May Favorites

It’s been a rainy AF May over here—so much so that it’s apparently the second wettest May ever in Chicago. As it’s continued to warm up, I’ve decided to fully embrace the frizzy hair (yes, let’s pretend it’s a choice). Despite the humidity (which I didn’t miss when we lived in San Diego), I’m thankful we don’t have the intense flooding and tornado problems that so many other areas are dealing with.

When it’s not dreary outside, it’s been amazing to see all of the tulips, daffodils, and other nature blooming into the most beautiful colors.

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and were able to unplug for a few minutes, so you feel refreshed and ready for the work week.

To see all the randomness I’ve been enjoying over the past month, take a look through my May favorites below!

May 2019 Favorites

First Time to Wrigley Field – I’ve finally made it to Wrigley to see the Cubs play! It was a cold day when we went and the ivy wasn’t green yet, but it was still so magical. Can’t wait to go several more times this summer!

Big Salads for a Lazy Dinner – Salads piled high with toppings have always been one of my favorites, but I’ve recently discovered it works beautifully as a lazy dinner option. Assuming you have at least some form of green leaves to make salad (though even that isn’t 100% necessary), it’s surprising how much you can actually work with that you might not normally think to add to salads. I frequently add protein in the form of nuts, seeds, eggs, and/or chickpeas (ideally my Cajun Roasted Chickpeas), and it’s actually really easy and fast to throw together.

Small Wallet – This purchase was inspired by me not wanting to bring a purse everywhere during the winter. So I’d constantly be taking my ID and credit card out of my wallet and just keeping them in my pocket. To help prevent me from losing them, I decided to buy this small wallet (they’re everywhere these days) so I have a more secure place to keep my things. It’s nothing fancy (though it did come with the thin bonus card holder in the background that I also use when I want minimal things with me), but it was worth every penny. (Plus it fits in my smaller purses/clutches, so that’s also a win.)

Dearly Departed by Shakey Graves – There’s something so familiar about this song, and I have no idea why. I just discovered (re-discovered?) this song recently and have been loving it.

Poppy Seed Dressing – Homemade salad dressings are often the main reason I want to eat salads. You can make smaller batches and bring more variety into your life. I halved my homemade poppy seed dressing a couple weeks ago and was proud of myself for eating more salads as a result. Yay veggies!

Big Jar of Iced Tea – I used to make pitchers of iced tea to enjoy throughout the day, but for some reason I never wanted tea when doing that lately. So I started making a big jar of tea, instead, which somehow made it more appealing. I think the convenience of having it already in the serving glass did the trick. Also helpful? I’ve been making fruity teas a lot as well as mixing some tea flavors. I highly recommend it for a healthy yet still interesting drink option throughout the day.

Handyman by AWOLNATION – There are certain songs that cause me to do more than listen; I straight-up feel the magic. This is one of those songs.

Good Girls – I’m the worst with choosing new shows for us to watch. I could browse for hours and never pick one. So I always end up settling on a show that I’m slightly interested in but not fully sold on. Well let me just say that Good Girls is worth the time commitment. We’re caught up on all 2 seasons and now I’m sad.

Plastic Shower Curtain in the Washer – Cleaning the shower has always been my most hated cleaning task. I’ll clean toilets all day, but there’s just something about showers that is so horrible to me. Whether you can relate or just appreciate shortcuts, I highly recommend washing your plastic shower curtain in the washer when it starts to show build-up. There are different methods of doing it, but I did the following: Add a couple towels with the shower curtain in your washer. Wash with 1/2 cup detergent + 1/2 cup baking soda. Add 1 cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle; or if your washer locks and won’t let you interrupt it, do an additional rinse cycle afterwards with the vinegar. Hang up to air dry!