I’m kicking off a new series, Latest Loves & Notes on Life. I’m going to try to do 1 per month and have it be a mix of what I’m feeling inspired by, great purchases (although I’ll try to reserve most of those for the Favorite Recent Purchases series), new rituals/routines, etc.
Without furter ado, here’s what’s on my radar & heart this November.
— Latest Loves
01 – Leanne Ford Interiors
From her new magazine Feel Free, to her collaboration with Crate & Barrel, to her design of the Buck Mason HQ, is there anything this woman can’t do? I love her enduring use of white paint, textured neutrals, and her sense of unlimited creativity & positivity. My home office furniture is from her C&B line and I love it so much, I want more of her pieces in our home. Gah, swoon!
02 – Riesling Wine
We got to talking with a Total Wine employee named James the other night, and after mentioning we were about to pick up sushi, he suggested we grab a bottle of Riesling to enjoy with it.
And James did not lead us astray! It was dry with just enough sweetness without feeling ‘sticky’. Such a nice change of pace! Find it here.
03 – Anything by Salt & Stone
For starters, I can’t stop talking about their Saffron & Cedar candle but am also eyeing their natural deodorant (admittedly haven’t found one I’ve loved yet), as well as their skincare – like this facial cream.
04 – Peloton Shadow Boxing Workouts
Connor did it first, but then suggested I do the same, and it was such a great (and stress-relieving) workout. We have a punching bag in our garage (althought it’s not currently hanging) but I was able to use it to hit against – rather than purely shadow boxing – with an older pair of boxing gloves I’ve had laying around. I want to try doing one of these workotus per week!
05 – Huckberry Bath Towels
Basically, our current towels = constantly damp. And because of that, we’re always reaching for a fresh one. Which also means, I’m constantly doing loads of laundry filled with towels. SO – I’m waiting for these to (hopefully) go on sale this holiday season because we’re in major need of some lightweight, space-saving, fast-drying towels.
I’ve researched waffle towels endlessly and although these Huckberry ones are not cheap, they have the best reviews, and I’m hopeful they’ll be worthwhile. I’ll keep you posted! Find them here. (I also considered these and these.)
06 – BetterGreens & BetterHormones by BetterDays Co
I first heard about these from a brand photographer I worked with a few years ago, Arielle Levey. One of her clients is the founder of BetterDays Co. and I’d seen her raving about them on Instagram. After experiencing a really intense bout of cramps and heavy PMS, I decided to give them a try to see if these nutritional packets will bring me any relief come next month. Will definitely report back but so far, the taste is amazing and I’ve genuinely looked forward to drinking them each day!
—Notes on Life
Honestly? Life has had a lot of ups & downs lately. From major highs like our California, Charlottesville, and Philly trips to lows like work stress, indecision, and a bit of all-around heaviness due to the state of the world.
It’s easy for life to feel incredibly overwhelmining — even when it comes to simply managing work, household chores & maintenance, health, faith, financies, leisure, and quality time with loved ones. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, or perhaps I’m not quite managing the time I do I have as well as I think I am. With daylight savings and it getting darker, earlier, it’s also easy to slip into a bit of fall/winter hibernation, and even seasonal affective disorder.
With the elections, wars, so much unrest and violence, social media in our faces 24/7 – there’s a lot to process. I’ll often think it’s not affecting me until I realize, well…I think it actually is? So I’ve been trying to find better, healthier outlets to help me work through some of it. (i.e. boxing, haha, and getting back into a habit of using my Five Minute Journal – and more journaling/writing in general.)
Connor and I have been talking a lot recently about how much writing can help you better understand what you’re thinking and feeling. Which is why this quote by Flannery O’Connor is one of my favorites:
“I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”
As we approach Thanksgiving, I know there’s truly so much to be thankful for so I’m also working to maintain ‘an attitude of gratitude’ as cheesy as that might sound, and as hard as it can be in practice.
What are you loving lately?
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