Mimi Takes Five - #367

ONE // Rivals

I'm currently reading the third book of the American Royals series - Rivals. By this point, I'm familiar with the characters and storylines. My biggest gripe with the series so far where the super obvious parallels to the current British royal family. While these details might fly under the radar of most people, to a royal watcher they are glaringly obvious. I still think more effort could have gone into making those parallels less obvious. Once I got over (or mostly got over) that detail, I was able to enjoy the books for their plotlines. They are not the deepest or most intriguing novels but I'm enjoying the lighter read this summer. At this point it's familiar and an easy book to set down and pick up throughout the day. The chapters always cycle through the four main characters. While this format makes it an easily digestible read, by the third book it's become a bit predictable and mundane. I don't know, I'm ready for the format to change a bit and keep me guessing. What can I say? I like a good chapter title!

TWO // Wedding Guest Book

I had big plans of making my wedding guest book back in 2019. A colleague of mine would give bookbinding workshops and it inspired me to create an elaborate handmade book. Seeing as this was going to be assembled after the fact, I had prepared the individual pages for our guests to sign and my sister-in-law was in charge of going around the room with the paper, pens and polaroid camera to also take snap shots of each guest that would be stuck in the book next to their messages. I had an elaborate Ziplock system in which the pages and photos would go in to stay organized. 

I had no idea how it all went because I hadn't looked at the box since the night of the wedding... It had been a project on my to-do list for literal ages. When that same colleague offered more workshops, I decided to open the box and tackle the project. With her guidance we pivoted and decided to make a custom cardboard box for the pages - giving the book a more lifelike aura. It's more tangible and fluid, making looking through the pages feel more like flipping through a stack of old photos as opposed to a pristine book set in time. I loved the idea and was hoping I still had some cardstock left over from my handmade invitations to use. Luckily, I had just enough (with one page to spare!) With the encouragement and guidance of my colleague, I was able to make the custom box, which is only held together by the woven ribbon used to tie it closed. I also took the time to decorate the cover in the same style as my invitations and printed one of the readings from our ceremony as the title page of the album. I'm so pleased with how it turned out and I'd even say it was worth the six-year wait!

THREE // Old Scarf

I recently sorted by scarf box and reorganized its contents. The best part of sorting and cleaning is that you tend to find things you forgot you had. This rust polka dot scarf is precisely one of those little finds. I honestly can't remember when I bought it, but it's been tucked away under a pile of newer scarves so has not been getting as much love or wear lately. Luckily, fall is just around the corner and I plan of wearing this little beauty repeatedly! I've already worn it in a braided bun this past week and couldn't be happier about it. It's amazing how much a tiny scarf can add to an outfit. The magic of accessorizing!

FOUR // Iced Coffee

Like a lot of people, I like to make myself iced coffees in the summer. For years now I had been using the Nescafé Iced Java Syrup. I loved the stuff! I used to also put a drizzle over vanilla ice cream sometimes - it was delicious. I didn't go through a bottle very quickly so when I emptied last year's bottle, I added it to my grocery list. To my great disappointment, it's been discontinued. I was unable to find any similar product to replace it with so turned to the internet. As it happens, Nescafé has but out a recipe to recreate your very own syrup. I got the iced instant coffee and made my own. It's not exactly the same but it's pretty darn close! I'm very happy with this alternative. If you miss the Iced Java syrup, I encourage you to try the above recipe. It's really easy to make and the result is better than going without.

FIVE // Ratatouille

As luck would have it, our AC broke just as I was starting my vacation. Seeing as it's been a very hot summer, technicians are hard to come by right now. We managed to get an appointment four days later and, in the meantime, we were doing our best to keep the house (and ourselves) cool. That was hard. One of the things we've been doing is cooking on the BBQ to avoid heating up the house. I managed to bake a focaccia in a cast-iron pan and, to my surprise, it turned out! Keeping the BBQ at a steady temperature was the more challenging part. Then my husband made a delicious ratatouille on the BBQ as well. We finished off the meal with a nice steak and that was our gourmet BBQ dinner. Who knew you could make so much on the grill? Fancy ratatouille? No problem!