Wendy’s Weekly Picks

I’m a woman of many loves — my husband, “Mad Men,” my son, day drinking, super soft t-shirts, karaoke… you get the drift. And I love finding new things to love and sharing my finds with others, so I started a new feature where I do just that. Keep reading for my five new loves this week and please feel free to share yours in the comments!

1. See By Chloe Perfume
I’m not much of a perfume-wearer — I have allergies and have found most perfumes give me a headache. But I got a sample of See by Chloe a couple months ago and loved it so much I bought myself a mini bottle to try out. Now I wear it every day and not only have I never gotten a headache, I smell like flowers all the time. Even on stinky summer afternoons in NYC after I’ve been sweating for hours in a crowded city playground. I still smell fucking fantastic. And I know that’s the truth because one day when I asked my friend if I stunk, she said “NO.” If that’s not a solid case-closed, I don’t know what.

2. Pimms Cup
Over the weekend I had a hankering for Pimms Cup, a drink I’ve enjoyed at neighborhood bars the last few years and most recently at my friends’ housewarming party a couple weeks ago. I’d never made it before, but friends were coming over Saturday night so I decided I’d find a good recipe, buy the ingredients, and give it a go. I texted my friend, Mary: “Buying Pimms Cup ingredients for tonight,” and she replied, “I already did!” How’s that for synchronicity? Anyway, together we sort of blended together a few different recipes we’d found and ended up with the most delicious, perfect early summer cocktail you’d ever want. This recipe comes pretty close to what we did (you can also use Sprite, 7-Up, ginger ale, or ginger beer as a mixer), but I’d definitely recommend muddling the cucumber slices. This is basically what I’m going to drink all summer long. Cheers!

3. Map My Run
The runners among us already know about this awesome app, I’m sure, but for those of you who, like me, are thinking about or just getting back into running after a long hiatus, you may not have already heard of Map My Run. Map My Run is an app that tracks your miles, speed, calories, routes, and a bunch of other stuff I haven’t even played with yet. There are even training programs for races ranging from 5K to full marathons. I like that I just push the “record” button and then free my mind to focus on putting one foot in front of the other while the app tracks my speed and mileage and a nice voice encourages me along the way to keep up the good work. Now if only the app could do something about my poor knees…

4. AJ Morgan Sunglasses
I found these fabulous green floral sunglasses at a flea market near my neighborhood last month and I love them. The vendor said they were $20 bucks but she’d sell them to me for $15, which I’m sure was a ploy, but whatever, it worked. Nevermind that now I see I could have gotten them on Amazon for $12 (marked down 50%), I’m still happy I bought them on the spot because I basically haven’t taken them off my face since and I’ve gotten a ton of compliments. They’re kind of funky while still being flattering. And they fit my face perfectly. And they were only 15 bucks. And you can get them for 12 ($11.97, even), but hurry because there are only a few left!

5. Along We Go Pajamas
I’m cheating a little bit by calling this a favorite since I don’t actually own it yet, but there was a conversation in the forums recently about cute pajama recommendations — especially PJs you could wear in front of your kids of in-laws — and I saw these on ModCloth and thought they would fit the bill perfectly (I really like this sleep short set, too!). I’m one of those people who sleeps in an old t-shirt most of the time, but we’re visiting family in a few weeks and I could use some PJs that aren’t embarrassing or inappropriate and these are on the shortlist.