The Little List

Apr 22

The world feels a little heavier again. There has been so much going on that makes my heart feel heavy over these past few weeks - personally, locally, nationally. It has been hard to process my place in it all: what can I do, think, say, or feel to help change things? To ensure that someone else feels loved? Even to just brighten a moment - if not a day - for someone else? I’ve had a few tough conversations and a few good cries in it all. But I’ve also had moments of unashamed joy and deeply rooted security in the hope all around us. I’m so grateful for reminders that there is goodness, there is love, and there is hope.

So in the spirit of that hope, here are some other (seemingly insignificant in light of everything else) things that are making me happy, making me think, or helping me grow this week.

With the fireplace build wrapped up, I had a chance to play a game of musical furniture in my house in order to find a new spot for the unit that previously held our television to live. I settled on moving it into our master bedroom and it feels like it was always destined to be here. We shifted all of Curt’s clothing into the drawers, but with so much extra tabletop space, I decided to bring some beauty to our room with a painted vase DIY and my favourite faux eucalyptus stems. Sometimes the simplest change in a space can completely renew it.
We devoured this short docuseries on Netflix last weekend! A little true crime, a little mystery, a little fine art - can it get any better than that?
A few weeks ago, I ordered the most beautiful 3x5’ rug from the Chris Loves Julia x Loloi collection for our bathroom. It was deemed lost in delivery, so a replacement was sent, and long story short, two of the same rug ended up at our door. It was a small surprise that made me so very happy because not only did I get to use the new rug in our bathroom, but I placed the second in our entryway and it just feels so right in both places.
I just finished this audio book by Malcolm Gladwell and it was well worth the listen. If you haven’t heard of his work before, I definitely recommend listening to Revisionist History - his podcast that takes a critical look at fascinating (and often overlooked) moments, people, or ideas of history to determine if we really got it right.
And on that note, with our local library on lockdown again, I’m thankful for the CloudLibrary so I can still dig my heels into some fantastic books. I am a few chapters into the digital version of this book and it is challenging and teaching me a lot about the historical and political narrative created around The Civil Rights movement and how important it is to be aware of how it has been enshrined into national identity (and spoiler alert: that isn’t necessarily a good thing). This book feels essential for the work that continues today and I would highly recommend it!
I saw this post on Instagram and I am now dead set on making Chewy M&M cookies. Like can’t stop, won’t stop thinking about it until I do.
With the nicer weather, my mind has been singularly focussed on outdoor projects. I gave our backyard a nice little makeover last summer, but I’m looking forward to adding even more to it this year. I just ordered this patio umbrella to have out by the pool and I’d love to build some DIY planter boxes to grow some fresh herbs. It may not happen this year, but I’d also like to upgrade our front porch chairs to something more substantial and comfortable for summer morning coffees out front. It’s fun to work away on our outdoor space, but if I’m being honest, I really just want an excuse to spend as much time in the sunshine as I can.