Recently, I have been trying to write down three things I’m grateful for at the end of each day. I haven’t quite mastered the habit yet, but whenever I do it, I am reminded of some of the things that I have discovered lately or things that I keep coming back to because they make me happy. At first, I thought this list would be “5 things I’m loving lately,” but as I started to write down my five, I kept adding to the list. Eventually, I decided that I had 10 things I wanted to share that are on my love list right now. It is fairly random, but a good representation of what I have reached for recently.
1. Madewell jeans – It has been a few years since I brought home a new pair of jeans and after the first few tries, I fell hard for some of the jeans at Madewell. They fit so well, keep their shape so far, and are flattering. I have to give credit to my mom and sister who were on this shopping spree with me and pushed me to try some styles and fits that were out of my comfort zone. Until now, all of my jeans were skinny and almost all were dark wash. I feel like a cooler version of myself in these new styles ;)
2. J. Crew stripped pajama shorts set – My mom got herself, my sister, and I matching sets of these pajamas in red and I love them so much. They are so comfortable and cute for summer!
3. Bad on Paper podcast – The advice episodes of this podcast have become one of my go-to listens on my runs. I feel like Grace and Becca are the older sister’s I never had and listening to their obsessions, recommendations, and advice has been a guilty pleasure over the past few weeks.
4. A Year in America instagram account – I have been evangelizing this account to everyone I know. Go follow it! Laurel and her golden doodle, Ella are making their way across America, stopping to take pictures, capture stories, and hear from all types of people in communities large and small along the way. I love seeing the different viewpoints she captures, and following along her path as I dream up my perfect cross-country road trip too.
5. These posts by Kathleen on her blog: nothing worth having comes easy, and staying content – I have been going back to these two blog posts since she posted them and feel like they are spot on for how I am thinking and feeling right now too. With Will’s medical school schedule I feel like we are in a weird in-between limbo with no way to plan for the future. As someone who lives by a plan, I have had to (with struggles) really embrace the uncertainty and unknown, giving up much of the comfort I take in wanting to control the situation. Reading Kathleen’s words and thoughts was like talking to a big sister who is going ahead of me in this process and reporting back to help me feel less uneasy.
6. Homemade succotash from Sara Foster’s Fresh Everyday and Southern Kitchen cookbooks – I have made a batch of this almost weekly this summer. Each time it is a little different (we adjust the amount of corn or zucchini, etc based on what we have), and we have gotten most of the recipe down to a science. A big batch lasts us a few meals and makes for a delicious, fresh lunch at work.
7. Cheese boards and crudités platters for dinner – This is my favorite way to end a Friday or Saturday night right now. I sometimes grab one or two cheeses from the under $4 scrap bin at the Whole Foods cheese counter, snag some fun supplies from Trader Joe’s like crackers, nuts, and fruit, plus some hummus, carrots and snow peas and viola, a fun appetizer for dinner that doesn’t break the bank.
8. How Sweet Eats’ rosé guide – This guide is perfect for summer! We just had Dark Horse rosé and it reminded me why I like this pink wine in the summer – it was so tasty and refreshing!
9. Designing Your Life book – my dad recently gifted this book to my brother, my sister, and I (they just graduated college, I was just a beneficiary of that) and, though I’m not far along I like it so much more than some of the other “self-help” books I have read. It’s a good one!
10. A New Day black tassel flats from Target – I. Love. These. So. Much. They are so fun and easily jazz up any outfit. Go get yourself some.
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