I got to see Oliver Jeffer's cool hat.

Giant bubbles, mermaid skeletons, data-collecting, and a book sneak peek

This week at the kid table…

I almost got swallowed by a giant bubble! (I wish I could say that unhinged laugh in the video wasn’t me. Why I was suddenly so terrified of a bubble, I’ll never know.)

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Speaking of being terrified, I’ve been pushing myself out of my comfort zone by making videos. And when I get scared, I get analytical.

If you have a few seconds, would you mind sharing your preferences?

I know many of you are also on substack, so I promise to share the results!

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I officially started working on my second book! Wahoo! It’s unannounced, but I’ll give you a super top secret sneak peek. Shhh….

It was inspired by my ghost inktober experiments a while back. Here are just a few of those:

Which turned into these:

Which will eventually turn into my second picture book!

For those of you participating in a drawing challenge this month, I hope you have so much art-frolicking fun. It’s interesting to me that all my book ideas seem to arrive when I’m having the most fun (not when I’m worrying about getting book ideas).

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I’m in the process of buying a house! I’ll share more details once things become more official but I’m excited and terrified at the same time. Advice appreciated.

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I got to see artist-author Oliver Jeffers in person. My favorite quote:

“We are no more than the stories we are told, the stories told about us, and the stories we tell.”

He wore a super cool outfit with a fancy hat. (Sorry it is small. I did my best.)

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I’m rewatching Schitt’s creek and remembering how good it is.

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I got to meet dear friend and talented illustrator Forrest Burdett in real life, and we went to the coolest vintage market. The only thing that held me back from buying all the things was the fact that all my belongings have to fit in my car right now.

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My seaside adventures include lots of walks — this week we saw a mermaid skeleton and a sand castle sculpture. We also had a bonfire on the beach and roasted a few mallows. Aaron’s friend brought dark chocolate to put in the s’mores and oh boy…the hint of bitter balances out the extra sweetness of the mallows in the perfect way. I’m never going back!

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The Glamorous Lives of Paid Subscribers

This week’s fun facts are extra ridiculous just for you.

Joanna Rowland lived in Antarctica for a brief season while selecting her pet penguin. She named him Penguin. No one was surprised it suited him.

Marietta Apollonio delivers grilled vegetables to seagulls on the weekend just to make sure they get enough nourishment between all the garbage they eat. Just doing her part one seagull at a time.

Angela Pham Krans went on a date with a president’s son once but isn’t allowed to talk about it. I only know because I was there as a third wheel.

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Thanks for joining me AT THE KID TABLE this week. As always, I’ll save you a seat next to me.

Your making-big-life-decisions-like-a-real-adult-while-feeling-like-a-fake-adult friend,

Rachel