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CURATED BYShelley

Thoughtfully chosen,
personally shared.

FROM MY EVERYDAY

Good stories.
Useful details.
A few cozy favorites.

Real experiences, honest reviews, and the little things worth sharing.

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THE LATEST FROM MY JOURNAL

What I’d Buy Again Today: Four Purchases That Still Earn Their Space

What I’d Buy Again Today: Four Purchases That Still Earn Their Space
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Tempo link is a referral link; if you sign up through it, I receive a free month of membership. I’m very good at being excited about a new purchase. The more useful question is how I feel about it after it becomes part of everyday life. Am I still using it? Does it make something easier, more comfortable, or more enjoyable? If I were spending the money today, would I choose it again? These four pass that test. They weren’t all purchased this year, but they’re things I would happily buy again today—with one change to my next rug order. Oura Ring: I still want to know how I slept My Oura Ring still earns its place in my daily routine. What keeps me coming back to Oura is the detailed sleep and stress information. I like being able to see patterns in how I’m sleeping and how my stress is tracking, then think...
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wool& Sierra 30 Day Dress Challenge: Week 2 Recap | 14 Days Down!

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a qualifying purchase, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This is my personal, independently documented dress challenge experience. Catch up on my Week 1 Sierra recap: Days 1–7 . Two weeks down, 16 days to go! I'm officially at the halfway-ish point of my second wool& 30 Day Dress Challenge, and the Sierra Tank Dress is still giving me that wonderful, soft, cozy hug I loved from Day 1. Am I still convinced I should have ordered an XL instead of the XXL? Absolutely. Am I letting that stop me from wearing it 30 different ways? Not a chance. This week brought office outfits, cozy weekend looks, a little Disney, some experimenting with layers, and one outfit change that reminded me not every wool& piece is necessarily going to work with every other wool& piece. Let's recap Days 8–14! What I Wore: Days 8–14 Day 8: Office-Ready ...
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Travel Mahjong Tiles vs. Full-Size Tiles: Which Would I Buy First?

I love my travel Mahjong tiles. They have come on vacation with me, worked for games with four players, and made it possible to pack Mahjong without making it my entire luggage situation. But if you are brand-new to American Mahjong and asking me which size to buy first, my answer is regular-size tiles. That is what we play with at home. That is what I take to open play. And as much as I appreciate a compact travel set, I really, really love a chunky tile. The answer changes a little if you have been playing for a while using other people's sets and are finally buying your own specifically for travel. In that case, the travel tiles might make more sense as your first purchase. You already know how to play, and you know what you need this particular set to do. Here is how I would think about the decision after using both. My full-size Confetti tiles have the chunky feel I love for everyday play. For a new player, I would start with regular-size tiles When you are learni...
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45-Minute Sunday Meal Prep: 8 High-Protein Meals & Homemade Sourdough

Eight meals, eight hard-boiled eggs, and homemade sourdough ready for the freezer. Future me is feeling pretty darn smug. Sunday meal prep is officially complete, and I'm feeling ridiculously accomplished. In about 45 minutes , I made five servings of chicken, spinach, and protein pasta, three servings of egg roll in a bowl, and eight hard-boiled eggs. I also sliced up my freshly baked sourdough and tucked it into the freezer. That's eight lunches or dinners ready to go, plus breakfast options and homemade bread whenever I want it. And yes, I said 45 minutes. Obviously, that doesn't include the time it took to actually make and bake the sourdough. I'm good, but I'm not performing miracles over here. The secret? Simple recipes, convenient ingredients, and doing several things at once. I've been focusing more on anti-inflammatory eating as part of my ongoing health and weight-loss journey. For me, that means finding ways to incorporate protein, vegetables, and fib...
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Bams, Bubbly & Mahjong! Finally Breaking In My Anders Ruff Tiles

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It only took me two months to actually PLAY with my gorgeous Bams & Bubbly mahjong tiles from Anders Ruff Design Co. TWO. MONTHS. Apparently buying beautiful mahjong tiles and actually playing with beautiful mahjong tiles are two separate hobbies. But on October 18, 2026, M and K came over for our first official mahjong afternoon in my completed Mahjong/LEGO room. These tiles finally got their moment. And ladies, they did not disappoint! Champagne buckets, bubbly dots, flowers, and those layers. Subtle was clearly never the assignment. It All Started With a Mahjong Mat The Press for Mahjong mat was one of my very first mahjong purchases. I bought it before Anders Ruff even announced the Bams & Bubbly tiles, and it was already a popular choice with my friends. Pink, orange, and a little champagne-inspi...
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One Dress, Seven Days: My wool& Sierra 30 Day Dress Challenge Week 1 Review

Seven days, one charcoal gray dress, and an increasingly predictable obsession with French Terry. Well, friends, I've officially survived the first seven days of another wool& 30 Day Dress Challenge! And by survived, I mean I've spent the last week wearing what might be one of the coziest pieces of clothing in my closet. So let's not pretend this has been a tremendous hardship. This time around, I'm wearing the wool& Sierra Tank Dress in Charcoal Heather , size XXL Long. If you've been following along on Instagram, you've seen the daily outfits. Now that I've made it through the first week, I have thoughts about fabric, fit, styling, and exactly how much breakfast one dress should be expected to survive. Day 1: My Sierra makes its office debut. First, Can We Talk About This French Terry? I LOVE wool&'s French Terry fabric. Seriously. LOVE. It's the same material as the Eliza dress I wore during last year's 30 Day Dress Challeng...
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Want to Learn American Mahjong? Start Here

A beginner roadmap from your first lesson to your first game night I love a beautiful Mahjong setup. My original starter haul, the tile sets that followed, and the room I have been putting together probably make that fairly obvious. But if you are looking at all of it and wondering what you need before you can even begin, let me make this easier: start with a lesson. The collection can wait. This is the path I would suggest to a friend who wants to learn American Mahjong. Take it one stage at a time, and use the linked guides when you reach the point where they will actually help. The pretty setup can come later. Start with someone who can teach you the game. Your starting point Never played? Find a beginner American Mahjong lesson and ask what it provides. Taken a lesson but still feel lost? Focus on identifying tiles, reading the card, and playing slow practice games. Ready to join a group? Ask whether it welcomes beginners and which rules it uses. Ready for your own setup? ...
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