favorites

Today I’m featuring some of the items I’ve been really loving the past few months. Enjoy!

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Fall Favorites 2018Read More »

As I haven’t written a favorites post in nearly two years, I’m still not sure what to call this post. Now that it’s nearly the end of August (how did that happen already?), I’m calling it a summer favorites post. I’m wrapping up my favorites from the past few months, and in most cases, from a little bit longer than that, too.

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Favorites: Summer 2018Read More »

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Thanks to one of Lindsay’s recent posts, I checked out Overdrive and started listening to audio books from the library. I don’t think new technology always makes media (books, music, TV, etc.) better, but streaming audio books is really awesome, especially when it’s completely free. I may finally be sold on audio books.

I’ll be talking more about the books I’ve read in 2016 this winter. But I had to mention one of my most recent audio reads, Modern Romance. Blown away. If you listen to one audio book this year, it should be Modern Romance. I share more of my thoughts in a short review.

I also have to mention Flipped, which I bought on a whim as part of a Barnes and Noble deal and read while I was in New Orleans. With the exception of First Comes Love by Emily Giffin and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, basically all of the adult fiction I’ve read this year has been mediocre at best. But all of the young adult fiction I’ve read has been great. (I’ve also read a lot of GREAT non-fiction and look forward to talking about it more soon.) Flipped is just so simple and well-written. It isn’t bogged down with descriptions and way too much detail about feelings. It also isn’t mind-numbingly predictable, which I can’t say about most of the fiction I’ve read in recent months.

The second season of The Jim Gaffigan Show. The first episode aired on Father’s Day. Ultimately, it’s all about Jim’s calling as a father. It includes multiple dialogues between Jim and his priest, and it’s dedicated to Jim’s late father. Also, the very first scene opens with Still Fighting It by Ben Folds. It felt like an old school Simpsons episode. I can’t remember the last time I saw something so refreshing on TV. Guest stars in the second season include Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Will Ferrell, and Andy Richter. Epic. Go check it out on Hulu.

I’m sure that some of you are tired of me talking about Jason Peterson and his photos. I could share one of his photos on every single favorites post, but I try to switch it up sometimes. On Niume, I talk about three of my favorite Instagram photographers I think everyone should follow. Check it out if you want to know a little more about other photographers who inspire me weekly, if not daily.

The new Norah Jones album. Fabulous. Check it out on Prime.

Finally, Lisa Frank art prints on allposters.com. Someone please stop me from buying one.

What have you been loving lately?
Feel free to leave links in the comments!

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Jason Peterson knows how to capture perspectives of iconic Chicago locations in a way that I’ve never seen them before. I have driven by this museum dozens of times and seen many images of it over the years, and his image is so different. Also, his recent shot of Michigan City completely blew my mind. Again, he has such a unique perspective on the area.

On the subject of Instagram, I can’t believe that I haven’t talked about Hank and Sully here yet. Hank and Sully are orange tabby brothers who were adopted the same month as Apollo and Ares. For nearly four years, they lived with an elderly kitty named Brawley whom Hank and Sully’s owners took in right after they got married. He crossed the rainbow bridge this summer. A few weeks later, they adopted a gray tabby, Luca, who bonded with Hank and Sully pretty much instantly. I couldn’t have made up a story that mirrors the story of my boys so closely.

Bigelow Raspberry Black Tea. I love ordering raspberry ice tea in restaurants and got inspired to start making it at home after reading a book in which the characters made ice tea all the time. I use two bags for two cups of water and serve it with lots of ice and a little sugar. A couple times I’ve switched it up and used one bag raspberry and one bag vanilla chai, which is also really good. With the chai flavor, you can even add a little milk.

Who else loved making friendship bracelets back in the day? This post makes me want to bust out my embroidery floss stash (yes, I own quite a bit of embroidery floss) and make a whole bunch of bracelets.

As always, Crate and Barrel continues to inspire me with their newest catalog. I absolutely love their new houndstooth prints and hope that they’ll use them for other products in the future.

Chef’s Table: France. I love Chef’s Table, especially the first season. But I think the third season, which is an all-French chef installment, is the best yet. The cinematography of Chef’s Table is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and I absolutely love how there is no set format for the show. So many TV shows are so formulaic. Chef’s Table really lets the chefs dictate each story. Eater has a great article about the second, third, and fourth seasons of the show.

I’ve been hearing so many good things about the new gel nail polish finishes. I picked up the Essie  gel·setter a couple weeks back and have been really happy with it thus far. I get a solid 5-6 days with very minimal, if any, chipping. I would imagine the 2-step systems like Essie Gel Couture do last longer, but I love that I can use the regular gel setter with regular polishes. Until I use up more of my current polishes (which isn’t going to happen in the near future), it doesn’t make sense to invest in a whole new system.

I have wanted a Daniel Wellington watch and a pair of Tieks for over a year. I finally took the plunge last month and got the Winchester Classy 26mm in rose gold (plus another Classy strap for free, thanks to a September promotion) and the cardinal red Tieks. The watch is SO comfortable, like I forget I’m wearing a watch because it’s so comfortable. It’s designed to fit a wide range of wrist sizes so I was little worried about the proportions for my thin wrist, but it’s been great. I also love that you can switch out the straps because inevitably, I will eventually wear out the strap well before I wear out the watch. (Also, I just have to mention that I really wish this blue and orange strap is still available. Alas, it’s not.)

I’ll have a full review of the Tieks later this fall or early in the winter once I’ve had a chance to really put them through their paces (i.e. the upcoming New Orleans trip, a few full nights out in Milwaukee) and can talk about more than their pretty packaging and fabulous construction.

Also, on the subject of shoes, I bought these boots in brown in person. Then I found out they’re also available in black. The same $10 off promotion that I used to buy the first pair was still running…so I ordered them in black, too. I never do that, but I’ve wanted tall lace up boots forever. We haven’t even had a lot of cooler weather yet this fall (not complaining), and I’ve still been able to wear them several times already.

Finally, this photo. No words.

What have you been loving lately?
Feel free to leave links in the comments!

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My new bowl from Alisa Burke. I’m not sure where I’m going to display it permanently. For now, it’s hanging out on my kitchen island, and I love seeing it there every day. Also, if you haven’t checked out her free coloring pages, go check them out now. She’s still releasing a new page weekly. Alisa also recently released a new set of for purchase coloring books, which are available over here.

The same day Lindsey Stirling’s new album, Brave Enough, released (obviously, it’s awesome, go check it out), I also started listening to Every Open Eye by Chvrches and Fishing Blues by Atmosphere, both of which are fabulous. I don’t even really know what to say about them, hence I’m mentioning them in a favorites post and not a music-specific post. All of these albums are streaming on Prime so have a listen for yourself.

Dan O’Donnell is my single favorite person to listen to on the radio right now. In addition to news reporting, he fills in regularly for several local shows I listen to, and he also recently got his own podcast. Not surprisingly, he’s had great coverage of the recent Milwaukee rioting (which now has its own Wikipedia page…).

Pexels.com. I am always on the look out for image sites with high quality, free creative commons or other commercial use licensing for my own articles and for clients who want images with articles. For the past four years or so, my go-to sites have been Flickr and Morguefile. Pexels kind of blows everything else I’ve ever found out of the water for both quantity and quality. Recently, I used some of their photos for this new article and this newly overhauled article.

Grammarly. I can’t believe I just started using Grammarly this summer. I should have started using it ages ago. When you write 30,000 words per week, it’s really easy for little mistakes to slip through the cracks. Grammarly helps me correct mistakes on everything from emails to blog posts to client articles. Plus, you get a weekly report with activity, accuracy, and vocabulary with your own stats and a comparison to other Grammarly users (i.e. you were more accurate than 80% of other users). So amazing for grammar nerds like me.

Back in my July favorites post, I mentioned wanting to try making Asian Ramen Noodle Salad and Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad With Chicken and Walnuts for weekday lunches. Since then, I have made both dishes. The Ramen salad is awesome. The prep is quick, and the flavor just gets better over a few days. The Brussel sprouts salad is solid. The dressing is awesome, delicious and really different. The prep is a little involved. Don’t wait until you’re hungry to start making it. I like Brussel sprouts a lot, but the Brussel sprouts flavor is really strong, even when you cook the sprouts and add the dressing. I think in the future, I would substitute half the Brussel sprouts for cabbage or another vegetable with good crunch and more subtle flavor. Next up, I want to try Lindsay’s garlic herb chicken salad, and I think Heidi’s slow cooker Thai chicken soup will be perfect as the weather gets a little cooler.

For my fellow photo geeks. Hilarious.

Finally, now that we’re back from Montana, we’re planning our next trip: New Orleans! We’ll be there for a short stint this fall for a conference, exclusively or nearly exclusively in the Lower Garden District, Central Business District, and French Quarter. I want your personal recommendations for restaurants, tours, jazz, etc.

What have you been loving lately?
Feel free to leave links in the comments!

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