“Oh it's wonderful!” I said to the waitress as I sat *nearly in tears*, my mouth on figurative fire, feeling exactly like I'd eaten a piece of coal fresh out of FURNACE, with the roof of my mouth literally melting off.I hadn't realized coal was on the menu that night.
But here's the thing…
If I had to do it again?
I TOTALLY WOULD.
What was this fiery piece of food that sat in my mouth while I tried not to cry, and definitely was not ABOUT to spit it out?
Escargot.
My husband and I went on a belated birthday date for him last weekend --
and while I'd planned to go to this one pub downtown --
…Chase double crossed me and made us reservations at my literal favorite restaurant in Tulsa. (the nerve of this man!! 😂)
Greeted with a cold sparkling glass of Prosecco, and told we were seated at the bar – for anyone who isn't familiar with Boston Title and Abstract, that meant we got to watch the chef at work which is very exciting especially when some of the dishes come with gold leaf.
Chef, the artist in me sees the artist in you. My husband (the chef of our home) and I thought it was SO COOL to watch it all come together.
And as a sidenote, I've gotten escargot only one other time in my life, at the same restaurant, on my birthday a couple years ago.
Clearly we are creatures of habit and this is is a celebratory place for us…
And it was so good, the flavor so unbelievably amazing, I have NO WORDS to describe it. Just know, it was that good.
Truly, the fact that I don't have the words astonishes even me. Which if you've been around, you know I rarely do not have words.
When we saw it was on their menu (which changes monthly), we both looked 👀 at each other and KNEW that was what we would start with.
Why does it feel so fancy to say, “Claire, we will have the escargot please!” Our waitress's name was Claire, in case you were wondering..
What's a celebration if you're not going to take advantage of it?!
And so, as we chatted about work and life, we waited (im)patiently for our appetizer to arrive.
>>>Did I mention that I hadn't eaten more than a yogurt that day? Unplanned fasting apparently…
But when that escargot arrived with the bread of the gods I was so excited.
I grabbed that cute little fork, the escargot, and a hefty slice of bread (y'all, a moment for the bread. It was buttery and garlicky, and not in a gross way that made it slimey and greasy, it was grilled to perfection), and ate it all in one bite.
There's something I should mention that I didn't notice until AFTER I'd taken my bite…
That delectable escargot? It ARRIVED IN A POT OF FLAMING HOT OIL.
Now, that oil and the herbs and all the goodness that came with it is what made it taste so good.
But it is ALSO what fried the tar out of my mouth.
And after I ate the one bite? I couldn't believe it myself, but I did it THREE MORE TIMES.
Do not pass go, do not collect 100 dollars. Game, set, match.
That escargot was the best thing I had had in ages. And NOT simply because I had ~unintentionally~ fasted all day.
And really and truly if Claire had walked over and put three more of the same plates full of piping hot escargot with bread sent from heaven in front of me again, ~I'd behave in exactly the same way~.
I know they say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, so what is it if I don't expect a different result — it's simply worth it to burn the frick out of my mouth because it's just 👏 that 👏 good 👏 ?!?!?
and if you asked? You bet we'd go eat there because not only is the escargot amazing, everything else is too.
I'm choosing in my mind to forget ignore that escargot is snails.
Because if you're like me, you grew up on a healthy diet of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson and Passport to Paris put a *real damper* on eating escargot as an adult.
Now I see, clearly, they did not know what they were missing…
but diving into the Mary Kate and Ashley brand is a newsletter for another day…
Selective memory here is activated upon seeing the escargot at BT+A…
But I'll tell ya, sometimes that stuff that sucks the most (like the hot oil fire that singed my entire mouth and I'm still paying for every morning when I have my hot coffee — still worth it, mind you) is what the ✨best✨ things are made of.
It's where the good stuff comes from.
🏋️♀️ these workouts that kick my booty on the reg? >> hurts so good SO you get to the good part where it's easy. Then you make it harder…
📝 hiring the copywriter to help me hone my message for my website (even though I'm a pretty dang good writer already)? >> I absolutely needed someone outside of me to help me. She said exactly what I wanted but couldn't verbalize.
👢 the super cute Melissa Frye boots(affiliate link) that I had to use plastic bags to get on my feet? (Y'all it's a real thing, and i have always sized up in boots but never again after this genius hack!)? >> a timeless pair of boots that I love and will love forever — I haven't had boots I've loved this much and are this comfortable since college. I could literally go on and on.
YOU KNOW WHAT'S NOT ON THIS LIST?!
🏠 those little house trinkets I bought at Target years ago. (Sold in the Garage sale)
🍭 eating chocolate chips by the handful (seemed like a good idea at the time)
🥗That salad I tried to make myself eat for lunch the other day… I mean really, if you're not enjoying life, what's the point? The only salads I enjoy are the ones my father in law makes (so if you're reading this – hey Chris! well done!)
& speaking of how the best things in life don't come easy… I hope you know that, in addition to educating you on the amazing appetizer that is escargot, I'm here to give you some tips on how you can use the best things don't come easy in your home.
ONE HUSH YOUR HOME
If you're anything like me, you took your Christmas decorations down and gave your house a good scrub. BUT something still feels off. you're not alone — after having all the STUFF EVERYWHERE for a month, our brains need to rest, and it's no wonder our house does too. In Cozy Minimalist Home, The Nester suggests you hush your home. Literally — put everything away, out of sight. Sit with it, see how it feels. After a week or two, slowly put back what you LOVE. ^^Yep, it's a task that isn't easy, but it's oh so worth it.
TWO CURATED GALLERY WALL
Choose pieces you love and take COMMAND STRIPS to attach them to the wall. Play with it — command strips let you move things around without putting holes in the wall.
THREE INVEST IN ART YOU LOVE
You know how you always hear buy art to fit the soace — wellllllll im calling an audible on this. Don't do that. Find the art you love. Buy it. Hush your space, and put it where you want it to go. Buying art to fill a space doesn't work when you move. Invest in art you love, that speaks to your soul, and you'll never have to simply fill a space with it.
FOUR WALL MURAL
Find a local artist to create a wall mural for you — way less work than wallpaper (for you) and the perfect conversation starter. ^^Did you know I do this!? Watercolor is my jam, but this is super fun too.
FIVE MIRRORS DO NOT GO OVER FIREPLACES
This might be my most controversial tip EVER — but I stand by it.
📢Say it with me📢:
A mirror should not go over the fireplace (or even worse, a TV, please for the love do not put your TV over the fireplace — your frame TV isn't fooling anyone)
A mirror shouldn't go over your fireplace unless you have a vintage house built in the 1800s and the mirror is authentic to the home build AND it reflects a beautiful chandelier and ceiling molding.
I am very specific about what is allowed here. Do I think there are exceptions to the rule?
I wrote a whole blog post about it, and had a reel get 2M views over this a while ago…
But I still stand by it.
It's hard to go ~against~ the trend but just 👏 don't 👏 do 👏 it 👏.
BONUS: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
The best things in life don't come easy, and they typically don't come cheap either.
We are inundated with TikTok's and reels and ads telling us we need this and that. Showing us the latest Amazon find and this new thingamajig.
Invest in what you put in your home — it's like the story where the plumber tells the client, “You can have two of the three — quick, good, cheap. Here are your options:
1️⃣I can be quick and cheap, but it's not going to be good.
2️⃣I can be cheap and good, but it is not going to be quick.
3️⃣I can be quick and good, but it is not going to be cheap.
Either way you spin it, we pay for good quality now, or we pay for it later with our time and energy to get it OUT of our home, cleaning it up, or adding it to our mental load...
So here's the thing about the good stuff – it's right here, waiting for you. And if you need some beautiful artwork that will last a lifetime or know someone getting married that you'd like to introduce me to? HIT reply. I'm here to help.
Did you find these tips helpful? Hit reply and let me know!
PS Do you have any hot takes on design or art you'd like to share? Hit reply and let me know!
PPS Please make them spicy.🌶💥
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