Well, it’s Sunday and we’re happy to have you here. While we all take a breath and learn from this traumatic week/what we need to do to fix our deeply broken system, we thought it might be nice to have some consistency this Sunday with our link up. Before we continue, it’s important to talk to your kids and if you’re a teacher, your students, about what happened this week. Here’s an article from NPR that’s a good read if you’re trying to navigate that conversation. Alright, now let’s dig in to our favorite things this week.

This week’s home tour comes to us from Lonny. It’s an oldie but a goodie that we wanted to revisit. Vintage furniture collector, Cailin Wunder enlisted the help of Transition State Design to help make her 1937s home feel unified. It had been renovated several times by many previous owners before she moved in, so the task to make it flow together was a major feat. But they turned out with this sculptural, captivating beauty and we are NOT upset about it! We want every chair in this house.

From Emily: One of our favorite people (and former EHD editorial director) Arlyn is doing a daily journal (yes every single day) on her blog. I used to approach blogging like that – just wrote about whatever the heck I wanted to that day, but things shifted and grew and you know the story. But there is something so refreshing and real about just reading someones daily journal. If you want to connect to someone who we feel is DEFINITELY worth connecting to head over there and check out Arlyn Says.

From Ryann: I am one of those people that wears jeans every day, even while working from home. They just simply make me feel good, look good, and thus I perform better and am more productive. My new ALL TIME favorite jeans (that are under $100!) are these that I’ve been wearing every day for like a week straight. I love them so much I even bought another pair so I can wear them non stop. They have a good amount of stretch but are thick and have that classic denim look, they are perfectly high waisted and the inseam is a bit longer so they really elongate your legs. It’s like someone finally figured out how to make a classic looking jean for curvy girls. Praise be!

From Mallory: When earth-shattering news events happen, most of our team checks to see what one of our favorite bloggers, Joanna Goddard has to say. Her posts are incredibly articulate and nail how we’re feeling every time. The best part is she leaves her posts open-ended so others can comment and give their insights as well. Her post following the events at the Capitol this week was wonderful and the comments section is filled with awesome links and various resources from her readers. Check it out if you missed it. We’re also here for anyone who needs a hug right now :)

Also From Mallory: This video came up on my Instagram a few months ago about “The Cosmic Crisp,” a new apple variety that apple researchers have been creating for years. It’s a mix between the Enterprise and the Honeycrisp and they literally CREATED it out of the two. Now let me tell you, I love a Honeycrisp. A lot. And when I first watched this video I was like…there’s no way this could be better than my beloved Honeycrisp, but I must give it a shot. We’ve been searching for this apple for months now every time we go to the grocery store and I JUST FOUND IT THIS WEEK. We bought like 8 Cosmic Crips and a few Honeycrisps to taste test. We took a bite of the Cosmic Crisp (it was delicious) and then a bite of the Honeycrisp…and it literally made the Honeycrisp taste like water. Flavorless. Dull. No crunch. I am never going back, guys. It’s the most balanced apple…a little sweet with an amazing crunch. I almost ate the core it was that good. If you want to try it you can order them online at Target (I haven’t seen them in store yet) or you can try to find a farmer’s market or a store that specialized in produce (that’s where I found them) because I have yet to find them in normal grocery stores… Keep your eyes peeled though because Cosmic Crisps are coming and they’re coming fast.

From Albie: Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice by Michelle Obama New year, new intentions…or something like that right? After the emotional & mental beating we all took in 2020, setting intentioned and getting ourselves reset for the new year has been a top priority for me. I remember eying this book a year ago and, for whatever reason, not getting it — I guess I was naive/arrogant enough to think 2020 would let me skate by on my own discipline & will power. HA! Not to say it hasn’t been a good year in its own warped way, but if it’s taught me nothing else, it’s taught me that resilience is a muscle that needs constant exercising. This journal strikes me as a great one to have in my arsenal to get ready for whatever 2021 might hold so *adds to cart*

From Caitlin: I need to sing the praises of two recent purchases! First off – my mom recently threw a tennis ball in the dryer with a down vest to keep it fluffy and I was just like, “NO, STOP, THERE’S A BETTER WAY!!!” I ordered her a set of these dryer balls – I have my own back in LA and love them – and it no longer sounds like the dryer’s on the verge of exploding once a week, which is a real treat. Second – I read about this resurfacing face mask on Cup of Jo last year and their post was basically like, “this is the only beauty product I splurge on AND it’s a facial in a bottle.” That’s a pretty tall order buuuut I had a Nordstrom gift card and I waaaaaas already buying those dryer balls so like…why NOT give it a whirl? ANYWAY – if you also suffer from dry/sensitive skin, turns out that this stuff is 10000/10. Thanks, CoJ!!!

Also From Caitlin: Does anyone here have any experience with a Hydrow? My rowing class was my preferred form of fun cardio pre-pandemic (spinning? HIIT? Gonna be a NEVER from me, thanks) and I want to get back into it, but I’m not sure if I should go the WaterRower route (what I’m used to using) or if the screen and classes on the Hydrow are worth the splurge. Please advise????

From Jess: If you want an incredible Instagram or TikTok account follow go to Elladj Balde’s ice skating account right this moment (Insta and TikTok). This was the first video I saw and was hooked. Now it’s been a minute since I watched professional ice skating but this other video almost brought me to tears. Also, last year Elladj also cofounded the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance to help to “foster a more diverse and inclusive figure skating environment worldwide through policy change, program development, and funding for the next generation of athletes.” Pretty damn awesome. PS. I immediately texted Caitlin asking if she’d seen his account and well DUH. Caitlin is an actual professional ice skater so clearly knew about him. To think I thought I was going to introduce her to someone in her world, silly Jess:)

Also From Jess: I am ALWAYS looking for a phone charging cord in my house and when I do it’s never long enough for me to happily lounge while using it. And yet it took me until last week to order some. I bought two of these and really like them. If you also suffer from this, just do yourself a favor and buy one or two. It took a couple of minutes and now I never have to worry about having a charging cord.

Thanks everyone for tuning in! Here’s to hoping this week is better than the last. And as always please wear a mask. xx

Opening Image Credit: Design by Transition State Design | Photography by Aaron Leitz for Transition State Design | via Lonny