The longest month of the year is FINALLY over! I feel as happy about that as James and Margaret look up there. 🙂 I totally felt that whole January 77th thing that was floating around the internet. The upside of a long month is that I’ve got lots to share. So settle in for a little bit and see what I’ve been loving this past month.
Activities/Life
Paul and I were invited to a friend’s wedding just after the new year. It was out of town, so we were able to make it an overnight trip. It was lots of fun and we cleaned up okay, don’t ya think?
The wedding invitation said the attire was black tie optional. At first I was stressing about what I was going to have to buy to wear, but my sister-in-law reminded me that I wore a long dress in her’s and my brother’s wedding. Duh! I knew it would be cold and that I wanted a faux fur coat to wear with it. I found one at Priester’s of all places, and it dressed up the look just the way I’d hoped.
Shortly after school had started back, we got word that a special ceremony was going to happen. It was disguised as an ROTC presentation, but it was really to welcome home a dad who’d been serving overseas. He was able to surprise his three boys at school in front of everyone, and it was quite a special moment.
I was able to meet up with my Adults (By 40) girls, Anne and Taten, for dinner in Montgomery at the restaurant Little Donkey. I’d never eaten here, so I took my dad’s and brother’s advice and got the friend chicken and street corn. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had such a stomach ache. I totally brought it on myself because I ate too much. Not because the food was bad. I’d eat there again in a hot second.
We also discussed season two of the Adults (By 40) podcast. We brainstormed a few ideas and are hoping to get it out soon. Any topics you want us to discuss, leave us a comment below or message one of us privately. We’d love to hear what you want to listen to.
Recipes
Don’t they look delicious? Vanessa served these at book club, and I loved them. I don’t even really like ham all that much, and I made them for dinner this week. Absolutely scrumptious.
I also found a great recipe for meatloaf. It was a tad different than my mom’s recipe, and, full disclosure, I would have used hers but didn’t have it with me at school when I was finalizing my grocery list. Pinterest to the rescue! It was incredibly delicious, but I would recommend putting slices of bread under that meat to soak up the grease. The recipe doesn’t call for that, but I would have preferred it.
Watching
Schitt$ Creek
It’s back for it’s final season. Catherine O’Hara is doing some of her funniest work. I can’t get through an episode without laughing out loud at something she’s wearing or at how her character talks. Give it a shot if you’ve never tried. You can watch the first five seasons on Netflix.
The Morning Show
I finally broke down gave in to the free year of Apple TV within the app on my phone. I’d say The Morning Show wasn’t quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it. Jennifer Aniston really does give a stellar performance and definitely deserved that SAG award she scored this year. I like how they wrapped it up for season one, but I’m anxious to see what happens in season two.
You
Paul and I were fans of season one and were all in on season two. But, y’all…. Have you seen it yet? Holy crap! I can’t say anything else. It was NUTS!
The Great British Baking Show
I know I’ve shared this one before, but I am still working my way through all the seasons. It’s such a great show! I get totally invested in these bakers and have cried at every finale of every season. Truly love this show.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Now that awards season is underway, I am trying to make my way through the films that are either nominated or have nominated performances. This month we watched Marriage Story, Hustlers, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I thought Marriage Story was good but sad. There were some scenes that were heartbreaking and hard to think about happening in my own marriage. But that’s what makes a film like that so good. It makes you feel. Hustlers was just okay for me. It was an interesting story, but it wasn’t as great as people made it out to be.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was my favorite. It was a great film with such an interesting twist on true and horrific story. I enjoyed every minute and think Tarantino is one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
Listening
Billie Eilish is officially on my radar. I know she’s not everyone’s cup of tea. She’s quite strange and very young, and I’ll be the first to admit that I prefer listening to her than watching her videos. This one freaked. me. out. But I heard this live version of “When the Party’s Over” when she was on The Howard Stern Show, and I fell in love with her voice. Give it a listen. How is she just 18?
Anyway she cleaned up at the Grammys and set a record, and I was rooting for her the whole time. I heard she’s writing and singing the new James Bond song, and I can’t wait for that.
Reading
Easily my favorite book of the year. (That’s a joke.) Not because it was bad but because this is only January favorites. Get it… Anyway, if you’ve read anything by Jojo Moyes, it was probably Me Before You which you ugly cried your way through and then you probably ugly cried your way through the film adaptation. But it’s not all sadness and death in this one. It is an incredibly empowering story of a group of women who go against the grain of society and work for the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. Goodness was this story every incredible. It was a sheer joy to put my phone down at night just to pick up this book. Loved, loved, loved it.
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and WWII era dramas are often my go-tos. I listened to this audiobook which was great since there was a bit of Polish and German. It was nice to hear it spoken rather than try to pronounce it. It tells the story of a real person who became the tattooist of the Auschwitz concentration camp. It was a thrilling story to me and has a sequel that I’m waiting, very impatiently, for. It’s called Cilka’s Journey.
This is a great psychological thriller that kept me guessing all the way to the end. If you’re into that kind of story, I think you’ll really like this one. It was also an audiobook, and the narrators were great. I got through this one really quickly as I didn’t want to stop listening.
Awards Season
Awards season is in full swing with four award shows already complete. I love this time of year for all the fun fashion we get to see. Basically this is my sports season. Here are some of my favorite looks from each show.
Golden Globes
Photo by Pop Sugar
Photo by Glamour
Perhaps the most talked about look was that of Jennifer Lopez. Most of us thought it was just plain ridiculous. I stand by that.
Photo by Billboard
And last but not least is Billy Porter. He is always marching to the beat of his own drum, and I love seeing what he wears. Never lets us down with the creativity and drama.
Photo by Pop Sugar
Critic’s Choice
SAG Awards
Grammys
There were so many more great looks from the awards shows but I’ll spare you all the ones that were good. If you’re wanting to see all the fashion from the Oscars, follow along with me on Instagram. I’ll be sharing All. The. Things. on stories Sunday night.
Products
Each month I keep a list of all of my favorite products I use over and over. I feel like January was a very good month.
After hearing all about these on social media, I decided I needed one for Christmas. And so did all the girls in my family. We all got one, and I like using mine in the morning as a wake-up and as a way to help me look less tired. I store mine in the freezer in a shallow glass so the roller doesn’t touch anything. You can also store it in a freezer bag.
I randomly entered an Instagram contest one day with Spanx and one of my favorite bloggers, Natasha, from Hello Happiness and @nashvilletash. I was thrilled when I found out I had won the contest! I placed my order and they were in the mailbox a few days later. I’ve only worn them a few times since receiving them; they aren’t the types of things you wear to teach the third grade in. I do find them to be well-made and pretty comfortable. They are true to the Spanx brand in that they hold you in in all the right places. I’ve very much enjoyed them. Would I spend 100 of my hard-earned dollars on them? Not quite sure, but I definitely like them and the fact that they were free is just icing on the cake.
Current Favorite Lip Combo
I’ve been wearing a lip combo lately that I have reached for all month long. It’s from Beautycounter, of course. I truly love their lip products and haven’t strayed from them since I started using them. The lipstick is the color Garden Party and the lip gloss is the shade Bare Shimmer. I apply the lipstick, blot, then top with the gloss and blot once more. It’s a great pink and is even more intense when you don’t blot.
Churros Cereal
I am not proud of this being a favorite, but my goodness is it delicious! Not proud but also not sorry. I found mine in Walmart.
I got these sneakers for Christmas, and I have almost already worn them out. I wear them most everyday. They are extremely comfortable and go with everything. I cannot say enough good things about them.
I’ve also been reaching for the Super Soft Sweaters that I’ve been wearing long before January. I did repurchase this sweater in black and wish I had gotten all the colors they had available. I do desperately need a sweater shaver because it has pilled pretty badly, but they truly are soft and so cozy.
Now that the year has officially gotten underway, I’ve really been able to dig in with my new planner. It’s still a favorite and will likely continue to be an unspoken favorite every single month. I just love the layout. It works perfectly for me. There’s still some available, so get yours now! It’s not too late.
Whisps
These “crackers” are made from cheese and are so very good. Apparently they are well known and loved in the keto community. I am not part of the keto community, but I am definitely on board with this snack.
I have gone through my fair share of tanning mitts, but this one takes the cake. It’s double sided and you can wash it. I through it in a lingerie bag and threw it in with towels. I let it air-dry, and it was just perfect. I highly recommend this product if you’re a self-tanner like I am.
I’ve mentioned this product before, but I know how my skin gets so dry and rough during these months that can be so cold. I feel like it’s worth sharing again. It’s a bit of a splurge, but it lasts so very long. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
Wow! What a month, y’all. If you’ve made it this far in this post, thank you! I hope January was good for you. Now that it’s over, here’s to month two of 2020. I hope the month of love brings you just that and lots of it.
