Five Friday Favorites 12.20.19

Happiest of Fridays! I am the most excited to have a 12-day weekend, hang out with my pups, Jack, family, and friends, write a whole bunch of good stuff for you, and rest up. I’ve been battling some weird, mostly-mild illness for almost a month. And by illness, I mostly mean that at this point I just need a lot of tissues, but there’s literally nothing else wrong. It’s dumb. Whatever.

But let’s end the week on a happier note! Let’s talk about our favorite things from the week. Cool? Yay.

Website refresh

I’m very familiar with the “you don’t have to have everything ready to start” camp, but I mostly suck at joining that camp. So, when I told you I wanted to shift to talking about money more, I said it and then froze.

I’m the type of person who reeeally likes a clean house before I can relax. So I turned the site into my money coaching site and decided then I could write. For not being a design person, I’m pretty happy with how I did. It feels me. And now I get to start talking to you about money, because I have the look to match. That’s totally how these things work. I’ll probably make the full-on switch in the new year, since next week is a holiday week and who wants to be reading blogs when they could be with family?

But don’t worry, I’ll be writing, like I said.

To come:

• A newsletter
• A free money tracker (it’ll do the math for ya)
• 2 blog posts/week (one money, one life, most likely)
• Free challenges to get your money together and make you feel like a badass
• And eventually, group and 1:1 money coaching

And if you’re like, “Who is this 20-something who thinks she can tell me what to do with my money?” I hear you. First, I don’t think that. Second, I know some stuff. You can find my why on my About page. I’ll also write up a nice introductory post for after Christmas.

Anyway, I’m very excited about this, and I’d be thrilled if you stuck around while I switch things up.

Virgin River

Long ago, I decided guilty pleasures were overrated. Why should I feel guilty if frivolous things make me happy?

So, I like country music and Reese’s Pieces and Gossip Girl and probably a lot of other things that call my taste into question. And one of those things is Virgin River. Late Saturday night, I needed something to watch after Pretty Woman was over, and Netflix suggested Virgin River, and I started it, expecting to watch one episode and quit, and I think I watched three episodes that night.

Then Jack got home and started making fun of it (nicely), so I couldn’t focus anymore, so I paused it and resumed the next day. And I think I finished all 10 episodes by Tuesday morning. Oops.

Look, I don’t know whether it’s good. But it is a story about love and starting over and doing a thing you never imagined yourself doing. And also, almost every actor reminds you of a way-more-famous actor, which is a little hilarious. I have no idea if Netflix will run a second season, but I’d love it if they did. And I’ll probably rewatch this one. No shame.

Cheesecloth

Don’t make fun of me. My bed has wooden slats that the mattress rests on, and then under the bed are drawers, where I keep some clothes and odds and ends. Well, having a dog who sheds like crazy… his hair gets everywhere. Including through the slats around the edges of the mattress and all over my clothes.

I asked my mom for advice (“Can I just get a piece of plastic or something and cut it to fit perfectly?”), and she suggested cheesecloth. Ordered some off Amazon, Jack cut it to fit and installed it, and now Willis’s hair can’t get through, so I can start putting more of my clothes under the bed again!

My new phone case

So, I’m usually a phone case snob. That is, I need an expensive one because obviously it’s going to work better. Obviously. Well, my last one lasted a little over a year and was chipped in enough places that I lost confidence in it.

So I scoured the internet for an appropriate replacement. But here’s the thing: I abused my last case. I stuffed it full of credit cards, gift cards, my ID, etc., because it had space. I absolutely don’t need all those things every day, but it’s nice to have them there just in case.

I got used to having all of those things and didn’t want to give that up. But most “wallet” phone cases say they hold one card plus cash. That’s not going to cut it.

And then I found this guy. It’s perfect. I love it. That’s all.

(I will say, it’s a little thick, if you’re not used to it. But to me a thicker phone case that carries everything I could possibly need is way better than carrying multiple things. Also, I’d stuffed my last one so full that I’m pretty sure it was about as thick. All good. I love it, and it was $17.)

Dinners this week

All absolute winners.

Sunday, we had steak, asparagus, and potatoes, courtesy of Jack. He’s moved inside for the winter since the chill seems to affect the temperature of the grill and make everything cook slowly and unevenly. Fortunately, he’s good with a cast iron skillet.

Monday, I made Hot Honey Salmon with roasted broccoli. I didn’t strain the seeds or anything and the salmon wasn’t that spicy, but it was delicious and easy.

Tuesday, I made Thai Skillet Pork Chops with Coconut Rice and roasted Brussels sprouts. I used about half the sugar and double the peanut butter in the sauce recipe, as well as bone broth instead of water in the rice because collagen/protein/flavor. Perfection. I want to bathe in that sauce. So good.

Wednesday, we had leftover pork, since I used the leftover salmon to make lunch, when I usually use dinner from the night before to make lunch.

Aaand Thursday we had the best chicken fajitas ever. I messed up and didn’t get enough lemons for the week, so I used limes this time. Totally great. Plus guac.

No clue what we’ll do for dinner tonight, but we usually go out/get takeout on Friday and Saturday, so I’m sure it’ll be tasty.

And that’s all from me for the week! Stay warm, stay safe, have fun, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Your turn:

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Any fun holiday plans?