drizzle
On my run this morning, I was reflecting on life and thinking that, even despite our Memorial Day visit to the ER (BF had a kitchen accident. I’ll spare you the details, but do know that he’ll be just fine after some ample healing time), May has been a month filled with some good things. In that spirit, I thought I’d share some of those good things with you.
Things I/We Did
1. RUNNING I’ve been running 3-4 mornings a week and just loving it. While I thought I would take this time to work out articles and other work responsibilities in my mind, I find that I actually just use it to enjoy the time to myself and my music– and that, it turns out, might be even more valuable than working out work details.
2. SCRABBLE NIGHT. So before Happy came along, I often hosted a monthly Scrabble night with two of my mentors. One was the assistant chaplain when I was in college and the other was one of my academic advisors (the bonus of living in the town where I went to school is that I get to stay connected with some of my favorite mentors from that time- who continue to be amazing mentors today). I cooked dinner, we talked smack, and we played a rowdy game or two of Scrabble. It was very good fun. But then motherhood and all of its parts got in the way and the Scrabble game fell to the wayside. Until last week when I resurrected it. Very GOOD times. And Happy got to play his own game of Scrabble (put all the pieces on the board, wherever you want) before he went to bed. Yes, we are already planning our next Scrabble night.
3. LIBRARY. Happy and I have started making the library our regular Monday afternoon date. We walk there mid-afternooon, play with the puzzles and other toys there, read a lot of books, pet the therapy dog that comes to read with kids there, and then check out a book for the week. The library was the cornerstone of my weekends growing up thanks to my dad and I am excited to be starting that tradition with Happy.
4. PAINT. We painted the interior of the cottage and it’s like a whole new house. We’ve lived in the cottage for 8 years but had never painted it. The colors were never really us and the place was starting to look worn so we decided to, finally, make it our own. I am wild about all of it but my very favorite room is the dining room with this awesome Drizzle color from Sherwin-Williams. We’ve got one more room to go– Happy’s bedroom- and then we’l be done.
5. Newly Organized Shack. This more organized Sugar Shack will be unveiled in tomorrow’s blog but, suffice to say, I love this space even more now which is hard to even believe.
In the Kitchen
6. SALMON I discovered this salmon preparation on Pinterest (I am all about Pinterest in the kitchen) via The Pioneer Woman and LOVE it. We know have salmon this way about once a week.
7. AN UNCONVENTIONAL SALAD I went to a very large (50+ people) cookout a couple weeks ago and there was the most amazing corn, red pepper, and blueberry salad there. I didn’t know who brought the salad and so I took to the internet to hunt down a version of it. Here’s the one I found. I served it at Scrabble night and it was a hit.
Products I Found
8. DANSKO sandals. I wear Dansko clogs or very comfy boots all winter long and so my feet are pretty picky about the footbed they are supported by when it comes time for spring and summer. Last year, I discovered Dansko sandals (by asking a friend where she found those fabulous shoes she was wearing) and I bought my first pair in brown. This year, I got a black pair. Then I went a little wild and bought some in green. Probably for the first summer in my adult life, my feet are happy all day (flip flops just make my feet ache by the end of the day).
9. KINKY CURLY KNOT TODAY. Recently, at the mall’s indoor play place, a mom approached me to ask about Happy. She was there with her daughter, also adopted from Ethiopia, and we got to talking about hair. While we were pretty happy with what we were using on Happy’s hair, it was also a bit pricey and had to be ordered online. I noticed her daughter’s hair was pretty similar to Happy’s and asked what they’d been using and, oh happy day, it could be found at Target. We decided to give Kinky Curly Knot Today a whirl and have been so happy with it. I’ve even used it on my curls some.
10. The GapFit Breathe V-Neck T As it is getting hotter and more humid here in the South, running in my heavier cotton shirts was feeling a bit suffocating. I was shopping this weekend for pjs for the kid and shorts for me and grabbed this Breathe T from the Gap on a whim. Boy am I glad it did! I imagine I’ll soon be going back for another one or two.
Alright, what did you just love this month? Do you have a favorite way to prep salmon? A favorite tradition with friends? A favorite hair product, summer shoe, or workout gear?
