Hello, hello! Today is a very important day…it’s my dad’s birthday!
I wish that we could be there to celebrate him but hopefully we will have a belated celebration soon. My parents and my grandmother have all had their first vaccine so there is hope for a visit in the near future. I have to brag on my dad a little on his birthday…this past year he started walking and walks about six miles a day on the beach. He’s also made a few dietary changes and he just looks so healthy and happy. It’s been wonderful to see!
I feel so fortunate to have such a kind, loving, resourceful, smart, selfless and grounded dad. He does so much for me and for Finn and we love him very much!
We should all go back and read this post that I wrote on his birthday last year: 10 Things I’ve Learned From My Dad About Food And Cooking. 🙂
I have a few “almost Friday” favorites to share with you today since my Friday post has already been pre-written and I’ll be traveling to Tennessee tomorrow to lead the second weekend of our yoga teacher training at VIDA.
MY NEW STAUB DUTCH OVEN
Speaking of my dad, he surprised me with a gorgeous Staub Oval Dutch Oven for Christmas. What a treat! It’s my first piece of Staub cookware and I’m a fan! If you’re unfamiliar with Staub, it’s French enameled cast iron cookware that is super heavy duty and known for its even cooking and heat. My dad told me he thinks his Staub bakes the best sourdough so I had to give it a try! I can’t wait to make many other delicious things in my Staub oven from stewed meats to shepherd’s pie to roast chicken to fruit cobblers and more!
THE NEWEST EDITION OF JOY OF COOKING
Let’s keep the cooking theme going here for a minute and talk about one of my favorite cookbooks of all time. You can see how well-loved my Joy of Cooking cookbook is. It is always one of the first cookbooks that I pull off of my shelf when I’m looking for a specific recipe or to learn about a cooking technique. The recipes in Joy of Cooking are so classic, tried and true. I was THRILLED when I was offered a media copy of the newest edition of Joy of Cooking. It features 600 new recipe and more than 4,000 favorites revised and updated.
OVER EASY BARS
I have a new favorite bar. The team at Over Easy offered to send me a box of their breakfast bars to sample and I was honestly surprised by how much I liked the taste and texture. My favorite thing about these bars is the super clean ingredients list. They are almost like homemade! Over Easy offers a three bar trial where you can try three bars for $3 and free shipping. 10/10 recommend trying Over Easy Bars.
SPANX FAUX LEATHER LEGGINGS
WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET ON THE SPANX TRAIN!? You guys, I ordered a pair of the Spanx faux leather leggings about a month ago and I cannot tell you how often I’ve worn them since. They are crazy comfortable. The fit is perfect and they are very flattering. They’re the perfect thing to pair with a cute top and boots. Just for reference, the petite small fits me great. The regular was too long and bunched at my ankles. I am 5′ 4″.
Also noteworthy, I got dressed to go out for an appointment and errands yesterday instead of wearing athleisure all day. It felt good. My top is from LOFT. I got a size small. It’s on final sale right now for $30 + 50% off sale so highly recommend ordering!
I could use recommendations for cute casual sneakers that I can wear with these leggings or jeans. Help me out! What are you loving?
HOME OFFICE DECOR
I am making progress on my home office and I LOVE it. It’s such a bright, happy and pretty space for me. I got the rug and curtains (the curtains are much more blue-green than they look online) at IKEA over the weekend. The curtains need to be hemmed and don’t mind my yoga books flattening the corners of the rug. 😉 I love them both!
I really want to have my desk in the middle of the room and not against a wall but it does present a bit of a challenge with cord management. Any tips or tricks for hiding cords?
EVERYONE’S GETTING COZY AT HOME!
Just one more update to say that the new dog bed was a home run. I got the jumbo size and love that they can both fit on it. Benji sleeps in the bed all night, Zoey starts on it and prefers the floor after she gets hot.
NEW CLASSES FOR FIT REVOLUTION
I recorded a couple of new classes for Fit Revolution last week and they are both so spicy and fun! One is a 20-minute fast power yoga flow and the other is a 35-minute bodyweight strength workout that pulls a lot of inspiration from yoga. I’m also thrilled that we will be releasing some new slow power flow classes with my friend Liz over the next few days.
If you haven’t taken advantage of the 14-day free trial…you should! And remember, you can use code JENEDDINS for 25% off your first month after the trial ends. 🙂
Okay, time for me to sign off. I have a few more work tasks to complete before I head out to teach yoga at 4p. Thanks for being here friends!
QUESTIONS
I’d love your casual sneaker recommendations for jeans/leggings that are a little “fancier” than traditional tennis shoes.
Cord management tips?
Class format/theme/length requests for Fit Revolution?
I bought a pair of exactly what I think you are talking about (cute, elevated sneakers) this year after YEARS of searching. Highly recommend! They are super comfy without socks and I’ve gotten lots of compliments. They go with everything: https://www.amazon.com/Onitsuka-Tiger-Unisex-Serrano%C2%BF-Vaporous/dp/B07DX3YX8G/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=Onitsuka%2BTiger&qid=1611863639&sr=8-7&th=1
I agree the faux leather spanx are one of my favorite things! I wear a low profile adidas when I dress them down. I believe they are cloud foam or something like that. I got them at TJ Maxx.
Can’t wait to try the new classes on Fit Revolution. Really loving what I’ve done so far.
Just wanted to say way to go with all you have going on—teacher training, your app, the blog Finn, house decorating and I’m sure many other things! I always enjoy reading your blog. I’m a dedicated Dansko clog wearer—not the cutest but so, so comfortable.
Instead of hemming the curtains, move the curtain rod up!
I was just going to comment the same things – move the curtain rod up! It makes such a difference having the rod closer to the ceiling than the window.
Another vote for this! We did it in our bedroom (where we have high ceilings) and it looks SO good!
I was also going to suggest this. Raising the rod draws your eye up and makes the window appear larger. Your new home is looking so lovely!
About the leggings, have you read Merrick’s Art? She’s darling. She has some great suggestions on shoes with spanxs leggings here: https://www.merricksart.com/leather-leggings-outfits/
I think the Veja sneakers are very cute! They come in several colors and plain white.
https://www.nordstrom.com/s/veja-v-10-sneaker-unisex/5081553?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=extra%20white%20nautico%20pekin
Happy happy birthday to your dad and for cool casual sneakers with jeans or leggings, vintage Havana’s are the best!
Hi Jen! Maybe check YoungHouseLove for posts about their office in their previous house in Richmond. I remember that they had a desk in the middle of the room that looked great.
Have a good weekend!
I LOVE these. https://www.vans.com/shop/perf-leathers-slip-on-black
I first bought them in a soft pink color then requested the black ones as a Christmas present since I loved them so much.
At first they felt a little snug but they never gave me blisters and stretched out into the most comfortable casual shoe I have owned. (They mold to your feet.) I have TOMS as well, but I like that Vans feel more supportive and cushiony. I actually need to get another pair soon! I have been living in these for the past year and think they work well with leggings/athleisure.
I live in leather leggings and these puppies: https://www.drschollsshoes.com/product/dr-scholls-womens-madison-slip-on-sneaker-5242569/tan-black-leopard-microfiber-80569.
Can’t go wrong with a pair of Golden Gooses for casual, fun tennis shoes! https://www.nordstrom.com/s/golden-goose-super-star-genuine-calf-hair-sneaker-women/5781447?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=ice%2F%20white%2F%20brown%20leo%2F%20fuchsia
And I was going to also recommend raising the curtain rod instead of hemming the curtains. Happy Friday!
Just clicked on the link and bought the book for my mom. The Joy of Cooking is her favorite and it was the first cookbook that she ever introduced me to!!!! Ohhhh…I feel the same way about tennis shoes – i’m always on the hunt for cute kicks without breaking the bank! Cant wait to read what people recommend.
Oh I just love this office space! #goals it looks fantastic!
have been thinking about the spanx leggings forever but I too am 5’4″ and worried that the fit wouldn’t be right. such a helpful post! also wanted to let you know I tried your recipe for fluffy scrambled eggs and they are the BEST! eggs everyday. thanks for the level-up-life tips 🙂