Monday Mix #1

A Monday catch-up on what I’m thinking about, loving, questioning, and bookmarking. Personal reflections, cultural rabbit holes, and things worth clicking — all in one place.

I’m kicking off the new year with a couple of new series here on Substack… First up, the Monday Mix!

I started “Friday Finds” on Bows & Sequins back in 2017, and it served as a place to share adhoc links I liked and articles I found interesting throughout the week. When I moved it over to Substack, I’d share my weekly ‘Roses & Thorns’ along with that Friday’s finds. Lately I’ve been craving a place to also share random thoughts and ideas, so my intent with the Monday Mix is sharing a little bit of everything. What’s been on my mind, highs and lows lately, as well as links for shopping finds, recipes, podcasts, articles, and the like.

Nothing would make me happier than striking up conversations with you and this community around any of the topics on my mind!! I still feel like I’m learning all of the ins and outs of Substack… Where is the best place to do that? Comments? Starting a subscriber chat? Direct messages? Notes? I’m all ears if you have opinions or want to continue the conversations.

What’s On My Mind

12 Days of Christmas

Over the holiday break, I saw a piece of content around the “12 Days of Christmas” actually starting on Christmas Day. Not knowing the religious origins, I always kind of thought it was an advent-like countdown until Christmas. However, those twelve days actually begin on Christmas Day and run through January 5th.

I feel like our society’s craving of “on to the next” starts the December holidays on November 1st, as soon as Halloween is done. Sometimes it feels like if you’re starting on Christmas after Thanksgiving, you’re already behind. And then as soon as December 26th hits, Christmas needs to be cleaned up and we’re focused on all of the habits and resolutions we’re going to be taking into the new year. It’s exhausting!!

Since December is always such a hustle with meaningful activities and traditions, holiday parties, and finding the perfect gifts, I loved the idea that the “twelve days of Christmas” actually begins on Christmas Day. I love the idea of taking those next twelve days to soak up all of the hard work, savor the season, unwind, relax, and head into the New Year in a more peaceful state of mind. Definitely something I tried to practice this year, and will be taking into account moving forward!

Everything is So Expensive

We got our property tax bill over the holiday break, along with the notification of how much our monthly mortgage payment will be increasing because of the property tax increase in Chicago. I feel like we say this so many times a day, but how the hell did everything get so expensive?? Since Dave cooks so much, we really don’t order in that much, but when we do, it’s mind-blowing how a little bit of food for two is always somehow $100. Even if we’re just ordering pizza, it’s like $80. We’ve been opting for ordering directly from local restaurants and picking it up, but it still adds up. You can’t take an Uber anywhere in the city for under $40. Yes, these are after all of the taxes, fees, and tips, but I’m talking all-in costs. How does anyone afford to do anything??

Football

I know I’m in the tiny minority here being a diehard sports fan so I won’t belabor on it, but it’s been a fun (while simulateanously frustrating) season of being a Bears fan. We’re going to the playoffs! Even when we’ve had abysmal seasons in the past, I really do love the NFL as a whole and treat Sundays like they’re sacred. On the college front, even though I went to Illinois and Indiana has always been a large neighboring rival, I’ve loved following the Cignetti story and all of Indiana’s success this season. I’ll always bleed orange and blue, but I’m happy for the Hoosiers and excited to see how the next few weeks play out.

PS: For any IU girlies out there, this striped cardigan is a must. (On sale for $64!) As always, I keep this collection updated with all of my favorite finds for the style-minded sports fans.

Read, Watch, Listen

I am SO late to the game (by over a decade, I think), but I had never watched Homeland. Dave did a re-watch with me and WOW were the first two seasons incredible. It’s hard to find a show we both love, but this hit it out of the park. We haven’t started season three, but Dave says it majorly loses its luster. If you have seen it, let me know if I should campaign for continuing the series, or watch the next season on my own?!

We listened to Olivia Dean radio on our drive to Omaha over the holidays, and it slapped. I’ll link it here, as I’m not sure if Spotify tailors radios to the listener’s profile or not, but my version was so good.

Again, absolutely *niche* content, but we watched Phish’s livestream at MSG on New Year’s Eve. For those that likely don’t know, Dave has been a huge Phish fan since high school and has gone to hundreds of shows. I think I’ve been to eight shows with him IRL, but we’ve live-streamed probably 20-30 shows at home over the last 5.5 years. As much as I hate to admit it, they’re growing on me in a weird way. I like to joke that it’s Stockholm Syndrome. While I can’t say the music is my favorite, I genuinely enjoy the history, quirks, and traditions of the band. By no means am I suggesting you start listening, as it is such an acquired taste with a lot of nuance, but this article is so well-written and very much worth the read if you have any interest in learning about this seemingly ‘other world’ that I had no idea existed before I met Dave. It illustrates the cult-like following, which (admittedly) has been fun to be adjacent to over the last five+ years. At this point, I feel like I speak a language that most people don’t, and know of this hidden-in-plain-sight ‘secret’ society.

Has anyone read Heart the Lover by Lily King? I saw a glowing review and bookmarked it to maybe read next. I was about to say “it doesn’t necessarily sound like a book I would pick out,” but I’m honestly still learning what my non-fiction preferences are. (These are actual screenshots of my book group chat below… Be gentle on me, ha.)

PS: “Conform” is the book they were all foaming at the mouth about in December. Haven’t read it yet, but everyone was apparently obsessed.

Just Browsing

I recently saw an influencer friend post about her Hermes leather journal cover that she’s had for 10+ years, which made me go digging for my monogrammed leather notebook cover in my office cabinet. I tried to find a new insert for it on Amazon (mostly because I wanted to start my new notebook ASAP), but didn’t have luck finding one that fit, even with measuring. After those returns, I ordered a 3-pack from the manufacturer. It’s no Hermes, but I’ve had this cover for at least 10 years, too.

THEN as I was looking for an old image of my notebook cover (back when I used to regularly work with a photographer for my blog) to use for this post, I realized that at one point I had the 9” croc-embossed leather notebook cover, too. Of course, that sent me on a wild goose chase to find it, but I found it styled on a shelf — with almost a full notebook, too! If you’re ever wondering why I say I’m slow to get things done, it’s this. One thing just leads to another. 🫠 But I’m giddy I found the 9” because it’s a much better size for my desk! I love the smaller one for tossing in my bag.

If you’re looking for an even more wallet-friendly leather option, this one is under $100 and has a snap, similar to the Hermes version. It also takes the standard “A5” refills, so you don’t have to be married to the journal maker, like you have to be with both Hermes and Graphic Image.

Switching gears… The Toteme T-Lock bag and clutch have been on my imaginary wish list for the last couple of years, and I just came across this look for less version of the bag for $119. Love it!!

Has anyone gotten into Rothy’s?? Admittedly, I’ve never tried a pair, but I see them everywhere. Their clogs specifically, but I’m not really a clog girl. Then I recently saw this pair of penny loafers and was wondering if I should try?!

And lastly for this week, the Shark Glossi. I’ve seen so many people I trust say it’s “better than the Dyson.” I was 2 seconds away from hitting purchase because it was on sale over the weekend (and my hair is always a point of contention), but I’m trying to be a bit less impulsive with purchases. Of course, the sale has already ended and I kind of regret not saving the $50 if I’m going to end up buying it, but would love to hear if you’ve tried it!

For context, I have the Dyson blowdryer and the AirStrait and love them both. I’ve considered the AirWrap, but I get discouraged by the learning curve. (And, of course, the cost.)

What initially gave me pause with the Shark Glossi was my absolute dismay with the Revlon styler that everyone raved about a few years ago. I can’t remember where, but I know I tried it once and did not like it at all. I remember feeling like I was frying my hair? My MIL bought one and didn’t like it, and I know I turned down her offer of giving it to me.

From quick looks, they seem like similar tools, but digging in and doing some research on how the two differ, it seems like the Glossi is for frizz-prone types like myself. They tout that it’s a much smoother and shinier blow out, which I have seen confirmed by influencers whose opinions I trust. The Revlon is more like a cheaper hair dryer in brush form, which tracked when I tried it.

Anyway, I’ll stop there for today. I hope you had a wonderful winter break and are feeling good going into the new year.

xoxo jess