5 Senses

Taste: these cookies have been my go-to during the holidays

Touch: freshly washed sheets

Smell: it's grapefruit season!

See: finally watched Trevor Noah's Netflix stand-up

Hear: not ready to stop listening to my Christmas playlist

2019 Favorite Books

I made a goal to read 40 books in 2019. Not only did I meet that goal, I read an additional six more! I attribute this success to two things:

1. Brett's also been reading regularly.
2. I had an endless cycle of library holds that would conveniently be ready as soon I was finishing up a book.

Of the 46 books I've read, seven really stand out in my mind. For whatever reason, four of these are memoirs.

In case you're curious, here are my picks:

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

Inheritance by Dani Shapiro

Handpicked 05

+ One of my longtime blog crushes has a new format with lots of good recs.

+ The new Fruit Bats album has been on repeat in our house. (Seeing them in July!)

+ A timely listen for a challenging phase of parenting toddlers. I have since been eating up Sylvia Boorstein's writing, too.

+ I forgot how easy and delicious this recipe is.

+ Current read.

+ B and I have been chipping away at Season 3 of Life in Pieces. Short, funny, and lighthearted content. Much needed in today's world!

Handpicked 04

via

+ Breaking up is hard to do.

+ Digging this tune (and all his others).

+ Recipe for sum-sum-summer time!

+ I'll listen to any interview with Jocelyn K. Glei.

+ Creating my own Mindful in May. I'm trying to do 5 minutes of meditation and 5 downward dogs each day. It's articles like these that keep me motivated. 

+ I got the THINKER. You?

Reading

I may have already posted this. It bears repeating.

Walk Slowly

It only takes a reminder to breathe,

a moment to be still, and just like that,

something in me settles, softens, makes

space for imperfection. The harsh voice

of judgment drops to a whisper and I

remember again that life isn’t a relay

race; that we will all cross the finish

line; that waking up to life is what we

were born for. As many times as I

forget, catch myself charging forward

without even knowing where I’m going,

that many times I can make the choice

to stop, to breathe, and be, and walk

slowly into the mystery.

-Danna Faulds

Handpicked 03

via

+ Mindblown (and in the same vein.)

+ Dinner, tonight. 

+ Killer collab!

+ So many good nuggets here. 88 to be exact. Thanks, Swiss Miss!

+ Hurry Slowly is one of my top 3 favorite podcasts. I especially liked last week's episode. 

+ Seeing Mountain Man in RVA this Wednesday!

+ New read.

Handpicked 02

via 

+ RVA talent, loved seeing her live!

+ Blew through this read. It's still on my mind.

+ Yummy dinner for a rainy day (lately, we've had lots of those.)

+ New favorite show.

+ Well this is terrifying.