The first Life Lately post of 2025! Honestly, it’s not going to be the most exciting one – it’s mostly pictures from inside my house, because that’s where I’ve spent most of my time. There are a few pictures from back in December, pre-Christmas, from when I was still out and about, though! It was interesting going through my camera roll to write this, actually – I had more pictures to share than I thought I would, based on what my life has felt like. I guess it tracks with the feeling that January has been a long, long month. Here’s what’s been going on in my life.

My last big event out in the real world was the patron’s holiday party at the Carnegie Museum. I loved seeing the museum decorated for the holidays – they had trees decorated with various Pittsburgh icons, like the Smiley Cookies from Eat’n’Park on this tree. It also gave me the chance to wear the gorgeous brocade Ellie that Hill House released last year, and let me tell you, it was a hit!

My holiday break started out really nicely! I found a nice, vibey video on YouTube, put it on my TV, and spent a few hours reading and sipping my coffee in front of it. It was so relaxing and really cozy.

And then… Covid hit. I share more details in this Substack post, but it was not fun. My sister actually ended up needing to be admitted to the hospital and was in the ICU for a week. My mom stayed with her, which left me and my dad at home by ourselves, and the stress of that plus the stress of my sister being in the hospital was just a lot! My sister is back home now and everyone is feeling better, and I’m hoping we all stay healthy for quite a while.

I just feel like Nala really embodied how I’ve felt for much of January – exhausted, worn out, and wanting nothing more but to lounge and sleep! It has just really felt like such an extremely long month.

Once we had all recovered, I was really looking forward to cooking something warm and comforting because it was so freezing out! Even since I read Ina Garten’s memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens last year, I’ve wanted to cook more of her recipes. So I made this roast chicken… with aluminum foil in place of kitchen twine because we were out. It turned out so well, and the roast veggies were actually incredible, too.

This week Onyx Storm came out – the latest book in the Fourth Wing series. I really enjoyed Fourth Wing, but this one didn’t quite live up to the magic of the first book for me. It felt like a lot of filler! I want to keep this spoiler free since I know lots of people are still reading it, so I won’t say anything more. But regardless, it was still really fun to read and discuss with my friends reading at the same time!

I had a few friends over this weekend for a catch up / late birthday celebration for one of them. I finally got to give her the Christmas/birthday gift I picked out – this customizable concert ticket charm, with all our info from our Eras Tour show on it! Of course, I got myself a matching one, so they’re kind of like a more grown-up version of a friendship bracelet. The chain is this 1976 chain from Catbird, and I love how substantial it feels. I’m wearing it right now and I love it!