Friday Favorites: January 2023

“January, The first month of the year. A perfect time to start all over again, changing energies and deserting old moods, new beginnings, new attitudes” ~ Charmaine J Forde

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January Friday Favorites

Friends, we are at our first Friday Favorites of 2023 and I am not sure how it happened. On one hand I feel like this month began on the slower side, but then I blinked and here we are. I have to say despite STILL being sick, January was an incredible month and I am extremely grateful for that. 2023 has already brought much change and this year ahead will only bring even more. Life ebbs and flows and it is always changing, that is the one constant and it truly is how we handle that change as well as our perspective that will define the trajectory. I truly am excited for where this month led and where this year will lead even the negative! I feel like I savored this month, and because I have been kinda awol, I have so much to share with you, but I will start with my Friday Favorites.

But before I do, I wanted to acknowledge International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day, seventy-eight years ago, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration camps were liberated. But not before over a million people, most of them Jewish, had been murdered in the most heinous and inhumane of ways. It was and IS an example of how monstrous humans can be, and a reminder to never EVER forget. It is a lesson that is even MORE important with what is occurring in Ukraine. More than ever, we NEED to be kinder, stronger, and stand up for those that need our help even when it isn’t always popular. <3

Polka dot nails

There is NO good segue, but first up, is my first nail design of 2023 and I am obsessed! You know how I am when I get on a nail design kick and after impulsively getting Christmas polka dots for the holidays, I decided to keep up with it and do blush, gold and silver on a white background for January. I could not be happier. They are a great neutral while still being fun. I have gotten so many compliments on them. Stay tuned because I have ideas for February and I could not be more excited!

Lilly Pulitzer Pull-Over

Lilly Pulitzer had their Sunshine Sale a couple weeks ago and they had some incredible deals that I couldn’t pass up, from holiday glamour, to summer dresses, to this fuzzy pinkish red pull-over, that I quickly snagged and have not stopped wearing. While it debuted for the holidays (could it make an appearance next year for blogmas? Hmmmm) it is also perfect to rock in the month of love OR heck just year round. It is so fuzzy and cozy and I love it! Fit is true to size and while it has a huge pouch pocket, it zips on BOTH sides, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything. It comes in other colors which just might have my name on them.

Nespresso Machine

Friends WHO am I? When the pandemic happened, and everything shut down, I learned to have an appreciation, if not great affection for my Keurig, especially the newer models which are quite fancy. I even tried my hand at whipped coffee. But friends I use to laugh at the George Clooney commercials, until I went to a friend’s house and tried their Nespresso machine and now I am obsessed! Instead of coffee pods, it is single servings of espresso so it has a jolt which I love. It is so creamy and smooth, that I just might be okay if I don’t go to Starbucks ever again!

Frother

Technically, this might be considered cheating, because this is still coffee related, but getting an electric frother has been a game changer. And while I have tried several, and even shared them, the Instantpot Electric Frother is truly the BEST! It has four settings, from warming the milk, to a cappuccino-esque foam, to a more creamy one and you can even make a cold foam version like what is on top of the Coldbrews at Starbucks. It is heaven and has elevated my coffee drinking to the next level. Like I said, Starbuck’s who?

Navy Dudley

Friends, it has been awhile since I have shared a Dudley and right before the holiday madness really commenced, they had a warehouse sale with several staple colors discounted for what felt like a steal, so I of course had to snag them. You know me, I am all about the neutral colors, and navy is one of my favorites! Shockingly, I did not own a Dudley in navy and I had to rectify that! I got the Cobble Hill and friends I have been rocking it ever since! I love it and it goes with everything! Especially when I wear my maroon jacket. If there is one color to get, I have to say it is either navy OR the camel.

& Juliet

I know this also technically should be in the what I am watching and listening too, but technically it is a Broadway show, so I am making an exception, especially because I am so flipping obsessed with & Juliet. While it is a juke box musical, it is not your TYPICAL jukebox musical, with songs ALL by Max Martin! Which you may not know who that is, but you do know the songs he has written as they are some of the biggest hits of the 90’s and early Y2K. As if that isn’t an instant draw, the creator writer is none other the Schitt’s Creek’s David West Read. Are you sold yet? No? Well it has what I think is the MOST talented cast on Broadway from Best Wolfe, to Stark Sands, to Justin David Sullivan, to Lorna Courtney and SO many more. It isn’t just an entertaining show, but the message is SO inspiring and I just want to see it again and again which I will be!

What I am Watching and Listening too

January can be a weird month for tv. On one hand I have a ton of shows that I haven’t seen because of bingeing ALL the Christmas movies. On the other hand, I am heartbroken about said Christmas movies being over and while yes I own all the classics on DVD, it isn’t the same. As I mentioned to my best friend, a couple years ago in regards to Freeform’s Harry Potter marathons, which I also own on DVD, there is something about watching it live as opposed as to watching it via a DVD or streaming service that is just so much better. Call me old, but there is still a nostalgia about watching something live.

That said, I have had a ton of TV to catch up on, which is kind of a good thing as I had a ton of editing to do and what better way to do it then some Netflix? Though technically I have been watching more Amazon Prime and Disney Plus then Netflix. Though two shows I watched were The Vatican Girl which was crazy good and Madoff, which was also interesting since I knew people who knew him. I also watched (finally!) Jack Ryan which after three very long years finally aired it’s third season and it was SO worth it! Though it was definitely more realistic then escapism as it had strong correlation to what is happening between Russia and Ukraine. The other show I am obsessing over is National Treasure! Not going to lie as a teenager those were some of my favorite movies, and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the television series, but to date it might be my favorite non Marvel series that Disney has created. It is SO good! Lastly, this might be sightly cheating since I just talked about it, but I have been listening to the & Juliet Cast Recording on repeat. It is SO good! Seriously you need to download it NOW!