You’ve asked for it, and I am determined to deliver! So, welcome to my first ever In Case You Missed It Monday. As the kids have gotten older, social media more popular, and blogs less so – I do most of my sharing on Instagram. But I get what I’ve been hearing lately: some things are worth saving and sharing, so they can be revisited for years to come. Going forward I’ll be truly recapping the week, Real Everything style – ICYMI on social! I’ll also share new recipes I pin, articles I read and loved, other inspiration – all here in the “In Case You Missed It Monday” recap of the week.
If you’ve been with me for a while, you probably already know I’ve gradually moved away from focusing so much on food over the years and turned toward living healthy- inside and out. And what better way to kick off the new year than by retiring our long-running “Meal Plan Monday” for something new? After-all you have a years’ worth of meal plans you can continue to revisit – and ICYMI Monday for the Week of January 24, 2021
Stacy’s Reading List
I used to LOVE reading but grew tired of it when I started blogging. But like replacing my coffee with a smoothie, I’m aiming to read five pages a day. This will only help me put my phone down and have better sleep hygiene. Before jumping in to 2022’s book list, here are some of my favorites from last year:
- Untangled by Lisa Damour
- How to be You by Jeffrey Marsh
- The School of Good and Evil by (series)
- The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
- Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
- Puddin’ by Julie Murphy
- Pumpkin by Julie Murphy
- If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (series)
- Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children by
- The Girl With All The Gifts by
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
See my full review list with what I’m reading now here.
20 Years Together!
read more about our 10 year vow renewal here
Matt and I hit our 20-Year Anniversary milestone this weekend! To celebrate, we took our first vacation in a LONG time and a culinary adventure through Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants.
Reviews:
We’ll be doing a full review on our favorites of Northern Virginia’s Top 50 restaurants, but until then, here’s where we went and what we thought.
The Conche is an area I’ve been to many times before yet somehow never noticed, and is the restaurant I was most curious about! The place was packed (a little more than we were comfortable with), but the food was FANTASTIC. Matt ordered the Braised Lamb Shank in a balsamic chocolate reduction, and I had the Berkshire Pork Chop with seasonal fruit and root veg mash. Their innovation and quality ingredients clearly put them on the Top 50 list. See our review here; overall, we rated them a 13/20!
The Ashby Inn delivered superb food. Seriously- the pork belly is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Everything tasted as if made with the heart and soul of the historic property in mind. See our review here; overall, we gave it a 19/20 rating!
Patowmack Farms remains one of our all-time favorite restaurants with a unique experience, safe environment, and stellar service. We’ve been four times already! There’s a fixed 4-course meal when you go, and whatever your dietary needs are, they will accommodate. I ordered a grape-gin cocktail and Matt enjoyed the chef’s pairing drinks. See our review here; overall, we gave them an 18/20 rating!
wearing the same jacket to Patowmack Farms in our Ashby Suite of Airwell BnB, 20 years later!
We stayed at the lovely Airwell Bed & Breakfast. Waking up daily to incredible food delivered to your door, while you watch the birds was magical! The Ashby suite had all the amenities we could want, a luxuriously comfortable bed, glorious shower, fireplace, amazing views, and kindest hosts. I know everyone does AirBnB these days, but this is SO much better! Also, less than half the price of nearby equivalent hotel stays without customized breakfasts delivered to your room. Read our review here; overall we rated them a 20/20!
Feeling Confident In Your Skin
As I was getting ready for our anniversary trip, I wanted to share a thought that occurred to me:
Buy. The. Lingerie.
No matter what size, age, identity, or how many kids you’ve had, if someone loves you, they will love all of you.
Period. Let me tell you, I have been a big girl for most of my life, but every time I show up confident in my skin, THAT is what Matt is attracted to.
Start with yourself first if you’re struggling with believing you’re worthy of love. You ARE worthy. You are special, wonderful, and unique. Perfectly imperfect just the way you are. You’re never going to reach that ideal in your head; you’ll always be chasing that one more change unless you learn to accept yourself how you are today.
That doesn’t mean you can’t also pursue better health or other areas of self-improvement! It means untying how you look to be worthy of love and acceptance. If Matt pushed me to improve myself but called it “support” for healthy eating, fitness, etc., it would feel as if he didn’t love me as I am. And that can be so painful, especially when we’re already struggling with loving ourselves. So buy that lingerie and get used to being in your skin.
Confidence is sexy, and if your partner shames you or makes you feel like it isn’t enough, let me know. I’ll help you pack and give them a piece of my mind!
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