A list of all the things I currently love, quarantine edition.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that I have a new hobby – gardening. Unfortunately, I don’t have the greenest of thumbs, meaning it’s not uncommon to find a dead aloe plant chilling out in my house or a vegetable garden completely gone to seed. However, I found this nifty little app that lets me know where there’s a good spot around my home to house a plant and gives me a watering schedule complete with alerts. You can upgrade to a premium subscription that lets you know when to fertilize, mist, overwinter, and get help if your plant isn’t doing so well. I think this app can make a gardener out of all of us.

Moving into a new house, fixing up said house, learning a brand new job and working from home, caring for a preschooler, taking care of an aging dog, and everything else that goes into my busy schedule leaves me often wondering how in the world I can manage to do the simple things – like clean my house. Thankfully I remembered my mom talking about this lady when I was younger and I wondered what she was all about. Well, she’s all about zone cleaning so I’m not spending my entire Saturday cleaning my house. And she has an app! It has made my life so much easier over these past few months.

Another saving grace since moving into this house has been this vacuum. The previous owners had some shedding dogs, and I’m afraid any other vacuum wouldn’t have been able to handle the job. But this one. This is a champ.

And after my house is all clean, I want it smelling super good. That’s where Antique Candle Co. comes into play. Audrey and I have been testers for their new Fall candles and now we’re testing out their 2020 Christmas line. Not only do they smell divine, but they are getting me so in the mood for autumn (and some cooler weather)!

Another thing I try to fit into my busy schedule is a daily workout. Wanting to mix things up a little, I had switched from my tried-and-true workout companions when we had moved, to different gurus on YouTube. Mainly because for the first two weeks in Pennsylvania we were staying in a 100+ year old house and I didn’t want to jump through the floors during one of my jump squats. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to quit these guys, and I returned to my beloved workout duo for another 8 week program.

Another way we’ve loved staying active is by hiking! We’re currently located just moments outside of the Appalachian trail, so using this website and corresponding app has been great in finding kid and pet friendly trails and then marking them as completed when we’re done!

I was on the hunt for some good supplements: pre-workouts, BCAAs, and protein powders and after seeing sponsored ads for this brand keep popping up, I finally decided to give them and a try and I’m so glad that I did. Their clear proteins are incredible, especially the mojito variety and their BCAAs are sooo good – even Audrey requests sips.

I have been loving this dress and have it in two colors: black and stripes. I practically live in them – mixing them up by wearing different sandals, or white canvas sneakers and a rolled-up denim jacket (on days when the real feel isn’t nearly 100 degrees F). They are so incredibly comfortable. And the dress has pockets! Plus, it’s under $10. Win. Win. Win!

If I’m not wearing a swing dress, I’m most likely in workout attire. This whole COVID thing put a damper on me building a spring/summer wardrobe, so it’s minimal. However, these leggings are matte, so they don’t have to look like workout attire if I don’t want them to. And they are so flattering, with a high waisted, no slip waistband so they suck in all those problem areas and I don’t spend the day hiking up my pants. They are a little pricier then I’d typically spend on a pair of leggings but they are so worth it. I’ve have a pair going on five years old and they still fit just like they did when I first bought them.

Last but not least: food. Particularly pancakes. I’m a huge fan of Kodiak cakes because they taste incredible and I can make just one serving, or two if we both want some. So when these came out, I knew I had to try them. And the verdict: we love them! It’s so easy to whip up Audrey some pancakes when I’m rushing around in the morning before I sit down for hours of work. Or make a double batch on the weekend before we set out on whatever we have planned. These will definitely hold a spot in our pantry for the foreseeable future.

{none of these are are sponsored, I just thought it would be fun to talk about some of the things I am loving lately.}