Happy October – I’m not gonna say that I can’t believe it, but I can’t believe it! I was talking to Mom a few days ago about how we should make homemade pasta for Christmas this year, which turned into talking about pierogis and she had said it’s almost time to make them. And I was SHOCKED to realized that she’s kind of right! But my actual words were “didn’t we juuuuustttt do that?!” Because it honestly feels like we did just make them. This year has flown by in a way that no other year can even compare. It is truly WILD that it’s already October. It’ll be Christmas before we even know it.

In any event – here are some of the things I’ve been loving and doing these last few weeks!

READING – full reviews on my goodreads account

  • The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez *****
  • Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner ***
  • Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover ****

BAKING/MAKING

  • Gaby’s Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – yes… again. Can never get enough of these!

EATING

  • Abby’s Better Honey Almond & French Toast Pecan Butters – saw these on TikTok and wrote about them in a SMM post a few weeks back. I finally ordered them after deliberating for weeks and they were SO worth it. We also tried the Coconut Cashew flavor (that one’s Ryan’s favorite!) and have been loving all three. Perfect on a rice or corn cake -– something that was new to me – as a little afternoon snack. I saw they are starting to carry the brand in Whole Foods / Stop and Shop so definitely keep your eyes out for it!
  • Ithaca Hummus Lemon Garlic Hummus – picked this up on a whim and I have to say, it’s 10000% the best hummus I’ve ever had. I cannot wait to try some of their other flavors next time I happen to see it out in the store. So delish with pita chips!

LISTENING

  • The Lagoons – found them a few months ago and had only really listened to one song. Turns out I love all of their music and haven’t been able to stop playing it all month. I’m learning that I apparently LOVE hearing saxophone in contemporary music. Some of my faves are California, Gems and Love To Love You. So good!

LOVING

  • these taco shell bowl pans – Ry had gotten me these for Christmas last year, we totally forgot about them until this month and we’ve been using them a TON since! We’re using 10 inch tortillas, spraying with olive oil spray on both sides and baking them at 350º for 15ish minutes, or until they start to bubble and crisp up. It’s a total game changer for Mexican style salads. We can’t get enough of them!
  • Powder Foundation – as a strictly liquid/creme foundation gal for quite a few years, converting to a bare face for the majority of the pandemic was quite the transition. Once I started going out in public again and wearing makeup, I felt like my usual full coverage was just too much! So my very happy medium has been a light coverage powder foundation. I’ve been using this one that I’ve had kicking around (used to use it to set my liquid foundation, oy!) and loving it, but am definitely going to experiment with some more next month.
  • Big, Chunky Sweaters – yep, it’s officially that time.
  • Essie Nail Polish in Spinning Again – the absolute perfect color for fall. It’s a brick red that compliments a fading tan and a has proven itself to be the best transition from bright summer reds to a dark bordeaux.

WATCHING

  • Love, Guaranteed – watching this with the gals for Courtney’s birthday Watch Party and honestly… it was TERRIBLE. Like, laughably bad.
  • Due Date – hadn’t ever seen it and Ry and I put it on on a random Saturday night. Definitely laughed A LOT while watching it.
  • Selling Sunset – the same night we watched Due Date, I was wide awake after it ended so put on something I knew Ry wouldn’t want to watch and I got SO SUCKED INTO IT. Reality tv is soooo not my thing, but for some reason I couldn’t turn this show off! Insane.

DOING

  • Wedding Venue Tours (!!!!) – still can’t believe this is really happening! We’ve seen six so far and feel like we really might have found the one!! We’re going to check it out one more time before making the official decision, but we’re pretty sure it could be it –– EEEEEK! (Update 10/7: we booked it!!!)
  • Yoga with Adriene – easing back into it and loving it. It’s been SO long since I’d even taken my mat out of the closet, and it definitely shows while I’m on it. Making it a point to do a quick 30 minute video a few times a week and really get back into the swing of things. And it makes me feel SO much better.

CELEBRATING

  • Kentucky Derby Day – so WEIRD to be doing this day in September!
  • Labor Day Weekend – very low key and relaxed. We had a lot of family time and events that we had committed to for that weekend so not a lot of your typical LDW shenanigans, but it was a nice way to end the summer – although it’s so bittersweet!
  • Mom & Dad’s Anniversary – yes, we celebrated with them this year 🤗 The five of us went to dinner and had the nicest time on the most beautiful night. And we’re all still dreaming about the dessert!

What things have you guys been loving the last month?

with love, jak