What's saving my life right now

Several bloggers and newsletter writers have been writing a repeat post called “What’s saving my life right now” in their work. I’m not sure who started it, but at least among the writers I follow, it’s become a thing.

When I first saw the “What’s saving my life right now” headline, I thought I was about to read an essay about a therapy technique or a new cancer-fighting drug. Blessedly, no. These fun little posts range from unusual latte flavors to Netflix series. I’m totally on board, and here’s my own little tote bag of entries:

Skinny Pop popcorn, specifically the sea salt and black pepper variety. I don’t know who invented this Melissa-personalized version of crack, but whatever. I love it so much that I strategize daily about how to fit a Skinny Pop break into my afternoons. For you peeps in the southeast, you can buy this delight at any Publix. I’ve seen it at Target recently, too. And gas stations. There are other flavors (Jalapeno, white cheddar, dusted dark chocolate), but don’t bother. 

Wolf Hall, the BBC miniseries that is sort of about King Henry VIII and his many attempts at producing a male heir … but actually, the series focuses more on the enigmatic and complex Thomas Cromwell, the dude history has not been terribly kind to. I gotta be honest. I taught this junk for years to my English 4 kiddos. The stories of Henry, Anne, and Cromwell worked as a fabulous foundation for understanding the impact of England’s religious separation from Rome. But for real? The kids loved the sordidness of it all (me, too). Amazon Prime members, you can watch for free right from your laptop. Pour your bowl of Skinny Pop and dive right in. Avoid bingeing on the series or the popcorn, or you’ll end up with a massive headache. I wish I could say I only needed to learn this lesson once.

Blue Babies Pink, the podcast created by Brett Trapp. Do not, do not, do NOT skip ahead to the last episode to find out if Brett stays celibate. Also avoid judging. It’s tempting to dismiss his religious views as archaic or narrow. He loves church, he loves Jesus, and he loves his family. (Unfortunately, he also loves a bit of purple prose.) But his coming out story is compelling and hard to stop thinking about. For extra indulgence, go to the bluebabiespink web site and check out family photos and add-on commentary. Completely engrossing.

Makeup primers. Y’all. Game changers. A few months ago, I noticed that my friend Ashlyn’s makeup looked, well, gorgeous. Ashlyn is a bit of a jeans-and-plaid-shirts-only kind of girl, plus I rarely notice someone's makeup, so I had to ask what was happening. And she was happy to reply. Seems her new roommate is a makeup whiz and decided to give Ashlyn a no-fuss makeover. Well, praise be to the makeup gods, I’ve found religion. Specifically, a very easy and inexpensive kind of makeup religion. The steps are simple and quick: after moisturizer, swipe on a thin layer of primer. Let that sit for a minute or two. Then proceed with foundation and pressed powder (it’s important to do both, Ashlyn said, and I am nothing if not a rule follower), and finish up with blush, lipstick, etc. My makeup looks just as fresh and polished when I take it off as it did when I put it on. 

I’ve found two primers I like, one I prefer if it’s cold and dry outside (Nyx BB Cream), and one that works better in steamy Florida heat (Rimmel Stay Matte). I think I spent about six dollars on each one. Never going back.

This last one is so silly, I’m almost embarrassed to share.

Okay, here goes. I wake up many times a night. My internal body clock doesn’t really give me a sense of what time it is, and I’d like to know if I have, like four hours or four minutes left before the alarm goes off. BUT, if I get out of bed to go look at a clock, chances are good that the walking and the looking will wake me up enough that I won’t be able to go back to sleep.

For hours.

Get a little clock for beside the bed, you say? Why, yes, this would work beautifully if I slept on the side of the bed that has a night table, but alas, my side of the bed is next to the built-in cubby hole of a closet, the door of which will not open if I put a little night table there (old house problems). Switch bed sides with Matt, right? Wrong. He’s a sleep-walker, sleep-talker whose “habit” is minimized if he sleeps by a window. I don’t know, guys. But we all sleep better if Matt is next to a window, so that’s done.

Did you know there’s a clock that projects the time onto the ceiling?  Matt bought me the OregonScientific Projection Clock.

I love that man.

Peace out.