What I’m Lovin’ in April

Happy April!

 1. These alternatives to saying “be careful” to a child

 2. A stray dog kept sneaking into a store to steal…a stuffed animal!

I’m a sucker for stray dogs…and THIS DOG stealing a stuffed unicorn more than once almost made me cry. Minimally, go see how happy that pup looks in the pictures with his stuffed buddy (and the ones where they’re cuddling! OMG. I can’t handle it).

 3. Upcycling empty boxes as frugal organizing solutions

The Kitchn shared the secret to what you should do before recycling your empty cereal boxes and I’m all in on it. I expanded to do this with empty breakfast bar boxes and really any lightweight cardboard box that was still in my recycling bin when I read the article. I wrapped several in hot pink wrapping paper to organize Andy’s art supplies on her rolling cart*.

 4. Produce delivery

I was considering trying a produce delivery box when I sourced opinions from our Slice Sisters’ Steals group on Facebook. Several of our members recommended a local farm (Lane Specialty Gardens) that’s offering weekly produce basket delivery.

Having so much fresh produce on-hand has definitely helped increase my fruit and vegetable intake! 

 5. Coffee

I don’t know how I’d keep up with the energy of a toddler without it. At the start of the pandemic (a year ago!), I went back to making myself pour-over coffee from fresh ground beans and haven’t turned back. If you’re a coffee lover who hasn’t jumped to whole beans, let these experts convince you as to why whole bean coffee is infinitely better than ground!

PS: I’ve been loving my Trade Coffee subscription. Every few weeks I get a different bag of fancy coffee beans to try. If you use my referral link, you’ll get your first bag FREE!

 6. This ode to the house dress

The post is actually titled In Defense Of The House Dress, but house dresses need no defense in my closet – I’ve been lovin’ them for years 😉 The author made me think about how clothes can act as a personal museum – holding memories of the past and evoking emotions in the present.

 7. Continuing the discussion of women’s mental load

Adding confirmation to what Eve Rodsky outlines in her book Fair Play*, Allison Daminger’s research further breaks down the mental load into 4 categories that follow an interesting gender split. The NY Times‘ article highlighting her research is appropriately titled Why Women Do the Household Worrying and is worth a read.

 8. This enlightening caution against complimenting weight loss

The article focuses on pandemic weight loss, but the material is timeless. I had never considered that complimenting someone on their weight loss further fuels our society’s fatphobia.

While you may not mean it this way, a weight loss compliment is kind of like saying, “Thank goodness your old body was just a ‘before’ picture!”

Christine Byrne, HuffPost

 9. It’s been ONE YEAR since we adopted Daphne

She is a total dream dog.

10. I got a haircut

I was due for a haircut when the pandemic started (last Spring!). I delayed and delayed and finally chopped it off!

I’ve also been loving this pack of fancy hair clips* I’ve been wearing daily now that my hair can’t do my usual top-knot bun 😉

11. My Raspberry Rucksack

After many months of on-and-off sewing, I finally finished my Raspberry Rucksack & love it! I’ve been carrying it daily.

12. Furniture on Facebook Marketplace

I’ve been finding the most beautiful furniture at crazy good prices on local Facebook sale groups. I snagged this vintage console table last week to replace unsightly plastic drawers I’d been using to store fabric in my bedroom/sewing space.

 Podcast Episodes I’m Lovin’ Right Now:

TED Radio Hour: The Gratitude Chain

[open in iTunes]

• A.J. went on a journey to thank every single person involved in his morning cup of coffee. Hearing how many people are involved in this process was a bit mind-blowing (as proof: if we paid everyone along the supply chain the US minimum wage, each cup would cost $25!). There are also bits of other TED Talks woven into this episode all around gratitude and its impact on mental health.

venturing VOICES: Unapologetically black

[open in iTunes]

• A former colleague of mine, Dr. Rena Dixon, is featured on this podcast and I enjoyed hearing her story as much as I enjoyed working with her! She’s a true inspiration.

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Thank you for reading along & being a part of my community. ❤

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{Catch up on all of my monthly What I’m Lovin’ posts here.}

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