Let’s keep it light today, shall we?? 😉
What are some of your favorite things lately?
- Apple Airpods – my dad gave these to me for my birthday last year, and at first, I wasn’t sure about them, if I would use them much (I don’t talk on the phone a lot) or whatever, but they have really turned out to be indispensable. I usually only put the right one in and I love that they are hidden by my hair. The sound quality is good, but when I fly I still use my Bose noise cancelling earphones (in ear – I can’t wear over the ear headphones because of my glasses) for music, but at home I’ll use them to listen to a podcast or something while I’m working a puzzle. These were game changers for me; I don’t hold my phone to my head ever anymore, and no cords 🙂 Oh, and I used them in Denver last November; they’re perfect for getting walking directions from Google Map!
- Waterloo sparkling water – far superior to la croix IMO. It’s not available very many places (it’s from Austin), but here in Texas we can get it at Whole Foods, although the black cherry flavor is sold out all the time, and it is THE BEST FLAVOR.
- Sweet Red Grass-fed cheddar cheese, Mary’s Gone Crackers & Castelvetrano olives with a small glass of red wine 🙂 – I usually measure out appropriate servings of each and have this for dinner or an appetizer before. It acts as sort of a “transition” to a more relaxing part of the day. Sometimes I’ll work while I’m “eating,” but it’s always busy work or something that doesn’t require a lot of thought. Or I’ll do a crossword puzzle. Or I’ll read.
- Indie Lee brightening cleanser – I tried this a while ago and am now on my third bottle. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but even when I do wear some, this removes every trace easily, which is the most important quality I expect from a cleanser. And also that it doesn’t make my skin feel dry afterwards. It lasts forever. I REALLY appreciate products that just WORK.
- Melissa X Baja East beach slides (lots more Melissa shoes…)- these just make me happy. I’m not exactly sure why? they’re easy, and I like the subtle grey print. I wear them mostly at home, and they’re wonderful for going back and forth outside, also I don’t worry about getting them wet while doing dishes or cooking (I splash a lot…). Also, they have some weight, which I appreciate – they’re not so light I can’t tell I’m wearing them, but not so heavy they’re hard to walk in.
Your turn!!
Favorite things:
1. ES Georgia, Raw Silk (from STES ISO) — My pattern with ES is I buy, get the item, think “wow, this is really nice”, don’t wear it often immediately, and then by sneak attack end up wearing said item daily within two weeks. I just got a black raw silk Georgia from STES ISO Spreadsheet and while I forgot about it the first week, I’ve worn it 3 of the last 5 days, and forced myself to put on something else this morning.
2. Artists’ Way — I’m going through the Artists’ Way book, which is a way to rediscover and create space for your own creativity. One of the tasks recently was to spend a week NOT READING, which has been incredibly difficult but in giving up reading, I’ve rediscovered my love for painting! It’s bringing a lot of peace into my life.
3. Afternoon walks — Spring in my area is glorious — long afternoons, green trees that canopy over the streets, and almost no cars. I’m loving wandering around my neighborhood lately and just being in nature.
4. Zelda Fitzgerald — So if any fantasy of mine came to life, it’d look very loosely like Midnight in Paris — I’m totally enamored with the Lost Generation and that period of literature and art. Zelda was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife (Great Gatsby) who was admittedly probably too much for me to tolerate in real life, but her life story is fascinating and sad. I’m reading her biography by Nancy Milford and it’s exhaustive, extensive, and I’m loving it.
5. Homemade Ceramics — I’ve been following ceramicists on Insta for a while (Colleen Hennessey, Helen Levi, Settle Ceramics and Two Hands Full), and am now inspired and desperate to fill our new home with vintage and handmade ceramics. The glazes are so beautiful and I love the idea of having a unique and curated set of dishes in our new home.
Melissa shoe question: what is the sizing like? Shopbop recommends to size up if your a half size, the comments on Nordstrom recommend the opposite. What has worked for you?
Alyssa,
Love all of these. The series Zelda on Amazon Prime is kind of fun. My 17 year old daughter is obsessed with that era and her life since reading the Great Gatsby this year.
Love those ceramists. I have a curated set of coffee mugs and am now looking to replace dining dishes and bowls. Check out :
http://www.cocochispa.com/
http://www.melriceceramica.com/
oh hmmm…i am always an 8 in nearly everything and feel like they run pretty true. if anything, i would say maybe they run a little small-ish? so then shopbop is more accurate. that’s a tough one though 🙂
Favorite Things:|
1. Everlane’s Cropped Wide leg pants. I have them in black and golden brown and I love them. They are so comfortable and flattering on my body. I wear them to work and for play. I wear both pair every week since they joined my closet (about 2 months now) https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-wideleg-crop-utlty-pant-goldenbrown?collection=womens-bottoms
2. Eating Plant Based/Vegan. I made the choice to become plant based in my eating after watching a few documentaries on Netflix and doing some research. That was 225 days ago and I have not looked back. I feel great, have a ton of energy and love all the foods that I can eat.
3. My Soda Stream and Lacroix waters. Since becoming sober almost a year ago, “fuzzy” water is my jam. I can’t wait to try Waterloo which I have sourced at my local WF.
4. Slow Burn podcast. This is so very good. Everything you did not know about Watergate told in a wonderful and capivating way. Seems fitting for the political times we are living in. His next one will be on the Clinton impeachment.
5. Nisolo Shoes. I have the Muriella Mules, the Sofia slip on and the Olive oxford. They are so soft, well made and have virtually no break in period. I love that they are ethically made and the price point is not too high. I think the Paloma Open Toed Mule in sand is next on my list.
1. The sounds of spring! The frogs, toads, birds have been providing a cacophony of music for my ears as of late. Oh, and a pileated woodpecker landed on a pine in backyard and damn, he was so big and beautiful!
2. Um, I bought a pair of shoes from Naturalizer (old lady shoes)and they are cute and wicked comfortable and look like some much more expensive shoes out there: https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/naturalizer-amabella-slide-sandal-women/4845343?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=ALABASTER%20PEBBLE%20LEATHER
3. Binge watching the new season of Boshe
4. Yard work! I know it sounds crazy, but a new season is a fresh start and there is something so satisfying about getting all the garden beds, etc. cleaned up!
5. A margarita at the end of a productive day. My husband excels in making summer time cocktails.
I LOVE THOSE SHOES!!!! i may need to get them in black. are they true to size? really comfortable?? and they don’t look like naturalizer? LOL
Oooh thank you! Yes I was inspired to read the biography after watching the Amazon series (even though the series is based on an entirely different book). I really enjoyed it, it was a different perspective on that era than I’d seen before, and I really appreciated that.
I will check out those ceramic artists! Thank you for the recs 🙂
I know! I saw them and thought, drop the bias and give them a try! I think they run true to size.I got the black. If you have a narrow foot though, they may be a little on the wide side…but I think they run wide like Birkenstocks if that makes sense.
Okay, thanks! I tried an 8 on shop bop, with free returns you can’t really go wrong.
I love black cherry sparkling too 🙂 I’m pretty sure we don’t have that brand here. My 5:
1) Frozen grilled rice balls (yaki onigiri) from Japan. Musubi (triangular) shaped pre-cooked balls grilled with a shoyu seasoning. Just heat & serve. As an Asian from Hawaii, steamed rice is a staple. It is easy to eat too much so it is one of those things I typically do measure. These are the perfect serving size, convenient, quick and fairly healthy. But most of all, these are delish!
2) Elizabeth Suzann Georgia linen dress in linen gauze charcoal. This was my first ES order and I love it. It looks great over pants or alone and it is light but still substantial. The color is also perfect for me. I did order the OS even though I’m petite as I’m not thin. I’d say the OS minus would have likely been too small.
3) Sterling silver & diamond jewelry by Hawaii designer Emiko Miyazawa (originally from Japan). Her line is called M33Ms. Her pieces are inspired by the inner workings of watches and are very architectural and precise in aesthetic. What really sold me is the multi ways to wear some of the pieces, including stacking and interlocking (the videos on each product demonstrate different ways to wear her pieces). I’ve started to wear some of her pieces with my older Tiffany pieces that I haven’t worn since my 20s and 30s.
4) Cat games on the iPad. A little iPad play before bed keeps the Sugar kitty from attacking her mama’s feet in the middle of the night. Her favorite is Cat Painter where she can make her own abex kitty Pollack inspired creation.
5) Bandolier iPhone case with strap from Nordstrom. I wouldn’t say this has the best screen protection but man is it handy. It is has a removable leather adjustable strap (the more blingy styles don’t adjust lengthwise, mine is the plain style). Handy anytime I don’t want to hold my phone or put it in my purse. I’ve even talked on speaker while wearing it around the house like a necklace. It also looks nice crossbody and tucked into a pocket of my work dresses. Again the screen protection isn’t the best, which is why tucked into a pocket is still good if possible as your phone could bang into stuff (I have one of those stick on glass screen protectors on mine as well).
I could relate to almost all of this. I do the same as #1. Something sits and then a season changes or my lifestyle takes a slight turn and it suddenly becomes my favorite item. Walking outdoors brings me peace (I almost feel resentful indoors in a gym as that connection is missing). The Artist’s Way! I need to re-read this as I’ve gone astray.
I also buy handmade ceramics and I use those pieces. They do not sit on a surface gathering dust. In fact, my boyfriend is a potter. Since meeting him, I now have more knowledge in addition to appreciation.
TY for the Slow Burn suggestion, sounds right up my alley.