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It’s been a cozy month at the Lenney house. We actually got some snow! It only lasted a few hours but still, we’ll take what we can get in North Texas. I’ve been taking it slow (mostly) in my down-time, oscillating between working my New Years' goals, cooking and baking, and designing our new house which will be done this spring! Sharing some favorites with you:
1. Atomic Habits – If you set new goals for yourself in 2021 [link to our goal planning post], or have been thinking about it but haven’t quite gotten around to it, you need to check out this book. I’ve read dozens of books on productivity and accomplishing goals [link to productivity blog post], but this one is totally different. It’s really practical and actionable and inspirational. It’s about making small, high-impact changes that build on each other, making for huge improvements over the long haul.
2. Vintage Look Light – we’re working on a farmhouse project right now, and I’m DYING over these vintage reproduction lights. You can customize the colors on the shade and the metal finish for some really beautiful and unique combinations.
3. Wallpaper – If I had a daughter, her room would have this wallpaper. I’ve always been a warm-colored gal, and this one fits me to a T. It comes in other colors too, and is even available as a peel-and-stick!
4. Chic Dog bowl – In my book, if you have to look at something every single day, it’s really nice if you can make it attractive. This dog bowl looks schmancy enough for a human to eat out of. It has a weighted base to keep it from sloshing around your floor, and an anti-microbial smooth interior to keep it from getting grody.
5. Minimalist Kitchen Cookbook – This has been on my list to read for some time, as it combines two of my favorite things – minimalism and kitchens. It talks about the tools that you need (and don’t) and how to use staple ingredients to make 100 different recipes so you don’t have a pantry full of ingredients that you only use once.
6. Cocotte – I looooooove my Le Creuset dutch oven and cast iron skillet, but the unsung heroes of Le Creuset are definitely the smaller bakeware. These mini cocotte's are awesome for individual portions of sides or dessert. I love them for little things like melting butter in the microwave, serving appetizers, salsa dip containers, and a thousand other things. This new agave color is calling my name!
7. Museum Putty – this is one of our secret weapons in our installation kit. We use museum putty to secure knick-knacks on surfaces to protect them from kids and dog tails, and it’s also useful for securing corners of picture frames to the wall so they don’t constantly move around and get crooked.
8. Swivel desk chair – I was chatting with friends recently about cobbled-together home offices. After nearly a year of working from home, you might be feeling the effects of sitting in a makeshift chair day after day (everyone over 30 is nodding their heads right now)! If you aren’t in need of a full-on ergonomic chair on wheels and are looking for something a bit prettier, this guy is a long time favorite of our team. Cushioned (but not squishy) with a swivel seat makes it an upgrade from the dining chair you may have been using these past months.
9. Bubble planter – If you didn’t know, H&M has really cute and affordable home décor! I looooove this little bubble planter. Looks so much more expensive than it is!
10. Cane desk – We are big fans of McGee & Co. furniture, but the price point makes it unrealistic for every project. But their latest line at Target has dozens of gorgeous pieces at an affordable price!
11. Washable Rug – I’ve got my eye on this guy for under our dining table at the new house. When kids are involved we usually skip a rug under a dining table, but since this one is machine washable we’re going to go for it! I love the vintage Turkish look.
I hope your year is off to a great start!
