Comfort

TOP:: Ganni (40% off!)

Hello, everyone. It's been a while since I've posted. It's a strange time for everyone to say the least and I find myself in a constant swing of emotions. I have good days and bad days to be quite honest. My bad days are usually "bad" because I start to worry- mostly about the health and safety of my loved ones.

I've been trying as hard as ever to seek out moments of comfort. I have about zero alone time during the day so it's a bit tough but here are a few things that have helped me the past month (!)

1. MAE: Mae has been the best therapy. Despite her nightly howling, Mae has brought such comfort to everyone in our family. Snuggle sessions on the couch, daily walks, games of fetch. She has simply been the best. Pet adoption has gone up drastically during this time which I think is amazing. If you truly feel ready for a pet, I would highly recommend reaching out to your local shelters. Many are still rescuing and placing dogs and cats.

2. HONEY LEMON GINGER TEA: One of the things I miss most is grabbing my favorite tea from Aux Delices in town in between school pickups. It was truly my cup of joy and always made me relax. So many restaurants and small businesses are struggling right now. I recently found out you can order from Aux Delices and they will deliver it to you. They are selling their famous tea by the jug and I bought two over the weekend (along with some premade meals and some produce). It felt good to have my tea again but it also felt good to support local businesses I love. I already put in another order!

3. FRESH AIR: We are still getting a mix of weather in CT. Some days are beautiful and sunny and others are cold and damp. Regardless, we try to get outside as often as possible. Honestly, I've been putting my kids' mental and emotional health in the number one spot and putting school work second. On nice days, we will do a bit of school work in the morning but hit the outdoors from noon on (and sometimes earlier). It's been better for everyone. Yesterday while Ellie was napping and the others were eating a snack inside, I snuck out to the backyard solo and sat in the sun and drank my Aux Delices tea and it was the calmest moment I've had in a long time.

4. ONLINE BROWSING: Spring shopping has definitely taken a backseat and I've been shopping way less. With that said, it's still nice to take a look and treat yourself after a hard couple weeks. I bought this Ganni top a few weeks ago and finally tried it on. It's beautiful and currently 40% off. Intermix is having a flash sale with so many pieces marked down by 40% (even designer and fine jewelry).

5. OUTDOOR ZHUSHING: I've also been trying to freshen up our patio a bit. It's something I was planning on doing pre-quarantine but escalated the process a bit since I know we will be spending a whole lot more time here (maybe even into the summer...) I pretty much looked at the entire spectrum (cost wise) of outdoor furniture and end up settling somewhere in the middle. I ended up going with this sectional and I'm crossing my fingers it works. It looks like it can fit all seven of us and it comes next week! Now I'm just looking for some pretty planters, maybe a coffee table. Dining furniture will come last unless I find exactly what I'm looking for at a good price. We still have our dining set from our old house and while it's a bit beat up, it is still functional and that's all we need for the time being. We've been doing a lot of DIY over here- power washing, patching holes in the driveway, you name it. I would love to plant myself but I have no idea where to start. I started following some garden accounts on Instagram (let me know if you have any favorites!) My husband's pet project has been fixing up the garden. Last year we used two planter boxes and grew a ton of cucumbers and tomatoes and attempted to grow carrots and lettuce but those failed. He has been composting and expanded the garden by adding eight more beds. My kids have LOVED helping him with it and I've loved handing them off!

6. INDOOR ZHUSHING: I still love browsing for fun pieces for inside and I find looking at home shopping sites and interior design accounts extremely therapeutic. Right now one of my favorites, McGee & Co is having 20% off lighting, pillows and decor. I have a bunch of these wood spheres in a bowl on our bookshelves in our family room. I'm an avid coffee table book collector and just added this one to my list. I have this candle in our master bedroom and it smells like a spa. I have this coffee table book and it's a great one to flip through. I wanted this chandelier so badly for our dining room but sadly the size was not right. It's beautiful!

7. DEEP BREATHS: Whenever I find myself feeling overwhelmed, I try to slow down my breathing and take in a few deep breaths. I swear it helps.

8. WINE: And of course, treating yourself to glass of vino in the early evening always helps. I just picked up an order from another favorite local business, The Harrison Wine Vault. They are offering delivery and curbside pick up. I craved a car ride today, so the curbside pick up was perfect!

9. COZY: I'm not one to quarantine in jeans. I'm just not. I put on a pair yesterday to try on my top with and immediately took them off. Maybe once it really gets nice out, I'll swap out my leggings and sweats for easy dresses. But for now, I'll take comfort. My favorite towel line, Weezie just came out with their new patterned robes and I was gifted with the long one in the Tullie print a few weeks ago. It is so cozy and plush and I've been wearing it every day. It honestly feels like I'm walking around in the softest blanket. They also come in a shorter length for the warmer months. I'm always cold so the long ones are perfect for me! I actually have the long sleeved plain one that I use after I shower at night and my patterned one has turned into my house coat 😅. Seriously the coziest thing ever. Nothing says comfort like a good old robe!