The Weekly, 09.28.20

You know the feeling when you have so many ideas in your head, that it’s hard to just get one out? I have had such a creative block this week, and I’m sure most of it has to do with the fact that I am doing so much at once. Today, I spent the day grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning our apartment, top to bottom. We donated four bags of clothing this weekend that have been sitting at the top of my closet since I went on a quarantine binge. Home, organized. Life, v. chaotic. But here we are. I am grateful I have today off from work, and that I will be able to unwind and be able to get some much needed preemptive planning time for work.

Last night, I spent some quality time alone. I made Half Baked Harvest’s garlic butter creamed corn chicken, one of my absolute favorite, perfect-for-fall dishes, if you’re looking for some weeknight cooking. I decided to turn on the new Netflix show with The Home Edit, and it was extremely satisfying. Despite the fact that I felt like all speaking was done at a yelling volume, I find the clear bins and organizational systems they use so visually satisfying. When we moved in to our apartment, I spent some serious time with The Container Store, and I have never looked back. I also purchased their book for my new bookshelf decor. I’m also borderline obsessed with their collection of designer sneakers – their wardrobe is like a teacher’s dream.

In an effort to do some more organizing, I purchased these little Command shelves for our bathroom. While we have a rack, I pretty much occupy all of it with my hair products, which leaves Chris’ soap on our tub ledge – lots of messy soap situations. I saw Grace Atwood post about these little shelves (she has a whole saved stories highlight on shelves), and I installed them today. They are cute and functional. I also cleaned out our spice cabinet today, only to put it all back together in a still dysfunctional way. So I ordered this spice drawer and these risers from Amazon to hopefully recreate this situation into something much more user-friendly.

Whenever summer ends, I always find that my reading dwindles. So in an effort to get my reading life back together, I purchased some Fall reading options. I am looking forward to digging into Yaa Gyasi’s, Transcendent Kingdom. It seems like the fiction read of the season, on the top of every list. It’s a story about a Ghanian American family and their individual battles with our toxic and deadly culture. I also ordered, Anxious People, which just sounds fitting to my mental state. But it’s actually about an apartment viewing turned hostage situation. Bizarre, but intriguing. Looking forward to making time for that.

In the world of what’s on my nightstand, I have been reading a book that my mom sent me, Heal Your Headaches, that is supposed to be a major mindset fix for anyone who suffers from chronic headaches/migraines, like I do. It 100% looks like a book you would purchase in a grocery store checkout aisle, but it’s actually incredibly interesting so far. My physical headache symptoms are something that I am finally working on tackling this year, and reading this book has been so validating to my journey so far. If you’re someone who is struggling to manage headaches, hearing a doctor speak about my experience in a way that is so real to what I feel each day has been very engaging so far.

I’ve been on such a big Madewell kick lately, and the fact that they were running a sale for the past week was extremely helpful. If you missed my post on Fall basics, you must check that out. I highlight some picks from Madewell, many of which are on sale right now if you are signed up for their free rewards program. I shopped my own post and grabbed this adorable oatmeal polo sweater, which is going to be so cute paired with jeans for the weekends, and this sheer puffed sleeve tee that I wore to work this week and got a ton of compliments on. And because it’s mule season, I had to grab this pair that I styled many different ways in my Fall transition staples post a few weeks ago.

One of my goals that I shared in an earlier post is that I want to focus on buying what I really want, versus buying something because it is on sale. I think that this will really pair down my wardrobe, and allow me to use my clothes that I love more often, which I don’t always do when I buy something on sale. One of my recent purchases has been on my wishlist for a while, and when it came back in stock last week, I grabbed this Skims robe in the black color. I got one of the Skims bras in the summer, and really loved the quality and fit. But this robe is just on another level. It’s so cozy, and I bought it because it can be worn as a long cozy sweater, or a bathrobe as the weather gets cooler on the weekends.

If you saw my post on face masks in the summer, then you know I have become a full blow face mask addict. And now that I have to wear one every day, I have been assessing which are really the most comfortable. For me, it’s a tie between my Night silks masks, and the Lele Sadoughi masks. They are both easily comfortable enough to wear the whole day when necessary, and they have a snug fit on my face that feels secure, but not suffocating. Lele dropped some new prints and patterns this week, and I quickly snagged this set. I love the delicate details, and I know they are quality items that wash well. I usually wash all my masks in hot water, and then let them dry on their own so they don’t come out wrinkly. I also love that you can fit a filter in the inside pocket, which just gives you an extra layer of safety.

Tonight, I’ll be making this beef barbacoa recipe, so I have leftovers all week. Every weekend should really be 3 days. As per usual, you can shop my Weekly post below.

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