Well, hello stranger!
It has BEEN awhile since I posted, and that's been (sort of) by design. I've taken the first couple of months of the year easier and enjoyed a different pace, which has been really nice. But I'm back today with a round-up of a few things I've been really enjoying recently, as well as 3 important announcements at the end!
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - WOW. This book was, well, amazing. It's a LONG one and there's lots of medicine woven into the expertly-crafted storyline, but even if you're not into that, I think you'll love it. A great book to really escape into, imagine the opportunity to truly walk in someone else's shoes, and savor the people and communities that are closest to us. In short, I loved it and I hope you read it too.
Embroidery - After the busyness leading up to the holidays - both candle-wise and personally - I wanted to relax, but sometimes I still want a creative outlet. Embroidery scratched that itch perfectly. I'm a true beginner, but I found this lovely Etsy shop and ordered a ‘Scandi Christmas’ starter kit; it was perfect to work on for a few minutes here and there and to distract myself from my husband's driving while traveling to visit family for the holidays. :) Looks like the exact kit I bought is not stocked right now (I mean, I guess it is March), but she has lots of other cute ones. I've also had my eye on some from here and here. A fun way to relax but still be creative!
Oprah's Super Soul podcast, Build The Life You Want mini-series - All right, hear me out on this one. I kind of roll my eyes with some of Oprah's woo-woo stuff, but I heard about a 3-part series on her Super Soul podcast on another podcast I listen to, and decided to check it out. She did a 3-part series in November-December 2023 with Arthur Brooks, with whom she wrote a book called “Build the Life You Want.” I'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions and such, but I thought this was an intriguing conversation and a great way to rethink the way we want to structure our lives and where we spend our time, money, and attention.
Cascadia - We love to play board games, especially when the weather isn't that nice and we're huddled up inside. This one was a gift to the boys (ages 6 and 8) for Christmas from my brother and sister-in-law, and it's been a big hit with our crew! If you like games like Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan (both also fabulous!), this is a great option to add to your board game collection. Bonus: the boys can (and do!) play it independently as well, so it's a great way for them to entertain themselves while we're making dinner.
Goodr - My long-time favorite sunglasses got warped in the sun and then got sat on by one of the kids in the car. I was dreading shelling out a ton of $$$ for a new pair, but then decided to try Goodr. I ordered a couple of pairs for myself and my husband (to meet the free shipping minimum, of course), and really love the ones I got! I've been wearing the Going to Valhalla…Witness! nonstop and really like how they look AND how they stay in place (no more sliding down the bridge of my nose!). I have my eyes on either this pair or this pair for my next purchase.
LASIK - I've been on the fence for a L-O-N-G time about getting Lasik surgery and finally took the plunge in February! I have worn glasses/contacts since I was 10 years old, and once I was switched to daily contacts due to developing an allergy to regular contacts, I thought more seriously about LASIK due to the cost and waste of daily contacts, as well as the freeing idea of being able to SEE first thing when I wake up. A friend had it last year so I put money in my FSA this year and took the plunge. It was about 2 minutes of anxiety but pretty painless and honestly, life changing. I wish I had done it years ago!
Cold brew coffee - I love cold brew coffee, especially as the weather warms up, but try to save $$$ and make it at home as much as I can. This is my go-to recipe to make it at home!
The Bear - I'm usually about 2 years behind the times on popular TV shows/movies and that continues to be true. We just finished watching Season 2 of The Bear on Hulu, and found it to be highly entertaining - and the shorter episodes are nice too, so you're not committed for a full hour. There's plenty of profanity so if that offends you I'd steer clear, but otherwise I recommend this as a really interesting show! I've never worked in a restaurant (unless you count Little Caesar's in high school, ha!), so very interesting to get a glimpse into that world.
And now for a couple of announcements, as promised:
1 - If you've noticed that some of your favorite scents are out-of-stock online, you'd be right! The wax I use has been out-of-stock for weeks, so I've been anxiously awaiting it to be restocked - and it FINALLY was! My order is set to be delivered later today (all 1100 lbs of it!), so keep your eye on the website over the coming days to weeks if something you've wanted has been out of stock!
2 - You may have noticed that my “Upcoming Events” page on crowdedtablehome.co is blank at the moment. In an effort to more carefully balance my life (ha!), I won't be at the RVA Big Market this spring and summer. I don't currently have any in-person events scheduled until this fall, but I will certainly keep you posted if that changes. For now, you can always order anything from the website directly and/or shop at one of my retail partners!
3 - The Sunshine Collection will launch next Friday, March 22nd to coincide with the official start of SPRING! If you're an email subscriber (and you should be!), watch your inboxes next week for info on all the bright and fresh scents coming your way!
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