Sunday Summary - 11.06.22
We threw together a 5 minute family Halloween costume on Monday to pass out candy, and Nash was the cutest cowboy of us all!
Reading, Listening, & Watching
Jenny Bayliss wrote one of my favorite Christmas books, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, so when she released this book last year I added it to my reading list immediately. This one is about a mom/restaurateur who catches her husband cheating (again) and finally decides to call it quits. She secures a seasonal job in a seaside town near the holidays and leaves her city life behind for a brand-new beginning. I’m only a couple of chapters in, so I’ll report back with my review next week.
P.S. The kindle version is on sale for $2.99 right now!
For all the non-book readers out there, here are a couple of articles, podcasts, and TV shows I enjoyed this week:
Article: How to Tell if a Product is Actually Eco-Friendly and Sustainable - I feel like I always tip-toe around calling products “clean” or “sustainable” on my channel for fear of what hell would break loose in the comments section. This article made me feel much more confident addressing those topics, because it does a great job of teaching you how to identify greenwashing and how to choose products that actually are better for you and the planet.
Podcast: Nick De Vries: Seizing his F1 Chance - If you’re into Formula 1, you’ve probably heard about Nick De Vries and his unexpected participation in a recent F1 race and subsequent placement on the Alpha Tauri team next year. This podcast episode chronicles the details of those crazy events, his history in motor sport, and his friendships with other drivers. Very interesting!
Warning, do not watch without a box of Kleenex. I never watch trailers for movies or TV shows unless I’m in a movie theater being forced to, so I had no idea what this show was about. Since I love Zoe Saldana, I gave it a shot and my goodness gracious alive — I don’t want to give much away, but it chronicles the relationship of two people in 8 episodes. It’s kind of like if you mixed the aging structure of Boyhood (without actually filming it over 12+ years) with the real life road bumps depicted in Parenthood and shot it beautifully in Italy and California. Can’t recommend it enough!
Cooking
Lately our diet has been all over the place, and we haven’t felt very good or had as much energy. We’re getting back on track this week with a blend of blog and cookbook recipes, so I’ll link what I can:
Vegetarian Reuben Melt from the Half Baked Harvest Everyday cookbook
Harissa and Farro Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Defined Dish: The Comfortable Kitchen cookbook
Greek Lemon and Oregano Potato Soup from The Defined Dish Cookbook
Mentioning all these cookbooks reminds me…if you don’t have a cookbook holder, this thing is super handy. It has a splash guard, so it keeps your pages clean and flat for easy reading.
Weekly Favorites
I tell Bryan how much I love these headphones every time I travel. The flight from Dallas to Chicago is about 2.5 hours, and I wore these the entire flight home with no sore ears. I love how they cancel out ambient airplane noise, can hold a charge forever, and can be plugged into plane seats or used wirelessly via Bluetooth. I received these in 2016, and they’re still as good as new!
In Chicago, I wore these boots from 5:30 am to 10:00 pm, and my feet were perfectly comfortable the whole time. (It was also the first time I’ve stepped foot in an office since February 2020 — insane!) The heel is the perfect height, and after 3+ years of use, these are still in fantastic shape.
They’re an investment, but they’ll last you forever and come from a company that stands out in the fashion industry for its ethical and sustainable practices. If you prefer no heels, these are my favorite flat boots from their line.
I forgot to pack chapstick for my travels —rookie mistake. I slathered on regular chapstick at the airport, but it didn’t do much to heal my lips, so by the time I made it home, my lips were bright red, cracked, and hurting. After sleeping in this stuff for two nights, my lips are back to normal. It TRULY works, so if you haven’t tried it after seeing it all over the internet for the last few years…now’s the time.
The Latest
In addition to the Gift Guides released this week, I wrote an article filled with savings tips to help make this traditionally expensive and overwhelming time a little less costly and stressful. Hope you enjoy!
This time of year comes with so much joy, wonder, and…spending. Shopping for friends and family can be stressful, especially for those who don’t love gift giving or who are on a tight budget. Read More