Monthly Must Haves: May Favorites 2020

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Hi friends! I’ve very much neglected the blog in the past couple of months. I’ve missed the ease of writing, but it can be so hard to think of post ideas that are interesting AND relevant. When I had originally planned out content for the blog this year, I had wanted to talk about how to plan a Girls’ Trip to Europe. That seemed a bit insensitive to write. Although I can’t wait to be back globetrotting with my gals. If you need some escapist content, I highly recommend heading over to my YouTube channel to watch my vlogs from our Spain & Portugal getaway. Also, I’m almost to 1,500 subscribers!!

Anyway, I think this period of self-isolation and quarantine has been eye-opening for a lot of us. We’ve been given the unique chance to edit our lives. I literally went through my drawer of death [you know the one] and completely purged the unnecessary and the clutter. I just finished a complete deep clean of my entire apartment and I feel a sense of calm and clearness that is so nice. It’s also given me a chance to realize and appreciate the products, services, hobbies, and creators that I truly do love so much.

I thought it would be fitting to do a favorites post today. Originally, these were supposed to be monthly, but I fell off the wagon. Oops. It’ll give me a chance to brag on all my favorite things. These posts always do well, so I hope that you enjoy and find some new things to do and reflect on during this period.

Monthly Favorites: May 2020

The Classics

I’ve always considered myself a cinephile. I love movies especially ones with a killer plotline and iconic fashion. But, I didn’t feel right really leaning into the role of an amateur movie critic without a thorough education in the classics. If you’re new here, I should catch you up on some facts. I am a Ph.D. student at NYU. NYU has one of the top drama/theater/film programs in the country. These students have to study the most critically acclaimed films as part of their curriculum. You know who else gets access to all these movies? ME.

So, I’ve been making my way through the iconic films of the 50s and 60s and perusing Hulu and Netflix for later films of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Here’s what I’ve watched so far:

The Wizard of Oz, notably I’ve seen this one before and I still hold such a childlike fondness for the movie.
Gone With The Wind
Casablanca
Singin’ In The Rain
Sunset Boulevard
Roman Holiday
Funny Face
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Vertigo
Bonnie & Clyde
Some Like It Hot
Sound of Music
The Breakfast Club
Pretty In Pink
Sixteen Candles
Good Will Hunting
The Parent Trap

Keurig Cafe

One of the things I’ve missed most in this life has been a freshly brewed oat milk latte in the sun-baked den of Devocion in Flatiron. Until we can meet again, I have been the coffee queen. It’s truly all thanks to my trusty Keurig Cafe system. I’ve had this for almost two years now and it still works its charm every morning. I have a severe coffee addiction and I’ve just learned to lean into it and mix it up with new K-cups. Ironically, it has also illuminated how expensive NYC coffee is and how much I can truly save if I’m not constantly buying coffee. It really does add up.

I order all my K-cups off Amazon so that I can get them in bulk. I love the Starbucks brand pods for espresso shots. The Donut Shop K-cups will make a rich and delicious cup of coffee. 10/10 would recommend. I will say that I do have my eye on a Nespresso. It would be very tempting to buy a smaller Keurig and supplement it with one of their espresso machines. But, the Keurig Cafe is at a great price point for everything that it can do.

H&M Loungewear

Working from home allows me to have an even more relaxed dress code that what I was accustomed to. Now, I can wear sweat shorts and cropped hoodies every day and not think twice about it. As I’ve touched on several times in the past, it can be hard to find cute and stylish clothing for plus sizes. It’s something I still can’t figure out about the fashion industry. But, I absolutely love H&M for all my clothing needs. No seriously. Every need has been filled by H&M at one point or another.

I bought a bunch of different pieces that I was slacking on at the beginning of quarantine. H&M had a banging pair of soft lounge pants and the cutest cream cropped hoodie that hits at the perfect length on me. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite loungewear/easy-to-wear items from their website that are still available. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the quality of the items too.

Madewell Slippers

In the same vein, my leopard print Madewell slippers are my absolute favorite. I thank my lucky stars every day that Nordstrom accidentally sent me two pairs when I bought them for my mom. Thank you, Nordy ;). Anyway, here is another option for fun slippers to keep your feet off the floor and in some cute indoor-appropriate shoes.

Grocery Deliveries

A big reason I’ve felt so comfortable staying in NYC when I could have raced back to VA is easy to access groceries. I have a grocery store, though overpriced, pretty close to my apartment. There are also so many delivery services that are available in NYC. I always make sure to tip prettily. Anytime there is a general worker’s strike, I skip out on ordering from that service for a while. My favorite service is Amazon Fresh and if those delivery slots are filled. I use Shipt for Target. I haven’t had many issues with either service and I’ve always had nice and respectful shoppers.

Also, delivery meal kits are an easy way to mix up meals when you get tired of the same four meals you know how to make. Hellofresh has been my favorite [Get$40 off with my link], but I’m also looking to try some other versions too.

Moodboards

Moodboards, journaling, meditation, etc. are all happy hobbies that I’ve fully embraced. I made a whole new desktop background for my computer. Since I knew I would be playing around on it for the next couple of months, I wanted to have a fun background that I liked. I desperately want to visit Paris once the pandemic calms down and there is an effective vaccine. So, I structured my mood board around the classic Parisian cafe vibes. I had also just watched Funny Face and was having an Audrey Hepburn moment.

may favorites moodboard desktop background

I love playing around with images and layouts in Photoshop and Illustrator and this was a fun exercise. It also killed a chunk of time one afternoon when I didn’t know what else to do. My friend, Hannah, sent me a free month of Headspace and I can’t wait to get started on that.

Avocados

They truly can work on everything. I mainly use them for avocado toast on whole wheat bread and topped with a fried egg. It’s an easy way to get your dose of healthy fat, grains, and protein. We love to see it. I also slap them onto banging salads and bagel sandwiches. I would love to get a little bit funkier in the coming months by making my own guacamole recipe. Also, it would be nice to figure out how to incorporate them into more dinners.

iPad

I have the iPad Air 2 and it has recently become my new favorite thing. I’ve joined the Procreate bandwagon. It’s been nice doodling and designing some fun new things for social. It’s also really great to have around for annotating and saving recipes when cooking and reading new scientific papers. I’m convincing myself more and more every day that I’d want to get an iPad Pro instead of a new laptop in the Fall. I don’t know how Apple keeps bamboozling me into buying more of their products, but here we are.

Sparkling Water

I am a Sparkling Water fiend. I mean I will drink it until it runs out. I’ve been trying to mix it up between the different brands and even asked on Instagram which brands and flavors you love most. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to catch those interactive polls and stories. It’s been a clear rotation between the classic LaCroix Pamplemousse, Aha! Peach & Honey, and Bubbly Peach. It’s funny because all those boxes are so similar an aesthetic that even my sparkling water assortment looks curated. Yikes.

I love sparkling water and wish America had it as readily available as Europe. It’s a great no-sugar alternative to soda which I also really loved.

Banana Bread

If you’re fave on Instagram hasn’t made banana bread, I don’t know who you’re following. The strong among us have been making banana bread when their bananas have gone brown even before the quarantine. I always froze them for smoothies. If I had known it was such an easy, low ingredient way to avoid food waste, I would have been doing this long before. I like adding chocolate chips and walnuts to my loaf. Also, if you want a chocolatey fix, adding cocoa powder is also a key. I love this recipe for a moist loaf of banana bread, the key is using vegetable oil instead of butter.

Virtual Hangouts

Although I do find them to be exhausting if jam-packed on the same day, I do love a virtual video session with my friends and work team members. It kind of feels normal. We’ve been playing some fun games like skribble.io and Quiplash. I think it’s important to stay connected with your work team throughout this period. Netflix Party and Facetime sessions with friends also gives a tiny bit of social interaction that I would have been going crazy without.