Daily Essentials

'Tis the season for moisturizing

Winter is coming, and along with it, dry skin and the subsequent need for a reliable and effective moisturizing routine. Almost as soon as the temperature starts to drop, I notice that my skin requires a lot more TLC, especially my hands. Since I really enjoy routines, I thought I'd write out my "moisturizing routine," if you want to call it that.

•2 min read

Daily essentials: Activity routines

Since I wrote about my rest and comfort routines, it only seemed fitting to write about the converse: my activity routines. Although I've never been sedentary, I didn't partake in organized sports in my youth. I danced for many years and marched in marching band in high school, but otherwise, I wasn't particularly accustomed to workouts or time at the gym. Now, as an adult, exercising as a routine is still a bit of a struggle for me. I've committed to pockets of discipline over the years, such as when I trained for a 10k and a half marathon, but nothing in terms of a gym routine has permanently stuck. All that said, I do try to sneak in a good bit of activity each week via other means.

•4 min read

Daily essentials: Rest and comfort routines

Life is a balance of rest and activity, isn't it? Sometimes, those lines are blurred. Rest can be active, and inactivity can be work. I'm particularly curious about the little routines we all implement in our lives, either subconsciously or consciously, to various ends. I've noticed trends in my own practices of resting and activity.

•3 min read

Daily essentials: My beauty routine

Almost a year ago, I began a mini-series of posts called Daily Essentials. My thought was that I would write a series of posts about items/products/practices I use every day.* As a continuation of the series, I'm writing about the personal products or cosmetics that I use everyday or nearly everyday.

•6 min read

Daily essentials: Coffee

We're coffee people. Or rather, we're coffee-in-the-morning people and tea-in-the-evening people, but coffee is the focus of this post. I make it for us every morning, seven days a week.  It's likely that we're a little caffeine-dependent, but mostly, I enjoy the entire process (or routine, if you will) of preparing and savoring a cup of coffee. Here's how we do it:

•4 min read

Daily essentials: Kitchen

I love lists, I always have. So, it seems fitting to make another list, and post it here. This is my list of can't-live-without-it and I-use-it-every-day in our kitchen. We habitually assess what we own to avoid excess accumulation, so it only makes sense to do this in our kitchen. And honestly, our kitchen is one of the areas of our home where generally speaking, we have what we need and no more. This keeps our kitchen cabinets uncluttered and makes the kitchen a pleasant work area, since I do spend quite a bit of time there. A list of essentials is entirely subjective, but these are my personal favorites and what I consider indispensable:

•3 min read