One of my favorites movie scenes has always been the opening of Love Actually that says:

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.”

I feel the same way about finding joy. It’s not there all day every day, but if you look for it, joy can be found in some of the simplest things. I posted this Instagram recently, and it inspired me to create this space on the blog. Every so often, I’ll be sharing tid-bits of things that are currently bringing me joy. I’ve had a highlight on Instagram for a while full of golden hours, spring flowers, or cookies – all things that make me smile, but I’m excited to expand on that here.

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To start off, I absolutely love this article from Porter on how to be kind to yourself. I think there’s a lot of pressure right now to feel a certain way, and this is a great reminder of ways to go a little easier on yourself. I’ve personally been working on enjoying the sunshine more, hitting mute, and taking a soak. These are some of my favorite bath salts for doing that! I’m also thinking of implementing a version of the red dot – I love that!

2

Because we can’t go out for date night, we’ve been having fun play restaurant at home. I set the table, light candles, have Ryan take a seat, and serve us our dinner at the table. I thought it would be fun to do a brunch version of it this weekend – boy, do I miss brunch! I found this easy recipe for Olive Oil-Fried Eggs with Yogurt and Lemon – all things I already have in the pantry – that I’m planning to whip up this weekend. If you have a fuller pantry or are feeling more adventurous, this recipe for Huevos Motuleños on Food52 also looks great.

3

I used to face roll religiously in the morning, but when life got busy, that was the first “non-essential” thing that was cut from my routine. I’m getting back into the habit, and forgot how refreshing it was to do in the morning! It was wakes up my entire face and helps to depuff. I use this $15 one from Amazon. If you’re new to face rolling, here’s a great article on Porter all about how to do it and all of the amazing benefits.

4

Anything thing I’ve been carving out time for recently is reading. I’ve found that instead of gravitating towards Netflix in my spare time, I’m loving picking up a novel and getting lost in foreign adventures instead. I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing this week and it was AMAZING! If you’re looking for a new read, this may be my new favorite ever. Such a page turner – I read most of it in one day. I just ordered this one and I’m going to start it this weekend. I’m linking to a few others that come highly recommended, and this list on Goop that has some interesting looking reads!

5

My dear friend Laurel, recently wrote this article on ELLE Decor about creating virtual happy hour at home with your favorite NYC cocktails. She’s dishing on three of NYC’s favorites – we’re personally excited to try out The Polo Bar’s Old-Fashioned for our next virtual happy hour. I recently ordered these glasses (but order these if you want it to feel like the real thing!) to make the occasion a little more glam! It’s a great way to recreate your favorite nights out during this time at home.

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Lastly for this week, something else small that I’ve been loving is making batches of soup! I ordered this KitchenAid Hand Blender and whipped up a couple batches of Sunday Supper’s Tortilla Soup. It has been great to have on hand for quick lunches and is so simple to make. I found the recipe posted on someone else’s blog here if you don’t have the cookbook. However, I highly suggest purchasing it – there are so many great recipes in it! The roasted asparagus I made earlier this week is also from that cookbook. Linking to it and my blender below (and a few other good looking soup cookbooks)!

That’s it for this week – I hope you enjoyed and feel encouraged to find your own little bits of joy! x