40somethingmag - Kat Marie - It-s A Great Fucki... Apr 2026

I sat on the floor. The vintage oven hummed menacingly. My linen apron was stained with tomato paste. I had invited 18 people. The entertainment wasn’t going to be focaccia. It was going to be my funeral.

I unplugged the beast. I opened all the windows. I ordered six large pizzas from the place on the corner that still uses a cash register. I dug out my old karaoke machine from the back of the hall closet (bought during the “Disco Moms” phase of 2019). 40SomethingMag - Kat Marie - It-s a great fucki...

At 8 PM, Mark walked in, took one look at the smoke alarm duct-taped to a broom handle (my innovation), and said the five words that signal the death of all midlife projects: “The credit card was declined.” I sat on the floor

I felt seen. I felt capable. I felt like maybe the reason my life felt a little stale wasn't my marriage or my job, but the fact that I didn't own a 1970s Alfa Romeo oven. I had invited 18 people

My latest episode began last Tuesday at 11:47 PM. I was doom-scrolling in bed while my husband, Mark, did that thing where he pretends to be asleep so he doesn’t have to hear my ideas.

That’s when I remembered the secret weapon of the over-40 woman: pivoting.

So here’s to great ideas. And here’s to the even greater mess they leave behind. At least we know exactly how much olive oil we deserve. (Spoiler: all of it.) Kat Marie is a 40-something freelance writer and recovering renovator living in Chicago. Her next great idea involves backyard chickens. Mark is building a fence.