💌 shared notes | january monthly musings (no. 8)
A cozy, full-of-everything catch-up from both of us – saved for the first Saturday of each new month.
The holidays always leave us feeling a little lighter and more carefree (once the gifts are bought and wrapped, of course). December was full in the best way – a girls trip to LA for our favorite book club of the year (including a classy White Elephant), a quick day trip for B’s husband’s family’s Hanukkah celebration, Christmas with our families, and a few sweet days soaking up family time in Dallas for Kel, her husband, and Avery.
And big news as we head into the new year – Kel is pregnant with baby #2, and it’s a boy! 🤍 After experiencing a loss earlier this summer, this little one already feels extra loved. Our baby boys will only be four months apart, and we already can’t wait to watch that bond unfold – plus see the sibling & cousin love!
We were also so grateful for the quiet week off between Christmas and New Year’s. It was a reminder of how special rest can feel. We hope you found a few moments to slow down and recharge too. Like many of you, we’re reflecting on the year behind us, setting intentions for the year ahead, and trying not to carry too many lingering to-dos into 2026 (anyone else?).
We’re so excited to spend this Saturday morning with you. Now, grab a coffee or tea, nibble something off of your toddler’s plate or make yourself a special warm treat, and let’s catch up! 🤍
xo,
Brooke & Kelcy
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links we can’t stop sending each other, products, links, current faves
If you want to smile as much as we did when we first saw this video, click here. For two girls who used to love doing quick workouts to 50 Cent songs, this is right up our alley. And now we just need to learn the dance!
Kel shared this blueberry constipation smoothie recipe with B when she was going through a period of 72-hours between poos with Cam & it was a game changer!
Some of our favorite Christmas presents for the kids this year: lean-to-turn scooters, personalized aprons for our budding chefs, interactive recipe books, toy garbage truck with working levers, and this cookie-themed Play-Doh set.
Some of our favorite Christmas presents that we gave & received this year: long-sleeve pajama set, this massive & well-priced candle, a sourdough bread baking kit (send your tips!), and little luxuries like Aesop soap (and these dupe refills!) and new waffle robes (with a monogram!) to make every day feel like a spa day.
what we’re watching
We both watched Brad Pitt’s new F1 movie and enjoyed it. It was probably 30 minutes too long (we had to break it up into two nights which is never fun), but it was a good story & kept our interest!
Very excited to start the new season of Emily in
ParisRome when we resume our Wednesday night hangs at our mom’s place post-holiday craziness.We are still dying to see The Housemaid and Eternity, but it’s been hard to find the time! Eternity is also only in select theaters (which is annoying) & none of them are that close to us – so we may opt to rent it at home.
Has anyone started the new Stranger Things? We watched the previous 4 seasons, but honestly, we feel like so much time has passed since the last season that we’re finding it hard to jump into it.
If you have any show or movie recommendations that you’ve loved (new or old!), send them our way! Leave a comment or message us – we always love getting new recs.
what we’re reading
Our book club is reading Exit Lane by Erika Veurink. B finished & Kel has yet to start, but it’s a quick read and feels like you’re watching a movie. Without giving too much away, it’s a great love story and technically a novella – although we’re not sure what that means exactly.
This article to help us try to step away from screens some evenings. We have fallen into the habit of just sitting in front of the television every night after putting the kiddos down – and while that’s necessary on what seems like most days, we want to challenge ourselves to at least one night a week of no TV.
We also love new book recs! We’re part of a book club, so we’ll share what we’re reading the first Saturday of each month in this Monthly Musings series & hope you do the same!
what we’re listening to
B listened to Liz Moody’s interview with Giada De Laurentiis and as a longtime Food Network fan, I was surprised how much I didn’t know about her! She’s super into health & wellness and was so open & honest on the podcast that now we have a newfound respect for her.
On our roadtrip to LA, we listened to this song that Kel discovered years ago quite a few times – it’s a cover of a Sean Paul song, and for some reason we just absolutely love it…even though we’re pretty sure it’s about a man cheating on his girlfriend.
what we’re eating/drinking
We tried shepherd’s pie over Christmas! As mashed potato lovers, it’s been a meal we’ve always wanted to try but never have since we don’t eat beef or lamb. Until something clicked & we realized we could use plant-based beef (Abbot’s is our fave!) with any recipe – we used this one. So comforting, easy & delicious!
Speaking of mashed potatoes, we went to Lilian’s at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe with a couple of our girlfriends who were visiting from Phoenix and as usual, the potato purée was our favorite thing we ordered. And the crispy frites with cajun aioli sauce. Potatoes two ways = the perfect girl dinner.
little joys
Being pregnant at the same time!! We were lucky to be pregnant together with our first kids (Cam & Avery), and we feel so fortunate to be able to do it again!
Watching our little ones start to speak their own thoughts in the cutest ways, scootering around the house playing pretend that they’re going to each other’s houses, and seeing Avery pick her very first fresh eggs from a chicken coop!
The kids being interested in Santa this year now that they’re big 2 1/2 year olds. They got SO excited seeing Santa at our local Christmas in the Park celebration a couple of weeks before Christmas & it was the sweetest thing.
Being asked to play Jingle Bell Rock on repeat.
Visits from friends & pretending, just for a moment, that we all live in the same town again.
Getting ready to create our 2026 vision boards – we feel like so many of our goals & aspirations for 2025 came true, and we can’t wait to see what this year brings! ✨
Thanks for spending part of your Saturday with us – it means more than you know. Whether you’re sipping coffee, chasing toddlers, or just enjoying a slow scroll, we’re so happy to be a small part of your day.
See you in your inbox soon! 🤍 We hope you love that we’ve moved our design moodboard inspiration into a separate newsletter (along with other bonus content), so whether you’re into it or choose to skip, be on the lookout for that if it interests you!
xo,
Brooke & Kelcy
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