advice
1.12.21 8

The Five Best Things I Bought in 2020

Is it just me, or does 2020 already feel like it was five years ago? I saw a meme on Twitter the other day that said 2021 is just the sequel to 2020—I really related to that! I hope you’re all finding ways to take care of yourself during these cold, dark winter days. I’ve never consciously been excited for Spring Forward—but y’all, I definitely am this year. More sunlight in a day? SIGN ME UP!

I was brainstorming post ideas over my “adult winter break” and really wanted to share some of my best buys of 2020. (I shared my best buy of 2018 here, 2017 here, 2016 here, and, if I had written a similar post in 2015, it’d be about this. I accidentally let this series lag in 2019!) I love hearing about what others bought for this stay-at-home lifestyle we’ve all found ourselves in, and it’s something my coworkers and I are constantly chatting about on our “water cooler” Slack channel.

This year, I had a really hard time picking one item to crown as my best buy of 2020, so I decided to share my top five instead. One thing I do want to caveat is that none of the things below are necessary at all—I am not sharing any of these products to pressure you into buying them. I just wanted to share in case they’re helpful and you’re in the market for something similar. I know so many people are suffering in all sorts of ways, including financially, and I hope we’re all on the other side of this soon. Read more “The Five Best Things I Bought in 2020”

personal notes
1.6.21 4

My 2021 Goals

I love dreaming and planning for the future—and I think that’s one thing that made 2020 such a mental challenge for me. During a pandemic, the future, even just days or weeks away, is very uncertain. In fairness, life was always that uncertain, but my experience over the last year just brought that to light in an entirely new way.

If you’re a long-time reader (thank you so much!), you know that each year I write a blogpost sharing my goals for the year—you can see my past goals here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.

This year, however, is different. While I am optimistic about where the year could go, I am not setting any goals for 2021. Instead, I am going to focus on taking things day-by-day. There is still so much uncertainty, and if you’re anything like me, some days, you’re ready to go-go-go, and other days, you just need to sit and do nothing. As such, it feels unfair to myself to add any extra pressure during a time that provides more than enough pressure on its own. I’m still going to keep moving forward when I can. I’m going to focus on making the best of each day. And I am going to focus on celebrating the little things. There will be other years for the big things.

Since I did set goals for 2020, I wanted to recap how I did on them—but I am giving myself a ton of grace because I didn’t know that 2020 would become ~2020~ when I wrote these goals last January. Ah, simpler times! Read more “My 2021 Goals”

home decor vintage Dixie Aloha faux bamboo dresser
1.3.21 4

My Vintage Dixie Aloha Faux Bamboo Dresser (+ Some Tips for Buying Vintage Furniture)

I can’t believe “adult winter break” is coming to a close—I took two weeks off work and it was so nice to have this time to relax and recharge, especially after 2020. I didn’t leave town at all and instead just focused on some personal projects like reorganizing around my apartment to get ready for the new year, catching up on must-watch TV and books, and enjoying living life without a set schedule. 

During the workweek, especially this past year when there’s less separation between work + home, I sometimes lack the motivation to work my blog. I have to be really “on” at work, so there are many days where by close of business, I just want to get away from my computer, not sit on it for longer. Now that I’ve had a break from work—especially since Q4 is always our busiest time!—I’ve felt really energized about blogging again and am hoping to keep that momentum going.

Since we are spending so much time at home, I’ve been really excited about having a new apartment to decorate. (You can see some things I’ve done so far here, here, and here.) As I was brainstorming ideas for posts, I realized I never shared one of the larger purchases I’ve made for my place: a gorgeous vintage Dixie Aloha Bamboo Dresser that I purchased from D.E.G. Furniture Designs. I purchased it the week I moved in to be used as a credenza under my mounted TV and it arrived about four weeks later. It fits the space perfectly and gave me a ton of extra storage, which has been so nice to have.

(As of the original post date, they have an identical one in stock on their Etsy Shop HERE.) Read more “My Vintage Dixie Aloha Faux Bamboo Dresser (+ Some Tips for Buying Vintage Furniture)”