Happy spring! Can we just pause for a moment and talk about the fact that it is almost April?! Which means we’re already 25% through 2019?!? How in the world did this happen???
While I love spring for so many reasons — the warmer temperatures, the buds and blooms, the longer daylight hours — I will also admit that I have sort of a love-hate relationship with the season. Okay, it’s not really the season so much as it is the onslaught of pollen that begins at the beginning of March and wreaks havoc on my respiratory system. I know it isn’t as bad for me as it is for many people, but basically, Flonase will be my favorite daily friend for the next few months!
While I love spring for so many reasons — the warmer temperatures, the buds and blooms, the longer daylight hours — I will also admit that I have sort of a love-hate relationship with the season. Okay, it’s not really the season so much as it is the onslaught of pollen that begins at the beginning of March and wreaks havoc on my respiratory system. I know it isn’t as bad for me as it is for many people, but basically, Flonase will be my favorite daily friend for the next few months!
On this last Friday of the month, I thought it would be fun to do a little roundup of some of my favorite things that I’ve been loving lately! And I’d love to hear what you’ve been digging, too!
1. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
When I saw the advertisements for this show on Netflix at the beginning of the year, I added it to my watchlist on a whim. As someone who gets giddy about home organization and who loves HGTV but doesn’t have cable, I figured it would be a perfect watch.
Well… three months later, not only have I binged the entire season, but I’ve watched several of my favorite episodes at least half a dozen times, read her book and listened to the audio version, and have been in the process of “KonMari-ing” our home for the last several months. It feels a little over-dramatic to say that finding the show changed my life, but as Marie says in her book, it all found me at the perfect time. It has been so cleansing and cathartic to finally be able to part with so many things that I have been holding on to for years, and I know the process has changed my perspective for the better!
Well… three months later, not only have I binged the entire season, but I’ve watched several of my favorite episodes at least half a dozen times, read her book and listened to the audio version, and have been in the process of “KonMari-ing” our home for the last several months. It feels a little over-dramatic to say that finding the show changed my life, but as Marie says in her book, it all found me at the perfect time. It has been so cleansing and cathartic to finally be able to part with so many things that I have been holding on to for years, and I know the process has changed my perspective for the better!
2. Decluttering at the Speed of Life
This book by Dana K. White was advertised in the Amazon Prime newsletter, and I borrowed it on a whim from the Prime Reading library. Since I’ve been on the KonMari train, I thought it would be interesting to read another perspective on de-cluttering. While Dana’s approach is pretty much the complete opposite of Marie Kondo’s, I appreciated her perspective and definitely gleaned some helpful tips and tricks from her book, such as the “container concept.” If you struggle with clutter but aren't ready to go full-on KonMari, I definitely suggest checking this book out!
3. A splash of vanilla in my coffee
This idea came directly from Harvey Specter on Suits. I decided to try it myself one morning when we had only a tiny bit of vanilla extract left in the bottle, and oh my goodness… I’m a definite convert! While it’s not something that I do every day, I find myself reaching for the vanilla once or twice a week when I want a little something extra. I put a splash in the carafe before I turn the coffee pot on, and I’m telling you, it really takes my morning cup of coffee to the next level!
4. Leggings as pants
Okay, okay… I know I’m, like, years late to this revelation, but y’all. I don’t know what I’ve been doing with my life all this time. As I’ve been going through my wardrobe, I realized that all the lounge pants I own are baggy sweats with drawstring waists that I bought to wear postpartum while I was pregnant with our son. And I also realized that 1) I don’t particularly love wearing them, and 2) although I could wear jeans around the house instead, I’d much rather wear something more comfortable. I decided to order a pair of Lands’ End Starfish leggings to try while they were having a 40% off sale (which they are again right now!), and after a day of wearing them, I added two more pairs to my cart! I love that they don’t slouch or get stretched out within a few hours or even after a day of wearing them. They’ve definitely become my at-home wear of choice!
5. Date nights
For our Christmas gift to each other, Jeremy and I bought tickets to see Mumford and Sons in concert in North Charleston. The big night was a couple Mondays ago, and it was so nice to get out for the evening together! Since the show was sold out and the Coliseum had emailed notifying us of a parking alert, we arrived early and walked over to dinner, then went on the most comical quest for a milkshake — it took us four stops before we finally found one, and we walked a total of about four miles between our car and our return to the Coliseum when all was said and done! It was a truly incredible evening — so emotional (I cried several times!) and, if I’m being honest, a spiritual experience. We don’t get out often now that we have a kiddo, but I’ve been craving that alone time for just the two of us lately and it’s definitely something we are committed to making happen more often!
