🥔The Good Stuff #1: I really did it + the good stuff from this week

also Taco Bell potatoes

Hi, Friend!

Did you have a restful weekend? I hope so. It’s been a discouraging and dark week for our country, once again. Thinking about all of my AAPI friends and doing my own work to educate myself on how not new this all is and how I can help.

Re: this email: This has been a long time coming, but I’m very excited to be following through on one of my endless ideas. THANK YOU for your support and kind words if I texted you my ‘lil pitch. After my pre-grad-school business venture (see: wedding calligraphy business) I was MEGA burnt out (I suppose there was also the actual school work and child-rearing playing a part in the burnout) and it has taken me some time to get back into creating things just for fun. Also, using Instagram for this type of content isn’t super fulfilling to me, since, like, does my high school Spanish teacher really want to see this stuff? So thanks for being here, even if I pressured you into it.

While I’m not a writer, I do enjoy saving and sharing helpful things/ideas/solutions. I’m a big blog reader and often skip right to the “link roundups”, so this will be my version of that, published on Sunday evenings to help you combat the Sunday Scaries.

The Goodies

These will be thoughts or ideas I feel like sharing, followed by things I’m reading/watching/using. Two things this week:

1. Habit stacking! Not a new concept, but I first got intentional about trying this about a year ago after listening to this episode of The Plan Podcast by Dani Bruflot. It is the only method that had helped me form new habits that stick, and it’s essentially tacking something new onto a habit you already have formed. For me, this was moving ALL of my PM skincare into the downstairs bathroom so I always remembered to get it done after walking Mochi. My skin is happy and it gives me time to listen to a podcast or watch a Youtube video without rushing because I’m doing it right before bed.

2. Taco Bell potatoes. Look. Turn your nose up on Taco Bell all you want, but their potatoes are incredible and were removed from the menu in 2020. I’m here to tell you they’re back as of 3/12, and to add an order of “fiesta potatoes” on the side of your next order. Send me a picture.

---

F A V O R I T E S this week!

Listening

• The “Maintenance Phase” podcast. This show is all about debunking the junk science behind health fads. I have the “Halo Top Ice Cream” episode on my list, but LOVED the one on Weight Watchers.

• I’ve also been really into NPR’s Life Kit podcast. Episodes are 10-20 minutes and cover sooo many helpful topics, like How to Start Therapy and Surviving At Work as a Person of Color

Watching

• I bought Disney+ to watch Smart House and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, but now I’m obsessed with Pixar movies I never gave a chance to. GUYS. Inside Out is amazing and I can’t stop thinking about it/suggesting it to Lucas. We also very much enjoy looking up who voices all the characters. If you’re a fan of Paula Poundstone at all, she makes a cameo in this scene about which long-termmemories to keep/trash:

Eating

• Once it really warms up I’m sad we will slow down on making this Sausage Pasta bi-weekly. It is SO easy and delicious - we do it all in one dutch oven on the stove.

• This isn’t really a recipe, but we make “sweet potato fry nachos” quite a bit when we are stuck on ideas. It’s just sweet potato waffle fries baked and topped with canned chili, cheese, and some sort of homemade ranch (which is usually greek yogurt with ranch seasoning)

Reading

• The sequel to “American Royals” and letting myself read all the fun and not deep books

• Made me laugh on Twitter:

  chloe ellen @chloellene

  this is my favourite piece of literary criticism of all time

  

Using

• I am LOVING this sunscreen. I believe it’s a chemical/physical hybrid but it is so nourishing for dry skin. Trying new sunscreen is becoming a costly hobby, but maybe I will stop time and the effects of aging completely with enough layers of it. :)

• While I’m linking to Target, I’m a sucker for a slightly cropped boxy t-shirt and this one is better than any I have tried from Everlane, TBH. Also please don’t let me get bangs like this model again.

• Finally, if you’re still in a terrible cycle of winter dry hands + hand washing + missing lotion that has lead to some very bad cuticles, this balm has finally helped heal mine. I keep it at my desk and use it during work calls instead of checking email and fully zoning out.

Wait! Don’t go just yet!

If I didn’t lose you yet, I’ll try to keep it a little shorter next time. Maybe. I’m curious: do you have anything good to share about this past week? Did a loved one finally get the vaccine? Is there anything coming up this week that we can send some encouragement for? Drop a comment or just say hello below. These newsletters live on Substack like a blog, so you can come back to them anytime. Have a lovely week <3