Five Favorites 10.30.13

1.) All Saints Day

All Saints Day is on Friday! This is one of my favorite feast days of the entire liturgical year. I don't know about all y'all, but I know I need all the help I can get when it comes to getting to heaven. It's so comforting to know that I have the "great cloud of witnesses" cheering me on. Oh, and one more thing: it's a holy day of obligation, so get yourself to Mass! [Now you can't say you didn't know ;-) ]

2.) Verily Magazine
Confession: when it comes to magazines, I am the pickiest commitment-phobe you ever did see. I get excited about one issue, think about subscribing, and then think, "Do I really want a year's worth of these lying around my apartment for ever and ever, amen?

This especially goes for magazines I've never seen. I'd heard a lot of good things about Verily, but still  couldn't bring myself to subscribe. Imagine my delight when I found out that Barnes & Noble now carries Verily. Yippee! I bought a copy and guess what? I will definitely be subscribing. The photos were beautiful, and more importantly, the articles were helpful and relevant to my life right now. Win! Get thee to their site and subscribe!

3.) Yoga Pants
File this under "Late to the Party." I just bought my first-ever pair of yoga pants last Saturday. I know, I know! I don't know what took me so long, but holy comfort, Batman. I especially like that I can wear them outside of my apartment without looking like I just rolled out of bed. Consider me converted!

4.) "What Keeps Women From Showing Up?" by Modern Mrs. Darcy. She muses on why it is often a challenge for women to "show up." Be sure and read the comments; they're fascinating.

5.) Coffitivity
I don't know what it is about coffee shops, but I am always super productive when I'm in one. But of course, I can't always get there whenever I get the urge to write. Enter Coffitivity. It's an audio of the magical white  noise of a coffee shop, complete with (non-distracting) chatter. I already feel more productive. :)  Go check it out!

Five Favorites 10.23.13

1) Almay CC Cream
This stuff is magic, y'all. Magic. I'm not really a makeup every day kind of girl, but I do like to pretty it up on Sundays. I have sensitive skin that breaks out with harsh chemicals, so it's tricky business trying to find something that works for me. The search is over!!! Hooray! I wore it all day last Sunday, and my skin is still 100% clear. Yippee! Plus it has SPF 35, which is definitely a win.

2) Pear and Cinnamon Jam
I've been cranking out jam like crazy lately, and this weekend was no exception! I found some forgotten pears in the back of my fridge, and jam was pretty much the only thing i was able to make with them; they were way too gross to eat! I used this recipe from the always helpful "Food In Jars" blog. I halved it, and ended up getting around 1.5 pints. Delicious!

3) Rereading Children's Books
As you all know, my birthday was this past Saturday. I headed straight to Barnes and Noble to spend some birthday money. Lo and behold, there was a sale on the classics! I bought a book of poems by Emily Dickinson, Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass," and Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book." It's been great revisiting all the best parts of my childhood favorites.

4) Emily Dickinson
Speaking of Emily Dickinson:

It can’t be summer,—that got through;
It ’s early yet for spring;
There ’s that long town of white to cross
Before the blackbirds sing.
 
It can’t be dying,—it ’s too rouge,—       
The dead shall go in white.
So sunset shuts my question down
With clasps of chrysolite.

5) Essie nail polish in "Splash of Grenadine"
I don't normally wear nail polish, but I just had to buy this swoon-worthy light plum shade! Not too summery, not too gloomy. Love!

Head over to Moxie Wife for more favorites!