10 Things I’m Into- October 2022

Can you believe it’s Halloween already? This fall has been crazy busy. I mentioned in my last post that my mom was coming to visit. She did, and she surprised me by bringing my sister! I had no idea she was coming with my mom and we had SO much fun exploring Boston. Then last weekend, I had to fly back to Iowa for my grandma’s funeral. It was really sad as she was my last living grandparent but I got to see all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins so that was at least fun. Last Sunday as I was driving back to the airport, my ribs hurt from laughing so hard. Next month is busy as well- between James’s work travel and my work travel, we only have four days together from now until November 18.Then it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas (still hoping for an NYC trip!) and then it’s 2023. I keep hoping time will slow down, but so far it hasn’t. Since last month was my birthday, I did some shopping. Between the shopping and traveling, I discovered a lot of new things I’m into:

1. George Men’s Flannel Shirts: You read that correctly- I said men’s plaid flannel shirts. I’ve given up trying to find a women’s flannel to fit over my shoulders. I know the large, boxy flannel shackets are in now, but they look terrible on me. They make me look a lot larger than I really am. The men’s flannels are longer and better fitted. These are only $12.00 so buy more than one! Also, these are soft flannel, not some scratchy material. (Flannel is a material, not a pattern.) I own the colors Delicate Ivory/Brown & Navy/Red. I usually wear these over a white tank or Tshirt. My sister liked mine so much that she went and got one too!
2. Freebird Mabel shoes: I got some birthday money, so I headed to Freebird. Big shock, huh? I love my Crue boots & Claw sandals but I was tired of a high heel so I got the Mabel shoes. They’re pretty comfortable- I’m still breaking them in. So far I’ve worn them with skinny jeans, straight jeans and flared jeans. I purchased the color Taupe Multi and they look good with EVERYTHING. When my mom and sister visited, we went into Freebird and I debated buying them in another color. I didn’t, and it hurt to leave without some shoes.
3. Freebird Lola bag: This was another birthday present- my husband bought me this. I really like this because it can be a cross body bag, a wristlet, or a wallet. I use it as a wallet and throw it in my larger purse most of the time. But when we go some places, I use it as a cross body. I have the Brown Distressed color but I see that the Pink Croco color is 50% off right now.
4. Rothy’s City Slip On Sneaker: I really like my Rothy’s lace ups, but sometimes the laces rub on the tops of my feet. This happens with all lace up shoes- I have weird feet. When my friend Ann was in town, she wanted to go to the Rothy’s store. Since I’m a good friend, I went with her and bought a pair of shoes too. We both ended up getting the City Slip On and I love them! I bought the Wheat color so that it would match everything. I spent a weekend walking around Boston with my sister and my mom and wore these the entire time. I also keep these by the door for when I need to run outside with the dog. I love these because they are comfortable, slip on, and look really cute. And like I said last month, you can wash these in the washer too!
5. Casaluna Washed Supima Percale Sheets: We bought these for our guest bed and liked them so much that we went to buy a set for our bed as well. These are available at Target and they feel like high end sheets. We got the Sage Green color for our guest bed and the Natural color for our bed. I can’t seem to get a good pic of them because of lighting but trust me, they’re worth it.
6. Trader Joe’s Everything But the Leftovers Seasoning: I wanted to buy this last year but it sold out too quickly. So as soon as it was available, I went to get it. Then I went back and bought four more bottles to have on hand. This makes everything taste like Thanksgiving dinner! I’ve used it on chicken, potatoes, eggs, & veggies so far. We’re ordering Thanksgiving dinner but I guarantee I’ll use this on the turkey and potatoes as well. This might be Trader Joe’s best seasoning.
7. BagSmart Toiletry Travel Bag: When I logged onto Amazon one day, this popped up as a deal. My old travel bag was getting old so I ordered it immediately. I’ve only taken one trip with it but I love it. This can hold all of my skincare, haircare, and makeup I need. And since I’m a product junkie, this means there is a lot! I’m traveling for two weeks for work and I’m glad I’m going to have this with me. It’s really soft and folds up nicely, even with a ton of stuff in it. I like the fact that it can hang on the door or spread out so I can find everything easily. If you’re traveling for the holidays, you need this!
8. Charlotte Tilbury Mini Pillow Talk Lipstick & Liner Set: I’d been hearing about this lipstick for years but never bought it. When I saw this at the checkout in Sephora, I grabbed it. My excuse was that the mini set was perfect for travel. In reality, I rarely go through an entire tube of lipstick so the mini sizes are perfect. I purchased the lighter color and I really like it! This stuff is worth the hype!
9. Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Soap: I cannot believe I am writing about soap, but here we are in the year 2022 and I’m officially old. I needed new dish soap and hand soap and these were on the same shelf. Plus, they smelled good. I got the Fall Leaves scent in the dish soap and the Oat Blossom scent in the handsoap. I like this because it cleans well, smells good, and doesn’t make my hands dry.
10. GAP Modern Crewneck Half Sleeve T-Shirt: I love Gap T-Shirts. They fit perfectly and they’re so high quality that I’ve had some of the same T-shirts for over five years. They don’t shrink or lose shape when you wash them and they’re lightweight enough to use for layering but thick enough to wear on their own. I really like this half sleeve length because I don’t always love T-shirt arms. These are fitted so they don’t bother me. I bought this in Heather Gray a few weeks ago. When I went back to buy more, they didn’t have my size in the store so I ordered it in Blue Indigo and True Black.

I’m still in shock that it’s almost November. As of Nov 2, we will have been in Boston for six months. Somedays it feels like we just moved and somedays it feels like we’ve been here forever. Weirdly enough, in the past 6 months I’ve been back to Iowa four times and I’m going again in a week. When I lived in Arkansas, I rarely went back to Iowa. Now that I live even further away, I seem to get there more often. Strange how that happens. It doesn’t bother me to travel back, especially since I get to see family and friends. Yesterday, I went to look for a winter coat. I haven’t had to have a real winter coat for a few years now but with walking Deuce, I’m going to need something warm. I’ll also need some snow boots. And since today is Sunday, I have soup in the crock pot. Today, I’m trying Cheeseburger Soup. We’ll see if it’s any good.

Have a great day and be sure to let me know if you try out any of these products!

Wearing my George Flannel and Rothy’s shoes

Mrs. Meyers Soaps

Freebird Lola

Freebird Mabel shoes

Yes, I made James take a pic at the Freebird store

Front view of Mabel shoes

Everything But the Leftovers Seasoning