Light hearted little check in about life and what not. You in?

Dreaming: Not much. I keep waking up in the middle of the night with election coverage buzzwords stuck in my head. Like aftershocks. I start to drift off and just as I’m about to doze, something in the back of my brain just shouts, “Benghazi!” or “Grab ‘em by the pussy!” I have actively taken to intentionally think about puppies and kittens and Christmas. It really does help!

Scheming: Speaking of Christmas, I’m going to be doing a series of practical holiday gift guides in December. Maybe I’m making a dumb move by not doing it sooner but November is for Thanksgiving. I don’t think we spend enough time gearing up for that.
I’ve also got an end of the year survey in the works for all of you to work on. I’ll let you know more about it when it’s ready but I want to know more about you!

Trying: Watercolors! I’ve had them for a while but I’ve been actually trying to create things, lately and I’m in love. There are so many things I want to try my hand at and get better at! Being a beginner is really exciting because it means that there’s opportunities to get even better.

Buying: I found a new hair product that has given my regularly limp hair a crazy amount of volume and bounce. And, it’s a cream so it keeps my hair from getting sticky or dried out.
Also, this e.l.f. lip balm/ stain is gorgeous (I have it in XO Red because obviously). It reminds me a little bit of the way that Glossier wants everyone to look like an over-sexed French girl but at, like, a 9^th the price.

Wasting: A little bit less, these days. It’s my goal to get our house downsized but I’m doing it slowly—which is the best way for a habit to stick to me, anyway. Ever since Twice Told Tales opened up, I’ve downsized my bookshelf and it feels really good. Because the things on my shelf are all things that I really love. Same with clothes. I started selling my clothes on the Fam app. Like a delicious sauce, my wardrobe is getting reduced down to the very best stuff. It is freeing!
Also, Ryan and I agreed not to get each other Christmas gifts (aside from stockings) this year. It’s a sacrifice—at least for me because he’s really, really good at gifts, but it will help with keeping our house from collecting more things (and will help out with saving for our next trip).

Tasting: Café Au Lait (with a little touch of vanilla) is my new go-to drink at the coffee shop. On days when I need subtlety, it’s not as harsh as black drip but not as expensive or milkey as a latte. The only downside: no pretty latte art. But if you work your Instagram right, you get to see plenty of that in a day, anyway.

Hearing: I got re-obsessed with Troye Sivan. I’m streaming The Remixes of the songs on Blue Neighborhood. I like remixes a lot, but only on songs that I’m really, really familiar with in the first place.
Also this kid in the coffee shop goes from asking a simple question to screaming his effin’ head off in a matter of mere seconds. I have all the sympathy in the world for his mama but just, objectively, it is jarring.

Fearing: Nothing. I hear a lot of people talk about how fearful we are about the future but that doesn’t describe me and I hope, in time, it describes fewer and fewer others as well. I know that whatever comes to us, we’ll handle it. We’ll deal with it. Those of us who are reading this right now, so far, have a 100% success rate with making it through hard things. That’s what we do. I’m confident and excited about the idea that we are in control of our communities if we’re willing to do the work and speak up when we need to.

What kinds of things are you up to, lately? What’s on your mind? Let’s chat about it.
XOXO, Lib

Feature image by Designlovefest–check it out if you’re interested in a new, dreamy wallpaper for your desktop.