When sitting down to compile this month’s assortment of “Favorite Things”, I realized that the majority of what I loved and obsessed over throughout February were things that I had watched in-between working, making travel arrangements over the next couple of months, and brushing eight storms’ worth of snow and ice off of my car every week.
And while that may make for some readable content here on ‘Coffee & Chiffon‘, it left the visual side feeling a little lackluster – and I begrudgingly prepared to put together my very first significantly sparce monthly “Favorite Things” post since starting this blog back in 2020.
But Andrew saved the day in true “#1 Dad” mode since he’s been guiding his kids to healthier habits and snacks, skin/hair care, cleaning products, etc. He’s shared a ton of cool gadgets and products he’s discovered in recent weeks and months while I’ve been visiting his family, and I’ve made a list of a few I plan on picking up after I fly back to Massachusetts later on tonight.
But it was the more natural and organically-sourced snacks that definitely made this month’s list. Let’s take a look!
While the kids have been at school and Andrew’s at work, I’ve been working remotely from their home and trying to help out around the house whenever I can. A girl has to eat, though, and there’s no shortage of food here with two growing kids! A couple of my favorites that I didn’t even know existed until now are these vegan, grain-free tortilla chips by Siete Foods. They come in a bunch of different flavors, are made with avocado oil – and are full of flavor without all the preservatives and excess salt.
And both the kids and I keep reaching for the peanut butter cups from Skinny Dipped. These are gluten-free and made with minimal sugar, but they don’t cut back on flavor. I already have a box enroute to my apartment for when I get back!
While this peppermint mocha-scented spray sanitizer from touchland may not be the most seasonally appropriate, it’s red for Valentine’s Day so I say it counts as a reasonable February Favorite. This hydrating mist came in a holiday set I’d received last year and is the one I currently have in my purse. After days at the airport, trampoline parks, and playing with anything the kids bring home from school each day – it’s been getting plenty of use – and Haven is just as big of a fan of the scent as I am!
I have a feeling she’ll be getting her own set from Aunt Ashley this coming holiday season!
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And while that does it for the stuff I could take pictures of this time around, there were a couple of true crime documentaries that had me absolutely locked in these past few weeks!
– MOVIES/MUSIC/TELEVISION –
‘American Murder: Gabby Petito’ – As an avid traveler that explores the country (and outside of the country in a couple of months!) both on my own and with my partner, and as someone who has considered the “Van Life” route more than once as a means to continue my lifestyle, Gabby Petito’s story broke my heart and sent a shiver up my spine when I’d first heard about it back in 2021, and then enraged me when I’d learned more about what exactly had been done to her and then to her grieving family in the aftermath of her death by the perpetrator’s parents and sibling.
This three part documentary via Netflix reveals never-before-seen footage, text exchanges, and interviews with those closest to Gabby and who had been in contact with her in the days leading up to her murder. It’s a tearjerker, for sure – but also shines a light on just how poorly her case was handled by law enforcement even before she was killed, and how her murderer’s family was allowed to hinder the investigation without consequence – so be prepared to get angry, too.
‘American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson’ – Years ago, there was an outstanding documentary about the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson called ‘Made in America’, that really went above and beyond to paint a picture of O.J.’s upbringing and career trajectory, race relations in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, and remind people that Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were the forgotten victims amid an unprecedented media circus at the time.
That documentary, over several hours long in it’s entirety and played over a series of extensive episodes, might be a little long for some people – so Netflix has their own abridged version via ‘Manhunt’. While much of what is covered in ‘Made in America’ is glossed over quickly in this one, it’s still a pretty good and pretty succinct telling of events – with interviews from surviving friends, family, Attorneys and jurors – many of which I remember watching/hearing about when I was a kid.
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And there we have it! A short, but sweet, look at some things I’ve been loving (and watching) in recent days/weeks!
A little later on this week I’ll have a look back on the month of February as a whole before we dive into all the things I’ve got lined up in March – but for now – I gotta’ pack and get ready to fly home!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 