Links | January 8, 2022

 First links of the year! Sometimes I can get into such a slump after the holidays. January to March is the stupidest part of the year IMHO and I get the winter blues as soon as I take my Christmas tree down. So this year, I'm aggressively reviewing this list of things to do that make winter slightly less dumb and also, my tree is still up, still lit up, and still in the living room (and kitchen and the deck). 


Also, the beach, which if you really bundle up, is as delightful in January. Looks the same, sounds the same. 


Links, January 2022 | www.biblio-style.com


Anyway, I do feel optimistic about this year. And I think other people do too! I went to the grocery store this week and you know what I found? The whole wall of lettuce - gone! The sugar free cranberry juice I buy - gone! Seriously though, the fresh batch of motivation to do something different is one of the most wonderful feelings. 


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1 || ICYMI

In case you missed it, here's what I wrote about this week. 


The Best of 2021 - I write this post every year and selfishly too. It's fun for me to look back at the picture I took and briefly relive some of those good feelings. 


What I Read in 2021 - I read 30ish books this year, and I linked every single one, but truthfully this post is mostly about the ones I liked best. 


The last links of the year


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2 || Sparking Joy

Proust Questionnaire || are you familiar? I wasn't until I ran into an old post about it on Cup of Jo and then fell down the rabbit hole of reading past issues of Vanity Fair, which runs the questionnaire with celebrities on the last page of each issue. I enjoyed reading Seth Rogan's answers here


Related: I also love Vogue's 73 Questions series


2022 Calendar || I love a fresh new calendar and prefer a full size. I grabbed this one from Target for $5 and I love the cheerful colors. 


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3 || Into It

A few things inspiring me on Pinterest this week. 


Links, January 2022 | www.biblio-style.com

As usual, I'm thinking about home projects now that we're into January. 

Links, January 2022 | www.biblio-style.com


Links, January 2022 | www.biblio-style.com

Working on my courage to casually wear a leather skirt. 


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4 || Links


Two fun mocktail recipes if you're doing Dry January or "not drinking for whatever reason.


How old are you? According to your McDonald's order. This was oddly accurate for me. 


A case for puzzles. I'm also a fan of crossword puzzles lately. Anything to peel my eyes off my phone after 7pm. 


How I feel writing the above sentences. 


What it was like to eat with Anthony Bourdain


Related: on my book wishlist. 


Related to the related: currently reading this and this


Lastly, this goodie: if you're in the market for some new boots, Sperry is having a really nice sale this weekend. 


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5 || Christmas Review

I promise, I'm almost done talking about Christmas, which already feels worlds away. Duke and I were discussing Christmas a few days ago and I mentioned it being a long ways away now, and he responded "it's not far away! It's right behind us!" and I just love the way perspective is so individual. 


Anyway, it was really really nice. I enjoy the entire season more than the actual day - because the let down of it being over is always kind of abrupt for me - and we really had a nice December. 


Duke loves his Elf on the Shelf (his name is Red btw). And I've mentioned this before, but I don't subscribe to the tradition that he can't touch his elf, so Red just accompanies us everywhere. Frankly, I think Duke most enjoys having a companion. He talked to that little elf, describing the places we were going, movies we were watching, etc -- and one night, while I was baking some gingerbread men, those two got to work making some tiny elf-sized cookies that Duke acknowledged "look like dog food." I wish I'd taken a picture. They looked perfectly like dog kibbles, but since they tasted like cookies, we ate 'em anyway. I mean....Red ate them. 


The best was when we found some Elf on the Shelf movies on Netflix and Duke spotted an elf that appears to be our Red on the screen! He hopped right up, close enough to burn out his eyeballs, yelling for me, even though I was right there -- he was so excited! It was a big moment. 


Links, January 2022 | www.biblio-style.com

He's also very into Spiderman these days, so roughly 98% of his gifts were associated, and 100% were wrapped in Spiderman wrapping paper. That Santa, he just knows. Here Duke is in full regalia, about to take off for a spin around the kitchen island on his Spiderman scooter. 


Links, January 2022 | www.biblio-style.com

Not pictured, the web shooter on his hands that I immediately and deeply regretted purchasing. It was filled with what is essentially silly string and I spent the morning plucking it from my hair, the carpet, the underside of the coffee table, books, bowls of cereal.....the list goes on forever. Very fortunately, it ran out quickly and will never be replaced (it can be filled instead with water so rest assured, he's still casting "webs" with what is effectively a water gun strapped to his wrist Edward-Forty-hands style." 


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6 || Plans

Item number 1: forcing myself outside. I can already feel the winter funk approaching, now that the coziness of Christmas is over.  Every year, I think I'm going to magically find a cold weather activity to enjoy that'll make winter somehow more bearable. Turns out, I really just like wine tasting indoors if I have to leave my house and if I don't, watching TV on my couch. 


Adding to the list, here's a few bucket-listy items I'm hoping will keep the winter blues at bay:


- Take Duke out for breakfast on Saturdays. Or Sundays. Or both. 

- Find a nice paved and plowed walking trail. I'll bundle up, but I don't really want to trudge, you know?

- Develop a new walking ritual that mirrors my summer one, in which I arrive in a cute small town, fetch a coffee for me and a cocoa for Duke, and walk around looking in the store windows. 

- Find and commit to a local "trivia night." In the meantime, watch Jeopardy nightly to practice speed and stay current. 

- Cook and/or bake my way through a cookbook. I've always wanted to try this. 

- Last resort: cry into the happy light I gave my MIL for Christmas. My SIL calls this a Homer Gift. I call it using your resources. 


Happy weekending you guys! How do you avoid the winter blues? 

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