the car sickness we all feel whenever we’re there, such windy roads!

Erin

July 19, 2019 8:43 pm

Seriously though, what happened to Billy Crystal? He was everywhere and now he just does bad indie movies.

Savannah

Reply to Erin

July 20, 2019 10:46 am

I’m so pregnant right now I’m lying in bed waiting for my zantac to work and there are tears rolling down my face from seeing Meg and Rob and Billy. I just love When Harry Met Sally so much! When will these crazy hormones go!!?!!

Kalia

July 19, 2019 6:22 pm

thank you for featuring the France article. I just wish they had more photos! Seems like an article more geared towards car lovers or car nostalgia. Would be so fun to see photos of places that are not on the tourist circuit but just as beautiful and charming and inviting.

Marie

Reply to Kalia

July 20, 2019 4:44 am

Completely agree! Being from France and never having visited the Cévennes I was so excited for this article I created a NYT account to read it. But I am also an anti-car militant and reading it just annoyed me – can people please stop glamorising car culture?

Jordan Gamart

July 19, 2019 6:11 pm

I love your Friday wrap-up posts. I look forward to them every week. I especially loved reading about a region in France I have yet to visit. Thank you for your wonderful blog!

Laurel

July 19, 2019 6:04 pm

Great round up this time! I love the article about being a referee for your kids quarrels (mine are 6 and 3, so very timely) and the video of Obama’s surprise visit was so good. Happy weekend!

Amanda

Reply to Laurel

July 21, 2019 8:47 am

Yes! I was scrolling to the bottom of the comments to say this exact thing. Sharon’s blog was amazing and gave me so much comfort when I was worried about how my quote imperfect parenting of twin babies and then toddlers. Photos of her messy apartment with her smiling kids were like a beacon of hope when I felt like I wasn’t together enough in the early years. Sharon, we miss you!

Vale Cervarich

July 19, 2019 5:57 pm

Hi! How is Sharon Beesley?! Please, please give us an update! I hope she and her family are well. I don’t know her, but I loved her blog and her writing really captivated me. Unforgettable. I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting news of her life! Give her big hugs from us!

Katie

Reply to Vale Cervarich

July 19, 2019 8:28 pm

I second this! I loved her writing and wonder about how she and her family are doing!

Molly

Reply to Vale Cervarich

July 19, 2019 11:50 pm

Third it :)

Karen

Reply to Vale Cervarich

July 20, 2019 12:20 am

How can someone not miss president Obama?

Hanna

Reply to Vale Cervarich

July 20, 2019 5:19 pm

Yes I’d love an update too. I remember cracking up at her blog. She was such a funny writer.

Lili

Reply to Vale Cervarich

July 21, 2019 4:16 pm

Me too, I would love to know how Sharon and her family are doing.

Stefanie

Reply to Vale Cervarich

July 22, 2019 10:32 am

I agree and was about to type the same thing! Really enjoyed Sharon’s writing and miss it a lot! Hope she and her family are well:)

Colleen S

July 19, 2019 5:40 pm

I don’t think I’d like the original ending for When Harry Met Sally. Just for the autumn images alone I will eternally love this movie, but Harry and Sally never marrying and being almost strangers would put a damper on it.

July 19, 2019 5:19 pm

Ok so question for the group:
Are these Cup of Jo nationwide (or international, I’m down for a vacation) meetups happening?! Is there a sign-up sheet on a bulletin board somewhere that I’ve missed? Or, am I supposed to say, “hey cool, friendly person making small talk with me in line at the bakery, do YOU read Cup of Jo?”

Jeanne

Reply to Em

July 19, 2019 7:52 pm

We need cool CoJ tshirts as identifiers!!

Jennifer

Reply to Em

July 19, 2019 8:13 pm

On this topic: I had coffee with an acquaintance from church last weekend, and we were trying to find topics of common interest (isn’t making friends so hard? anyway…). She mentioned she liked blogs and I asked which ones and she said, “Oh, you know, Cup of Jo.” Yay, instant friend! If you’re reading this, hi Kelsey! We should hang out again soon! :)

Laura C.

Reply to Em

July 20, 2019 10:24 am

I would love to meet all of you! After all this time I start to recognise so many readers’ names! It’s so wonderful!

Meredith

Reply to Em

July 22, 2019 9:13 am

I have definitely been considering hopping on the Meetup app and starting a local “blog club” like a book club for the Cup of Jo devotees in my area to get together and talk about the posts from the week, but mostly just hang out with each other over coffee :) Whether or not we’d be a like-minded group, I know we’d be like-hearted. Seems like the perfect way to make friends!

Sasha L

Reply to Em

July 22, 2019 3:04 pm

Meredith, I like that – *like hearted*, that’s so perfect.

Meredith

Reply to Em

July 22, 2019 9:45 pm

Sasha, I have to give credit to the other blog I hang out on everyday: https://austinkleon.com/2018/03/31/like-minded-vs-like-hearted/

❤️

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