Four Little Things That Spark Joy During Quarantine

Now that we've all lost track of what day it is and are spending more time at home than ever with no end in sight, let's celebrate the little things that have sparked joy, shall we?! Here's four small things that have made a big impact during quarantine: 

1. A morning walk - with coffee. BH (before Henry), the Hubs and I had a standard and simple morning routine. We'd make to-go cups of Nespresso, walk Woodley, chat about the day ahead and have a moment just for us at DC's doggie hot spot (the Congressional Cemetery). When Henry was born, we were able to keep the routine for the first few months using his more frequent naps to our advantage. But like most parents of a toddler, everything went out the window as soon as Henry was mobile and especially once he went to daycare. Flash forward to the first ten weeks of quarantine when Henry was home from daycare and we reclaimed our morning walks. Although they included frequent stops for a leaf or to find sticks to throw in the creek near our house, we started the day on a better foot. Now that Henry is back at daycare, the Hubs and I are walking Woodley after we drop little H off and reclaiming a piece of our mornings. I've admittedly become obsessed with hitting 10,000 steps a day but I swear I also feel sharper and more alert!

2. Le Labo's Rose 31. My mom has always used rose water and over the years it's become my comfort smell. I've been a loyal Jo Malone wearer but my match was met with Le Labo's Rose 31. It's feminine and floral without being too much. It also smells natural without that sometimes artificial smell that perfumes can have. 

3. Smith Teamaker. I've always loved the ritual of drinking tea. And before I met Smith Teamaker, I regularly drank Montana Tea and Spice's Evening in Missoula. A taste from home that I thought was complex and very good. But then enter Smith Teamaker... Holy buckets y'all! This tea has blown my mind. Instead of snagging a second cup of coffee, I love Rose City Genmaicha - No. 1912 (I mean you can taste the toasted grains of rice in this green tea) or the Tahitian Green Iced Tea if it's especially hot out. The smell of this iced tea is tropical and it's a great way to treat yourself during the day. And for the evening, look no further than Meadow - No. 67.

4. Flowers. Blooms of every size and shape make me swoon. For mother's day, the Hubs got me a subscription with Farmgirl Flowers. I love that every shipment is a surprise. Sometimes peonies sometimes ranunculus but all brining spunk and sweet smells to our house. And between Farmgirl Flowers shipments, I'm slowly getting to know the Bozeman flower scene. Unlike a bigger city, grocery store flowers are not a thing so it's a been a little more work. But thus far I've got excited about The Flower Bar (bouquets available at 10 am on Fridays) and Foxglove Flower Farm (where you can pick the flowers yourself like the blooms pictured here or purchase a bouquet at the Tuesday Lindley Park farmer's market).

#101in1001 Update

It's been a slow month for my #101in1001 goals but I'm still making steady headway and feel like we are staying very busy despite our days at home. 

I recently delved into a Peloton Challenge - yes, eye roll - but because I'm type A... Whelp it truly is the perfect type of motivation to keep me hungry for more. My sister and I also recently started playing tennis. We're clearly not going to Wimbledon anytime soon but OMG we're having so much fun being disasters on the court together. I'm also using it as a fine excuse for much needed cute new workout gear. Oh and have I mentioned we potty trained Henry?! (We're still getting terrorized with big poops in his nighttime diaper but we're in no rush. He's got to have a better handle on his situation before night training can be a thing and we're very used to our schedule sleeping through the night).

But enough babble, let's get to the good stuff. This month, the Hubs and I embarked on #75 (no sweets for a month). My brother joined us in this quest after recognizing some of his quarantine habitats had gone a little too far- like chocolate milk with breakfast (gross!) But as the Hubs and I have kept each other honest, my brother has fallen off the wagon a few times adding berries to ice cream and calling it good.

The goal of a month is very near though and we'll be rounding the finish line with my birthday at the end of next week. The Hubs promises he has something extravagant to celebrate our accomplishment. I'm thinking big like a cake from MilkBar... Just saying...

Before we started withholding from the good stuff, I did make my GF Yossy's crushed raspberry and strawberry pavlova (crossing off goal #75) and boy was it good. We feasted on this sweet delight at my parent's cabin with my brother's family and there was not a plate that went unlicked. I mean just look at this photo from Yossy. And yes, Yossy's photo because before I could take my own, every morsel was consumed. So if you're in the market for an easy but very crowd pleasing pavlova... Yossy is your girl! 

Alrighty enough babble, how are you m'dears?!

BOOKWORM UPDATE

What week is it? How long have we been quarantining? The silver-ling of 2020, might just be the number of books I'm putting away. 

Since my last bookwork update in April, I've read seven more books: Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon, This Will Only Hurt A Little, Back in Six Weeks, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism, Oh Crap! Potty Training, Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery and I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.

Iris's book in her own words is done coffee table style. It's a quick but delightful read and also gorgeous. If anyone can inspire you, it's Iris Apfel - even at the ripe age of 98. 

Busy Phillips' This Will Only Hurt A Little - may be my favorite find this year. Sent to me by a friend, I was pessimistic because I'd never heard of the actress and generally prefer fiction but this shockingly hilarious and vulnerable memoir is worth every page turn. Now I of course follow Busy on Instagram and simply can't get enough of her straight but spicy talk and boy does she have fun!

Back in Six Weeks by Sharon Gerdes was definitely not an expected read. But I picked it up randomly at my parents' cabin and read it cover to cover. Partially intrigued by the story of someone's postpartum journey and partially pulled in by the unexpected descriptions like "he was hard as titanium in the cockpit but soft as a tulip with his friends and family." Like wow - what a weird line but kind of interesting right?!

Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility is a must read, y'all. This country has so much work to do and this book is a great way to confront racism and start learning what you can do as an individual. 

Oh Crap! Potty Training is probably pretty self explanatory. I'll say this, Jamie Glowacki's method works or at least is currently working. More on that later.

I quickly consumed Robert Kolker's Lost Girls. For whatever reason I love mysteries and murder and my goodness does this true crime novel fit the bill. It's a deep dive into a notorious Long Island serial killer and the way our society continues to not lift up the stories of women. 

And as far as I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown. This should be required reading. A memoir written by a black woman recounting her life and how racism has made a daily appearance.

Currently reading The Last House Guest. Another spooky book because whelp it's summer and I live for page turners.