Even when I don’t have much to say, there is nothing better to me than a quiet morning after a good rain when I can sit down with my laptop to write at my desk. We have old beautiful windows that let in just enough sunlight and shadow to dance on the walls and illuminate the steam from my coffee. There’s a heater vent near my feet, which compliments my oversized wool socks. I wrap myself in a homemade blanket and enjoy the familiar click-clack of my keyboard. It’s a romantic notion, really, as are so many things that bring me a sense of peace or comfort. On a super rare occasion, the rest of the house will be still. If I move, I run the risk of creaky floors. So I sit in stillness. Nothing better… except sleep, that is!  Which is why I don’t do it more often.

Drinking

This week, I truly succumbed to targeted marketing. After swiping up several times to see what the heck it was, I finally tapped the order button. I am now the proud owner of a sampler set from Drink Haus. It’s sort of a modern twist on the apéritif, which I’m not very educated in. But the advertisements sure made it look good! And so far, I have not been disappointed. My order included the Citrus Flower, Lemon Lavender, Peach Passionfruit, and Rose Rosé. It’s been fun experimenting, and so far my favorite way to drink them is simple — with a big ice cube and a splash of sparkling water. Bonus: they don’t go bad once they’re open, so no rush to finish a bottle.

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Eating

My entire adult life, I’ve hated cooking. Every step of it: planning, shopping, putting away, chopping, prepping, the time it takes to make… ALL OF IT. In 2019, Stevie started an after-school program and I found myself with 4 hours a week of time. It got to the point where I thought, I don’t know what to do with myself, so I’m going to make dinner. I made a mid-year resolution, that I would cook a meal twice a week. In the early pandemic days, we ate a lot of basic meals using up all our food on hand. But overall, I’m proud that I’ve stuck with it. (It gets me out of playing Hot Wheels too. Oh darn, Stevie! I really wish I could… but I’ve got to make dinner.) When the meal is good as this one, I kinda forget I’m the one who made it!

Going

We had amazing weather this week — cool with a couple days of rain — and I couldn’t resist being outside. Last weekend, I did this hike alone and really loved it. So I took Stevie mid-week, and then dragged Paul along yesterday too. It’s super close to home and easy access from the parking lot just next to Travel Town. The incline is just challenging enough that it felt like exercise, but I definitely wasn’t hating life. It’s a popular trail for horseback riding and I love those views of little ol’ Burbank and Glendale. I have to say, I am not looking forward to our weather warming up at all. These hikes have been saving me, in an anti-depressant kind of way… so I’ll soak up the outdoor vibes as long as I can. Which may not be much longer since 78 degrees is about my limit. Haha.

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Remembering

The one time we went ziplining!! It was so scary and fun, and I honestly can’t believe we haven’t done it again since. Actually I can. It seems that Paul and I are the type of couple to say “let’s do that again ASAP!” only to never actually do it again. Lame.

Wearing

Geez, I haven’t done a styling session in FOREVER. It feels very forced to get ready and create “outfits”… for this season of life anyway. A very weird thing to wrap my brain around, especially when so much of my blog and IG and life has revolved around style. The few days that I do put on hard pants and nicer shoes are the days that I’m also back in my loungewear within the hour. And I think it’s fine to embrace all the comfort clothes right now. But there’s also nothing wrong with a little tsjuz! So while it may not be the height of fashion, there are ways to make loungewear and workout gear look more pulled together — spring jackets! These 4 are my favorites right now and they make going out in public after a hike or a long day of homeschool a little less intimidating.

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Trying

A new skincare routine! After years of trial and error and never really being satisfied with any particular products, I basically gave up on a routine. Stuck with basic washing and moisturizing for the past few years, and that was only to keep my breakouts at bay. But I recently started breaking out a lot more, on top of more saggy, wrinkly skin and I felt a bit desperate to try something new. I’m only a week into it, so I don’t want to falsely advertise that it’s working great until I’ve given it a fair amount of time. But so far, I am very pleased. I’m mixing and matching products (gasp!) and even though my skin is ultra sensitive, I haven’t had any bad side effects. I will keep you all posted in the next month or so how my face reacts to the change.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy a quiet morning? I hope you get one real soon!

loves,
jaana