Feel Good Friday 46
I don’t know about you, but this week was pretty much the best I’ve had in a while. Maybe it’s the autumn equinox, maybe it’s my happy pumpkins greeting me on my porch, maybe it’s all the outside time we’ve been getting with incredible weather this week… I don’t know, but I am not complaining! Fall is making itself right at home here, and I happily welcome my old friend. This week I have some really fun fall items to share with you as well as some super exciting podcast news from me! Alright, I will try to relax on the exclamation point use today and get to the good stuff.
Pssst… mama got a new front door color and it’s coming at you next week!
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Everything
It’s that time of the year where this fall-loving soul is eternally grateful to live near a Trader Joe’s. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve purchased several of their pumpkin and fall flavored items out now including maple coffee, harvest spaghetti sauce (I had this on spaghetti squash the other night paired with their vegan cashew mozzarella cheese and it was delicious!), pumpkin waffles and pop tarts for the kids, fig jam, cinnamon bun butter (because why not!), and even a haunted house cookie kit for Emmy and Wilder to decorate together. This past week I took Wilder with me. Thankfully he understands that wearing a mask means he gets to go places, so he gladly dons it now. While there, he was happily chatting away and excitedly pointing out all of the pumpkins in the store. One of the employees loved his enthusiasm and gave him this little pumpkin which he proudly calls his “baby pumpkin.”
Inspiring Short Podcast Episode
I’ve shared The Moth podcast on my blog before because it’s been a long time favorite of mine. Last Friday they released a short episode featuring Kathy Kinnear Hill, a Black woman who worked on Obama’s presidential campaign and re-election campaign. In this story, she talks about how she was dropped off in rural Iowa with a fellow Black female campaign worker. Several people made derogatory comments, yet they kept on, knowing their work was hard. They arrived at a farmhouse, and the farmer was about to turn them away when his wife walked out of the house and invited them in for a meal. I won’t tell you what happens in the story, because I really want you to listen to it, but the takeaway for me is that honest and brave conversations are always the way to open the minds of others. I found myself crying at the end because I was just so inspired by it.
Clean Custom Candle Making Kit (perfect for cozy weather!)
This summer, my friend Lindsay of Scent Workshop pivoted her business wisely and created at home candle making kits. Emmy and I got the chance to try it out a couple of weeks ago and had a blast creating our own blends and candles. I made “Gardener’s Retreat” which is a blend of lavender, herbs, and oud (a woodsy scent). We lost power last week and I burned it in my bathroom and it smelled absolutely amazing… calming and cozy at the same time. Emmy created a “sweater weather” blend which has sugared pecans, oud, and cashmere. It’s a warm and comforting combination. She’s added new fall scent kids to her shop as well… check it out here.
Clean Skin Savior
This past weekend I had one glass of wine after taking a month off. It was our anniversary weekend and I had been looking forward to a little vino. Well, the next morning I woke up with a nice breakout on my forehead! After a couple days of it not going away, I ordered a charcoal clay mask from Some Call Me Crunchy (and Erienne’s basil and mint body butter because… basil and mint.) I used the mask that evening, and the next morning my skin was much improved! I could tell it was drying up. Erienne also included a facial care travel kit which I am so excited to try… my eyes can use all the serum help they can get. Erienne also gave me a coupon for you to get 15% off your purchase; just click here.
Sweet Cinnamon Cookies/Baking with Kids
Sunday Wilder woke up from his nap and immediately wanted a bagel. When I said no, he said, “cinnamon rolls.” Gosh, he’s definitely mine… loving those carbs. At that point it was already 4 pm so I said negative again, but told him we could make some cinnamon cookies. I came across this simple recipe which I thought would be perfect and he could help with. They are not exactly healthy, but they certainly are a hit around here. The best part about it though was baking with him. He’s at the age where he enjoys the whole process, measuring, mixing, and transforming ingredients into something to eat. Chris saw how great he was with making the cookies and enlisted him on helping roll meatballs the next evening. Now Wilder rolls up his dirty socks into “meatballs.” Yep.
Exciting Podcast News
Finally, here’s my super exciting news! This summer I was interviewed for two podcast and both were released this week! I would love for you to take a listen if you have time. So far, my parents and my coach have listened and all told me how proud they are, but they are all biased. Either way, I am very proud of the work I did on those shows.
The first one I was interviewed for is Your Home Story which is put on by my friends Ashley and Suzannah. In this episode which you can find here, we discuss intentional living, creating a home on a budget, no-spend months, and some things that help my mindset.
Secondly, I was interviewed for the Nest Realty Podcast called Sweat the Details. (A huge thank you to my fried Jasmine who is the editor of the magazine they put out because she enlisted me for this show as well as an upcoming spread in their magazine. She is insanely creative and talented- find her here.) In this episode, we again address creating a home on a budget (which is huge for me) but also dive into creating a home that is authentic to you and feels right for you and your family.
Both of these are shorter 20-30 minute episodes, and I would be honored to have you give them a listen when you have time.
Well, friend, welcome to fall, the best season ever! I hope that you have a wonderfully joy-filled first weekend of the season. Don’t forget to leave a comment with what’s making you happy this week!