Happy Friday! It feels silly even writing that as it does feel like every day is kind of the same now BUT I am trying to maintain some sort of normalcy so I will continue to say it. Happy. Friday. Today I wanted to share a little list of little things that make my day a little better… or at least a little more normal. With all of the uncertainty going on right now I have found that having little things to look forward to makes the days a bit brighter! (AND, if you are up for it I’d love for you to share your little things in the comments!!!)
Making my bed every morning.
I am a pretty tidy person but have been trying to keep my bedroom as close to perfect as possible. I’ve always treated my bed as a sanctuary: I keep it a work-free zone and it’s extra extra important to me to have it feel as serene as possible. I’ve thought a bit about why I feel this way and I think that a) it gives me a sense of control over SOMETHING and b) I’m immediately doing something productive and am starting my day with a (tiny!) sense of accomplishment. So every morning, as I make my coffee and while it’s brewing I make my bed and tidy up the bedroom. That way at the end of the day, my bed (and bedroom) is ready for me.
Burning the good candles.
Does anyone else do this? You hoard your favorite fancy candles and rarely light them? I do that. It’s so silly. I realized I have so many of my favorite candle because I leave them on my table but never light them; opting instead to burn candles I’m less excited about. Lately I’ve been burning my nice candles and not feeling bad about it. I picked up four more at the Sephora sale and also ordered a few new ones from BeautyPie (love their candles and they just released a bunch of new scents) I don’t feel bad about it!
Phone calls.
I will admit that I’m having a little bit of Facetime and Zoom fatigue but I try to talk to someone at least once a day. Whether it’s to vent or just check in, it’s so important to stay connected, especially as I’m pretty isolated right now! I know my friends who are isolating with their families feel the same way though – it’s a break for them!
Walks.
I try to take a walk every day. It doesn’t always happen (I didn’t get outside yesterday) but a little bit of sunshine and exercise really does make the day better!
Good coffee.
As with non-quarantine times, I make a big Nespresso coffee every morning and then usually have another one around one. I love my Vertuoline machine (I’ve had mine a little over 5 years now!) My favorite pods are the Dolce XL – I like the big ones!
Making a fresh piece of flatbread almost every day.
Okay so it’s no secret that I absolutely LOVE Alison Roman’s Sour Cream flatbread. It’s one of my favorite recipes from her cookbook Dining In and while it’s time consuming (you need about 5 hours total to make the dough) it is EASY and most of the time is just letting the dough rise so you don’t actually do much hands on work.
Recently I made a big batch just to see what happened. I made four pieces. I ate two and refrigerated the other two. The bread itself heats up wonderfully. But I didn’t want to make a million pieces of bread only to have them go bad so I refrigerated the rest of the dough. I wasn’t sure if it would be okay and I am delighted to tell you that the refrigerated dough is fab! So most days for lunch this week I made soup or a stew or a salad and then I just heat up my cast iron skillet with a little bit of olive oil and cook the dough for a few minutes on each side. It is WONDERFUL. Fresh, fluffy, and just delicious. Highly recommend!
Take out rituals.
I am definitely cooking a LOT more which is mostly fun (besides all the dishes). But I have a few little take out rituals and those are always bribht spots in the week. Once a week I get sushi from my fav local spot (Bozu), on Sundays I order in brunch (usually from The Butcher’s Daughter or 12 Chairs) and on Tuesdays I get Dunkin. Having little things to look forward to makes a BIG difference!
Taking my nightly baths.
Baths are just life right now. I’ve always been a big fan of baths but now, without fail, I take one every single night. Every night. It’s all about the little ritual and is usually the best part of the day. The end of the work day, the beginning of wine and TV or reading time. I alternate between doing detoxifying soaks, hydrating oils, or relaxing CBD salts. I talk about baths a lot. This page has all of my favorites and these lavender CBD salts are amazing and a part of the Sephora sale! I set a timer for 20 minutes, grab a book, and put the phone in another room.
Pretty Pajamas.
Honestly Summersalt partnership on Instagram could not have come at a better time as I’ve always loved fancy PJs but now sometimes feel like my sanity is hinging upon my nightly bath followed by a change into pretty pajamas. Maybe it’s because I’m not getting dressed up anymore, so in a way, I dress up for bed? Is that crazy and weird? I LOVE all of Summersalt’s new pajamas (take $10 off with code GRACE10) so much. I also got this pajama set, which is so pretty. And these house shoes are pretty great too. The prettiest.
Tell me your “little things” if you feel like it!!!
Also: my favorite hand creams, and nine tips for a better night’s sleep!
I really sympathise for you, Grace! I don’t think I’d be able to handle being on my own for so long as well as you have. Hang in there! And happy Friday! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks Charamine! I’m doing okay! Appreciate that! Have a great weekend!!!!
The little things for me really are just my morning routines. I wake up, brew some coffee, take my dog for a walk, and then drink coffee while watching The Today Show. Then I usually do either yoga or barre over Zoom. They’re my few precious hours of “having my shit together” because it truly all goes downhill from there.
I’m also burning ALL the Christmas candles that I hoarded during sales in January because WHY WAIT? Time doesn’t matter.
And I’m making myself a burger for breakfast today. Because again, time doesn’t matter.
Oh my gosh I did the same thing. WHY??? I fully know I will buy or be given new ones next year!!!! I have a candle hoarding problem. Enjoy that burger!!! 😉
GOOD PAJAMAS. I couldn’t agree more on that point.
YES – the best little luxury!
I’m honestly running out of candles at this point! I just ordered a new Lou & Grey cozy outfit from loft and cannot wait for it to come.
I have been ordering flowers from local florists who are struggling without the pick up of wedding season/spring events and it’s SO nice to have them in the house. Especially with a rainy weekend ahead.
Oh that’s such a nice idea! A girlfriend sent me fresh tulips a few weeks ago but ordering flowers seems so indulgent. I’m going to look into it!
Also can’t recommend the Maison Louis Marie candle enough, I think it’s still in stock at Sephora!
This might sound so dumb, but I have loved the game Animal Crossing! It is actually super relaxing and low stakes game so it really is a way to relax and play something to get your mind off the rest of the world fora while!
I’ve never played but can relate as I have a really embarrassing Candy Crush addiction – am going to check this out!
+ every few days I’m making a fresh batch of cold brew. It’s my best morning treat.
+ I’m taking on new cooking challenges every week and have conquered things I never thought I’d be able to – biscuits, gnocchi, tamales, focaccia (<– seriously y'all, try Samin Nosrat's focaccia recipe – it freezes PERFECTLY)
+ I dug back into my old binder of CDs that I haven't looked through in foreverrrr and am working my way through some intense musical memories! (in a good way!)
+ I washed my hotpads and oven mitts the other day. Now that's living 🙂
I love these and am SO impressed that you made foccacia! Thanks for sharing!
My boyfriend and I were reallllllllly feeling in a rut for the first month of this. Last week we decided to create a “daily health flow” of things we want to accomplish daily. It includes: meditating, skincare, quick walks, chugging water, and taking vitamins. Oh and flossing. We wrote it down on a white board and every time I look at it, it makes me happy that we’re taking small steps to stay healthy and sane during this time.
Dana | The Champagne Edit
Love this!!!! And I need to remember to floss, lol!
ha I also save the “good” candles but decided this week to stop doing that and just burn them! I was also saving the “good” leggings too. My little pleasure is my alma mater, UConn, has the cutest husky mascot, Jonathan, and his instagram is adorable.
Haha, why do we do this!? I also save my good leggings. Another reader referenced the good wine and same to that. Let’s stop hoarding our nicer things and just enjoy them!
Also quarantining alone – I have a night routine now where I get off work, try and cook dinner before 7, shower and get in pjs, then watch The Hills I had no idea it was on Hulu so I’ve been binging that!! But also yes having little things to look forward to and trying to run in the mornings before work so I ACTUALLY shower instead of not showering and telling myself I will work out later.
I love this! I need to get into a better routine!!!
Yes to all of the above 🙂 I make all of the beds each morning, I feel accomplished right out of the gate! A big coffee mmmmmm I also have the Vertuoline and my goal is to use all of my pods before ordering new during this time. Love that they send you the bag to recycle as well – so good! WSJ and Nat Geo just just published articles on Zoom fatigue v good and worth a read if you have time – have a good weekend!!
I know! And something cool is that in New York you can actually put the capsules in with your recycling now.
Seriously? My mind is blown!! That is very exciting for me hahahah
Yeah! Mine was too!!!
Grace I love this! You seriously make my day with your blog posts. Little things that I’ve been enjoying are trying the “good” wine – aka a shelf higher than my usual weeknight choice 😉 It’s been fun sampling new reds I normally wouldn’t splurge on and feels absolutely worth it. I also have a running note in my phone of all the comforting recipes I want to try: I pick two each week I want to make and base my 1x a week shopping trip off of that. I started making masks (fashion fabric ones) for friends and family and it’s been so therapeutic to stay off my phone while I make them! Screen time is at an all-time high and I find myself with a headache by 3PM sometimes haha. I sent my sister some skincare in the mail the other day and the act of giving + knowing it will be a surprise for her put me in a good mood too. The little things add up so thank you for the reminder and sharing this will all of us! XO
Awww, thanks Emma, that makes me so happy!
I should do the same thing – when I drink by myself (depressing lol, but I live for that end of day glass of wine!) I never open up my fancy bottles as it feels wasteful, just having them alone. I think maybe this weekend I will open up my Domaine Serene (and toast you from afar!)
Also feel the same about the screentime headache. It’s brutal! I thought i was dehydrated at first but realized it’s from TOO MANY SCREENS!
Hang in there and have a great weekend!
Yes you definitely should treat yourself! I feel like this has been a big week at work for you (from what we all see content-wise). You’re so sweet for sharing my comment on IG stories ❤️ Have a good weekend too!
Phone calls are everything to me right now x
Lisa | lisaautumn.com
It really helps! I was just saying to a friend, usually I hate calls but now I get so excited when I have one!
Making my bed every morning is important to me as well! Another thing I’ve been doing (although come to think of it, I’ve slacked the last few days…) is to “put my kitchen to bed” every evening. I can’t remember where I read this, wish I could take credit, but it really resonated. Taking a few minutes to be sure the sink is cleared out, dishes are away or drying and the counter is wiped up. It makes starting the morning feel that much better!
I love that expression! My mornings are always so much nicer when I do this. Thank you for sharing!!!
Each morning, I take time to read all of my fun inbox newsletters while drinking coffee. Such a lighthearted way to start the day!
I love that! Curious what your favorite email newsletters are – always looking to add new ones to my list!
daily walks, spinning, bright pink lipstick, weekly mani/pedi, catching up with kids and sibs and tomorrow I start on python class!
love that! What is python class!?
It’s a coding language, unless there is another type of python!
Oh! That’s so cool!
Grace,
Your list of things comprises the most perfect day in my opinion!
I’m curious about your thoughts on the safety of take out? Are you taking any extra precautions? This virus has made me afraid to enjoy anything:(
xo
You know, I think about that too and it’s very hard but I chance it. I don’t know if my answer is “right” but I do a contact-free delivery (where they leave it outside your door and text you) and then I open it up, take everything out of the packaging, discard the packaging, and then eat it! So there’s a risk involved (but there’s a risk with everything these days!) Same goes for the mail and getting groceries/laundry delivered. :-/ it’s hard.
In the morning, I make a list of things that will bring me joy and help me get through the day: a walk, Yoga with Adriene, podcasts, a bath, my Shine App, solo dance party, ordering takeout, etc. It was a tip from my therapist and its helped a lot. It keeps me going during work days and on and helps me refocus if I start to feel down. Plus, I love having a bring me joy to do list.
I love that idea!!!! I think I’m going to implement as well. THANK YOU!
I make a list everyday also. It brings me great joy to check items off the list! ♀️ I’m also burning all the candles and when those candles burn down I am cleaning out the pretty jars/glass that held them and filling them with flowers from my garden…. gifting them to neighbors.
I have been trying my hand at being a barista each afternoon. I love a good mid day pick me up coffee, and have been trying out homemade syrup recipes, cappuccinos, and the whipped coffee.
Also, burning all the candles. At this point, I am almost running out, and I never thought that day would come!
Making my bed each morning, and getting outside for a run or walk has give me a sense of normalcy in my day.
I love that! I’ve been getting into making the whipped coffee myself… it’s so good!
I have been loving my morning coffee (and mid-morning and afternoon ones ). I ordered a 5lbs bag from my favourite local coffee shop maybe a month ago and am already out…I’m not sure if I am more concerned or proud at this point. I treated myself to a few new mugs that I had been eyeing so it makes it even sweeter. Making my bed in the morning and putting on cute outfits during the week has helped me to feel a little more normal and have definitely been using all of my “special” candles. I live relatively far from most of my friends/family and travel between our provinces in pretty restricted/limited so I’ve been surprising them with little gifts from some of their favourite places that are doing delivery or that I can order online from. It’s been bringing me a lot of joy to be able to find ways to surprise them and it makes me feel like we’re not so far apart!
Haha, I felt the same with my Nespresso pods. I was like HOW ARE THEY ALREADY GONE!?!
Love these little things. Hang in there, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
I’m thinking of buying some birdies. Do you have a promo code?
Thanks!
I don’t!