Sunday, May 26, 2024
a wish for summer
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
a wish for winter



today is the first truly cold day where I live. I dug my scarf and gloves out of the closet, but I won't be using them today. I am sick and have lost my voice. It is hard to slow down, and to really rest, but it is also nice. nice to just sit and think in the safety and warmth of my home.
my thoughts today are on winter. winter, to me, is powerful and intimidating. it is difficult to love. with flurries and icicles, bright rays of sun, bitter air. every year, I try to embrace what is beautiful about it. try to taste a little bite in the hopes that in a few years, I might like the flavor of wintertime.
lately, all I want to do is spend time with my family and my love. it doesn't matter what we do. it could simply be reading in the same room. I just want to be in their presence. I wish the world would slow down, release its grip on me, so that I could better enjoy the small moments of my life. but it feels as though everything is whirling around me and it is all controlled by others. my job makes me sick and too tired to do much of anything. that doesn't seem right.
so, if I had one wish for this winter, it would be that I might find more time to sit with those I love. and more time to do the things I love. and that I could enjoy this year's winter just a little bit more than the last (if I really try).
my early winter favorites
1. jelly + butter toast with sourdough bread. best snack ever.
2. this oversized plaid pullover lined with faux fleece. it is much warmer than my coat and is oversized because my little sister who owned it before is much taller than me.
3. puzzles. my love and I are working on a puzzle right now. it is very relaxing and actually quite difficult.
4. ren: the girl with the mark + kin fables trilogy.
5. fresh linen scents. after I wash my clothes I just want to wrap them all around me and breathe the scents in.
- from Nie
Sunday, March 27, 2022
springtime season favorites
at long long long long very long last, it's beginning to resemble spring where I live. sunny rainstorms, warm breezes, and lots of birdsong. it is so wonderful to feel the sun on my skin again. not that the sun ceases to exist in winter, it's just I do. already I have gathered a list of favorites for this new season and I'd like to share them. what are your springtime favorites?
period piece everything
so far my sister and I have re-watched Emma (2009), Pride & Prejudice (2005), and The Count of Monte Cristo. Watched for the first time, My Mother and Other Strangers (side note: that was for sure the mildest yet spiciest love affair I've ever witnessed), and Around the World in 80 Days which I adored. I cannot get enough of adventure stories. I really must read more Jules Verne. Oh, and then there's Sanditon. but I completely and utterly h a t e d Sanditon. we watched maybe six episodes in a row trying to like it but I just couldn't
I didn't care about that corrupt dreary sea town where people DRINK the water naked men swim in. charlotte had all of the tact of a 12 year old girl. that old lady with the money was nearly as annoying as Lady Catherine DeBourgh, and there was a shocking lack of warmth, romance, humor, and satin (ha). Jane Austen? nope. Andrew Davies trying to be Dickens? yeah. I could go on and on about it. perhaps someday I will but for now all I'll say is ummmm incest?
matcha & udon soup
not at the same time. I like my matcha in the morning and my noodles at night. and my udon was not as fancy as all that. it was microwaved. but it was heavenly. I fell ill recently, which is a big deal for me as I almost never get actually truly sick. I had a fever, a sore throat, and a headache. it was terrifying. all I wanted to eat was udon miso soup. and the newfound matcha love comes from giving up
budgeting
this is my budget calendar, washi tape, and stickers. I am working on more budgeting posts at the moment but it is a slow process and I find everything abnormally hard to explain. budgeting has brought me peace of mind I didn't think I could have and also a huge amount of confidence.
yoga journal & ayurveda
my grandmother used to get yoga journal for me. I would try to follow the advanced poses without prior experience or stretching and injure myself. it was a lot of fun. I bought this one for the article on chakras, however. I want to learn everything there is to know about chakras, and ayurveda, and how the mind and the body and the spirit are intertwined.
pop up butterfly stickers
not much to say about these except they make my laptop look positively mAGiCaL.
star stable
this game is just too fun. its reminds me of old video games I would play like Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess.by Jhene Aiko. she uses crystal bowls and the lyrics are a mantra for calm and safety. it is stunning & I have been listening to it non stop.
microsoft to do
wearing no makeup
what's in my bag videos
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
winter season favorites
every season brings a new perspective. new habits. new challenges. new animals, bugs, and plants. these are my winter season favorites so far. what are yours?
tea tree + peppermint aromatherapy lotion
this stuff is like a perfume. the bottle is so pretty and the scent lasts all day. I feel very fancy when I put it on, like lady Mary Crawley getting ready for the Christmas ball.
lavender & honey lip butter
sunscreen stick
I've been meaning to use sunscreen daily for a while. by a while I mean years. but they are all sticky and they smell like public pools. this little product, however, smells like bananas and adds and extra layer of moisture to my face. I've been using it every day.coconut pineapple zoa
this drink gives me life. vitamin packed. zero sugar. I really shouldn't love it like I do.
snowboarding (in my mind)
how can I crave to do something I've never done? I'm not sure but lately I have wanted to snowboard so badly. I have only been on a skateboard a few times and have barely done anything in the snow besides cry and shiver. but something tells me I would love sliding down crystal hills. I imagine it would feel akin to flying though I've never done that either.crown lake
Is this a drama filled poorly produced web series for preteens? yes. do I love it and find every episode fascinating? also yes. I have such an admiration for creative young series like Free Rein or Saddle Club back in the day.
caruso













