Before I dug out a space for Henry. The snow eventually came up to his stomach!
I love
Banangrams. We whipped out the game to enjoy with our tea on the snow day!
Snowday essentials.
Lots of cozy lounge outfits and
pajamas.
Hope you are all staying safe and warm. As many of you did, we got a lot of snow! The most snow for us here in Pittsburgh since 2010! I definitely forgot what this much snow is like. I loved watching it come down. It took a full day for our neighborhood to be somewhat cleared after the snow stopped, and now we are just dealing with extreme cold. I am not one to worry much about snow, but extreme cold always has me a little on edge because of frozen pipes.
I also found out I actually kind of enjoy shoveling. We have an HOA that takes care of snow removal, which is really nice. But they don't touch our back patio or any of that, so I dug Henry a big area so he could go potty, and I don't know, I really loved the shoveling! I guess it's like some people love to paint walls (which I don't).
I'm starting to think I should start a neighborhood bet on when the last snow pile will melt. They're TALL! Our neighborhood looks like tons of ungroomed snow whales.
I have been mostly hunkering down since the snowstorm. Yesterday, I reached cabin fever and decided to get an Orange Theory workout, which was very helpful to lessen my winter malaise. Gosh, this winter!!! Next time I complain about the heat this summer, someone just slap me, ha!
We have a date night planned tomorrow, which I am excited about! It's to a restaurant we haven't been to in years!
Wearing: Some of my recent outfits. I'm still in hibernation mode with my outfits, so I haven't put together anything all that remarkable! But I will say everything I am sharing makes for great, quality basics.
Eating: I randomly bought this lettuce one day when they were out of the lettuce I typically buy, and it's a nice mix of greens. I didn't even notice the package said 'long-lasting freshness'. Anyway, the greens stayed so crisp for well over a week. We ate it all, and as I was about to toss the package, I noticed the claim on the label. Now I buy this every time! I googled why this happens because I was curious if it was some sort of chemical. Apparently, they harvest it very fresh, with minimal handling to avoid bruising, special packaging, and a few other things that were interesting, but thankfully, nothing sketchy was added!
My husband snagged this truffle dip at Aldi, and it was SO good. We used it as a dip, but I asked you guys what you'd use it for, and there were so many good ideas: grilled cheese, mac n cheese, eggs, steak, bruschetta, flatbread.
Reading: Have you all heard that
Nancy Meyers is making a new movie? It supposedly begins filming later this year and stars Kiernan Culkin! I haven't seen a movie in the theater in ages, but I'll be first in line for this!
Watching: I just finished His and Hers on Netflix, which was pretty good- a mystery of sorts, and then the end really has a twist I didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to Summer House coming out soon, and I still have to watch The People We Meet on Vacation. I've been seeing such good reviews for that.
Loving: Cutest new shoes I received gifted from Talbots! I love the mix of patent and suede.
Pittsburgh: We had a full furnace debacle late last week. And when I say debacle, I truly mean it, though I won’t fully get into it here. The SparkNotes version is that our furnace, which is not old, 'safely failed.' While not having heat would have been an inconvenience, we are very fortunate to have my parents just down the road, along with wonderful extended family and friends who would have taken us in if needed. That part wasn’t my main concern. What worried me most was the house getting too cold and the pipes potentially bursting.
We really lucked out. Mark Allen, a local HVAC company here in the South Hills, was able to come out the very next morning. The technician could not have been more kind or professional, and the experience was truly above and beyond. I highly recommend this company if you ever need help with your HVAC.
I also learned something important in the process: how to shut off the water and properly drain your pipes. I already knew how to shut off our water, and I had heard of draining pipes before. Growing up, my grandparents had a mountain house up at Seven Springs, and this is what they would do when it wasn’t in use. It honestly never occurred to me to apply this to our own home.
I’m sharing this, which may be common knowledge to some, in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation. First, shut off your water. Then, starting at the highest point in your house (gravity), begin draining the pipes by turning on faucets, showers, and flushing toilets. You’ll know the pipes are draining when no more water comes out of the shower and the toilet bowl empties. From there, work your way downward through the house until all pipes are clear of water.
The Mark Allen technician took the time to walk us through this step by step in case we ever needed to do it ourselves, which I really appreciated. If your home ever does get too cold, draining the pipes makes them far less likely to burst. And again, a reminder: if you are at home and your pipes do burst, the immediate thing to do is go shut off the water.
Amazon Rec: I just re-ordered these markers that you can use on furniture to touch up any little dings. There are three shades of brown, and one works for pretty much any brown piece of furniture in our house. I can be wild with the vacuum cleaner, and the legs of things can get some scratches here and there. This is such a quick and easy touch-up.
Reporting back on this whitening toothpaste. I love it. It has visibly whitened my teeth. It's the same as any other toothpaste on the market, but somehow it whitens my teeth better than anything else I've tried.
You can find more of my
Amazon favorites, here on my Amazon page where I am constantly updating it with all of my finds and top picks from home, beauty, fashion, and more!
Smelling: We just finished a hand soap that I was not particularly fond of, and started using this one. I have long been a fan of Susanne Kaufmann, particularly their hand cream. Their hand cream is one of the most wonderful things I've ever smelled. I didn't realize the hand soap has the SAME scent. I now get so excited to wash my hands. Silly, but this really brings joy. Their website describes it as a 'green floral fragrance', which isn't very descriptive. It's unlike anything I've ever smelled. I do agree it's light and delicate, but overall just so pleasant.
Quoting: '
Love is never wasted for its value does not rest upon reciprocity.' - CS Lewis
// See more of
my favorites, here.
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