Ayva Weekend Ideas: Vol. 2

The Weekend List

Spring has sprung, the hunt for Richard Simmons, and more

It is finally—officially!—spring! Whether or not it actually feels that way where you are, celebrate however you can. Stock the house with fresh flowers, talk a long walk, have your first meal outdoors, or—if it’s still too cold where you are—freshen up your home while staying inside. By this weekend we should hopefully be done with all the rain that we are getting pounded with here in California, so we plan on spending a whole day gardening—which means pulling out weeds. It’s extremely therapeutic and I always recommend it, especially if you have had a rough week. We also plan on going to the White Party at Livermore’s Wente Vineyards, in celebration of National Chardonnay Day. Cheers!

Hope you have a great one. See you Monday!

Go: Washington, D.C.

It’s cherry blossom season! After a number of false alarms, the most recent formal prediction for peak cherry blossom, as reported by the National Park Service, is this weekend! Follow the updates from afar thorugh this website, or flock to the nation’s capital to see the gorgeous pink petals in person. https://cherryblossomwatch.com/peak-bloom-forecast/

Listen: Missing Richard Simmons

This podcast—we’ve heard it described as “the new Serial” by more than one source—is all we’ve heard about for the last two weeks. Everyone knows Richard Simmons, but did you ever wonder why we haven’t seen or heard anything about him in years? This podcast covers it, and suffice to say, we’re hooked. https://www.missingrichardsimmons.com/

Do: Spring Cleaning

It doesn’t matter where you live: The arrival of a new season is the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button. From editing your closet to finally getting around to giving the bathtub the scrubdown it needs, spring cleaning is both necessary and refreshing. Apartment 34 has some tips on how to just do it, complete with helpful checklist: http://apartment34.com/2017/03/how-to-tackle-spring-cleaning-like-a-pro/

Make: Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies from Lark & Linen look positively yum. Putting this on our list of things to make—and subsequently devour—this week. http://www.jacquelynclark.com/2017/03/23/coconut-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Learn: Duolingo

Looking to learn a new language? Duolingo offers daily 5-minute (or as long as you want them) lessons, in a vast number of languages from Spanish to Swahili. The best part? It’s free. https://www.duolingo.com/