Lists

Flu Prevention & Treatments

March 5, 2020 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

Hello from your friendly neighborhood mom! *waves awkwardly* *spills coffee* Let’s get a few disclaimers out of the way, shall we? This is not medical advice; nor is it intended to diagnose and treat whatever ails you. Please seek the advice of your preferred healthcare professionals. I am not a doctor, I’m a mom doing my own research and making the best informed decisions I can for myself and my family.

With flu bugs hitting hard and the coronavirus (aka COVID-19) cloud looming over everyone, I thought I’d share some of the things we’ve done in an effort to boost our immune systems and hopefully prevent or lessen the impact of illnesses we’re exposed to.

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What is giving me life this week

January 18, 2020 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

∇ This tea, gifted to me by a Dear Aunt:

I’m taking it with a spoonful of monk fruit sweetener and a splash of half-n-half thank you verrrry much.

∇ This book on sale:

I gave away my extra copy of Crystal Paine’s Money-Making Mom book but an Instagram friend (thanks, Rocky!) pointed out to me that the book was literally just $4 on Amazon as of today. So get yourself a copy if you’ve been wanting to read & own it!

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Post-Christmas Ramblings

December 27, 2019 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

∇ Does anyone remember the Mannequin Challenge of 2016? For your viewing pleasure, I present to you, What the Nails* Do on Christmas Eve:

∇ Believe it or not, I’ve never made Christmas Crack before until now! I found this recipe by Amy Hannon and used it as my foundation. I also added this, this, & this.

∇ When I was prepping food for Christmas (specifically, the four quiches I made with varying degrees of meat, gluten, and dairy) this is the podcast series I listened to: Heavyweight Season 4. Favorite episodes? #27 and #30.

∇ I’ve played two new {to me} games this week that were surprisingly fun in vastly different ways: this board game and this active competition of bizarre coordination: instructions and visual guide!

Happy Christmas week to you! What have you been making, playing, doing?

*my parents and siblings

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a load of Christmas Crack to me.

Pre-Christmas Encouragement for You & a Biscuit Recipe

December 20, 2019 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

∇ What I truly want for you is peace and joy. I read these reminders from Morgan Harper Nichols and it was exactly what I needed to be told today.

Please do something for yourself that is self-care. A foot bath. A tub soak. Gazing at your tree with a glass of wine and square of dark chocolate. I got a massage this week, which is the best gift Past Rachel could’ve given December Rachel the week before Christmas. As someone who has dealt with chronic neck pain, this literally saved my neck during a really full week.

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5 Favorites From July

August 6, 2018 by Rachel

July was a month of illness for our family, which shouldn’t be allowed in summer yet here we are, still blowing our noses and coughing up unmentionables. Thank you, modern medicine, for your merciful assistance. Thank you, essential oils and Vitamin C, for making me smell like an apothecary but also feel better.

Here you are, my five favorites from July!

∇ Essays on The Art of Simple. It’s where I go for self-help direction (ahem-always need more of that), life encouragement, and recommendations on all sorts of things. Here is one that I really needed to read: Transform Your Relationship With Your Teen…

∇ Birkenstock sandals. Up until this spring, I thought Birkenstocks were an ugly relic from the 70’s, but I was young and naive and now I am still young but also wiser. Wiser because apparently there are many styles of Birkenstocks and you don’t have to wear the kind your hippy aunt is still wearing from her flower child days, if you don’t wanna! My sisters Naomi & Keturah each bought their own pair and since they loved them so much and I want to be like them and do everything they do, I bought my own to try. I’d been wearing super flat sandals which just aren’t meant for constant wear and were causing my feet and legs to hurt. My Birkenstocks are a world of difference in support and I literally wear them constantly. {The first link is to the exact pair I purchased as an online-only special, but you can also find a variety of styles on Amazon.}

∇ Trendsend by Evereve. This July I received my fourth (fifth?!) box and while I’ve kept an article of clothing from each one in the past; this time it was a simple tassel necklace I adore.

∇Sniffle Stopper from Plant Therapy: this {kid-safe} essential oil blend has long been a favorite; everyone notices an improvement in their breathing when we diffuse it. LOVE

∇ Old favorite, often on repeat, thank you Ingrid dear:

You can find my June favorites here.

Photo by Brittany Neale on Unsplash

Weekend Favorites

April 16, 2018 by Rachel

Closing out this weekend with a few of my favorite things…

∇ Because she is the sweetest, and this music video is adorable:

∇ How to Overcome Comparison: An Open Letter From a Recovering Perfectionist {Soul Scripts}

“My life is not a competition–neither the messy parts nor the marvelous parts are a measurement of my worth.” I’ve been following Jordan on Instagram for awhile; she’s the real deal! Encouraging women to live in their identity in Christ and follow hard after God.

∇ The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle

Wow, this is a unique wealth of resources. I was first introduced to the bundle last year and was so pleased with my purchase! It has ALL THE THINGS.

∇ Do you have what it takes to travel the world and be a flavor finder? Noosa is looking for yogurt superfans!

Thank you to my sister, Mara, for bringing this to my attention. I would apply except I have not actually yet tried Noosa yogurt and therefore feel unqualified for such a mission.

{You can see last week’s Weekend Favorites here.}

My Morning Routine {Version 03.18}

March 20, 2018 by Rachel

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m not and never have been an early morning person. {And to my brothers-in-law who came knocking on our trailer door before 9am those first few years I was a young bride and mother, no I have not forgiven you.}

I’ve always regularly needed at least 8 hours of sleep, and when my babies were little I needed at least 10! I used to wonder if I was missing out on some sort of holiness game-up, in which rising before dawn would not only improve my productivity but more importantly, my spirituality. Like, didn’t the Proverbs 31 woman get up while it was still dark? I always thought that if I had servant girls, they’d be making ME breakfast, not the other way around.

What I really want to wake up to every morning.

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Rose Gold Favorites

March 5, 2018 by Rachel

Rose gold is the new black. A couple years ago I said mustard was the new black, and I was sincere though misguided. I amend my previous statement to clarify that rose gold, not mustard, is the new black. What does this mean, exactly? If you have to ask then you don’t know. Just leave this blog now and go search your heart. Is any of this confusing? How about we just get to what’s important, which is my obsession with all things rose gold:

∇ First of all, these Signature Rose Gold Leather Earrings from Nickle & Suede. I gifted them to myself for Christmas (sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do) and then, surprise! My mom gave me ANOTHER rose gold pair in a different shape. I think I’ve exclusively worn both pairs in 2018. They are so light I forget I’m wearing them, and they go with everything. People are constantly asking me about them when I’m out in public so if you are an extreme introvert be aware of this side effect of potential human interaction.

∇ Hoop earrings from Target. When I was checking out at Trader Joe’s recently, my cashier was wearing these hoops which accentuated her adorable pixie cut. Naturally, I had on my own rose gold earrings and so we complimented each other on our extreme good taste while also discussing the contents of my cart: cheese, olives, and rice mochi snacks.

∇ This Romeo & Juliet jacket from Evereve. IT HAS ROSE GOLD STARS NEED I SAY MORE.

∇ Rose gold clogs via Lotta from Stockholm. {Plan: buy these clogs, go to Stockholm.} I do not own this adorable footwear, but someone might mention to my husband that they’d make a great gift and would match my leather earrings and therefore improve my quality of life.

∇ For a perfectly glamorous wire basket suited to all your basketing needs, check out this coppery rose gold Project 62 basket.

∇ My French Press has got to be a decade old, and showing it, so I’m thinking of replacing it with this rose gold number that gets great reviews on Amazon.

Is that all? No. That is never all. But it will get you started! Do you have rose gold favorites, too? Share the links here; I’d love to see!

Oh look-here’s a photo of me wearing the above mentioned jacket + earrings:

Me with my lovely sister, Esther

Photo by Kara Michelle on Unsplash

What is Saving My Life Right Now

February 2, 2018 by Rachel

Remember that thing called SUMMER? It feels like a myth to me right now. The vaguest of dreams. These depictions of January by cartoonist Rox Chast pretty much sum up all my January feelings:

Year-At-A-Glance

Cruellest Month

Yet here we are, halfway through winter! {And everyone in the Midwest said, “Amen.”} Inspired by Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy, I’m sharing things which are positively contributing to my winter days in big and small ways. At the end you’ll find a sources list, should you want to check them out yourself.

∇ Hygge in the form of white unscented CANDLES. During my visit to Copenhagen fall of 2016, I fell in love with the Dane’s use of white candles. Every restaurant and cafe had them. They burned in masses on silver platters in niche boutiques, single pillars on outdoor tables, coffee shop candelabras, in every size and form imaginable, tucked into nooks and crannies, but always white, always cozy, always inviting one to sit awhile and just be. While I do love the right kind of scented candle, I’m very picky about them, and only burn one on occasion. The white unscented variety is perfect for everyday use, especially when I’m using my next favorite winter save, which is…

∇ An essential oil air DIFFUSER. I’m not an oils aficionado by any means, but I definitely appreciate how the diffuser has a way of cleaning and refreshing the air in my home {word: boys} without toxicity or giving me a headache. I’m still using Christmas blends because who doesn’t love that fresh evergreen scent mixed with a bit of citrus?

∇ Next on my list is READING. I mentioned this in my “5 Things I’ve Been Working on in January” post. Reading aloud with the children (history after breakfast, a novel during lunch), aloud to Tom while he drives, and finally to myself at the end of the day brings me so much joy.

∇ SOUP. We’ve been having some kind of comforting soup at least once a week since Christmas. When everyone had a head cold, it was homemade chicken and veggie soup. Then thick and creamy chana dal. Spiced cauliflower soup, curried pumpkin lentil, hearty beef stew…there is a soup for every mood and preference! I gravitate towards simple, healthy and hearty. I refuse to slave over soup. I cannot.

∇ YOGA. My sister Mara has been encouraging me to try yoga for a long time, but I whined (“your class is too far away from me”) and procrastinated (“I have too many other things to do”). We joined our local YMCA last fall, and it’s literally 5 minutes from my house. There was no excuse left in my bag of excuses. I needed to practice self care and get my body moving more, and it wasn’t happening at home like it should. So I made myself go to the Y and take a couple classes before the holidays, and I was hooked. Immediately in January I started up again. Do I get tangled up with myself in class? Yes. Does the instructor have to come and gently correct me so I don’t injure something? All the time. Yet I LOVE it! It’s gentle, focused, and a wonderful way for me spend an hour on mental and physical health.

Where to find all the things:

I usually purchase white unscented candles at IKEA. Also, Amazon.

This is the diffuser I’m using in the living room. I love how it fits with my semi-mid-century look. Here are some favorite winter blends I’ve used recently:

Balsam Branches {5 drops balsam fir + 3 drops orange +3 drops cinnamon bark}

Evergreen {4 drops balsam fir + 3 drops blue spruce + 3 drops pine}

Cider {4 drops orange + 2 drops nutmeg + 1 drop cinnamon bark + 1 drop clove}

Books mentioned: Exploring World History, Derwood, Inc., Your Best Year Ever, Salt to the Sea

Soups:

Chicken & veggie-I usually don’t use a recipe, but this one from Pioneer Woman is basically what I do!

Chana dal-again, no recipe but I do variations like this Hearty Chana Dal Soup and Instant Pot Chana Dal Soup

Spiced Cauliflower

Curried Pumpkin Lentil

Beef Stew-by now it’s clear I like to wing-it for certain recipes, so I give you Sunday Night Stew and Beef Stew with Beer from Pioneer Woman because they are LEGIT.

Yoga online: my daughter loves Yoga with Adrienne! And I love Jennifer, my instructor at the Y. If you’re local to me, please come join me for a class. I will wear my “Majestically Awkward” shirt and it will be fun!

What’s saving your life this winter? I’d love to hear!

Photos by John-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash