It has been a cold and rainy week in Raleigh, which makes me all the more excited for the cheerful celebrations ahead! Valentine’s Day kicks of a slew of special days in our house–Azelie turns one on the 22nd, our dating anniversary is March 1st, and Dave’s birthday is March 3rd. These occasions are just what I need right now–it can be so tough to stay positive, optimistic, and creative in the midst of gloomy weather and the one-year mark since lockdown. I’ve been turning to my goals list and inspiration board again and again for a little boost of motivation whenever I need it. I’d love to hear, what’s lifting your spirits these days? Prayer, baked goods, a few colorful additions to my closet, bundled-up porch hangouts, birthday “party” planning, and photography top my list!

1. So, what are your Lent plans? I feel like Lent snuck up on me a little bit, so I’m still mulling over it. I did pick up Blessed Is She’s Lent devotional, which is available via digital download–their Advent journal last year was my favorite yet, so I have no doubt this one is going to be wonderful too. If you’re looking for ideas, here are a few past posts I’ve written on Lent:

What We’re Doing for Lent (2017)
What We’re Doing for Lent (2018)
How I’m Approaching Lent with a Newborn (2020–written pre-pandemic, so keep that in mind!)

2. Reporting back on the $20 lavender top from the February Edit: SO cute! It’s a bit bolder of a purple than I was expecting, but still so pretty as we head into spring. I tried both a small and a medium and opted for the medium so it would be a little longer. I’m planning to wear it this weekend for a different, but still fun and feminine, twist on the typical Valentine’s Day outfit (maybe paired with these bow earrings that I have not had nearly enough opportunity to wear yet!). P.S. Not into purple? This top also comes in a darling kelly green and white gingham and in white.

3. I’m not counting this as my official February baking project since I have big plans (or rather, big hopes!) for Azelie’s birthday cake next week! However, Charlie and I made these chocolate chip scones and they were a lot of fun–grating frozen butter, using a pastry cutter, things like that :) And they’re delicious! I may or may not be polishing one off right now…

4. In case you missed it, I asked what product recommendations people needed on Instagram yesterday and then rounded up the responses on this new page. I’ll try to keep it updated with the links to anything I mention on Stories for your easy reference!

5. We finally started season four of The Crown last weekend (delayed because we were finishing a Downton rewatch!) and I’m loving it so far. Season three felt impossibly slow to us–Dave fell asleep during all but two episodes–but the arrival of Diana has made this season so intriguing. I love thinking about how carefully the actors must study videos of the real people they’re playing in order to perform these roles. Inspired by the show, I finally ordered HRH (it’s on sale for $18 right now!) and can hardly wait to dig into it.