What I Have Been Loving This January

Some clothing and jewelry and trinkets and books and bevs!

Throughout 2023 I spent the beginning of each month trying to curate what I thought I wanted to do each month. Get the room-tone, check the vibe, whatever you would like to call it. It was genuinely fun to do and brought me a lot of joy during some of the more annoying points of the year.

I even got some of my friends/coworkers to join in creating their own lists. At lunch just typing away in our notes app then sharing our wants needs and consistent loves for the coming months.

For 2024 I fell off of that train. I don’t know what it was, but I completely stopped. For 2025 I am deciding to get back in the car, get a window-seat, and lock in with headphones blah blah blah (sorry about this train metaphor I liked it at first and right now I’m not so sure but I’m still keeping it in).

It’s more than half way through January at this point, so I don’t think I’ll be doing an ins and outs list, I’ll start that in February, but I’ll share a list of some of the things I’m loving this January. Food, media, experiences, and little lights.

1. My little game time.

   I love a little free activity. I finish the NYT games, specifically the tiles and connections, immediately after I check my emails. Now that I’m at a job that has a lot more down time than I’m used to I start my day with completing them all! I also do the waffle which learned about from a coworker. It has its archive available for free which is very convenient if you ask me.

2. My little desk set up at said new job.

   I truthfully haven’t had my own desk since elementary school. Or a locker since highschool. So being able to personalize my space at work a little bit brings me a lot of joy! I have miffy and a smiski at the base of my computer and some photos on the wall. Also some moisturizer because the office air is soooo bad for a girl with dry hands. Truly just little things to make the day a bit brighter in a room without natural sunlight. And this thrown together setup may be short lived because they’re moving me to another location soon! So exciting.

3. Decaf coffee

   I have been a decaf girl for almost a year now. I used to think it was the nastiest thing ever when I worked in a café (probably just the coffee they were using to be honest…it wasn’t great…don’t love Bluestone’s decaf…) Truly I was insane for that because decaf is actually so yummy! I rarely get regular caffeine anymore unless I forget to tell the barista or if I make tea at home. I’m not super strict about the whole thing, but I do choose it 9/10 times. Decaf is also an excuse to drink coffee as a little treat in the evenings without regretting it a couple of hours later.

4. Mooala oat milk.

   Truly got this off hand at Target one day because it was the cheapest option and the box was blue but it is so delicious to me. This is coming from someone who has different criteria for regular milk vs oat milk vs creamy oat milk to froth milk at home (this might not give me the same positive experience if it doesn’t froth who knows). But for coffee in the office? An iced latte? SO good. Plus they’re organic and have a cute koala guy on the front! Their products are also made with ethically sourced ingredients which is lovely to hear.

5. The chunky blue sweater I got at a vintage store pop up.

   The name of the shop escapes me which is SO sad because they were so nice. The brand is ‘Northeast Knitting Mills’ and the quality is the perfect blend of cozy and sturdy and soft. I would exchange every sweater I own with one from there if the company wasn’t completely gone (and there’s practically nothing from them on ebay or second hand websites from what I’ve seen). It’s also wonderful because my wardrobe is so neutral usually and this gives it a pop of color when I need it most.

6. Small hoops/Huggie hoops.

   When I was in college I would wear really large hoop earrings. I loved them, I still think they look cute, and I would still wear them, but something about a small hoop earring, or a stack of gold hoops really makes me feel classy and put together even if I didn’t put a lot of effort into my outfit that day. I also like to mismatch the shape and size because it adds a little fun to a simple experience.

7. Hand writing things.

   I was walking down the hall from work the other day and overheard two people talking about cursive and how kids don’t learn it anymore. Crazy! I remember being in second grade and Ms. Goolgasian would write a new letter on the chalkboard to teach as the lesson for the day. I’m not saying that I am going to convert back to cursive from typing everything out because that’s a bit dramatic for someone who is sort of out of practice in terms of hand writing in general, but I will definitely be handwriting notes and letters and journal entries. I’ve also noticed my handwriting get better by handwriting things for just a week.

8. A hardcover journal.

   As someone who went to school for writing and hand wrote a large portion of my notes throughout college, I know a thing or two about a notebook (and what it’s like to be gifted notebooks at every holiday or special life occasion for every year post declaring you like writing). I have recently been writing when I’m at work in the downtime that I have and it’s been lovely. I also love this one from target that I got a few months ago. It doesn’t have the overused Rae Dunn typography or a random unnecessary quote on the front. Simple and sturdy and the pen doesn’t bleed through the paper when I write which is a huge win.

9. Victoria Margrethe Bencsik

   Also known to practically everyone as ‘somuchluvindisclub’ on Instagram and Substack. If you have been living under a rock like I was until literally last week, Victoria posts a weekly dump of all of her daily writing prompts. She shares the daily prompts via IG group message so you can write alongside her and it’s been a fantastic reintroduction to journaling for me. I have never been a consistent ‘journal-er’ because it always seemed so serious and I haven’t been a diary girl either, but this is the perfect balance of introspection and creativity and silliness that really gets me to write. You should check her out if you haven’t already!

10. My second hand Peugeot watch

    I was gifted it for Christmas and have genuinely worn it every day since. I became obsessed with the concept of the interchangeable bezel last year and what it could do for my accessorizing game as someone who wants to start wearing wristwear consistently, and it has been so perfect. I couldn’t figure it out how to twist the bezel off so for now I have a little diamond ring surrounding the time every day and I am not mad at all!

11. Wearing loafers with everything.

    I got a pair of loafers October of 2023 and wore them to the point of no return. I wore them with basically every outfit. It dresses an outfit up, is the level of professional where you are still comfortable, and they are so good for walking around in. I wore them all around France last summer. I got my pair at target and they lasted over a year, and I repurchased and probably will next time they fall apart (at least until I can afford a high quality pair).

12. Libby

    I said it once and I’ll say it forever SUPPORT YOUR LIBRARIES. I just finished listening to the audiobook of First Love: Essays on Friendship by Lily Dancyger. Such a wonderful book. The way Dancyger writes (and speaks since she does the audio of the book herself) about the friendships of young adulthood and the love and loss that comes with that makes my heart ache. I highly recommend.

13. Trader Joes Hand Lotion

    I have nothing to physically compare it to obviously since I’ve never used the pricier version, but it’s supposed to be similar to the L’Occitane hand cream and I’ve really been liking it. Even though I wear my leather gloves (second hand!!) when I go out, my hands always end up SO dry somehow and it’s really helped with that.

14. AudioBooks

    I know I mentioned it above, but I’ve been really into audiobooks lately (also this past year in general). I am in the middle of the Janette McCurdy memoir I’m Glad my Mom Died and I finished Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (narrated by Meryll Streep!! Truly sounds like she’s my mom giving me her life story and I loved it so much) on the train home to Rhode Island yesterday. The audiobooks I’ve finished in January are as follows:

    • I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy myself: One Woman’s Persuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol

    • The Vegetarian by Han Kang

    • Perfume and Pain by Hanna Dorn

    • Foster by Claire Keagan

    • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

    • First Love: Essays on Friendship by Lilly Dancyger

    • The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading by Dwight Gerner

    • Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

We are a smiski and miffy and little trinket household

counter culture is one of my favorites. I have loved their coffee for a few years now and their decaf is JUST as good as their regular coffee

could not tell you how many times I have worn this sweater since getting it, just so perfect.

truly think she is so beautiful

rip to my first pair of loafers...Oct 2023 to Dec 2024

Truly SOOOO good. Very neutral smell for those sensitive to fragrance!

if libby has no fans….then I am nowhere to be found

A long list but that just means I’m loving a lot at the moment. Maybe I’ll do an in and out list and then separately halfway through the month do a ‘thing’s I’m loving this month’ kind of list. Because one is solely on the vibe I want to bring into the month and leave at the end of the last month and the other is just little things that bring me joy.

We’ll figure it out as we go along

See you next time

xoxo

Chloe