Oh hey 2021. It seems like you got off to a rough start, but it’s bound to go up from here, right? Here is what we have been up to this past month!
Books I’ve Read
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle– This was the book our book club read this month. I don’t typically read nonfiction, but I was happy for the push to try this book from the book club. It was very interesting and written in an easy-to-understand way. While I don’t necessarily think it was life changing, it does shed light onto the stress women face in their daily lives and ways to cope with it. I appreciated the anecdotal stories they included with each chapter. It helped to highlight the concept. I’d rate it 3.5/5.
Products I’ve Been Using 
- WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo & Conditioner– I was sent this to try out. I don’t have a favorite shampoo so I’m always open to trying new ones out. Right after washing I was so impressed! My hair normally feels quite dry after shampoo, before I add conditioner. But with this shampoo it was actually much softer! I’ve noticed more shine, too. Typically I apply a shine serum after I style my hair, but I didn’t need it! And I was still able to make my wash last about 3-4 days. I do think I needed a bit more shampoo than normal, but that was the only negative. It has a crisp apple scent. The conditioner worked well, too. I normally use deep conditioners each time I wash so I was skeptical, but my hair still felt moisturized and soft afterwards!
- Antipodes H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum & Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel- Antipodes sent me these about 2 months ago to try out. No requirement to post unless I liked them which I think says a lot about a company. I’ve been using them mostly at night since the air can really dry out your skin so much in the winter. I also apply a little of the water gel before running in the morning to help. They smell amazing! They are all natural and a little goes a long way. They are also not too pricey. Both the serum and gel work really well at helping moisturize your skin. I’m impressed with this brand so far!
- Balance Scent Elixir by The Phluid Project – This was the recent fragrance I received from Scent Beauty. It’s a unisex fragrance and probably the first of its kind that I have tried that can truly be used no matter your gender! There are notes of grapefruit, clary sage, cardamom, tea, vetiver, and cedar for a fresh, woody, citrus scent. To me, it smells clean and fresh and even Claire wants to wear it. Matt really liked it and I really like using it, too. It’s a fragrance elixir because it is oil based and moisturizing. You must shake it into an emulsion before spraying. It’s fun to use! I can’t wait to try the other scents from this line! Use code IDODECLAIRE for a discount!
Recipes I’ve Tried
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Dip– Oh this is sinful, it’s so good! I wish this wasn’t so good because I can’t stop eating it. And neither can my kids!
- Irish Cream Brownies – Is it bad how much Claire loved these? Honestly we all did! They were rich and really delicious!
- Water Pie- I don’t remember where I first heard of this, but I guess it is a Depression era recipe that has water in it. It ended up tasting a lot like vanilla custard. Honestly I would eat it again!
- Cowboy Brunch Casserole– I had quite a bit of leftover buns and rolls and found this recipe to use them up. We all really liked it!
- Crustless Chicken Pot Pie– Honestly this might be my favorite dinner recipe this month. Hands down we will be making this again. It was creamy and so filling. Comfort food, but not super heavy and fattening. I was able to throw so many extra odds and ends of veggies in there to get rid of. It was perfect!
- Enchilada Pasta- I think this was Matt’s favorite meal this month, but the Blackened Tilapia might be close, too. We used smoked pork to make it and it tasted really good.
- Italian Soup Baguettes– I used this recipe to make a version of the baguettes. I had leftover meatballs I cut in half and we added some spinach in lieu of kale. It was a nice flavor and quick meal to make!
- Blackened Tilapia- Fair warning, this will create smoke. Matt made it when I was out selling Girl Scout cookies with Claire and it came together quickly, but I don’t think we realized the blackening process can fill that house up even with the exhaust fan! But it was delicious!
- Cranberry Orange Muffins-I had a bag of cranberries I needed to use up and found this recipe. It made more than the 12 muffins-I even had enough for a small loaf of bread! It was delicious, especially with the streusel topping!
- Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili- I found this recipe and Matt made it. It was fun to try bison in chili and was really good! We toned down the heat a bit and Claire liked it! I liked the sweetness from the brown sugar and grillin’ beans. It really added another dimension to the flavor!
Currently
- Loving- Have you watched Bridgerton yet? Oh my goodness I think I finished it in about 2 days. I was even watching while stirring dinner. It’s a miracle I didn’t cut off my finger or burn my hand!
- Reading- I’ve been working on finishing Troubled Blood. I love the Cormoran Strike novels. I wish I had more time to read them!
- Remembering- Lately I can’t believe it’s been almost a full year since we first began closing schools and restaurants and masking up. It’s crazy to believe that something many initially thought was only going to last a few weeks has lasted over 52!
- Sharing- One of my most popular posts is a comparison about popular nail wrap brands and then how to apply them. I’ve been ordering from a few other brands and plan to update the post to share my reviews.
- Wishlisting- I’m not really wishlisting anything right now which is pretty hard to believe! Can I wishlist a night off? Haha!
- Family Update
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- Aveline- This girl. Haha! She is going through a very independent phase which has been fun to be sure (insert sarcasm here). She loves to change her clothing multiple times a day and has become very interested in pink, dress up clothes, and princesses. Claire didn’t have a real princess phase so it’s a new experience for us!
- Claire- Claire got to go back to school this month for the first time since March of 2020! It’s 2 mornings a week, but better than nothing! I know she missed school so much and is happy to be back, albeit socially distanced and masked up.
- Matt- We had our family friends visit this past month. They have girls that are similar in age and they play really nicely together! It was nice to talk to adults and have our kids be able to play. We’ve missed seeing them a lot. Matt was able to get in some guy time and use his smoker for making drinks, too!
- Me- I’m stretching my culinary creativity by trying a lot of new recipes this month! It’s always fun to add different recipes to our repertoire. Otherwise it’s been the same gerbil wheel for me!
January Goals Recap
- Strip wash my towels– Done! I did 2 sets. Did you see it on my instastories?And now I want to do all of my towels! They smell so much more fresh.
- Start the process of switching blog platform– Started the process and finished it!
- Read the January book club book- Done! We read Burnout.
- List things on Poshmark– Done!
- Hang pictures in guest bedroom- Done! Not that we will have guests soon though. Haha!
February Goals
- Donate things to Goodwill- As always, I have a pile in the guest bedroom that needs to be bagged and donated.
- Go through stuffed animals- Once or twice a year we try to sort through stuffed animals and donate some. The net we use to store many of them is looking pretty overstuffed so it’s time to cull the herd.
- Organize baby shower- My sister-in-law is pregnant with her first! I’m so excited for her and her husband. She threw a shower for both of my daughters and is their godmother and now I get to share in the joy that she is expecting. I’m trying to make it as fun and special as possible virtually. So lots to do!
- Go on a longer run- Weather permitting I’d love to try a 7 mile run one weekend. Yes that sounds like fun to me. Haha!
linking up with Anne & Gretchen + Kristen, What’s Up Wednesday
