Fun Finds from February

 

Just a couple more days in this month, which means it’s time to share some of my favorite finds from this month! Enjoy!

               Back in 2021, when we were on our big RV trip west, we toured the adorable small town of big things – Casey, Illinois. As we perused the town, we stopped in a little local boutique, and I found a pair of workout leggings on their clearance rack. I bought them, and they have been the only pair of pants like that I’ve had for the last couple of years. The problem? They seemed too short. Every time I wore them to work out, I was fine as long as I didn’t move. But you know the key part of a workout? Moving. Every week at Boot Camp, after I did jumping jacks or squats, I had to hike up those pants. Annoying. Then I found a gift card to Amazon I forgot I hadn’t used, and I ordered these pants, which have been on my wish list for a couple of years. I wanted to cry with joy when I tried them on! No more pulling them back up after jumping! (And they have a phone pocket – actually two of them! – which absolutely matters.) They come in a three-pack, so now I have three pairs of workout leggings that fit and hold my phone. I’m thrilled – and so are the rest of the Boot Camp participants who no longer have to watch me hike up my pants. (Note: They come in multiple color combinations, so if you don’t like my choices, you have others!)

               When Ryan’s mom passed away, we didn’t take too many things from her house. But one thing Ryan did want was her little Bluetooth speaker. He has been using it every day, and it marches on in great health. Recently, though, he decided he needed it at work, so that meant he needed a new one at home for singing along to his music while he gets ready in the mornings. He received this one for Christmas and loves it! I forgot to tell you about it last month, so I’m throwing it on this list this month.

                It’s been almost a decade since Ryan’s mom loaned her air fryer to us and then told us to just keep it. She had a fondness for purchasing electronics and gadgets as soon as they were released – and then not using them. I’m guessing the air fryer fell into this category. But we did use it – often. I’m confident we got her money’s worth out of it, but it’s been giving us trouble lately. The door stopped closing without a proper slam, and recently, even post-slamming, I don’t think it was really, fully shut. And the last two times I’ve used it, it has smoked up the house terribly, sending us scrambling to open windows before the fire department arrived. (We took it all apart and cleaned out everything, but it still smoked.) Ryan found a new option half-off, which put it in our price range, so he ordered it. WOW! It’s so quiet, and sleek and it even has a window to watch the food while it cooks. Air fryers have come a long way in a decade. (Our old one is on the right and the new one is on the left.)

               Our toaster is still working, but I have a feeling its days might be numbered. I decided to start researching for a new one now, while it’s not an emergency, so when the day actually arrives, I’ll be prepared. Did you know a slimline toaster was a thing? Given that our kitchen space – and especially our counter space – is minimal, this one caught my attention! (To be fair, we don’t store the toaster on the countertop, so the limited counter space may not matter.)

                

                I love pasta, but I don’t love how it makes me feel after I eat it. I always feel super bloated – and miserable. One of my friends from Boot Camp told me about Hearts of Palm pasta from Aldi. (Maybe I’ve talked about it on here before, but I’ve been enjoying it again recently.) It’s shaped like angel hair pasta, comes in a pouch, and is easy to heat up and serve with whatever sauce you like. I’ve been using it for my dinners while making regular pasta for Ryan.

                Several years ago, we were given a foam roller, and I have used it only upon occasion. We almost got rid of it in one of our moves, but we decided to keep it a while longer, and I’m glad we did! I found this foam roller routine on the Nourish Move Love site and have been using it some this month. My muscles are often tight and sore, so this has been helping! (Here’s a similar foam roller if you’re looking for one.)

                 Ryan gave me this blanket for Valentine’s Day, and I love it. I read about it on some blog – or maybe it was Instagram? – and marked it on my wish list. It’s lighter weight, which should make it nice for warmer weather – if we ever see any of that again. It’s made of muslin, so it’s kind of like a giant baby blanket! 😊 We got the navy one, but it comes in many colors, so if navy isn’t your favorite, you can find another one!

                A few years ago, I bought Ryan a meat thermometer to use when he grilled, and it’s been serving us well, but it recently stopped being regularly accurate. That kind of matters in the world of food safety, so he researched a new one. I got it for him for Christmas, and we’ve both been using it a lot in the last couple of months. It’s fast, accurate, and much smaller than the one we had before. I’m a big fan!