July 2019 Reading Goals

For most of my life I devoured books. I was constantly growing my reading pile, sharing and trading books with others, until I went back to school. When I re-enrolled in college all my reading time was devoted to textbooks and reading fell to the wayside. Sadly that continued past graduation as I threw myself into my work and even began a business with speech therapy materials.

A while back I felt like work was all-consuming. I made significant plans to reclaim my free time, and reading became a part of that. Since I'm currently not working, I'm excited to "devour" a few more! So, without further ado, here are all the books I'm looking to get through in July:

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You are a Badass (by Jen Sincero)

Personality Types (by Riso and Hudson)

For the Love (by Jen Hatmaker)

I Asked for Intimacy (by Renita Weems)

Girl, Wash Your Face (by Rachel Hollis)

I'm also finishing up this book on audiobook:

as well as this book:

 And finally, I'm pre-reading a digital copy of this book as well! 

I would love to get started on my August reading list, any amazing suggestions?? Drop them in a comment for me so I can check out something new!

June 101 Things Update

If you haven’t seen it yet, my first post on my blog was my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. This is my second iteration after making my first in January 2016, but at the end of my 1001 days I had only completed 48 tasks.

I am determined to make it through more tasks this go-round and doing multiple check-ins will be key to that. I plan to blog a couple of the tasks themselves, but will also be attempting monthly check ins through the end of this year. So here goes!

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June has been a month of intense change for me, so I haven’t thought much of this list honestly. I was able to finish three books (Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image, Just a Sister Away, and The Body Keeps the Score). We also ate all the pickles I made back in April. They were SUUUUUPER sour, but so delicious. I also saved and drank all the pickling juice when I had headaches, have you ever done that? It’s so good!

Anyways, I also worked towards three monthly goals (having 2 people over, buying myself flowers, painting my (toe) nails). I am also close to blogging on BOTH of my blogs this month! That’s huge for me, honestly. I have had a speech therapy blog for over 3 years now and have only 15 posts. In fact, my last post was in November…face palm, amirite? I also started working on some Pinterest SEO and as well as TpT marketing content which is a big of an ongoing process right now.

All in all, an unremarkable month towards my goals. 

In July I would like to:
-finish 7 more books
-hike up north
-make filled pasta (possibly with my rolling pin instead of my pasta maker?)
-make hummus
-unplug for a day
-buy myself flowers
-find a new job--more on that later!

Kitchen Wish List

If you know me, you’ll know that the majority of my time is spent in the kitchen. I love to cook and bake. I love to try new things, to perfect difficult things, to repeatedly make comforting favorites.  I am a bit of a romantic when it comes to cooking and baking, so to me there is a peace and joy in the long, often slow, act of preparing.

My kitchen is full of gadgets, pretty plates, random ingredients. Even still, I keep an ongoing list of things I wish for. I thought I’d share a few of them here!

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Espresso Maker

First off, I have dreamed for years of an espresso maker. I am a coffee fiend. I would love nothing more than to take a moment of morning preparation for a homemade latte. In fact, my 101 things list includes replacing my coffee pot with an espresso maker by the end of my 1001 days.

Speaking of coffee…

When we moved into our new apartment, the ONLY thing that broke in the course of our move was the glass insert to my French press.  Noooo. I have a lovely gold press, but I haven’t been able to enjoy it since before January. Sad face. Replacing my insert is on my list so I can enjoy another pot of French pressed coffee soon!

Dutch Oven

In the future, I’ll be sharing our open pantry situation, and when that day comes your keen eye may notice that I already own two Dutch ovens. That’s right, two enameled Dutch ovens, and still this made my list. I’m not crazy, so let me explain!

If you don’t have a Dutch oven, and you do a lot of cooking, you are MISSING OUT! Dutch ovens are cast iron (enameled or not) dishes that can withstand and hold intense heat. These babies can go from the stove top directly into your oven without missing a beat. They are also lovely for serving and can be pulled from your oven and placed directly onto your table.

So why do I need three? I have two of varying sizes. One is a large 5.5 quart that my parents got me years back. It has lasted me probably 7-8 years by now. It is perfect for stews, soups, large meals when entertaining, it’s even where I make my sourdough bread! When we got married I registered for and received a smaller 3 qt.Dutch oven. I use this one for smaller meals, and more often than anything, drinks! During the holidays I love to use my small Dutch oven for atole, spiced cider, and mulled wine—this size perfectly holds a 1 liter bottle of wine for sharing!

So why a third? Bread! In the beginning I made only round loaves, but have hoped to make batards (oval shaped loaves) in the future. I have small oval proofing baskets but my loaves still appear more round as they cook in a perfectly round Dutch oven. With an oval Dutch oven, and longer proofing baskets, I could make batards more traditionally shaped for sandwich slicing.

If none of the bread words made sense, you should just know that your kitchen is in need of at least ONE piece of cast iron cookware, enameled or not!

Butter Warmer

Our apartment does not have a microwave, and I honestly don't care. I only ever used our microwave very rarely, and in our last apartment I almost only used it to melt butter and make popcorn. It’s easy enough to make popcorn on the stove, but wasting a pot to melt a stick of butter has been a hassle I try to avoid. I would love to get a small butter warmer, in a light color which would help when browning butter in baking!

Bread Knife

Have I talked about bread enough? If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve certainly gotten waaaaay more than your share of bread talk from me. I would love to add a sharp, sturdy bread knife to my utensils drawer.

Silpat and Sheet Pans
My kitchen is a mish mash of gifted and thrifted. For instance, I have three cookie sheets, all of different sizes. They are absolutely usable, but I would love to have identical half sheet pans for consistency of production. I also use obscene amounts of parchment paper and could love to cut back with reusable silpat liners.

What about you? I would LOVE to hear what’s on your kitchen wish list—drop your own list below!

First Friday Favorite

So here it is, the first of my Friday favorites!

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When I wrote the title I realized it could either be my first Friday Favorites or "First Friday" favorites, only published on the first Friday of the month. I'm honestly not sure which will hold up, we'll just see where it goes from here.

This dress became my immediate favorite when I purchased it a couple weeks ago. I love me a good maxi dress, but living in the desert they can trap all that summer heat and become quickly unbearable. This is the first midi dress I've owned and I'm in love! Sure, it may cut me off at the wrong spot since I'm so short, but it is light and airy without the maxi dress heat trap or any mini dress length discomfort. You can expect to see it repeatedly in my insta story pictures!

Clearly I meant what I said, as the same dress is making an appearance here. The real star of this photo though is clearly that killer loaf of bread! Since the school year ended and I've been mostly holed up at home, I've been making looooads of loaves. Loads of loaves! My starter "Kona" and I have been making so many impressive loaves since then. I think I've made at least 10 in the last week and a half. Despite being bread lovers, my husband has at last gotten tired of loaves all over the kitchen!

I ordered this book right after we moved into our new place this year. I had purchased it along with a couple others and made the mistake of starting them all at once. I was reading three books at once, while also working full, attending two groups with "homework", and trying to find time to read for fun. Which obviously sounds like a brilliant way to stay focused and on track with my book, right??? Yeah, I'm sure you can guess how well that went down. Anyway, when work finished up I was able to finally focus my attention on one book at a time and I chose to finish this beauty first. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. One day I will likely do a review, or share my own body image story while discussing this book, but let me just say that you will NOT regret this purchase. In fact clicking the picture above will link you directly to purchasing it on Amazon! You can also hear the amazing author, Hillary McBride on Jen Hatmaker's podcast here .


How about you? What are YOUR Friday favorites of the week? I'd love to hear more below!

Dry shampoo

You know what really freaked me out? Writing post number two.

My first post felt like a bit of a cop out, simply attaching my goals list I'd been working on. There was nothing really involved in that, and it didn't push my blog into a certain direction. I felt stuck.

All big blogs that have ever been, sucked in the beginning. It takes so much time to find your voice, to find your direction, to find your style. The need to have all those things figured out from day one gave me some serious creative blocks in my path of moving forward.

So today's post, is nothing special. It is simply a step forward past those fears as I figure out where my little space of the interwebs is headed. I want to talk about so much--cooking, baking, marriage, therapy, self-care, chemical free/homemade products, creative pursuits, etc. So today I'm starting small just so I can take my next step:

So, if you're anything like me, you can't be bothered to wash your hair everyday. I mean, first and foremost it's simply not good for your hair, but also...ain't nobody got time for that. I mean really, who has time to wash and dry their hair every.damn.day?! Nope, no thank you, next please.

Enter...dry shampoo! My hair is naturally on the more oily side, so I can't simply skip washing and walk around looking like a normal, well adjusted human being. For years I alternated between a variety of powder and spray bottle brands, which inevitably ran out at all of the least convenient times. I get sick of paying for certain things repeatedly and dry shampoo quickly became one of those things, so I set out to make my own.

My only problem with powdered dry shampoo has always been white powder making me look like a little old lady even after I comb/rub them in. I knew I needed something different for my brown hair, and cocoa powder was just the trick!

So to start you'll need:
Small jar
Cocoa powder
Cornstarch
Your favorite essential oils

This dry shampoo is a 1:1 ratio of the powders combined.  I personally use 1/2 cup each and keep them in a jar with a clamp lid. This requires 10-15 drops of oils.

Bear in mind your dry shampoo is already going to be lightly cocoa scented so pair your oils accordingly. I love to add a little peppermint (4-5 drops) because smelling like peppermint hot chocolate is my jam. Additionally I add 10 drops of rosemary, because both of those oils are great for stimulating hair growth, and they smell amazing together! Cedarwood and tea tree are also great options!

When using the dry shampoo, use a small brush to apply directly to your scalp. Don't forget to lift up your hair especially around your temples and apply there! Now wait a few minutes--wash your face, make your breakfast, do some yoga--but give your dry shampoo a few minutes to absorb before rubbing or brushing it into your hair.

I totally get that this won't be for everyone. Some people cannot be bothered to make dry shampoo, and the cost of a pre-made bottle is worth their time. I get that. I make compromises on paying for things all the time that I feel are worth my time saved. But you guys, this dry shampoo is dark, all-natural, non-toxic, simple to make, and cheeeeeap!

Hit me up below if you give this a try, or let me know your favorite dry shampoo worth your money!!