February Happy List

The Dream Podcast is Back

Last year one of my absolute favorite podcasts was, The Dream.

If you haven’t listened to season one, it really is a must!

The first season explores MLM (or multi-level marketing) companies and they really dive deep into the reasons why women are attracted to join them, what they are really looking for (friendship, a community, financial freedom), and the predatory nature of how these companies operate.

I was so excited to discover that this podcast is back and this season is tackling the health & wellness industry.

I’m no stranger to feeling targeted by snake oil companies, after dealing with my own health issues, and the intent is to tell us if the things we are buying work or if we are just flushing our money down the toilet.

Although this season hasn’t been as strong, I still have learned a lot and think it brought a great new perspective on the buzzy products and claims that are happening in the wellness industry.

(check out the podcast)

Coloring My Hair Got Even Easier

I have been coloring my hair for years and had switched to Madison Reed when I started to really have to put on my gloves to fight the resistant gray.

Despite coloring my hair for years, I have never bought myself a proper cape or tool set.

With this month’s order I threw in their coloring tool kit (brush, bowl, clips, etc..) and a proper hair coloring smock.

The brush has made application SO MUCH EASIER and the smock made me feel like I am having a real salon day experience at home.

Of course, saving my clothes from disaster is also incredibly awesome.

They give out coupon codes, so here is $15 if you ever want to give coloring at home a spin.

I did notice that they now offer highlighting kits too, but this girl has never been brave enough to attempt that one on her own.

If you have a sensitivity to smells or harsh chemicals, this is one of the only ones that doesn’t trigger a reaction on my scalp and it doesn’t have a strong scent.

It is surprisingly gentle while still being effective on those grays.

(check out madison reed)

The New Mocktail I’m Sipping

I’m not sure why I had never discovered that they make Diet Ginger Beer, but now that I know it, I am looking forward to many mocktails without the guilt!

I had my neighbor over for a sushi and mocktail night and wanted to make something fun for us.

For this Moscow Mule Mocktail, just add crushed ice to a copper mug, a can of diet ginger beer, the juice of half a lime, and a splash of club soda or lime-flavored sparkling water.

These were just as refreshing as the real deal and I loved the zero guilt about calories with this one!

(shop the diet ginger beer)

Temperature Blanket

I’m Working On My First Temperature Blanket

Have you heard of a temperature blanket before?

The idea is that you assign a range of temperatures to a yarn color and knit a row a day for the entire year to make a blanket that shows the weather patterns.

I wanted to make this uniquely mine so I’m developing a knitted pattern and will share it with you when I’m done.

This has definitely kept my mind busy as I’ve been working through different stitch patterns and trying to come up with a pattern that isn’t overly complex, but also interesting enough that you would look forward to doing it each day.

Obviously, with all the color switches, I had no idea how I was going to manage the yarn situation.

shop similar products to my yarn boss

Luckily, I got a Yarn Boss and it has made it SO much easier.

If you knit or crochet, and like to keep a couple of things going at the same time, you would absolutely love this solution. It has kept my yarn tangle-free and my cat away from chasing it.

Honestly, I think this one would be a fun project to do EVERY year, but in the same color scheme to see how the weather patterns change over the years to have a visual representation of global warming.

Look for my blanket at your next gallery showing- hahaha!

Yes, I am a nerd and, yes, I’m loving doing this each week!

(learn more about temperature blankets, shop products similar to the yarn boss that is out of stock)

Unbelievable

My sister-in-law moved into a new house and asked if I wanted to come stay the night for a girls night in. I can’t tell you how much fun we had- ordering sushi, watching true crime, and staying up wayyyy too late gabbing.

slumber party

Fun fact? We shared a locker in high school.

Who knew I would be 42 and having a sleepover at her house in this late age of life?

I married into an amazing family!

Of all the things we watched, Unbelievable (a limited series) was absolutely incredible.

I know I am late to the Netflix party, but if you haven’t seen it yet, it is a MUST.

The story is heartbreaking, but the way these women detectives work on this case is phenomenal and showcases how important it is to believe women.

I don’t want to give anything away, but know that I could not stop watching these episodes and am blown away that this was a true story.

I doubt you will be able to stop once you start this show too.

(watch the trailer here)

ALDI Skyr

Skyr at ALDI

Did you see me spill ALL my ALDI shopping secrets?

Don’t miss that post!

Have you tried skyr before?

When we visited Iceland, our hotel provided a beautiful buffet breakfast every morning.

It was one of those breakfasts where we discovered skyr, an Icelandic yogurt.

This article explains the difference between Skyr and our yogurt, but it boils down to the cultures that are used and what is achieved with the different cultures.

To achieve their version, they need more milk so it ends up being more protein-packed than our version of yogurt.

Skyr is creamy and not as sour as our version and it became a morning treat we looked forward to each day.

Although I have tried a few different versions, sold at our grocery stores, we found them lacking.

Luckily, I stumbled upon the skyr that is now available at ALDI.

If you haven’t tried it RUN TO YOUR STORE. Every flavor is incredibly delicious and super affordable too.

My trick for the ultimate skyr snack?

I put this in my cold drawer, in my fridge, and it gives it almost an ice cream taste.

It’s my new nighttime not-so-guilty pleasure.

All the flavors are delicious, but the blueberry version is, by far, my favorite.

Did you know ALDI delivers groceries too? The best part? They list all those ALDI finds now so you can have them grab you a workout mat, for example, AND your groceries.

Now that’s amazing and dangerous!

(get $10 off your first Instacart order)

Long Shot

We had a lazy date night, last week, and decided to just order in sushi and watch a movie at home.

Long Shot was not really on my radar this year, but we were just in the mood for something light and funny.

For the record, if you like a clean movie, then skip this one.

Now that I’ve said that, I haven’t laughed this hard in a movie in ages.

The premise is that, Charlize Theron’s character, is running for presidency and ends up running into an old friend from high school.

She hires him to be her speech writer and the two end up falling in love.

As implausible as this pairing is, I had a big cheesy grin, plastered across my face, at the end of this one.

It had a great plot, the soundtrack was so good, and the potty humor was just the escape we needed.

(watch the trailer)

A Cold Brew Gadget That is Saving Me Serious $

I got some really amazing gifts this year and one of those that has made my week is this Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker.

Long time readers may recall that I did a cold brew coffee tutorial on my blog.

While this is easy to do, it can be messy with straining the grounds and we often didn’t have room in our fridge for a big pitcher.

This little gadget is so cleverly designed that it has made this process a million times easier.

It has a fine mesh strainer that just screws right into the lid.

You add your coffee, attach it to the lid, fill it with cold water, give it a shake, and the next day you have delicious cold brew coffee. No mess, no straining, and perfection every dang time.

I fill mine with crushed ice, a splash of flavored coffee syrup, and a little almond milk. It is my new favorite afternoon treat.

If you love iced coffee, this gadget is under $20 and I can’t recommend it enough to save serious Starbucks cash.

(shop it here)

Ronny Chieng Destroys America

Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America!

If you are looking for an absolutely HILARIOUS comedy set, I can’t recommend Ronny Chieng’s new comedy special on Netflix enough.

If you were worried it is just a presidential rant, than you will be pleasantly surprised that it is not about that, but just about his own observations about Americans and the things that Americans take for granted.

With a lot of humor and heart, it reminded me of the abundance we have available to us that I didn’t even think about.

Tears were rolling down my face as he shared these poignant observations with absolute hilarity.

We also took in the new Seth Meyers comedy special that had one of the most clever little Netflix features.

When he starts to rant about politics, a little button pops up that allows you to skip his political rant which was pretty freaking genius. We stuck around for that section, but you don’t have to.

I loved his special, but Ronny’s special was absolutely brilliant from start to finish.

You can catch it on Netflix, but click my link to watch one of my favorite clips that will have you dying with laughter.

(watch this clip for the perfect friday lol)

I hope you enjoyed this month’s round-up of February fun. My goal is that my happy brings a month of happy to you too! If this post doesn’t convince you my newsletter is fun, I’ve got nothing. Sign up over here to get this fun weekly in your inbox.

February Happy List

make this chunky blanket with my free knitting pattern

Top Ten Most Visited Articles in February

you must get one of these- it is GORGEOUS

Top Ten Most Purchased Items in February

Top Ten Amazon Purchases in February