Y’all, we really made it, ha. happy new year!! It’s 2026!!! We’re still not fully back, but don’t worry, we’ll be at our computers tomorrow morning 🙂 We have great hope (the kind that usually comes with the start of a new year) that 2026 will likely not be easy, but will come with more love and acceptance seeking positive change. Isn’t that what we all want after all? Today, we’re having a slight January “wellness” theme with our links as we’re all feeling ready to start the year off right. They are here!
This week’s home tour Very fun and colorful! Perfect way to start the new year, no? It’s modern but collected and full of so much inspiration. Go check it out!
From Emily: I went to a “Favorite Things” holiday party a few weeks ago, and one of my best friends, who has a great job and has to stay healthy, brought along saladpowerWhich is a bag full of vegetables (like a smoothie). She said that she has not been sick for 2 years and attributes this to this bag. It has 16 spinach leaves, 12 kale leaves, 5 carrots, 4 broccoli heads, and 1/2 lemon and apple. That’s it. I know a lot of people who enjoy making smoothies, but I’m not one of them, and I want nutrition mostly from vegetables (including fiber which is the hardest to get). does it taste good? No. But that’s okay, and if it’s cold, it goes over much faster.
From Mallory: I don’t talk about it much here, but over the last 5-6 years, I’ve really adopted a healthy routine that has worked wonders for me. Throughout my life, I’ve never really had a very good fitness routine — I danced for hours every day in high school, but once I went to college, I didn’t know how to stay active anymore. I had never stepped foot in a gym (our art high school literally didn’t have a gym), and so I had no idea how to get started. Then after college, the pandemic hit, and I joined 30-minute shadow boxing classes my friend did on Instagram Live, which helped me build consistency and motivated me to actually start working out. Once gyms reopened, I started going to my apartment complex for 30 minutes a day and exercising. whitney simmons Will post. She posts tons of great workout ideas (check out her YouTube where she talks you through them!) like This is just a dumbbell workoutWhich are basically workouts that are super effective without using any barbells or machines – so this is a great place to start. If you’ve already been strength training for a while, she’s done it too workout split video more intermediate/advanced workout video (I used to follow almost her exact split, but I’ve recently modified it even further to work better for me and incorporate Pilates once a week!). I love following her because she promotes being strong instead of skinny, is super body positive and keeps it real. If you’re looking for some new workout inspo or just a place to start – check her out!
From Marlee: Well, I’ve been crafting a lot, which has been a lot of fun – but since I have roommates, I don’t really have a designated crafting area or good crafting storage. Which means transferring my projects from my bedroom desk to the dining room and vice versa gets really messy and disorganized. I just found this craft storage binWhich is basically a plastic tacklebox, haha. This has been a game-changer for all my small crafting items – scissors, thread, needles, pins, paint brushes, etc. Eventually, I would love to have a designated area and storage system, but for now, this makes it really easy to throw all my stuff in one bin (in an organized way) and also make it easier to carry everything if I want to watch a movie in the living room while working on stuff. Also, I was looking at reviews and I saw someone calling it their “snackbox” that they use to transport charcuterie on the go!
From Gretchen: I don’t know about you, but during this time after the holidays, I really feel like just relaxing. Currently, I am spending my time with a book that has fascinated me so far, Project Hail Mary (The Ryan Gosling film adaptation comes out in March!), and a really cool YouTube series that I can’t stop watching. I’m not far enough into the book yet to give you my opinion, but I can tell you that I’m completely obsessed with it. This family and their transformation of a 110-year-old schoolhouse into a homesteadThere’s a good chance you’ve seen her project floating around the internet over the years (I saw a few clips when she first bought it, but I completely forgot to check out her progress, A lot has happened since then!) Stacey (homeowner/remodeler) is a great storyteller, and I think her videos are totally adorable, She and her husband moved from NYC to a small town in Indiana (where they both grew up) and made the crazy (but totally rewarding) decision to make the old schoolhouse their forever home, The amount of blood, sweat, and love the two of them have put into this special space is clearly visible, and I love how much care and time Stacy puts into honoring the school and its history when furnishing this space, It’s an honest series filled with lots of funny anecdotes, the project process, and incredible transformation, I’m really enjoying working through her old videos and can’t wait to see what’s next!
From Arlene: Finding a sports bra when you have a very large bust is not for the faint of heart. For high-impact workouts, I typically wear two bras for support, but I’ve been struggling with ads for the SheFit brand for several months. All the reviews convinced me to trust them “Ultimate” Sports Bra This may be enough to keep the girls in place during combo moves etc., and it did not disappoint. I had to get used to it (the front zip wasn’t easy for me), and at first it felt like a cage, but after wearing it a few times it fit more comfortably. I can jump, run, and dance in this thing, and nothing is moving around or falling out. Their on-site quiz led me a little astray (it said I was a 2Luxe for my 38H chest, but I needed a size up from that to accommodate everything perfectly, FYI).
From Jess: Last month, I lost one of my AirPods Pro in a parking lot. I was very disappointed, but if I’m honest it was just a matter of time. They never stayed well in my ears, and it was a constant struggle. One of my best friends said how much they love him Beats Powerbeats Fit – Wireless Noise Canceling Workout Earbuds with Secure-Fit Wingtips Because this never happened to him. I decided to ditch my Apple AirPod loyalty a bit and give these new ones a try, and boy, am I happy. They’re great because it’s not a full wrap around the ear, but rather a small extra arm that fits inside your ear. They’re not cheap, but they’ll make walking, exercising, house cleaning, etc. much better.
We’re so excited to spend another year with you all, so congratulations and see you tomorrow for our annual Kitchen Trends post!!
Opening Image Credit: Photo by Caitlin Green From: River House Primary Bathroom Revealed
