Simple Joys of the Week, August 4th Edition

Oh wow, this week was SO full of simple joys! Charlie Mae is simply bursting at the seams {developmentally} right now and it is so much fun to watch--I mean really, the girl is in the middle of a baby Renaissance. Every day she does something totally new, says a new word, makes a new face, makes a new connection. These are the simple things that make parenting such a fun, fulfilling, exciting role. 

How was your week? Did you get to enjoy some gratifying simple pleasures? I hope so. Here are a few more of the simple, sensory joys that brought me happiness...

HEAR: Cover of Beyonce's "XO" by John Mayer
Um, how have I never heard this cover before? It's so good! I know John Mayer is supposed to be a big jerk and womanizer and I'm not supposed to like him, but I was a fan of his waaaaayyyyyy back in the day when he was just a local boy playing in bars in Athens, GA, so he'll always have a special place in my heart. I came across this cover while on Spotify this week and was immediately smitten. Listen here. 

SEE: The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
This book was on my summer reading list and I finally got to it/started it on Monday night. I'm about a quarter of the way in and I am already really loving it. I love how it's written and love the characters and it's had me staying up later than I want to because I don't want to stop reading at night. 

TASTE: Wednesday night's salad
Ben and I have salads with dinner almost every night and they're almost always the exact same salad with just a small variation ("feta or no feta tonight?"). But some nights, we both agree that our salads just taste WAY better than usual and we both have seconds, and that's what happened on Wednesday night. Do you ever have that happen with a food you eat almost every day? So weird but great. 

SMELL: Freshly-washed and deodorized workout clothes
Remember in my anti-SJOTW post when I mentioned hating how my yoga clothes (esp the ones I wear to teach in hot, sweaty rooms) end up smelling funky no matter how many times I wash them? Well, many of you recommended that I try washing them in baking soda so I tried that this week and I have to say, I think it worked!?!? Thanks for the advice! My old yoga pants smell so much better now and I'm excited to see how they fare when I next wear them to practice. 

TOUCH: Charlie Mae's soft, chubby baby limbs
I'm sorry, but I had to include this here even though I already mentioned Charlie Mae at the top of the post because there is just NOTHING as soft and velvety as Charlie Mae's roly poly arms + legs (I could just rub them all day long!). Yesterday, as we snuggled in the hammock together, I spent some time just running my fingers over her skin and soaking it up, trying to burn the sensation in my mind so I'll never forget. 

...And there you have it! I hope you had a great first few days of August, too! Lets make this last full month of summer a good one :) 

Oh, and thank you all SO much for your amazing feedback re: my audio classes! It was wonderful to hear how many of you were excited about them + already tried them out. I'm excited to post more soon :) 

Enjoy your weekend!