February has flown by this year, but I’m okay with that because with March comes spring!
As I mentioned in my January favorites, we’ve been house hunting. Nothing noteworthy to share yet, but we’ve definitely made some good progress and have learned a lot so far. So we’ll see what March has in store for us!
To read through some of my favorite things from this past month, check out my list below.
February Favorites
Audiobooks & eBooks from the Library – Never could I have guessed that reading would be something I’d be excited and anxious to do all the time. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, I signed up for the Chicago Public Library and although I don’t plan to visit the actual location(s) much/ever, their digital content is AMAZING. Audiobook downloads? eBooks to check out instead of buying so many books this year (especially when I’m interested but not sure if I want to own)? SO GOOD. Take advantage of your library, people. It’s so wonderful. Okay, maybe I’m the only one who doesn’t utilize libraries…until now.
Hot Yoga – I did Bikram yoga once upon a time but wasn’t a big fan for multiple reasons. Hot (or just heated) yoga, on the other hand, I’ve started to really enjoy lately. I signed up for Classpass with a friend, and we’ve been trying various fitness yoga classes nearby, with heated yoga being more common than not. It’s been around 88 degrees on average, I think, which is just enough to help my muscles feel loose and cause to me to sweat, without making me worry about fainting or getting sick (a la Bikram). It’s felt surprisingly good!
Organization-Themed IGs – I randomly decided to look up a couple Instagram accounts for organization books I was aware of. Though I’ve always enjoyed organizing (I even wrote a blog post about how to keep the house organized), I can feel it ramping up now that we’re house hunting. Call me a nerd, but seeing all the pictures from accounts like @thehomeedit, @simplyspaced, and @iheartorganizing is pretty inspiring.
Voting Quiz – If you’re like me and struggle to figure out which candidate(s) align the closest with your views, I highly recommend iSideWith. It can be pretty long, but it helps you learn how much you side with different political parties, candidates, and types of government. I’ve always found it very helpful when I’m at a loss for fully jumping in with any presidential candidate.
Chopstick to Aerate Plant Soil – If you ever see a chopstick by my plants, it’s because it works as a great tool for aerating plant soil before watering. If you poke around in the soil, taking care not to hurt the roots, it loosens up the dirt to allow for water to go all throughout the plant, rather than being concentrated in certain areas when the soil starts getting compacted over time.
Brining Chicken with Pickle Juice – This may be my favorite cooking discovery of the year. Dill pickle juice makes for an amazing brine for keeping chicken juicy. Every time we finish a jar of pickles now (Claussen or bust), I save the pickle juice for soaking chicken breasts in before [air]-frying them for sandwiches. I can’t even taste the pickle flavor afterwards, but the chicken gets a noticeable upgrade. I got this tip from This Old Gal’s Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich recipe.
Bones by Galantis and One Republic – It’s been awhile since “Apologize” was playing all over the place, but One Republic continues to have catchy music I enjoy, like this upbeat song I randomly came across recently.
Cougar Town – I remember seeing Cougar Town on TV several years ago and never thought anything of it—I was just never interested. On a whim I decided to watch it about a year ago on Hulu and was surprised how much I liked it. Now I’m watching it again with Matt for a random short sitcom, and it puts off strong Scrubs vibes (same show creator). There’s also a lot of actor overlap, which is fun.
Leap Day Workout – In honor of this Saturday being a bonus day for February, I wanted to highlight my Leap Day Workout! Lots of…well…leaping and jumping around. It’s a great lower body workout I created 4 years ago that’ll warm you right up. Visit the post to see the whole circuit!
