I love starting my month out by focusing on goals, but I’ve been trying to come up with a consistent post to end the month. I used to do a monthly clothing budget post, but lately my purchases haven’t really been exciting enough to document. Plus they’ve just about all come from ThredUp. One thing I love seeing on other blogs are round-ups of favorite things from the month, so I’m going to jump on that bandwagon and see how it goes.
Here are my January favorite things.
{january favorites}
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| Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash |
Favorite dinner: Crock Pot White Chicken Chili from Iowa Girl Eats. This is so good, so easy, and the flavors just get better when they sit for a while.
Favorite sweet treat: Monster Cookie Bars from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I LOVE Monster Cookies, but this bar version is even easier to make. Plus it satisfied Jona’s request for a dessert with chocolate chips, peanut butter, and M&Ms. 🙂
Favorite breakfast: baked eggs. Did you guys know that you can crack eggs into a (greased) muffin tin and bake them for 10-15 minutes? Let me tell you, this was news to me. I made a half dozen a couple weeks ago and they were perfect for making little breakfast sandwiches in the morning; I just reheated the egg (and whatever else you want) in the microwave and put it on a toasted mini bagel.
Favorite healthy snack: whole wheat mini bagel with goat cheese. I put this on my go-to snacking list, and it is one of my favorites of the bunch. I found these small whole wheat bagels at Aldi, and they are the perfect size for snacking (and for breakfast sandwiches too).
Favorite beauty product: L’Oreal True Match Lumi foundation. I’ve been using this foundation for a while now, but I love it especially this time of year. It adds the subtlest glowiness to the skin, without looking shimmery or glittery. I always feel so pale and blah in the winter, so I love how this foundation warms my skin up.
Favorite podcast: The Nuanced Life. Sarah and Beth from Pantsuit Politics started this conversational podcast aimed at living wisely. They’ve talked about everything from giving up shopping to sex, and it’s one I look forward to listening to every week.
Favorite wardrobe addition: Arizona Gardenia ankle boots in Cognac from JCPenney. These are the ankle boots I find myself reaching for again and again. I love the rich brown color and the side cut-outs, and I think they look a lot more expensive than what they were (especially since I got them on a buy two get one free deal!).
Favorite book: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. This was the first book I finished this year, yet it’s the one that has stuck with me the most. I’ll do a round-up of all my January books soon.
Favorite picture book: How to Find an Elephant by Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov. This cleverly illustrated story was much-repeated at our house this month.
Favorite life-changer: Yeti Rambler tumbler. I’ve always felt like drinking coffee out of a mug was all part of the ritual of coffee drinking (and for me, the ritual is important). However, when I’m trying to work from home two days a week and take care of two young, needy kids, the ritual turned into drinking COLD coffee out of a mug. That ritual is less appealing. Aaron got me this Yeti tumbler for Christmas and it has been a life-changer. My coffee stays hot all morning! For as long as it takes me to drink it! Miraculous. (And the fact that I can throw it in the dishwasher is almost as amazing.)
Favorite memory: Violet walking!
What are some of your favorite things this month?
