This year I'm going to do it.
I wanted a New Year's resolution that was realistic and attainable. This year I started small. I decided I'm going to drink more water and this pretty little number has dialed up the fun in achieving my daily goal. I feel encouraged every time I pick it up. You can find yours here.
And here is my second Latest Love-
Right before Covid, my daughter gifted me an LED/UV nail lamp so I could do my own gel nails at home. We didn't know it then but what a timely gift that was! I really liked the lamp and the freedom to do my own nails, but I struggled with the topcoat. No matter what I did, short of wiping it with alcohol, even after multiple rounds under the lamp, it still felt sticky. Recently I found this amazing no-wipe top coat and I am a total fan-girl. Seriously, it is dry to the touch after one minute under the lamp.
I seldom add anything foodie-leaning to my Latest Loves posts because I'm not a cook. I do, though, like eating and I am always up for discovering easy ways to add some flavor and flair to my meals. This seasoning is one of my new favorites to add to rice, fish, and burgers. The Everglades website suggests adding it to grits. That sounds amazing!
We bought ours here.
Then there was this fun find...
Are you old enough to remember dickies? They were these turtle neck or sometimes button-down-looking numbers that you could tuck into a v-neck sweater, dress, or any top and they created the illusion that you were wearing another layer underneath but without all the bulk. I had them as a kid and I'd forgotten about them until these shirt extenders showed up in my Instagram feed and reminded me of those dickies from my past.
They are called shirt extenders. I call them #cheaters. My thighs look better because you can't see them. LOL
If you are anything like me, I'm guessing you have a few sweatshirts or sweaters that are just a wee bit too short to wear with some of your more revealing leggings. And sometimes a longer length just looks more flattering with those skinny jeans too. That's when these shirt extenders are a godsend. I was going to donate some of my shorter tops but now, after adding these extenders, they are back in regular rotation. The extenders come in both a button front and t-shirt hemline look. I found mine here.
I usually like to add a book to my Latest Loves too.
So, what have I been reading? Well, true confession, I ordered the wrong book for book club. I had the right title but the wrong author and I erroneously downloaded Anthem by Ayn Rand.
The first chapter was so beyond weird I had some serious doubts about the woman that I thought had chosen this book for the group, but I kept reading. For me, the book's only redeeming quality was that it was short. I was about to throw in the towel on this one but then, a couple of chapters in, I started to be intrigued
.
I did a little research and even though the book could easily have been written today, it was actually written in the 1930s by a Russian woman that had come to the United States after WWI. The tale takes place at some unspecified time in the future but during a dark age. The theme is individualism vs. collectivism. The social system in the book is one that puts the public sector above all. The collective good over the individual. In this culture, there aren't names, only numbers. There is no I, no he, no she, only them and we. No relationships. No preferences. For me, even though this book was written eighty-five years ago, it sounds eerily familiar to the woke agenda and much like a culture that the liberal elite of the twenty-first century appears to want us to achieve. If you consider yourself extremely woke, a far-left liberal, and a follower of AOC, this isn't the book for you. If you are a cheerleader for individual rights and freedoms then this book is incredibly timely and has some real potential for a group discussion.
I purchased mine through Apple books but it is available in numerous formats.
The book I am supposed to be reading and just started is Anthem by Noah Hawley.
The jury is still out on this one. I will keep you posted.
Last, but not least, I can't do a Latest Loves post without featuring at least one design element, so I am sharing this barn door with you. I wish I had seen or thought of this look before we finished our downsized home up north. This door would have been perfect leading into our laundry room. As soon as we moved I regretted that I hadn't incorporated a barn door in that space. This week I saw this one, in black, and with the glass insert that would allow light into our hallway. It would have been spot-on-perfect (Insert sigh here). I love it. Don't you?
It is available here.
With January and the resets that come with it in the rearview mirror, I am looking forward to getting back to writing more frequently and with some fresh content as we begin some new projects here in our Florida home.
