5 Good Things

So It’s March Now…

Oh, hello, March! How did February come and go so quickly? I had every intention of blogging more than clothes in February, but I can only blame it on the stress of school. It was a hell of a month, and I am glad to be nearing spring break! But let’s put all that aside, I have a few things to share with you that I’m loving lately!

Spanx Air Essentials Lounge Set

I got the pullover for Christmas, and my oh my, it is the softest, most comfortable loungewear I’ve ever owned. I bought the pants myself, and while they’re also soft and comfortable, they ride up and up and up, and they’re also a tad long, so I feel like maybe I don’t recommend those as much as I do the top. I am very curious about the tapered leg pants, so I’ll let you know if I splurge for those. The pullover is worth the pennies, though. I size up one in Spanx. I typically wear an XL in pants or sweatshirts, but at Spanx I get the 1X.

Cloth napkins

Maybe I’ve talked about these before, but I love cloth napkins. You can sew them yourself or buy them anywhere. Local shops always have cute ones, and so do places like TJ Maxx and Home Goods, and Target. A paper towel will get the job done, but don’t the pretty patterns spark a little extra joy? I keep mine all mixed up in a big bowl in the middle of my table for easy access at dinnertime. Once you start, you’ll never go back!

Dots Pretzel

I cannot stop buying these pretzels. I like to keep a bag on hand. One at home, one at school, one in my lunchbox. You know, just covering all my bases. If you like pretzels, try these out. So far the honey mustard flavor is my favorite. I did love the cinnamon sugar ones, but I think they were limited edition. The original flavor ones are also delicious, but the cheese curl ones are no bueno.

The Bible in a Year Podcast

I heard about this podcast after listening to Annie Downs’ podcast when she talked to Father Mike Schmitz about Advent. She went on and on (and cried) about his Bible in a Year Podcast, and I was intrigued. I started January 1st and have kept up every morning. I actually listen to it and read along in my Bible for my quiet time. This is a totally different quiet time experience than I’ve ever had- listening to a podcast while learning about Jesus is definitely new for me- but I have enjoyed it a lot. He reads the scripture and then explains what we’ve just read. It’s like you get a mini sermon every morning. Don’t be turned off because he’s a Catholic priest. He’s very knowledgeable and easy to listen to. You’ll love him. Jump in where we are now or go back and catch up. Either way, you’ll be blessed.

New Balance 327

Paul is the sweetest human being. He will randomly surprise me with something I’ve mentioned that I wanted. He did that with these shoes and displayed them for me to find when I walked in the door. He’s a keeper!

I have been eyeing this particular style of shoe (327s) for about a year or so now, but I bought Brooks Adrenaline sneakers instead (and love them). But I saw that this beautiful lilac color was available, shared them with Paul, and was surprised with them shortly after that for an early Valentine’s Day present. They fit true to size and are very comfortable. I haven’t worn New Balance shoes since I wore the grey pair that everyone had back in the early 2000s. I am thrilled to report the hype is real, and now I want another color in this style. They sell out super quickly, so if you find a pair you want, grab them fast!

I sure hope you’ve had a great start to March. Daylight Saving Time begins next weekend. Are you a fan? Or are you one who would rather it just be left alone? I feel like I think it should be left alone. I do enjoy a little extra daylight, but my husband tends to linger on the golf course longer if there’s more daylight so…. 🙂 Have a great one, guys!

4 Day Weeks are the Longest…

Hello friends!

You know, I’m not sure why I’m always surprised when a four day work week turns out to feel like the longest week of my life, but it always does. Monday was productive at home, and Tuesday was a great day.

But Wednesday.
Oh. My. Goodness.

Thursday was hair day! Praise be! It was also book club day. We read Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, and it was really good. I listened to it and really enjoyed the narrator.

I was basically itching to get out of the school house door on Friday afternoon, and I fully embraced relaxing Friday night.

So far Saturday has been lazy with the exception of laundry. The gloomy weather has been a great excuse to perch up on the couch and surf the internet for any good deals. I was influenced to buy this dress (got it in white but want in navy too if I love it) and this button down (got the blue and white bold stripe). I’ll let you know if they end up working out. They are relatively new arrivals, but we know how things start to sell out fast. I haven’t seen many people talking about the dress yet, so go ahead and scoop yours up now! The shirt wasn’t fully stocked but did have a few options left, so check it out now if you are curious. My motto is: Just return it later if it doesn’t work out or sell it to a friend.

Anyway, let’s wrap up this weekend by sharing a few things that have been useful, bringing me joy, and keeping me entertained lately.

We’ll start with an account on Instagram that is so incredibly interesting but also incredibly time-consuming. The account is @houseinhabit. She has a Substack account with a paid tier, which I don’t currently subscribe to, but I’m contemplating it. Jessica Kraus is the woman behind the account. She’s an independent journalist sharing hot takes and unpopular opinions on some of the biggest cases going on right now: Ghislaine Maxwell, Johnny Depp, Harvey Weinstein, and so many more. She’s unapologetic, authentic, and reliable. I am loving her account on Instagram and her newsletter. Riveting stuff, y’all, I promise!

The next thing I want to share is all about organization. I tried to be organized with my jewelry a while back. I even blogged about it in one of my early blog posts. (Check it out here.) It worked well until my Vivian Drew earring collection grew. Most of those are post-backed, so I found my trays overflowing. Enter an influencer on Instagram (but I can’t remember who). I saw her share this nifty little jewelry box that was not only pretty, but would help me keep things organized and tidy. Plus it would free up some space on the top of my dresser. It’s made a world of difference! You can take apart the dividers and customize it to fit what you need, but some drawers have different sized dividers than others. I’ve loved it!

Okay, I said I’d never use another planner in all my life. I even wrote a blog post about how much I loved the Simplified Daily Planner. (See that blog post here). But…… My mom always gives me a planner for Christmas, and I threw her for a loop when I said that I wanted to change to the Weekly Planner. Let me just tell you- I LOVE IT! Trying the weekly view of the planner was a great gamble.

Maybe the best thing about it is the absence of the spiral binding. I didn’t really care all that much about it when I was using the daily planner, but now that it’s gone, I am realizing how much better the weekly planner is- aesthetically and performative-ly. It also has a ribbon bookmark. I was always using paperclips or binder clips to mark my spot in the daily planner. This version is so much more efficient for me. If you’re a not-so-busy person that doesn’t need to schedule your day out by the hour, consider this weekly version. It has been a perfect fit for me.

I can’t believe I’m writing about this damn cup, but here we go. How many of us have seen an influencer on Instagram carrying this Stanley cup around? (I’m imagining all of you saying, “Omg, me!”.) Well, my mom of all people was the one who was influenced and scooped up one for me while it was on sale. Guys, it’s a cup. It keeps my water just as cold as my Yetis, Ozark Trails, Orcas, and Hydro Flasks.
But what’s so great about it is the handle. The HANDLE! I am willing to buy more cups with handles. I don’t think it has to be a Stanley cup. But the handle is the ticket! Also the 40oz capacity is great. And the straw. Don’t you drink more or drink faster when you drink out of a straw, or is that just me? Okay, so get a cup with a handle and a straw that holds 40oz of water. So….maybe just get a Stanley cup.

I can’t let this week go by without talking about press on nails. Yes! I know! But press on nails are still a thing. Apparently Kim Kardashian talked about them and people went nuts, but I’ve been on this train for about a year now. I took a break for a while because of the beautiful Zoya polishes that I just had to try out, but I’ve started wearing the nails again. I discovered Red Aspen Love from Megan (@counterfam), gave them a try, and fell in love. As with most new things, there’s a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll get better and better at the application and you’ll be so impressed with how natural they look. Everyone asks about them when I wear them, and I’m so excited to tell them they are press ons.
They are, at most, $16 a set. I can get 2 manicures out of each set, and the nails last up to two weeks. The amount of money you save by using these is incredible compared to the price you pay at a salon. Another plus about this brand is that the glue is a safer glue and a million times better than what’s used when you go have them done. I’m having a little pop up party, so if you’re curious, I’d love for you to shop through this link.

Lastly, I’m currently listening to Spare by Prince Harry. I have a lot of thoughts and not all of them are that positive. However, I’m only finished with part one. Maybe I’ll change my mind by the end of the book. Stay tuned here and on Instagram, where I normally post my quick reviews of the books I read. If you’re a royal watcher and happen to be reading this one, let me know. I’d love to know your thoughts.

That’s gonna do it for this week. Here’s to a restful Sunday and a great week ahead! See you next week. I’ve got lots of fun things planned, and I can’t wait to share!

5 Good Things

Ready or not, here comes another week. It’s going to be a busy one around the Norman house. I’ve got three meetings this week for work- it astounds me how many meetings teachers have to attend, a book club meeting, and I’m praying very hard my potential outfit for the game on Saturday makes it in time. We’re heading to the loveliest village on the Plains for the first time in years. It’s a white out, so I had to get my hands on a few white dresses that will be both comfortable and carry me into fall as good layering pieces. And I know there’ll be something else to present itself that will need to be done, but I’m thankful for the busyness of life right now because the faster this week is over, the faster we get to September. And the faster we get to September the faster we get to fall and (hopefully) some cooler temperatures. But while those good things are coming, let me share some good things I discovered this past week.

#10Days10Books

I’ve shared about Laura Tremaine countless times here and on my Instagram. She is an author, podcaster, blogger, and all around champion of knowing yourself and sharing about it because it’s powerful. Clearly I agree with her or else I wouldn’t be here telling you about it. Anywho, Laura hosts challenges on her Instagram page a few times a year, and she announced she was going to be doing one based on the topic of books. I’m no stranger to sharing books with the internet, so I was all in and had a blast picking out the books for each day’s prompt. The challenge is over on August 31, so there’s still a few days to join in. Here’s what I’ve shared so far:

Fall Shoes

I’m crushing hard on the lug sole penny loafers for fall. I jumped on the clog trend at an inexpensive Walmart price, but I think I want black loafers, and black loafers have to be good in order to not look too cheap. I’m going back and forth between the patent leather and regular leather options. I really love the look and have so many outfit ideas in my head. Here’s some I like:

The Sam Edelmans are my favorites, but they’re also the most expensive. (Go figure) I’m also considering Mary Janes instead of loafers, but I’ll save those for another day. Decisions, decisions. How do you feel about loafers for fall?

House of the Dragon

Game of Thrones fans were very happy last weekend when House of the Dragon premiered. I don’t know if you watched, but it was full of all the Game of Thrones intensity and visual goodness we’d been missing. The actors were remarkable, the dragons were so cool, and while it was tough to watch at times (hello c-section), I already can’t wait for the next episode. There’s also an accompanying podcast that I like to listen to called Oysters, Clams, and Cockles. Ross and Barrett break down the episode scene by scene, and if you’re into deep-diving your favorite shows, these two are extremely entertaining and knowledgeable. But be warned- the language is terrible. Don’t listen around little ears.

Bird Clock

Growing up my grandparents had a clock in their house at one point that would make a bird chirping noise on the hour. I’ve been wanting one for my classroom for a while, and I finally got it. I got it second hand, but it works perfectly, and my students love it. It really freaked them out the first day or two, but now we giggle every time we’re interrupted by a mockingbird or an owl. We read a story about a warbler last week in class, so it was very appropriate that I brought the clock in and surprised them with it. I hope it brings us all much joy this year. You can get one here on Amazon.

Prep Schools

I’m reading a book for book club about a girl who goes to a prep school. While I’m not sure yet if I really like the book (I’ll get back to you when I finish.), I do find the concept of prep schools very interesting. We were talking about the book this past week and remembering our high school selves and discussing if we’d have been able to go off to school at such a young age. I concluded I wasn’t sure that I could have. I don’t think I’d have wanted to leave my family that early, but also, I don’t think I would have been mature enough to be on my own. I know that much of who you become and think about yourself is heavily based on those very formative years. I value my upbringing in this small town and how close I am to my family. It’s important to me that that’s how I was raised. But a tiny part of me is curious what someone’s life would have been like to go off and have to become an adult away from the people who love you most.
I don’t disagree with it. I think it is an excellent opportunity that the majority of the population doesn’t get. The main character in the book goes to this school without knowing a soul. That I could not have done. Had I been able to go with a friend or small group of friends, I might have been more willing, but to go alone is incredibly intimidating.
Anyway, we were so intrigued that one of the members sent us a list of prep schools in the United States. First, I didn’t know there were so many. Second, wow, are they expensive. Here’s the link if you’re curious now.

Have a fantastic week, friends! I’ll be joyfully saying goodbye to August and welcoming all the fall things. Try to find five good things this week and share them with a friend. You’ll be so grateful to see to the good in each week.

Is It Fall Yet?

I’ve got a real hankering for colder weather, soups, boots, sweaters, and warm blankets. Wanting to keep those cozy fall vibes I’ve got running through me right now, I decided to pick up a children’s book I’ve never read before: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. After three pages I read a line out loud to a coworker early one morning before school had started. She had read the book before (all of them, actually) and knew exactly what this fascination was all about. I don’t know that I would have appreciated it as a child and been so mesmerized by the prose, but I am positively delighted every time I open this book.

So Long, Summer

Hello! I have one more week of summer left. But since I started the last blog post with laments about school starting, I’ll leave that topic alone. I did just get back from a quick lake trip with some of my work friends, and we could not have ended the summer in a better way. We know the looming school year is coming with change and challenge, but I am so grateful to have such good friends that I can see on a daily basis.

I have a few more things to share with you before we wrap up summer break. Today I’ll share some things I’m using, reading, watching, eating, drinking, etc. Read on for the rest of my summer favorites.

Life Lately | July 2021

Hello, friends. I haven’t shown up around these parts since April! I’ve been in full on summer mode since I knew it was going to be an extra short one. We were in school through the first week of June and we return August 2nd. I personally think going back after Labor Day is the way we should be doing things, but they don’t really ask teachers what they want. Needless to say, I’ll be reporting for duty in about two weeks. Womp womp.

But let’s not think about that! So let’s see, what has happened with the Normans? I became a semi-successful plant lady, I got my bangs back, I discovered the most incredible face sunscreen, Paul and I went on our first vacation in forever, I read a lot of books, I got a new side gig, and I’ve cooked some seriously great recipes. I’ll share some of that and more here today and follow up with even more later on.

5 Good Things | No. 21

“The time is always right to do what is right.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy MLK Day! How’s everyone doing? I’ve had a great week and have been getting ready to go back to school tomorrow with my students. We have been doing virtual school these first two weeks of the new year, and they come back tomorrow. If you’re a teacher who has been through this, it is kind of nice not worrying about the morning school traffic and getting to go to the bathroom whenever you need to, but virtual learning is not proving to be an area in which we excel. Students are learning best in the classroom, and we’re teaching best when they’re in those desks. I’m looking forward to seeing their faces in the flesh tomorrow.

5 Good Things | No. 20

Welcome to the first edition of 5 Good Things for 2021! How was everyone’s first full week back at work? Goodness me, it was strange at the school house. No students, and ALL the technology. God bless teachers who have to do this. God bless parents for logging in their child(ren). God bless principals for having to deal with all of us! God bless us, every one! 🙂 Seriously, though, what a strange time to be alive.
Let’s add on the madness that happened in D. C. and we basically have an extension of 2020. I shared a post on my Instagram story from Priscilla Shirer and asked if you were praying for our country. If you aren’t, please start. If you don’t know what to say, just tell God that. He knows.
And now for an awkward pivot….I enjoyed making it a point to find at least 5 good things about each week at the latter half of 2020, so I thought I’d continue it. I’ve got books, a craft, nail polish, a game, and a TV show on deck for you today. You’ll have to let me know if you like any of these things, too.

5 Good Things | No. 19

Anyone else enjoy those frosty mornings last week? I sure did! Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and found a few things that brought you joy. I’ve been missing these posts lately because of a number of things that came up over the weekends or during the week that kept me from prioritizing the blog. I did keep up on Instagram, so if you aren’t following me there, head over and join in! I do have five good things for you today, so scroll on through.

5 Good Things | No.18

Another week begins! Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? Stay tuned for a delicious recipe post coming later this week that you might want to add to your Thanksgiving Day menu. While I get that put together, let’s have a look at five of my favorite things from last week.