Unpolished Ponderings

View Original

What's Inspiring Me Lately

I thought it would be fun to share some of the random tidbits—big, small, and everything in-between— that are inspiring me and bringing me some joy these days!

Magazines

Do you feel like the era of magazines is dead? I don’t! In fact, I argue for a revival of print media. I personally love flipping through glossy pages filled with style, decor and culinary goodness. My favorite magazine is probably Victoria Magazine. I always enjoy their fall issues!

Content Media

I regularly find inspiration from other blogs and YouTube channels in many different categories. Some lifestyle blogs that are inspiring me these days are A La Gray, The Feminine Fancy, Hello Gorgeous, and Isabella Thordsen. Most of those blogs have a very feminine or whimsical and artsy aesthetic. I am also loving the blog Daily She Pursues for Christian living inspiration. Some YouTube channels that I love to check out are Abigail’s Cup of Tea, which is mainly focused on books and cozy living, Tyler Travels TV, which is my favorite channel for Disney vlogs, Trey Kennedy, for endless laughs, Parisian Vibe for the occasional burst of European class, and Daring Desi for the most aesthetically pleasing slow living videos. Of course there are many others I love and watch, but these are some channels that I am enjoying recently.

Books

Admittedly way late to the game, I have recently started reading the first book of A Game of Thrones and am just blown away. I have never watched the show, so I am able to read the books with a fresh slate. I have also started reading the book, A Life That says Welcome by Karen Ehman. It’s full of inspiring and practical guidance for everyday hospitality.

Faith

I have really found a lot of help from the Daily Effective Prayer channel on YouTube. Sometimes I really just do not know what to pray or how to pray—but I really know I want and need to pray about certain things. This channel has hundreds of prayers in just about every category you could think of. Praying along with these prayers has been a helpful guide to strengthen and encourage my prayer life.

Food

I recently discovered something exciting….protein cookies! The best part? You can tell yourself you are being a little healthier while basically still enjoying a cookie. I really love Lenny & Larry’s pumpkin spice ones. I have also really been on a Mexican food kick and enjoying using Thrive Market’s enchilada sauce to make tasty enchiladas!

Health

I am always experimenting with different odds and ends to see what can help manage my symptom load a little better. My latest discovery? These Ultima electrolyte packets! I am trying to cut back on coffee because of my pretty escalated adrenal fatigue…and to drink more water. These packets taste amazing and are very hydrating and nourishing.

Beauty

It all comes down to this…balm blush! Blush is my absolute favorite makeup product and I recently found a new balm blush by Morphe that I am obsessed with. It’s easy to use and you can even use it on your lips or as eyeshadow!

Self-development

I have mentioned this before on the blog, but I am somewhat challenged in the area of organization. My brain is just naturally very cluttered and I have a really hard time organizing the nuts and bolts in between A and Z. However, once I have a system in place, I stick to it very well and thrive! I think back-to-school time made me nostalgic for the thrill of new school supplies, so I decided to make a personal life binder to help me organize ALL areas of life that I want to better address—big, small and in-between.

Activities

Mini nature walks! This is the best time for getting fresh air, especially in the evenings as the golden sun shines its last burst before dusk. I have also gleaned inspiration from the local arts festival.