September (+Fall) Goals
The year is flying by, how is it almost September again? Fall is by far one of my most favorite seasons and I cannot wait for layering season. This past summer was way too hot (July in California was record breaking with the amount of 100+ degree days..and this past weekend was a terrible heat wave). The idea of wearing sweaters, jackets, and boots is more than appealing to me. I have a lot of exciting things happening soon and some new goals for the rest of the year (and beyond) so I thought I'd put them down here as a form of record / reminder to myself.
On a very exciting note, my boyfriend and I are moving in together next week (!!!). I have lots to say on the subject and I'm debating if I want to do a post - but all that aside, I hope you guys are just as excited as I am because I'll finally be able to add all the extra lifestyle content I've been wanting to do. If you know me in real life / follow me on Pinterest, you'll know that I am borderline obsessed with home/interior design. I'm excited to finally get to design my own place and I'm quite grateful my boyfriend is giving me majority control of that! I've bought some of my dreaaaam furniture from West Elm (peruse my furniture wish list here) along with the most comfortable couch ever from Crate and Barrel. Don't worry - I'll do a whole post on everything once we're settled in.
With moving out I'll have to be more strict on budgets. One way to definitely do that is by cooking more! I have been pinning away over on Pinterest some yummy and hearty looking meals. (Be sure to follow me over on Pinterest here!) In particular I looove curries, so I'm looking to try my hand and cook some. I have a friend from high school who is Indian and he loves to cook, so he's offered to give me some Indian cooking lessons when he's back in town next (prob not til the holidays, but looking forward to it)! I'm looking for some good cook books - you know, the ones that have 95% of recipes you'd actually want to try? Also ones with easy-to-follow recipes. So if you know any good ones, send them my way.
I always tell myself I want to read more, and I'm hoping this year I'll do just that. I need some good suggestions so if you have any good (easy) reads, send them my way. I watch far too much TV and as much as I love being able to binge watch a show while doing work / catching up on blogs, I think I owe it to myself to pick up a book and read. I always love the look of in-home libraries with shelves covered in books - but I can't have that if I don't actually read the books, right? As much as I think kindles and iPads are handy for bringing books around, I think I much prefer physical books. I may just rent a book on my device and if good enough, I'll pick up the physical copy. Speaking of books I need to read, The Little Book of Hygge has been on my to-read list for a few months. I got it a while back and started reading, but it ended up being under my bed and forgotten about. I think Hygge is perfect for Fall/Winter so I better get on with reading this before the cold weather officially hits. And with the comfiest couch in the world, I think it'll be nice to curl up with a book, my pup, and light a candle. // EDIT - a group of people at my office are creating a book club so I've opted in and I'll be doing that! Hopefully they keep me accountable to read at least one book a month :)
Speaking of candles - I'm basically ready to burn all the candles. I'm slowly starting to pack up my room and I have an entire box full of candles (mostly new) and candle accessories. After finishing up a ton of my candles recently, I picked up a rather absurd number of new candles to burn. So I'm guessing there will be lots of candle burning in the new place. I love repurposing old candle jars to use as holders on my vanity, desk, shelves - or even as a plant holder! A lot of people had asked how I get my jars so clean after so I did a post on my tips and tracks to repurpose a candle jar here. I picked up a few candles from Kavaldon which are much more affordable price point than my all time favorite Diptyque ones. They smell incredible, although I will say that they don't disperse as much of a scent around the room when unlit. As expensive as Diptyque ones are, I definitely find that they are worth the $$$ - I'd say a worthy investment for any candle lovers out there. I'm pretty good about burning my candles: making sure they burn evenly, trimming the wick, and storing them in a place away from dust - unfortunately the Kavaldon one I'm burning has proved rather difficult and keeps tunneling (the MOST annoying). I've kind of worked it out and it's starting to even out, but it's way more effort than I'd like. I picked up the Diptyque Mini Candle Set during the Nordstrom sale and I cannot wait to burn them. The only one I'm not particularly keen on is Feu de Bois - I think it's a bit too woody for me and I don't particularly think those around me appreciate the scent either. This is my first time having a Rose & Tubereuse candle so I'm pretty stoked to give them a burn as many love them! I already foresee using these little empty jars for Q-Tips, plastic spoons (for digging into jars), and perfume samples. I'm already planning on burning my new Byredo Bibliotheque candle in the new place - I've been saving it for Fall and funnily enough we'll be moving in on the first day of Fall!
Clearing out the wardrobe. I keep saying this, but I really need to clear it out. Part of me feels torn to donate/give away good clothes when I spent $$ on it. But I'm now at the point where I'm close to moving out and I'm just over most of my wardrobe. I don't wear a lot of it and honestly don't have room to bring it with me. I usually wear the same pieces over and over again, so I figure it's time to get rid of the unworn items and invest in some new pieces. I recently made a few orders from some places (thanks to Labor Day sales + F&F sales) and I'm excited to add these new pieces in to the rotation. I mentioned over on Instagram but be sure to check out my Poshmark closet - my username there is @CHIY. And if you're new to PM, use my code 'HEEQQ' to get $5 off your first purchase!
The month is sure to fly by and I'm really really excited for it. I have a feeling I'm going to get swept up in the craze of moving / adjusting to a new routine so I'm hoping I can keep up with blogging in the meantime. I'm sure I will with a bunch of new-found time, but just a mini disclaimer :)
What are you most looking forward to this month and as the seasons change?