Today I’m starting a new blog series where I share a whole bunch of random “good things” – books, shows, products, etc. I always find myself coming across miscellaneous finds and don’t get around to sharing them, so this will also be a place for that!
Let’s get the negative out of the way first: The start of 2022 wasn’t world’s best – I tested positive for COVID-19 on January 2 despite being fully vaxxed, work was super busy, and this time of year in New England is just cold. But a few weeks after that, we escaped to Florida for the best wedding weekend with friends (loved staying at the Bellasera Resort!), and I came back refreshed.
I’m happy to report that from there, I’ve been getting back in the swing of things with a positive outlook! I’m refocusing on my priorities – working normal hours, spending time with family and friends – and making sure I take time to do things that make me feel good – stretching, exercise, and reading. I’ve been doing Wordle in the morning and am back to tracking habits via the Habit Tracker app (recently upgraded to the premium version).
I’m not entirely sure what the cadence of these posts will be moving forward, but I had fun putting it together and think it’ll give you inspiration for your own lives, while also serving as something for me to look back on! Here’s my first edition of good things:
What I’m Reading:
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong in my book – another great read from her about a Malibu-bred family in 1983, intertwined with the lifestyles of the rich and famous. It’s ultimately about one specific night that changed all of their lives forever.
- Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand: I’m very late to the party on this author, who writes beachy reads based on Nantucket. This one is actually about a Nantucket novelist who is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run.
What I’m Watching:
- Before starting these recap posts, I recently caught up on Yellowstone (Paramount) and Succession (HBO).
- Euphoria (HBO): We binged Season 1 and everything in Season 2 pretty quickly recently and are now caught up. This show is so well done – high schoolers getting into lots of trouble with complicated relationships – and I had no idea Zendaya was also such a good actress. The latest episode was intense!
- The Bachelor (ABC): No explanation needed here – I’m a big watcher of all series/seasons of this show and try to stay pretty up-to-date on it.
- Summer House (Bravo): My other reality TV flavor of the month since this show just came back on!
- The Righteous Gemstones (HBO): My husband convinced me to watch this show and while it’s not my absolute favorite, it’s a good dark humor show and I’m into it enough.
What I’m Listening to:
- Bachelor Party: The best podcast to recap any Bachelor season, hosted by Juliete Litman from The Ringer.
- Skimm This: Last year I was good about listening to this, NYT’s The Daily, or NPR’s Up First, and I’m trying to listen to this on my daycare walk or while I prepare my daughter’s lunch in the morning. Right now, I listen to the others when there are topics I’m interested in.
- The Skinny Confidential Him & Her: A continual favorite – they have all kinds of high profile guests ranging from celebs, to subject matter experts on important topics ranging from fertility and mental health, to productivity, relationships, and so much more.
- I’m going to try to remember to be better about highlighting specific episodes I love!
Shopping Finds:
- [For Me] Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream: I had this for a while and don’t know why I was wasting my time on anything other than this, especially during winter months when my skin has been so dry. I’ll be buying this again!
- [For Me] Lightweight Gold Hoop Earrings: I have these in the 30mm and am now going for the 40mm – they are so good and inexpensive!
- [For Me] Cuyana Double Loop Bag: Eyeing this crossbody bag that has a good amount of room for my next bag. I’ve had another from them for years that I still get lots of use out of – their leather bags hold up!
- [For Toddlers] H&M Flare Jeggings: I’ve always bought this jegging 3-pack in every size, and for spring will be trying out the flare version.
- [For Home] Brightroom Storage Line: Target launched a line of clear bins that are less expensive than most brands out there. I’m on a kitchen cabinet storage mission and have my eye on these and these! My favorite rope coil storage bins are also under Brightroom now.
Popular Daily Katy Posts:
- Baby & Toddler Valentine’s Day Books: We’ve collected some good ones over the past couple years and I love buying seasonal books vs. other types of presents.
- Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds: These types of posts are among my favorites because people keep coming back to them! They’re based on lots of research and actual buying/using of things with my daughter of course.
- Beach Baby Essentials: Clearly people are either heading away from the cold weather or preparing to do so! I need to do a toddler version of this post, although I still use many of these beach essentials now.
- Kauai, Hawaii Travel Guides – Princeville + Poipu: Similar to above, it’s time to start planning trips – especially big trips like Hawaii that many people have missed over the past couple of years. I love recapping trips into comprehensive travel guides, especially when I’ve been to a place more than once like this.
- Kentucky Derby Day Style: The first quarter of the year always brings a resurfacing of my Derby Day posts, which started back in 2017 when a friend had a themed bridal shower I was getting inspiration for. Another top post is Where to Buy Fascinators.
