The Weekly, 11.09.20
Relief. This weekend was the biggest sigh of relief. Perhaps what shocked me most was the instant dissolve of this permanent tension, a holding of breath, that has existed within our physical selves for so long. And while this work is so far from done, this is really an opportunity to know that we can work hard, and make progress. And so we begin, again.
Another major reflection of the last few weeks is just how much I love living in New York City, especially Brooklyn. Being able to live in a city where love has prevailed for a long time, but still seeing that continued resurgence of strength, unity, and hope, even battling the COVID-19 and racial pandemic through the Spring and Summer, I am jut reminded that this place and its people are so beautiful. It’s all confirmation that I want to be here forever, and to have my family here, surrounded by so much diversity, inclusion and love. Clearly, I’ve got all of the feelings right now.
Saturday night was friends (who I haven’t seen since March!), a fire pit, champagne, tequila and carbs. Which leaves me writing this on Sunday feeling just a teensy bit under the weather, chugging lemon water after some delicious homemade breakfast tacos, watching trash television, with one of my favorite cooling eye patches on. I made my forever homemade classic chili con queso dip for festivities (because I’d always rather bar food than a drink). If you want the easiest, tastiest, least healthy dip you can whip up in less than 10 minutes, take two packs of Velveeta, one can of Hormel Chili (no beans for me), one can of diced green chilies, and a bunch of chopped scallion, and dump it into a crockpot. An hour later, you will have a delicious dip. You can add a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, but my indigestion is already screaming, so I don’t.
I don’t know about you, but I have seen so many early Black-Friday sales. Which really made me wonder- what will Black Friday and holiday shopping and sales look like this year? You can read this article, but bottom line, it’s going to look a lot different. And honestly, it seems like there is a tiny sense of celebration around that. I personally do not think I will miss the pressing urge to buy things, but I do think you shouldn’t wait to order holiday gifts, which is why we are seeing so many gift guides go live before Thanksgiving. With manufacturing and shipping delays, there’s a good chance you might be waiting for a while for your gifts to come in. Bottom line? Don’t wait. Take advantage of some of the sales you are seeing from big retailers, and take this year to shop less and shop small businesses.
What am I thinking about buying this year? For Chris, I am looking into a record player. If you have a great option for quality and style, do tell, but I love something like this one from Amazon – it connects to wireless headphones, which would be a win for Chris. Or this aesthetically pretty one from west elm. And for stocking stuffers, I always go back to these favorite underwear or loungewear for Chris from Tommy John.
Speaking of gifts, this week, Chris and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Chris bought me these beautiful, delicate chain necklaces to layer from my favorite, Mejuri. If you haven’t shopped their jewelry, I have and love a growing collection of their pieces, that are affordable and incredible quality. We also had dinner at Red Hook Tavern, and if you’re in the area, I 100% suggest planning a dinner there. Everything was delish, and the outdoor ambience was romantic in a New York City kind of way.
Will I ever be content with redecorating our home? Likely not. I think my alternate career would be as an interior designer, and with so much time at home, I can’t stop. I probably fluff my living room pillows 10 times a day, and I decided to get a lumbar style pillow for our living room sitting chairs so I Bailey could rest of them in peace. We picked up these gorgeous vintage-esque velvet pillow covers from Pottery Barn, and I am super impressed with the quality of these pillow inserts from Amazon. I am very specific that they must be able to fluff and be chopped. If you know, you know.
We also wanted to bring in some more greenery (even if I suck at plants) in this empty corner we had in the living room. We grabbed a big plant at a local store, and popped it in this look for less planter from World Market. I will say, it’s not amazing quality. But I couldn’t justify spending over $100 on a planter that going to sit in the corner. You can’t tell the difference with this one. We also grabbed this gorgeous lamp from west elm for our guest room, and it looks great in our spare bedroom.
In other random things I grabbed on Amazon, I’ve got two premium finds for you. I have been working at in the morning when I am working from home, but that means things have to move quicker, so less time to cool down before the shower. I hate shower sweats, which prevent me from doing my skincare and eyebrows without it all slipping around on my face. I grabbed this cordless, blade-less fan for my vanity shelves, and have zero regrets, other than not doing this for so long! I also grabbed this automatic, touch-less hand soap dispenser for our bathroom, and I just feel like it is a tiny luxury I love.
One sale I regret sleeping on was the annual Bath & Body Works 3-wick candle sale. It was not as good this year, but I normally stock up on some of my favorite scents. I love anything masculine, so I was relieved when my order from Otherland came in with three of their newest seasonal scents. I grabbed fallen fir, sacred dusk and moonstruck (probably my favorite of the three, but there are 3 other scents in the seasonal release). If you love masculine scents, I highly suggest picking these up. They would make great gifts for the holiday season.
Today is the last day of the Sephora holiday sale. If you missed my weekend post with all of my picks, check it out now. We all deserve to treat ourselves to a little something after this weekend, and let’s be honest, my skin is hating my Saturday night choices. And one last sale pick that is a steal is this chunky cardigan from Nordstrom that I have and love. On sale for less than $40, it’s a must for Fall and warm enough for winter.
In what I’m reading, I just got two new books in, despite the fact that I have a large pile accumulating on my bookshelf. I bought this light-hearted read about a pair people who were born on the same New Year’s Day years ago who run into each other later in life. Sounds cozy and quick – it’s called This Time Next Year. I’m balancing it out with this more serious read about a couple with a stagnant relationship. While one goes to visit his estranged dying father in Japan, his mother moves in with his boyfriend, pushing the couple to make some decisions about their lives. Looking forward to diving in to, Memorial.
So long, farewell, to so many things this week. I’m looking forward to moving forward into a very odd holiday season, and hosting my sister in the city this weekend. Soak up all of the mild weather while you can!
Thank you for shopping my post! For transparency, some of the links in this post are affiliated links, which means that I make a small commission if you purchase anything using them. At Pretty Busy Brooklyn, I only post what I love.
