Welcome to the first roundup of 2021! It feels good to be back after a much-needed rest. Despite my time off I had a rather stressful end to 2020 so having some time with limited work being done was truly necessary. But I start this year with a heavy heart as well. Heavy for the ongoing pandemic. Heavy for the state of our nation. Heavy for the reality that we are so divided and so many can’t seem to want to work towards a better future.

As I’m sure they did for many of you – my holidays looked very different this year and that was hard. But as I shared on Instagram – I badly needed to unplug and reset. I felt a deep level of burnout and hopelessness and knew that some time away was necessary to restore my positive spirit and look towards a new year with hope and optimism. I took time to read a lot, limited my Instagram usage to one minute a day (this was an incredible feat!), ate good food, savored my A.M. cup of coffee while looking out at the morning sky, worked on my planning documents for my next trip to Paris (despite not having a trip booked!), took walks, didn’t wear jeans or makeup for a month, took a pause from constant news consumption for a bit (but watched horrified and speechless at Wednesday’s sickening and sad display unfold), enjoyed hot baths and tried my best to stay away from work and social media in particular. I also really loved re-reading through this post I wrote a year ago and found a lot of comfort in it. I hope you guys can, too.

I’ve been working this week on a bunch of posts for next week for what I am deeming “Look Back Week” which will feature my favorite purchases from last year, favorite books and more. 

Hope you guys are excited to see them and I so hope you all had a wonderful and restorative holiday season despite everything going on in our world. Enjoy this first roundup of the year and have a good weekend.

WHAT I DID THIS WEEK:

• Looked at 2020’s Top Posts. They were: each of my Things I’ve Bought and Loved posts, 20 New Things to Try, On Being Single in Your 30s, My Home Favorites, My Experience with Body Image, My Apartment Inspiration, My 2020 Wish List, Ilia Beauty Review, A Francophile’s Guide to Staying Inside, Clothes in My Closet I Can’t Wait to Wear This Fall, Black Pants Styled Three Ways, My Fall Purchases and How to Clean Out Your Closet.
• Cherished reading the lovely comments on my 2020 Year in Review post. Thank you all so much for the beautiful words + wishes. 
• Worked on plotting all sorts of to do lists as we look at 12 new months on the calendar. I’m doing my best to slow down and not feel rushed into doing so much at once. It’s an exercise in my patience – but I’m working on it.
• Made a new playlist for this winter.
• Started Melissa Wood Health’s workouts. I wanted to switch up my workouts this year and after a month of hardly any working out it was time I get my butt in gear. So far I am really enjoying them!
• I updated my Books I’ve Enjoyed page in my Amazon Shop! You can bookmark it for whenever you’re looking for book recommendations.

READ + LOOK + LOVE:

• Books set in Paris to help you virtually travel.
• How to do a digital declutter to start the new year.
• The phrases that defined 2020.
• Self care for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
• The 15 most beautiful places in France.
• The women shaping the future of bread & pastry in Paris. (I’ve been to a few of these spots but the others were all already on my list for my next trip!)
• My friend Krystal compiled a great list for small businesses to support in NYC’s West Village. (My West Village guide can be found here).
• 50 one pot meals for easy weeknight dinners – yes, please!
• Wednesday’s day in history broke my heart – it is so hard to recognize this as our country right now.

SHOP AND LOOK LONGINGLY:

• My beloved Agolde Toni jeans are FINALLY back in stock! They went up in price but are 100% worth it. Don’t delay if you’ve been thinking about them as I see them selling out (or going up in price) again. I wear size 27. They are the perfect cropped jean and I wear them all.the.time. This led me to update my Favorite Jeans post, too!
• My favorite slip on sneakers that are equal parts chic as they are practical are still marked down over $70 off! I have the black.
• Give me all the cozy long cardigans to wear with my favorite leggings this year.
• Do any of you have this – *the* Amazon coat? Thoughts? Should I get it? I’m considering it!
• One of my favorite Zoom tops has been restocked in a lot of different colors! I own Black and the Ivory in a size Medium. This top I own in two colors is also great on Zoom!
• Give me all the oversized sweaters to wear with leggings this Winter, please.
• I am eyeing a few new things from Shopbop at the moment including this sweater, this cardigan, these jeans, this versatile bag and these new APLs that are so darn chic. (You know how much I love my APLs!) The site also has a whole new Active section with a bunch of stylish workout wear if you need some motivation this month!
• Shopbop also just added loads of good items to their sale. I spotted these APLs of mine, this cute faux fur jacket with a hood, this chic cardigan, this striped top that’s perfect for Zoom, some of my favorite face masks, these jeans I own, these chic boots and this classic Madewell coat.
• This is a gorgeous and classic coat style.
• One of my favorite sweaters from last year is now 60% off! I wear a size M.
• Also found my go-to rain boots for under $40! They are surprisingly great.
• This best contour stick (that was a favorite beauty discovery of last year) is finally back in stock!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• wit & whimy’s 2020 bestsellers.
• Loungewear & athleisure for the New Year.
• A beginner’s guide to a skincare routine.
• Things I’ve bought and loved recently.
• My 2020 year in review.
• Some gift ideas for yourself.
• What I’ve bought lately.

[Wearing above Sweater / Jeans / Boots]