Nine Favorite Things.

Nine Favorite Things – (Taylor, Margaret, McKenzie)

We kicked off this week with a major round of deep cleaning after the big Olympic party Sunday night. And when I say we, I actually mean both my mom and dad. They spent a full day cleaning up the studio after what we’re calling “the wedding weekend – Olympic edition”. For anyone who didn’t keep up Sunday, Red did incredible in finals on Sunday. He ended up taking home 4th, so no podium this year, but don’t let that deceive you, he rode incredibly with a flawless first run.

Obviously, I couldn’t be prouder of him. This year’s games are so different than our experience in Korea 4 years ago. Different in ways the public may not be aware of. It will be interesting to hear more on their experiences once they return. He and Hailey are up again tonight competing in Big Air qualifiers. Hailey at 6:30 pm MST, and Red at 10:30 pm MST  (both are on NBC/Peacock). Big Air isn’t Red’s favorite event, but I know he’s excited to do what he does and just have some fun. I’m excited to cheer them on after the Super Bowl tonight!

GO HAILS and SHREDDEO!

In other fun news, we had our first team trip out here in Colorado on Wednesday/Thursday. It’s crazy to see how much we’ve grown over the years. We began with just myself and my mom. Then a couple of years ago, we added my cousin Maggie. Next came Margaret, and now McKenzie and Taylor this fall. Not only is it incredible to have their support (Maggie, Taylor, and McKenzie all help with social media/blog upkeep, and Margaret helps with marketing), but it’s so amazing to be building a strong team.

Getting everyone together has been long overdue. So while this was a work trip, it was fun too. We spent Wednesday mostly engaging in a big brainstorming session with dinner afterward here at the studio. We headed to a spa in Vail and dinner at the Sebastian. The perfect mix of work and play.

Excited to say that everyone on our small little team is pretty incredible. We’ve gone through a few team members in the past, but our group now feels solid. I’m excited for an awesome year! Huge shout out to Asher for planning the spa and dinner in Vail. She really does take after my Nonnie.

Lastly, in other big news, my brother Brendan and his wife Lynds are expecting their first little baby boy any minute now. As I type this, we have yet to meet little baby Bud (he was due on the 6th). Hopefully, by the time you read this, he’ll have entered into the world. Bren and Lynds are located in LA. I’m taking a quick work trip there on Tuesday, and man oh man, I really hope to meet this little guy! Come on Bud, where you at?!? We’re ready!

Think that’s all I got for you guys! Have an awesome Sunday, a fun Valentine’s Day, and as always, I hope you enjoy this week’s favorites post. #5 is pretty fun!

(Taylor, McKenzie, Margaret, Asher, Mom, Me, Maggie)

1. Things i’m loving, wanting, and excited to try.

loving…this Aritzia half zip pullover. Especially the purple, so cute and cozy.

loving…these mini heart studs. Very, very into ear jewelry right now.

listening to…Victoria Beckham on the Skimm. The conversation is focused on pivoting your career and work partnerships, which I found pretty interesting. She’s accomplished a lot and I found it all so interesting.

reading…Trader Joe’s 13th annual customer choice awards. And taking notes. I think I need to make orange chicken?

beauty products to try… Skinceuticals Renew Overnight Dry (for really dry skin), the Westman Atelier Foundation Stick, RMS Beauty Eyelights Cream Eyeshadow, and the 111Skin Biocellulose Mask.

loving…this Zara vintage rug. It’s vintage but affordable and cute.

thinking of ordering…the marble body brush. I have been dry brushing almost every night (+ scraping my feet) and it’s improved my dry winter skin sooo much. This marble brush is so pretty.

following…tinge floral. the prettiest flower arrangements. love this page.

loving…these Simon Miller boots, but ordering these Jefferey Campbell boots, which are similar, but a bit more affordable. Though I do love the brown shade of those Simon Miller boots!

watching…Vogue beauty secrets with Peyton List. I didn’t know of her previously, but this video was really fun.

cooking…super bowl snacks. Here are a few of my favorites: buffalo cauliflower, crispy cheese burritos, buffalo chicken pizzas, and chocolate peanut butter bars.

2. Favorite date night recipes.

Cajun Garlic Butter Shrimp with Creamy Pesto Pasta

Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce

Basil Parmesan Pasta with Crispy Chicken, Prosciutto, and Arugula

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

Spicy Pesto Pasta Alla Vodka

Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting

Easy Vanilla Earl Grey Crème Brûlée

3. Fun Accessories.

4. Favorite questions of the week.

q: where the heck do you live and why there?
a: Colorado. My family moved here when I was in 8th grade from Cleveland. Both my parents were born and raised in Cleveland. But my mom has always loved the mountains and wanted a change. Fortunately, everyone was on board. We’re all mostly here in CO now, or back and forth between CO and Cali. But Colorado is home base.

q: have you ever jumped out of a plane?
a: haha, no and I never want to. I’ll leave that to my brothers.

q: favorite places to staycation in Colorado?
a: Telluride, Crested Butte, or Aspen.

q: when you cook for your family, do you eat at your house, the studio, or your parent’s house?
a: usually my parent’s house, but the studio on holidays or if something special is happening.

q: not to come off weird, but genuinely how did your parents afford so many kids?
a: hard work 🙂 My dad worked through college (he is 3-years older than my mom), and my mom went to college at night. After graduating my dad worked in the brokerage industry on straight commission for 30 years. Since they never knew what his paycheck would be they were always very conservative. They were careful with their money, cut coupons, and saved for leaner months and things they wanted. My parents worked together as a team, and fortunately, my dad was pretty successful at his job. About 5 or 6 years after my mom and I started HBH, my dad officially joined us. But he was always a huge part of HBH.

q: you have the best skin care products, how do you choose?
a: I always look into a product’s ingredients and the benefits the product provides to the skin. I’ll often look into the recommendations of people I follow. I only get products from stores that I know carry clean products, Violet Grey, Dermstore, and Crudo are all awesome. I keep my skincare products pretty simple and only use a handful of products I really, really love.

q: what is a quote that you live by or one that motivates you?
a: keep your head down. work hard in silence. let your success be the noise.

q: food trend you aren’t a fan of?
a: no idea. I don’t keep up with food trends really. I just cook what I like.

q: how was growing up with all brothers most of your childhood?
a: wouldn’t have changed it for the world. They gave me thick skin. They put up with all my crap as a kid (I was annoying), let me hang with them, picked on me, and everything in between. I can’t explain it but I look back and am so thankful. I think having a sister would have been hard for me at a younger age. But I was sooo happy when Asher finally came around. It was the perfect timing (I was just turning 15). She’s my best friend now and I love her like crazy, she’s the best 😉

q: what’s your best hosting tip?
a: make it easy on yourself and keep the menu simple. Simple, good food is all you need. And then if things aren’t perfect, don’t stress on it. The vibe of the night changes when you’re stressed, so just let it go and enjoy your company.

q: how do you stay true to yourself and your intentions with such a huge following?
a: I don’t ever think about that. I think about the community and how I can better help you guys. Everything I do is really because you guys are here reading. You’ve really helped me build everything. I’ve taken the feedback you all give and put it to use every day to create better content. It’s what I use for inspiration. I don’t look at what others are doing. I just stay focused on the things I know I want to do/create and try to move further towards my goals.

q: a while back you posted about a foot peel, how did it work?
a: I used baby foot, but I don’t think I did right because nothing has happened. To be honest, my feet are so cracked and dry, I feel like they’re almost too bad for the peel to fix!! Also, some people told me that I needed to soak my feet prior to doing the peel and I didn’t. So maybe that’s why ??‍♀️

q: what’s your daily hair care routine and styling like?
a: I don’t touch my hair. I usually wash it every 2 days or so, sometimes every other day because it gets greasy. Otherwise, it’s mostly up in a top knot and when I take it down, it has loose curls, but they always fall.

q: have you ever not posted a recipe because it didn’t photograph well?
a: yes ? and I still do. I have to make it taste good and look good

5. Home/studio projects – the plans.

I’ve hinted about this before, but our biggest project now is to finally be finishing the studio AND my house. About 7 years ago we renovated an old horse barn into my first house. The thought was that I would both live and work out of the space. It’s an incredible space, but we never really completed it. At least not to a space where I was in love with it. It’s definitely ready for some updates now, and I’m excited to finally be doing them.

When I outgrew my little barn, and decided that I really wanted to separate work and home life, we built the studio barn just next door. It is an incredible space. It allows me to work freely and create the content I am excited to share with you all. But again, we never fully finished it. I’d say it’s about 75% there.

So, so excited to be working with Katie Hodges on the updates for both spaces. Our new floor plans are below. This is just the beginning! Much more to come. I love this process.

Let me know your favorite layout options for the ones we aren’t decided on yet!

the studio 

1st Foor

2nd floor office layout 1 – with full U shaped couch 

2nd floor office layout 2 – with L shaped couch 

bench seating – office window

my house

kitchen layout 1 – window bench w/oval table

kitchen layout 2 – breakfast nook w/round table

bathroom layout 

bedroom layout

Do you have a favorite layout for the ones we’re undecided on?

6. Updated morning routine + goals.

I’ve talked about this a little bit before, but I get a lot of questions, so I’m sharing an update! I’m always up early (though during the winter, it’s hard to get out of my warm bed). I LOVE being up early, but my issue is I love being up late too.

I immediately drink a glass of warm water, then I’m putting on my snow pants and out the door for a hike within ten minutes. This is my favorite time of the day. I don’t listen to anything while I’m hiking. I let my mind just think. Sometimes I think about work, sometimes recipes, and very random life stuff. It doesn’t matter what it is, I like just being able to think freely without distractions.

Once I’m home, I do a couple of strength exercises, then morning skincare. I keep that simple, rinse my face, vitamin C serum, face cream, eye cream, then sunscreen. Some mornings I add in an essence. I make coffee (my espresso machine is my favorite thing). Then I’ll usually sip coffee as I shuffle through things on the computer for ten or so minutes. This is usually when I find most of the links I share for the “links I’m loving” and then some clothing finds too. I save them in my notes on my computer throughout the week.

Breakfast-wise, I usually do fruit + warm lemon water in the morning. This is really great for digestion first thing in the morning.

I don’t ever open my phone or email until I get to the studio. I’ve done this for years and it’s one of the best things I do. I don’t want to be distracted by DM’s, texts, and emails in the morning.

improvements to make:

– up earlier to meditate. I know this sounds so “trendy” but after following Melissa Wood, she has convinced me that I need to meditate. I want to start with just 5 minutes and go from there.

– switch up my workout and incorporate weight training. I talked about this around the New Year and it’s something I really want to work in more.

What routines do you do daily that you really love? 

7. favorite links i’m loving.

My Absolute Favorite Trader Joe’s Condiments…we love condiments.

6 Things to Know About the Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Travel Essentials We Swear By…so excited for travel.

Where to Go Out in New York City This Fashion Week…even more excited to head to NYC.

Planning a Girls’ Weekend? These Cities Should Be on Your List…can’t decide which city I love more.

ASOS’s Sale Is Major RN…45 pieces too good to pass up.

14 Netflix Movies to Watch With Your Significant Other…for Valentine’s Day.

We Should All Be Eating Intuitively…how to tune into what your body needs.

Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day With Your Girlfriends…fun ideas.

8 Cancer-Fighting Foods to Start Eating…love healthy prevention.

The 21 Most Incredible Overwater Bungalows in the World

Africa’s Most Eye-Catching Safari Lodges…these are all incredible.

This Home’s Kitchen Has the Indoor-Outdoor Flow…stunning.

“I’ve Chosen Myself”…inside Kim Kardashian’s new world.

Shop 29 of This Week’s Best New Arrivals…cute finds.

H&M Is Flooded With Luxe Staples…these 28 are ridiculously chic.

29 Best Table Lamps and Bedside Lamps of 2022…for a mini refresh.

8. New Style Finds.

9. This week’s dinners + weekend eats.

Monday: Baked Sesame Orange Cauliflower

Tuesday: Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch

Wednesday: Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Souvlaki and Potatoes

Thursday: Miso Butter Grilled Cheese

Friday: Folded Crispy Chicken and Cheese Wraps

Saturday: Nacho Fries with Chipotle Queso

Sunday: Salted Tahini Honey Chocolate Chunk Cookies