Happy Friday and happy February! I know so many people who felt like the first month of the new year dragged on and on, but it was very much the opposite for me. And in a lot of ways, I feel a bit behind for it. I’ve been trying to remind myself that the holiday season was batshit crazy and it’s okay that I slowed down and took some time to reset. I know that recharge is oh-so-necessary for my mind and body so I can focus on what I want to accomplish this year and really get after it.I was holed up for most of the week due to the record-breaking temps we had here in Chicago and am beyond happy to be having a normal Friday, and that the sun is shining! I took full advantage of the downtime I was given to just chill out. I’m a sucker for a good rom-com (cliché storylines and all), so Wednesday night I did what any single 30-something would do and turned to Netflix, aka the cure all. Armed with a glass of my favorite Cabernet, I laughed and cried my way through To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and then I decided I’ll have what Lara Jean is having. 😉 But seriously, can we talk about how hot Peter Kavinsky is?! Haha. I loved how many of you sent me a message about him after posting to my Instagram stories!

While I was hibernating, I set out to find a blueberry muffin recipe and ended up landing on an Instagram page (Mix and Measure) filled with all the delicious things. One quick skim of the bio that reads, “it’s hard to be sad when you’re eating a cookie” and I knew I was in the right place. I sent a DM to the woman behind the account to see if she’d be willing to share the recipe and she was so sweet and sent me a photo of her handwritten recipe card – she’s been making them since the 70s! The recipe is actually from the bakery she worked at inside Jordan Marsh, which I learned was Boston’s very first department store. Anywho, the Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins are packed with juicy blueberries and the muffin itself is a cake-like consistency, yum and yum. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the tops. They come out with these perfectly crisp edges and the center is filled in by tiny sugar crystals. Highly recommend. A quick tip on baking: make sure you get every single bit of the pan sprayed and the entire top, too (even if you’re using muffin liners as they really blow up and will stick to the top if you’re not careful….not speaking from experience or anything 😉 )

A quick housekeeping item, I got a few emails over the last two weeks saying my posts aren’t showing up in the Bloglovin’ feed and I’ve reached out to them several times without a response. It seems to be fixed now, but wanted to remind you that you can always sign up to get new post alerts directly to your inbox. I realize some people don’t want another email, but it’s the only solution I’ve got at the moment.

I’m really excited about this week’s round-up of links! There are a lot of great reads and I hope you love them as much as I did.

Song of the week: The Reason – Chelsea Cutler. Turn it up and listen as you browse 🙂

AROUND THE WEB/WORLD:

• These tights were like my second skin this week and I can’t tell you how comfortable they are. They’re super soft and on sale for $62!
• Victoria penned her thoughts on age and it really got me thinking about how I’ve been viewing my 31.5 year old self and where I’m at in life lately.
• Grace’s post on bloggers being relatable was great, but the comments are even better. I read through every last one of them and found them all to be so incredibly insightful. I think there’s a big shift happening within the blogging space and I think it’s being fueled both by content producers and readers (consumers) alike.
• I’ve been listening to the Second Life podcast – Eva Chen and Hannah Bronfman’s episodes have been my favorites so far!
• I said this last week, but I really love reading about money. I’m a very curious by nature, and even though I know this is going to come off wrong I’m going to say it anyway….I just really like money. I’m a firm believer that money, to an extent, can buy you happiness simply because it can buy you comfort. Carly wrote about investing in a designer bag and how her relationship with money shaped that purchase and I found it all to be very intriguing.
• Four words: John Mayer on tour!!!! And here I thought summer in Chicago couldn’t get any better.
• Kansas City friends, have you heard of The Campground?! I was on a call with someone on the west coast last week and not only is she originally from Illinois, but she spent quite a bit of time in Kansas City. We got to talking and she asked if I’d been to this spot and I hadn’t even heard of it! One look at their Instagram and it shot straight to the top of places to try next time I’m back home for a visit.
• My Cuyana crossbody bag also comes in a gorgeous nude color, perfect for summoning spring! Side note: I can’t believe this was two years ago. Woah. Madewell has a super similar ruffle-hem top to the one I’m wearing from them in this post!
• I’ve never met a stripe I didn’t like and the trim around the collar on this one is speaking my language! Not to mention, I need to break away from my all black ensembles.
• I’m due for a reorder of my Ned full spectrum CBD oil and I decided I’m going to dose up. It’s really been helping with my insomnia and I’m excited to see how my body does with the higher potency. If you’re looking to try hemp oil out for yourself, you can get $15 off your first order here!
• You know I’m all about trying new workouts and studios, and I was so excited to hear Cyclebar Chicago is opening in River North! My friend Annie teaches at a studio in Nashville and having been on a bit of a cycling kick lately, I’m happy to have another spot to pop into.
• Along those same lines, Exhale is offering a new guided meditation class where you spend 30 minutes focusing on body and breath and then flow through calming, restorative poses in a silk hammock (super similar to the ones at Airfit). I really want to implement more restorative practices into my wellness routine in the coming months/year and can’t wait to try it through Classpass.
• Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day are fast approaching and I’ve got just the thing for you! And if that’s not enough, Shopbop has an entire page dedicated to great gift ideas and it’s safe to say you can never go wrong with a Diptyque candle set.

As for this weekend, I’m just looking forward to some human interaction! I’m heading to happy hour at Booth One later tonight (their HH menu is so good) and plan to get myself out to the lake with the weather we’re supposed to have!

Whatever you’re up to this weekend, I hope it’s great! I’ll be sharing in real-time over on Instagram stories, so be sure to follow along there!

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