Fall Favorites 2020
Nature is putting on a beautiful show, as she does every year around this time.
Hello Friends:
How are you all doing? I am enjoying our transition into full on fall. It doesn't feel like any other autumn, and yet, nature is putting on a beautiful show, as she does every year around this time.
For those of you who subscribe via email, I apologize for missing the October 1st deadline. I needed a bit more time, while our household fell into a new rhythm of remote learning. The kids have amazing teachers, who are working tirelessly and energetically to provide them with more than an education. I feel so much gratitude in my heart.
Last year at this time, I shared my fall favorites. The posts have been feeling heavy lately and I think it's time to switch things up with some lighter conversation to keep us in good spirits. Here are some fall favorites, that I hope you will find just plain fun.
Cozy Time Supplies:
As we transition into cozy time, it's important to have the right supplies. Journaling is part of my daily routine and nice supplies are a simple luxury I afford myself. As mentioned in a past post, I like using a bullet journal style dot grid notebook with extra thick (160 gsm) pages.
Because the pages of my bullet journal are thick, I could use just about any pen or marker; however, I am in love with the erasable Frixion pens. The 0.7 mm Clicker Frixion pens are readily available at US retailers; such as Target, Walmart and Staples. My favorite are the 0.4 mm and 0.5 mm Japanese versions, which are available for purchase in the United States from JetPens, a California based online retailer of Japanese office supplies.
You will almost always find a cup of tea next to my bullet journal and pens. I cannot remember exactly when I discovered Arbor Teas and it's now my go-to for quality loose leaf tea. Arbor Teas is primarily an online retailer of organic tea that comes in backyard compostable packaging. If you live within the City of Ann Arbor, they deliver for free once a week, or you can make arrangements for a socially distanced pick up at their facility.
Learning:
Being a life time learner is so important to me. Beyond obsessively reading up on the Coronavirus since February, I have been expanding my knowledge from physical books and magazines, audio books and podcasts, along with movies and videos. Here are some of my current favorites in each category:
Goodreads is a great app to track the books you have read and want to read. My "want to read" list far outstrips my "read" list. The Simply Organized Life book club is reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Book of Longings. Drop me a line if you would like to join our discussion. This is a book I probably would not have read if it were not for the book club, as I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction. Adding in a little more fiction is good.
For audio books I use the Hoopla app from my public library. However, Hoopla doesn't always have new releases, so I also have an Audible subscription. Right now, I am listening to Jay Shetty's Think Like a Monk. I stumbled across his podcast called On Purpose in July, listening occasionally.
I go through phases with podcasts, listening religiously and then loosing interest. My current favorite podcast is Best Laid Plans with Sarah Hart-Unger. It's all about planning and productivity. Along those lines, I am enjoying the product videos from Jet Pens. With a lot of imagination, I can pretend I am in a Japanese stationary shop.
And for fun, our family takes turns choosing what to watch on weekend "movie nights". My kids groan every time it's my pick as every five weeks (the dog has a turn too) we virtually travel the world and eat in restaurants with Phil Rosenthal. The Netflix show is called Somebody Feed Phil and was preceded by a PBS version (found on DVD at my local library) called I'll Have What Phil's Having. Season 4, filmed pre-pandemic, is coming out October 30th.
Finally, one of the highlights of the last few months was attending an on-line lecture with Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research about Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan. It makes up for the in person lecture that I decided not to attend in early March, as I was concerned about the Coronavirus and the lecture involved food.
Dear friends: please stay well, get cozy and keep learning. Please do comment below or reply via email. I would love to hear your fall favorites.
All my best,
Carolyn
