Haven't done one of these in a while!
(I'm not paid for any of this, it's just stuff I'm diggin'.)
1. Nextdoor. Are you familiar with Nextdoor? It's sort of the modern day version of knowing which of your neighbors will let you borrow a cup of sugar.
A month or two ago I went out to get the mail, and long story short, came across what appeared to be someone's pet bunny rabbit running around. A few other neighbors and I tried to catch it in order to keep it safe until we could get it home, to no avail. I'd heard of Nextdoor but never used it, and trying to reconnect Peter McFloofy Hops (I assume it was a boy and that was his name) with his parents proved to be the perfect reason to start. I unfortunately didn't find the bunny's owner (and haven't seen him since), but I have since come to rely on Nextdoor to find out what's going on around me, from events to recent crime to missing items to new and closing restaurants and businesses. Did I mention it's free? A good way to connect in our sometimes isolating modern world. Recommend.
2. Writing GoodReads reviews. I have proclaimed 2016 the year of the book, and apparently it's also the year of the review. You can find some direct links on my books page.
3. Ghirardelli brownie mix. The best. Better than homemade (yeah, that's right). Why reinvent the wheel? We had some folks over to watch a sportsball game recently, and I whipped up some of these. In doing so I was reminded of why I always have a box in the cupboard in the event of impromptu gatherings, sportsball or otherwise.
Photo from amazon.com.
4. The FugGirls' Downton Abbey Recaps. The only thing that's not to like is that I didn't start watching (and thus reading) sooner. Favorite line so far this season (spoiler-ish alert): "...The Blackmailer takes a bite of Mary's toast, and then tosses it aside with disdain, and the look on Mary's face is like, "HOW DARE YOU TREAT MY TOAST SO DISRESPECTFULLY.""
5. Thayer's rose petal witch hazel. Not a new love, and I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I recently was raving about it to a friend, and after trying it she agrees: it's a magical potion.
Photo from amazon.com.
6. A 30 day plank challenge. After a few months off from rowing while recovering from jaw surgeries, my core has gone all noodly. I'm working at building it back up. There are a million of these challenges out there so head to the google machine and find the one that works for you. (They do all seem to be basically the same.)
7. This pastina recipe for some cozy winter comfort. And/or an upset stomach. (In which case maybe leave out the parm.)
8. HabitBull. Shoot. This app. I am kind of obsessed with it. It allows you to set goals with varying metrics and then satisfyingly tick them off when completed. So whether it's something you want to do daily, weekly, multiple times a week, by amount/numbers (miles run, pages read), or simply Complete or Incomplete (did you call your Mom?), this has it all. I love it. I even paid the $3.99 for the upgrade. That never happens.
What's got your attention lately?