IHS Digest | Vol 02

A round-up of all that’s been filling my cup, lately.

Without much fanfare, a lazy, warm January slipped into a slightly lazier, grayer (so far) February for me. I spent the whole month in Houston with my parents, reveling in this rare time I get with them and them alone. We had two low-key New Years bookending the month – one global, one Chinese, both with a delicious dinner spread courtesy of my mom. All in all, it was a wonderfully chill way to kick off 2022… lots of reading, naps, baking, Wordle and crosswords.

Recent Discoveries That Have Me Like 🤩

A contender for a go-to banana bread recipe: I typically consult Google for a new recipe each time I crave banana bread but I might be done with that because this one is fluffy, m-word, and so full of flavor that I might* just stick to it. I halved the sugar, nixed the chocolate chip crust because January, tossed in some honey butter nuts, and subbed in Greek yogurt for sour cream and it’s tasty tasty tasty. *but I’m still a commitment-phobe, so no promises

Guess who’s back, back again: I felt old for the first time eons ago when I was rocked by a migraine stepping into Abercrombie. Squinting through a dimly lit, heavily perfumed haze, I shouted “WHAT?” at my friend over a wall-shaking playlist and immediately left to retrieve my AARP membership card. Well, here we go again. I’ve been loving their new Reformation-esque styles, and their petite sizing even more (extra-short jeans!!). These waffle lounge pants were so good I snagged a pair for my mom and sister too.

Unexpectedly glowy skin: I’m playing around with skincare I abandoned last year and by mixing and matching, I’ve developed a new regimen that works better than it ever used to. At night, I use a Caudalie essence with Maelove’s Moonlight Retinal serum, and layer on the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask or this Korres sleeping facial. In the mornings, I’ll pat on more of the essence, then do this Caudalie serum (smells AMAZING) on the bottom of my face and Vintner’s Daughter serum on the top half. Seriously, never been glowier!

What Has Me Like 🙏🏻

Precious memories. I just about had a heart attack when I found an old external hard drive but it wouldn’t power up. Thankfully, a new USB-C converter did the trick. My mom and I have been going through a decade’s worth of photos from our annual China travels – photos that I never think about because they’re not on my phone/cloud.

My mom. Despite not feeling her best lately, she still insists on cooking something nutritious and healthy for every meal; and in anticipation of a cold night last week, she secretly slipped a hot water bottle in my bed a couple hours before I went to sleep so that it’d be warm when I got in. No one will ever love me as much as my mama!

The sun setting later. I hate nothing more than ending a work day when it’s already dark outside, so this is lifting me up so much.

On The Horizon ⚡

I’m starting a short product marketing course this week and find myself really excited to get back into student mode. It’s been awhile!

MY BABIES ARE COMING HOME. Crossing all the fingers and toes and knocking on all the wood because my sister has had to push back their return twice already, but hopefully they’ll be back this Wednesday and I can’t freaking wait to squeeze those cheeks.