February Favorites
Haha. Just a couple of days ago, my husband was like “wow this month went by so fast” and me, who was in emergency mode for 28 full days looked around aghast, because it sure the hell did not.
This is deeply unsexy to continue to talk about, but if you’ve been reading along, you already know that sznl depression came for me hard this year. I did a lot of crying this month, and you know how I can confirm that I’m a solar powered B who needs sunshine? We finally got a break in the weather in the last week of February and per this trendy meme, I feel like I popped a Molly. Elated you guys.
I’m not one to dwell, so February is over now and I’m like bye-bye bish, and onward we go! We’re in the fast lane to spring baby! LFG.
1 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles // I’m behind on my Goodreads goal already, but no regrets. I loved this book so much, I made a concerted effort to not gulp it down. I savored it, one chapter every night for a few weeks. The gist is that an aristocrat is under house arrest in a boujee hotel in the post bolshevik revolution years. Boujee or not, imagine the cabin fever! It spans decades and is truly wonderful. I picked up two more books by Amor Towles because now I trust his writing implicitly.
2 - Graphic t-shirts, crewnecks and dad hats // When I was in high school, graphic everything was IT and so maybe that’s why I still nurture a love for anything that has words that even remotely resonate with me.
3 - Succession // I’m like, seven years late to this one? Anyway, I just started it last week and got my husband involved and it’s our new after-the-kids-go-to-bed show. Money makes people SUCH assholes.
4 - Weather break at the end of the month // by which I mean it stopped snowing for a couple of days, the sun came out, and we hit 45º. Snow was melting you guys. It was glorious. There were two days in a row in which I did not wear boots.
5 - Unsexy purchases for the house // I’m getting strong spring cleaning impulses and spent my money accordingly. Boring purchases that made my life better / easier:
Ceramic Spray - my stainless steel fridge drives me nuts with fingerprints and smudges. Apply this spray, wipe to a lovely shine, and let it cure. Presto. Fingerprints dealt with. It’s supposed to make it more fingerprint proof and definitely makes it easier to wipe them off. I’d be satisfied with even a small improvement, and I’ve been delighted to see my fridge stay clean for more than 10 minutes.
Screen Cleaner - same thing. That TV is a hot mess of dust, finger prints, and my dog’s saliva from barking at every animal (cartoons too!) that appears on the screen. This stuff cleaned her up nicely!
Crockpot - I had a crockpot that I received as a wedding gift twelve years ago and it finally bit the dust. The insert cracked! Anyway, I bought this beauty based on aesthetics alone and I’m very pleased!
6 - Emergency Management Weekend // For two days, I set aside my lofty goals and just let myself thrive. I went out for sushi, drank wine, and bought some new clothes. That didn’t align with my healthy eating and budgeting goals, but giving myself a break gave me the recharge I needed to get my head right and honestly I came back feeling motivated to get back to business. It was an emergency! I was crying every day. If wine and sushi can fix that, what a bargain price to feel good again, ya know?
7 - Sunday Walks // So simple, so profound. I really try to walk a few times a week, but I’m non-negotiable on Sunday morning and it’s just a really nice way to start the week. I leave my gadgets at home so I have to walk in the quiet and I usually think about what needs to get done, what meals I want to make, etc.
8 - Bestsellers // Some good finds this month! We are all continuing to love the John Frieda volumizing and heat protectant. I’m on my third bottle and I keep seeing this in my Amazon analytics, so I know you guys are loving it too. Smells great. Functional. What’s not to love? This lash serum for eyelash growth was another goody. I’ve only been using it for a month, so I can’t speak yet to the results, but I am being diligent with twice daily applications. I’ll report back maybe at the 3 month mark? I think that’s a safe range to assume there’d be some results if it’s effective. Freaking delighted to see the Stanley Tucci dad hat resonated with so many of you too! And finally, the J Crew flip-flops that I wear into the ground. They were on sale last week so I’m not surprised to see it was scooped up by so many of you folks.