Around Here: January 18, 2016

It's Monday. I'm keeping it simple so I don't lose my unexpected blogging rhythm.

My favorite room is| my living room, right now, because it still has some Christmas lights and that makes me happy.

My signature dish is| well, I really like my stuffed shells, my husband frequently requests my meatloaf patties, and I think my pumpkin chili is pretty great. Would one of those qualify as "signature" though?

A recipe I'm scared to try| would be homemade donuts...although I am not sure if I'm afraid of failure or afraid that they will be really good, which could be dangerous.

My secret cleaning weapon is| an old pillowcase. Yep. Best way ever to clean the blades on a ceiling fan. Slip the case over the blade and pull slowly while removing. Dust contained!

I sleep in| pj pants or shorts and a tank top.

If I had an extra hour in my day, today, I would| get some more reading done. I got a little behind on my goal pace and with a big book on tap next, it's bad timing to be getting my momentum derailed.

My bag today| is the same one I carry to work everyday, my big thirty-one tote that I bought a year ago (I could've sworn I had a photo somewhere, but it's the "All-Day Organizing Tote," in a black and white print that isn't available anymore) and I honestly don't know how I ever lived without this bag. 

How did I ever live without| ...ummmm...see above, which may be cheating, a little, but it is truly the thing I use about which I actually say this. It's the perfect size and shape for what I carry on a daily basis, and it's held up amazingly well, considering it gets used at least six out of seven days of the week.

I have a style crush on| Savannah Guthrie. (I'd love to say Duchess Kate, but there's no way I could pull off those hats. And I would've said Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope, but she's annoyed me so much in this season of Scandal that I just can't even.)

I never leave the house without| my phone. Not because I can't survive without it, but because I feel like it's good personal security.

One thing on my bucket list| is to take a real sleigh ride. (Yes, we had a great time on our Disney "sleigh" ride on our Christmas Disney date, but I'd still love to experience a real one-horse open sleigh, jingle all the way, and all that jazz.)

In my closet, you'll find| the basket of clothes I should have put away on...uhhhh...Wednesday.

I will never care about| anything related to basketball with its squeaky sneakers and its echoy whistles and just no thank you.

I wish I could tell my younger self to| stop being so insecure. Those insecurities make you do *so* many foolish things you'll wish you hadn't. Just be you. The sooner you're you, the sooner you'll stop tripping all over yourself.