Did August even happen? A look back through my planner says yes, but my memory and the 60-degree weather we’ve been having lately says no. I am all for the arrival of sweater weather and comfort food season and the return of fall TV (Public Service Announcement: This Is Us returns September 26th). However, an early fall usually means an early winter and I do not have the emotional capacity (or the wardrobe) for that right now.
What I do have the emotional capacity for is the official start of the fall baking season. You know how some people count down to Christmas? I count down to apple crisp, pumpkin bars, banana bread and pie. And for the days when I can’t spend the day covered in flour with a wire whisk in hand, I have a fall-scented candle in about every variation of apple, pumpkin, banana, cider and cinnamon. But I couldn’t fully embrace the fall baking season without overlooking August and August cannot be overlooked because August is the month for peaches. Peaches are one of my most favorite fruits because they’re a transitional fruit between seasons; it’s like summer can’t let go but fall can’t hold itself back anymore. Life can feel like that too, huh?
The Recipe
I wanted to make peach pie or peach cobbler at least once this late summer and the chance finally came today on a rainy Sunday spent with my best friend and favorite photographer! I had high hopes to make this sugar cookie-topped, fresh peach cobbler from Betty Crocker, but the thought of buying, peeling, pitting and slicing peaches was more than I could handle today. Instead, I elected to make a five-star, six-ingredient cobbler also from Betty Crocker, but I kind of cheated and used canned peaches. And by kind of, I mean I absolutely cheated and used canned peaches. It’s not the prettiest dessert I’ve ever made, but it’s straight-up comfort food and goes really well with ice cream or whipped topping–ask me how I know.
I am a from-scratch baker about 80 percent of the time, but I’m also a realist and real talk–sometimes I don’t have the time or energy to bake from scratch. When it comes to comfort food, sometimes you need immediate gratification. This was one of those times.
I like to send my desserts home with my best friend for her family when she’s over. And when I asked her if she would take it home to her family, she made a comment about how it was a healthier dessert since it had fruit and they were trying to eat less sugar. Laura, if you’re reading this…I mixed a whole cup of sugar in with the peaches. Sorry ’bout that.
The Book
For the month of August, I chose an easier read because sometimes I need a step back from the intense, this-book-will-change-everything-you’ve-ever-thought-about-yourself reading material. Can you tell I’m in a season of rest lately? I have found that I often search so relentlessly for profoundness and depth, that I completely overlook simplicity. These days, simple is all I can handle.
This book, Grace Not Perfection, sits on my coffee table where I can see it every day. The gold embossed letters are a visual reminder to me that when I give grace to myself, I’m better able to give grace to others. When I can better give grace to myself, I’m less likely to demand perfection from myself. That in turn makes me less likely to demand perfection from other people. Author Emily Ley is a designer and organizer by profession and a writer by choice–both are evident in her book through illustration and word. You may have heard of her before; she is the face behind the brand Simplified Planner–a company that designs crazy-beautiful planners for overwhelmed and over-scheduled women, which makes me love her. Whereas several of the books I’ve read and reviewed talk about changing the way we view busyness and manage our priorities, Grace Not Perfection gives practical solutions to do so. In other words, while most books are the explanation of the problem, this book is the execution of the solution.
As a professional organizer, Emily offers several suggestions and solutions to manage your schedule and simplify your life. But she also emphasizes the need for grace for when life gets in the way of our best laid plans (so like Monday through Friday). Here’s my favorite part of the whole book:
When we multitask, we think we’re accomplishing two things at once. But honestly, can we ever successfully multitask? I don’t believe multitasking exists. We’re either doing one thing or another, constantly shifting our focus back and forth. In reality, trying to do it all always ends up in robbing one activity or task of your attention to give to the other.”
Quotes I Journaled
“True joy isn’t found in having it all together. The good life is rich, slow, real and flawed.”
“You don’t have to constantly strive to be more. You are enough. You deserve simple, slow and sweet. You are worthy of happiness. You deserve silly, extravagant joy, belly laughs and rich memories worthy of being slowly retold in rocking chairs on front porches. This is attainable–where you are, as you are, with what you have right now.”
“Our need to be in control, to orchestrate the perfect scenario for every journey in our lives, breeds anxiety in our hearts. We try to do the right things, eat the right things and say the right things to get the results we hope for. Our inability to trust that it will be okay, even if all the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit just right, can lead to comparison, worry and unhappiness.”
“The joy is in the journey, even the hard ones.”
“We are constantly impacting, affecting and influencing other people.”
“When we multitask our way through the sweetest parts of life, we miss the tiniest joys hidden in the moments between the grand accomplishments.”