Inspired by my friend Kyla (who is coming to visit me next weekend!), I wanted to share a fun round-up of ten things I’m loving from January! I love the idea of sharing a little overview of things that I’ve personally loved from the past month, as some may not be quite worthy of an entire blog post on their own. Plus, I love taking a peek into what others have discovered and loved! These are all things I’ve been raving about to friends in real life (I can’t count the number of times I’ve talked about Half Baked Harvest or my new hair finds, etc over the past few weeks), and I hope you take great delight in one or all ten of these, too!
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook | I became a bit obsessed with Half Baked Harvest a few months ago and promptly made many of her incredible, delicious recipes — seasonal cooking is my favorite, and her recipes (and photographs) just speak to me! I was so, so excited to get the newest Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook for Christmas (on major sale right now!), and I’ve already read it cover to cover three times — ha! I bookmarked 38 recipes that we absolutely must make ASAP (38 musts — wow!), and I think one of my goals for the new year is to cook and bake our way through this cookbook. It’s the best! We’ve already made sage browned butter chicken pot pie, cacio e pepe Brussels sprouts, coconut chicken tikka masala, browned butter dark chocolate chip cookies, veggie pad see ew, broccoli cheddar soup with seasoned pretzels, creamy chicken gnocchi soup, coconut banana chocolate chip muffins, peanut butter blondie brownie bars, and sesame orange chicken, all of which were utterly amazing and easy to make. I can’t recommend this cookbook enough; it’s absolutely worth buying!
Revlon 2in1 hair dryer + volumizer | My sweet sister gave me this Revlon 2in1 hair dryer and volumizer for Christmas (I always trust her recs the most, for sure!), and I’m never looking back! I wash, blow dry, and straighten or curl my hair every single day, which obviously takes up a bit of time. But since Christmas, I have not touched my hair dryer or straightener once!! I use this every day (on wet/damp hair), and it takes about 15 minutes to dry AND style my hair simultaneously. What?! I’ve never worn my hair down so much in my life, and it takes less time than ever. The key is to do your hair in layers, and I think it works wonders. It also saves so much time while looking like you had a professional blow out!
Hot cinnamon spice tea | My amazing brother in law turned me onto this Harney & Sons hot cinnamon spice tea when we were visiting them in NYC earlier this month, and it’s far and away the best tea I’ve ever had! It’s spicy, flavorful, and utterly addictive. I’ve been trying to drink less coffee lately (since I put too much creamer in it!), and this hot tea satiates me immensely. It’s like a warm hug in every sip!
Headbands | I don’t buy into too many trends, but one that I absolutely can’t resist is how popular headbands are again! I’ve always loved, loved, loved wearing headbands (and ribbons in my hair, too), and I’m pretty thrilled they’ve made a resurgence lately. I can’t get enough of wearing thick velvet headbands right now, and I went with this pack of 7 velvet colored headbands on Amazon — less than $13 for seven headbands (honestly, I split up the pack as stocking stuffers for my sister in law and mother in law, too!). Plus, they’re super comfortable and never give me a headache.
Bandu + board games | We love playing board games with each other and with our friends, especially during the winter months. We discovered Bandu about a year ago, and it was another Christmas present for Rob! We’ve had several game nights already this year, and it’s become a big hit with everyone we’ve played it with, and for good reason.
Marco Polo | This isn’t a new find this year, but last January, my college best friends and I started using this free video app to better keep in touch with each other. We’re spread out all over the country (and in London!), and texts just aren’t as effective. Over the last year, we have kept in SO MUCH better touch with one another through video updates via Marco Polo, and I am so, so thankful for the deeper ways in which this little app has connected all of us. We get very real life updates and day to day life from one another, and it just feels so much more personal than a text does. I also love using it with my sister (we Facetime a lot, but this is great in case we can’t connect at the same time!) and Kyla, whom I recently converted to Marco Polo!
Old fashioneds + angostura bitters | We got angostura bitters in our stockings for Christmas (which I’d been eyeing for years!), which means that we’ve been experimenting with some fun cocktails over the past few weeks. My current favorite are old fashioneds with these bitters (and plenty of orange!). I always feel rather fancy making a cocktail with lots of ingredients, which is half the fun!
Winter walks on the beach | I’ve traveled a lot this month (NYC, Charlotte, the beach, and Charlottesville), and I was so happy to spend a long winter weekend at the beach for one of my best friends’ bachelorette weekends! It was so, so sweet to celebrate her (we actually set them up at our wedding — she was a bridesmaid of mine, and her was a groomsman of Rob’s!), and the whole weekend was filled with so many of her very favorite things: quality time with her best friends, long walks on the beach, lots of great conversations, playing games, cooking breakfast together, an afternoon at a winery, great food, and more! There’s just something so rejuvenating and peaceful about the beach during winter, and the fresh air and sea breeze were so perfect, too.
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes | I just finished The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, and it was absolutely incredible and far and away one of the best books I have ever read. The story, characters, setting, and writing are absolutely beautiful, so powerful, so heart wrenching, and so captivating. There were paragraphs that took my breath away (it sounds dramatic but it’s true!) for the ways they moved me. What a captivating, beautiful, compelling story (based on a true story). It’s only January, but I’m pretty positive this is going to be my favorite book of the year… it’s already moved its way into one of the best books I’ve ever, ever read. So many thoughts to process. Please go read this book!! And if you already have, let’s discuss immediately!
New sheets for our bed | Is there anything more refreshing than starting a new year with new sheets?! We were due for an update of sheets for our bed, and I got these gorgeous white and blue floral sheets from Target on Cyber Monday (for about half off!). They’re even more stunning in person, and they go perfectly with our bedroom/house. It took me a couple weeks to actually switch our bed over to these current sheets, hence why I can list these under “things I’m loving in January!” I love them so much, and just looking at them every morning and every night makes me so happy.
What about you?! Have you discovered or tried anything new and noteworthy over the past few weeks?! Do any of these ten resonate with you? Do tell, if so!
PS: nothing sponsored or promoted here – just my personal favorites! I’m not fancy enough for that yet – ha!
Raleigh Wedding Planner 
I have the same dryer tool, per Bridgette’s recommendation. Now I just need to use it (this gave me motivation to do that this week)!
I listen to everything Bridgette ever recommends to me!! I was a little skeptical at first, but she let me try hers in the Grand Canyon, and I immediately added it to my Christmas list. Totally converted now!! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it once you try!