Coffee Break: Sienna Saddle
This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Do I need a new red purse? No, I do not… but this one from DeMellier is awfully tempting.
I'm especially drawn to the suede version, but it does some in several full-grain leather finishes. I like that you can carry it by the top handle, on the shoulder, or as a crossbody, and I love the circular leather detailing — it gives it just enough personality without feeling overdone.
The bag is $535 (including tarrifs and duties, with free shipping and returns).
Sales of note for 8/2:
- Nordstrom – The Anniversary Sale ends August 9! Here's our big roundup of the best workwear, as well as everything we've selected thus far. Don't forget to check to see if their daily beauty deal is a good one for you – e.g., 8/5 beauty tools from Omnilux, Dr. Dennis Gross, Dermaflash and more
- Ann Mashburn – Seasonal sale, up to 50% off – we just included them in our updated Top 10 Brands for Comfortable Heels!
- Ann Taylor – 50% off summer styles + 60% off clearance — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Banana Republic – 30% off your purchase (ends 7/31)
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns + extra 10% off
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off sitewide
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – End of season sale! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new markdowns up to 75% off! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Talbots – 25% off your entire purchase
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
Any of my duckfeeted sister bought any good work shoes lately? I’m rejoicing that we are now fashion-sneaker accepted at work because they are comfy and stay on my feet, but my low-heel pumps are from before COVID and I have yet to find a replacement for love or money.
I bought Miz Mooz Gilda a few months ago and they’re super comfortable even for my problem feet.
I am liking the Vince Camuto Hamden sling back pump. I have to admit that I have been more of a Stuart Weitzman/AGL/Andre Assous customer, but was so pleased with the comfort and style of my first pair of these that I now own three colors of them. I don’t like faux leather and it’s worth noting that depending on the color within this style there is real leather, suede, textile, and faux leather.
https://www.vincecamuto.com/products/vince-camuto-hamden-buckle-slingback-pump-black
I’m wearing the Mgemi Una flat today and it is so comfortable. The only caveat is that it has almost zero support/padding but that’s not a personal problem as I don’t have a very long walking commute (10 minutes max each way).
Is anyone else following the Lindsay Clancy case closely? Especially any other MA attorneys? I am so heartbroken for everyone. But the prosecution team is grating on my last nerve. (I say that as a former prosecutor and defense attorney).
I truly believe her husband did it
lol what
He did not. There are videos of him at CVS and the restaurant during the times when his children were killed.
She admitted she did it. This isn’t a trial to determine who killed the kids – she did. She says she did. No one disputes that.
This is a trial to hold her criminally responsible (aka go to jail forever) or not (aka go to a psych hospital of some kind forever, I’d assume – INAL…).
1. While she admitted fault, she has no memory of committing the crimes
2. The husband was unsupportive at best during her medical crisis and his behavior after has been very sus.
3. He left her alone with the children when he absolutely should not have. Black mothers have gone to prison for less.
4. The medical system and her husband failed her and these children.
+1
Her husband did not seem supportive of her in the least.
He is remarried now IIRC.
Sadly, I think it’s pretty common for men to provide inadequate support when their wives are suffering after having a baby. But hindsight is 20/20.
He’s remarried with a baby.
I know the “Ambien defense” is something people are very skeptical about, but it’s hard not to wonder about it here.
What on earth do you think his motive was?
I think her husband failed her and by extension the kids by leaving her alone with the kids when she was open about her hallucinations. But he clearly did not physically harm the kids.
I hate that we have a large portion of society that would rather incarcerate people than give them help. It’s horrible for everyone no matter whether she ends up in prison or a psychiatric facility.
It’s pretty clear that she’d been struggling and asking for help for a long time. It’s heartbreaking all around.
So heartbreaking. Lindsay kept diary entries where she wrote down her medications and symptoms, including several I saw that said “suicidal ideation all day long.” I had hard time as a new mom, but having suicidal ideation all day long while caring for demanding kids, just as one little note in a diary in a string of other bad days, is brutal. She was trying to do the right things! She went to multiple doctors. She committed herself to inpatient care, which must have been scary and seen as a last resort. She tried all the medications, it seems. She was reading a book about moms who have intrusive thoughts. Her journal entries about feeling like she was drowning and feeling in pain having her baby go through sleep training are so relatable. If this can happen to someone like Lindsay, who was also a nurse and relatively informed person, our medical system needs to change. Women are expected to suffer post partum. Mental health is often not taken seriously enough. Her parents seem like absolutely lovely people. They have been living a hotel caring for their daughter for years to be close to her now. There is just few situations that could be as horrific as this.
This is a great summary of what Lindsay was going through at the time. I had pretty bad PPA that went undiagnosed for a long time. And while that was difficult and had me questioning so many things, what she was dealing with was a living hell. The medical system failed her, and her children, so badly.
Respectfully, from someone with a front row seat to criminal acts ranging from public drunk to mass murder and infanticide, my belief is this:
-Some crimes leave a person owing a debt to society that simply needs to be paid. They broke the social contract and need to be punished for it.
-Some people need to be removed via incarceration from interacting with society to whatever extent that can lawfully be accomplished, for the benefit and wellbeing of the law abiding citizens.
– A few people are genuinely bad human beings. It’s not lack of education, healthcare, housing, a decent job, or anything else that we could arrange for them to have. They are just bad people who pose a real threat for violence. Or perhaps just grifting an elderly woman out of her retirement assets. Still sociopathic behavior even without physical harm.
-Some people aren’t genuinely bad per se, but they have zero respect for other peoples’ persons or property, and never will.
-And yes, some people who commit serious criminal acts can rehabilitate themselves with the proper support. Sadly, I think it is rare that they want to do so, and that the very limited resources are largely taken up by criminals who are just looking to make their sentence easier and have no real desire or will to do better.
I agree. Sometimes help isn’t appropriate. Look at the Eastland family (Camp Mystic) – they don’t need help, they need to pay for their negligence in civil and criminal court.
On some level people probably need this for their own benefit (imagine making a mistake of that magnitude and not feeling like you somehow paid for it).
I saw an interview with a husband of the woman who drowned her five children, and he said, “Would you put someone through a murder trial, if they had a diabetic episode and crashed their car, killing other people?” Now, that may not be the perfect analogy, but it does make you stop and think. Lindsay has already suffered more than most people will if they had 100 lives to live, just living with the fact that she killed all three children. Being in a mental hospital for the rest of your life isn’t exactly a dream either. She will and has been paying her debt to society through this trial, being confined to a wheel chair, and never again having a normal life.
See, I actually disagree that people should be punished because they owe a debt to society. Sitting around in prison isn’t repaying a debt to society, it’s just hurting them. I will also agree that there are some people who are just genuinely bad or who have had things happen to them such that they cannot be rehabilitated, and I think prison ought to be reserved for them. But in most cases, I would much rather require people to actually contribute to society in some meaningful way, which I acknowledge is much much harder to implement and why we don’t do it. When there isn’t a risk of someone committing the crime again, I have no qualms about them not going to prison.
I agree that sitting around in prison isn’t repaying a debt to society (thanks to prison labor I guess they do “contribute to society” in the sense of saving labor costs but that’s a racket too).
The only purpose of prison should be public safety because somebody isn’t safe to go free (in fact, even when offenders beg to stay imprisoned because they’re certain they’ll reoffend, our system doesn’t work this way).
Not a lawyer, but in MA and I know/knew the Clancy family. They were lovely people. We’ve been out of touch since high school, so a good while now, but there’s no escaping it. It’s everywhere. My kids were the same age as the three kids at the time of their deaths. It’s just… a lot.
I have to know: what is with the prosecutor and her frigging bow? Is it some deliberate attempt to play on the comment that the little girl wore bows? As a very long time reader here, I know how much thought goes in to what you can / cannot wear in front of a judge. I know it’s deliberate. It just feels so… cheap?
Also I caught a clip of the ER doctor who received Lindsay. She felt fairly combative, no? “I do not recall” to basically every answer the defense attorney asked her. I get it was 3 years ago but wouldn’t she have reviewed her notes prior to trial? She seemed exceedingly well-coached by the prosecution. Again, not a lawyer here, but that’s my layperson’s interpretation.
Also, I just cannot with the conspiracy theories about the dad. That’s all I will say about that.
It really does seem like her medical team failed her. She would have benefitted from being inpatient psych and more closely monitored by the care team until medications were figured out. It’s a very sad case and the news coverage on postpartum psychosis can sometimes make moms experiencing depression or anxiety reluctant to seek care because they are scared. We need to do better to support new moms physically and mentally postpartum in this country.
If we ever become serious about women’s health, I think some of the disciplinary boundaries between psychiatry, neurology, endocrinology, and immunology would need to be rethought.
And OB / GYN from teens through menopause, but especially postpartum, especially PPP
+ 1 to woman seeking help and clearly not getting it. And has no one tried to stick to new meds while postpartum and taking care of two other kids? IDK if there were grandparents or other family members, but this someone I’d move in with to assist vs rely to care for such young kids. Lady should have been treated as sick and a patient and not left alone. It seems like a hot mess and the doctors don’t look good here. Where was the extended family in all of this?
Unfortunately I think generally when people are incapacitated by illness, nothing happens; there’s no help to be found.
I mean, in my family – very stiff upper lip Irish – therapy and mental health are just… not real needs. (I mean, I know they are, but my parent’s generation and even some of my cousins… big fat nope). So, not to say the extended family played this right or wrong, but I fully, completely see how this all played out.
I think dad was barely hanging on himself, caring for everyone, putting out fires, trying to also keep his job (and insurance). He knew mom was struggling but he probably had to keep his own oxygen mask on first, so to speak. I mean, his dad/the grandfather was on the stand today. He knew something was wrong, that she went to the ER, but he reminds me of my dad, and my dad loves me but would he ever, ever suggest moving in? That I had mental health needs? Nope, never. He (wrongly) thinks therapy is for crazy people, and his kids aren’t crazy people. I don’t know how else to explain it – maybe it’s one of those “iykyk” when it comes to this stiff upper lip, Boston Irish Catholic boomer mindset?
I think it was a complete hot mess. Failings all around, but that doesn’t mean she or anyone else belongs in jail.
The husband said on the stand that when Lindsay admitted she was suicidal and had thoughts of harming the kids, her parents came and stayed with them for a while. I think extended family did try to help. But who expects someone to go through an episode of psychosis? People understand depression, but psychosis is another level of danger. Lindsay had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but it’s not clear if her extended family members knew about that.
Her meds were being inappropriately managed by an NP. I’ve posted here before about not trusting NPs for anything more than basic care and got heavily criticized, but this case is a textbook reason to only see physicians.
I don’t agree – women need to see someone, NP or MD, with specific training in psychiatric medication administration during pregnancy. My field is adjacent to this and you’d be shocked at how little most psychiatrists (MDs) know about safety, dosage, timing, newborn risks, etc. for common medications – much less medications for SMI.
A MD was involved as well. I don’t disagree with you about NPs, but flailing polypharmacy is a bigger problem in psychiatry than just NP prescribing.
They all looked like standard psych meds, not postpartum depression interventions. Maybe there’s a reason, but it’s hard not to wonder if her medical team wasn’t specialized in postpartum care.
I read that in Europe and the UK, postpartum psychosis is a recognized condition, and they have facilities designed for this purpose, where moms can go and stay, sometimes for many weeks or months, until they are healthy enough to reunite with their children and resume a normal life. How can the US just totally lack that option? That is a failure.
I’m definitely paying attention. I am finding myself wondering what is going on with Patrick Clancy. Not to say he’s guilty, but it definitely seems like he dropped the ball a bit. He seemed to know there were problems and care deeply about his wife, but also didn’t really internalize how his life might need to change to support her. Like why did he leave his kids alone with her? They could have all gone together to pickup the takeout? Or just her? And he was still taking business trips etc? And wow he moved on fast after a devastating situation. I know widows/widowers in far less emotionally fraught scenarios still taking 3-4 years to even date much less be married.
It’s very sad, but they said she was having a really good day with the kids up until the point, one of the best days she had in a long time, so maybe he thought she was not a danger. And how do you look at a mom, actively caring for kids day in and day out, and think she will harm your kids? It’s not a rational thought. Everyone said she was a loving, wonderful mom. He probably moved on fast because he was devastated and needed support and wanted to have a family again, not because he didn’t care about his wife and was a jerk.
I think this is hindsight. They have multiple children, so it was probably hard to intuit that something was this different this time.
As for remarrying, people are different, but I thought it was common for men to remarry quickly when there are kids.
Men often move on really fast. I do think it was crazy that he left Lindsay alone knowing what she was going through, but the timeline for his new relationship seems pretty normal for a young widower to me. I’m sure the investigators scrutinized his behavior and finances carefully and if he was unfaithful it would be well known by now.
Paging CB UK:
I just saw your question yesterday about vegan baking. My go-to for converting regular recipes to be vegan is Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, if it’s available where you are.
And this is a very good, naturally vegan chocolate cake recipe:
Chocolate Picnic Cake
Dry:
3 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Wet:
2 c. cold water
1 c. oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. vinegar (optional)
Also optional 1/12 c. chocolate chips
Grease and flour pans.
Sift dry ingredients together. Whisk together wet ingredients in separate larger bowl. Whisk dry into wet until batter is smooth. Divide batter among (3) 8″ pans or (2) 9″ pans or put in cupcake tins with paper cupcake wrappers. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Bake in preheated 350 oven until toothpick comes out clean, 25 – 30 minutes.
Oh, and also check out the wesite for Post Punk Kitchen (theppk.com).
I make this same cake all the time, even though I’m not vegan—it’s simple and is my go-to chocolate snack cake.
BUT . . . I don’t think the vinegar is optional? As I understand it, the acid in the vinegar activates the leavening action in the baking soda. My recipe calls for 2 T vinegar, even. Without the vinegar, you’re relying on the powder to do the job of making the cake rise.
Vinegar is definitely not optional. This is a classic depression cake/wacky cake recipe.
Agree! This cake goes by other names: Amazon cake, Depression cake, Wacky cake, Emergency cake
I never noticed that “optional” notation – I’ve been making this for years and do always use the vinegar and agree it’s probably integral to whatever chemical process makes this cake work.
Hobbs london sizing? I know my Ann Taylor size and my J Crew size.
Add one to your JCrew size, typically. At JCrew I’m usually a 6 in blouses, S in sweaters, and a 10 in pants. I usually get the US 8, M, and 12 respectively for similar Hobbs pieces.
Reposting, because I added this late to the morning post and would appreciate some advice or commiseration. I’m feeling pretty down from getting a work-related rejection on something I’d put time and effort into and thought I had good chances of getting into (a leadership academy type of thing). It would’ve been a big time commitment, had I gotten it, but I was willing to put in the work to grow as an employee and leader. This, along with some other things that have happened in the past year, make me wonder if my career has truly plateaued. Not sure what to do next.
I was recently on the job hunt and the rejection was so hard (and I’m not talking about unanswered apps, but places were I interviewed and send in writing samples). It sucks.
I don’t have any advice, I’m sorry this happened and you’re justified in being bummed.
I’m trying out a multi-day hiking trip where we need to carry all of our stuff. I have a decent sleeping bag but I need to get a sleeping pad. I have not loved sleeping on air mattresses in the past, but it looks like all of the lightweight sleeping pads these days are all inflatable. Does anyone here have any recommendations on either inflatable or non-inflatable pads that will not break the bank?
If you can tent on grass, that is better than any mattress I’ve ever used. I have a blow up one and recommend the optional blower sacs that you can get for some of them. I forget the brand but it was what my local store carries and I could test it out. Just don’t overinflated— too rigid IMO is not comfortable.
If you don’t plan to make a habit of this, I personally would rent from REI (or beg/borrow from a friend, but not everyone has dirtbag ultralight hiker friends!).
We use the Sea to Summit ultralite – it’s the bright orange one. Works great and quite compact. But it is about $100
The cheap and light answer is always a foam pad, if your body tolerates them. Whatever Walmart/big 5/Cabela’s carries is fine. Sometimes sleeping on one on your floor for a few days pre trip is enough to aclimate
If you haven’t liked inflatables in the past, it’s probably hard to make a recommendation without knowing *what* you disliked. But I love my neoair xtherm (to be fair, I think I got it for $80 at rei garage sale, just looked at full price and yeesh).
Is it going to be warm? If you’re anywhere close to the comfort limit of your sleeping bag, be aware that your sleeping mat is a huge factor in being warm/cold
I recently camped for the first time in decades. We used hammocks instead of sleeping on the ground with a pad. I expected to be miserably uncomfortable, but it wasn’t bad at all. I’m 57, so there’s no chalking it up to having a young body! Just throwing it out there as an alternative. Ours were the lightweight Eno brand.
Are there any good magazines still left? I used to love Glamour, Cosmo, InStyle, and mags like Self and Women’s Fitness, but I never see any for sale anymore. Do you have to get a physical subscription? Do they even still do those? The last time I picked one up from Barnes and Noble, the pages were this weird paper that the ink bled into. I miss the days of glossy pages!
My city has a local magazine that has surprisingly good writing. All the ads are for local things though!
Check magazines dot com and see. I subscribe to a bunch of home and cooking magazines. And yes, some are struggling and the content has gotten thinner and the ads thicker.
I get Prevention. It’s great if you like health info in a magazine.