It’s the middle of winter, which for many of us can leave us feeling blue or at least wishing for warmer days full of sunshine. Thankfully we had some sun here yesterday on the East Coast after a long rainy week last week! For today’s confessions, I thought I would just let you in on a few things I am currently liking!

Are you a Jane Austen fan? If so, you’ll definitely want to check out Sanditon on PBS on Sunday nights. It was her last unfinished novel that has been turned into a great mini-series. I am actually not sure if there will be more seasons but so far I am really enjoying this one. It has all the things that Jane Austen was known for like not only love, but duty and friendships and of course money!

2. I am also currently loving OPI nail polish in the color, Funny Bunny. It’s a perfect neutral winter white! I have been wearing it often! You can find it right on amazon if you aren’t near a store that sells OPI.

3. At the new year, there’s so much talk of resolutions and changes. This is the time of the year 6 weeks in, that so many of those are already forgotten or put to the wayside. What I have really enjoyed this year is the Rhythms of Renewal Book and Podcast. The subtitle of the book is “trading stress and anxiety for a life of peace and purpose..” Author Rebekah Lyons stress that we don’t need a ton of new resolutions, but in fact we really need life to fall into certain Rhythms to be able to find ourselves feeling better. There are 4 main categories of Rhythms that healthy habits can fit into: Rest, Restore, Connect and Create. Both her book and her podcast explore themes and topics on how to get to better overall health and leave behind the stress and anxiety! We all could use a little bit of that right?! My one caution is don’t feel like you have to change everything at once, just choose one area to work on and they even have an assessment to see which rhythm is your strength!

4. Cheer on Netflix is another show I really just enjoyed! Have you heard of it? A small Texas community college rules the roost when it comes to collegiate cheer leading and this show chronicles a season of their lives as they head to the national title stage. You fall right into wanting to know more about the students and their stories that brought them to Navarro College. Monica is the gritty, no- nonsense coach that also leaves you wanting to maybe be her friend or at least envy how she keeps it all together under stress! It’s just a 6 episode season, so if you like a good human interest story, this is a good one! If you don’t want to just adopt Jerry by the last episode, I don’t know if we can be friends :)

5. This is not on anyone’s health wagon after everything else I have said, but Dunkin Donuts has Girl Scout cookie flavored coffees again this year! I truly can’t tell you how delicious the Coconut Caramel flavor is, think Samoa Girl Scout cookie flavor stirred into a delicious hot cup of coffee! I love it and I actually like seasonal flavors, it helps you to have things to look forward to. You can get it in both regular coffee or latte, I recommend you trying one for sure!

I hope these few things I am loving bring some ideas to your President’s day because maybe you need a coffee suggestion or a good show to get into! Happy Monday my friends!

Emily Troutman Photography