Weekend Wrap-Up: January 19

In an effort to be a little more transparent about myself and my life, I’m adding a new, more personal section to the site, starting with what I’m calling my Weekend Wrap-Up. My hope is to offer a behind-the-scenes look at my day-to-day life and to remind you that there’s a real, breathing, feeling person behind these posts.

In the age of AI, it can be hard to tell where content comes from or who, if anyone, is actually behind the curtain, especially when you don’t regularly see someone’s face or personal moments. As more of our lives are lived online, it’s become clear that people are craving something more human, more real. That said, this doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m a deeply private, fairly introverted person by nature.

After leaving a successful career in corporate America, a decision I wrote about in one of my earliest posts, I knew I wanted to move in a more creative direction. As a kid, I kept detailed diaries, wrote short stories for fun, and eventually majored in journalism in college. Life, as it tends to do, took a few turns, and I landed in the world of marketing and advertising instead. Long story short, I eventually stepped away from the corporate world in pursuit of something more creative, and that path led me here.

Up until now, this space has been focused on the things that inspire me, make my life easier, and simply bring me joy. Beautiful things. Useful things. Things worth sharing. But somewhere along the way, my actual voice began to get lost in that current. My instinct for privacy likely comes from a desire to avoid judgment, but I also know that growth, both personal and creative, requires a little vulnerability.

So here we are.

Going forward, these posts will offer glimpses into my weekends and the life I’m living beyond sharing my favorite Free People dupes or the things I buy on repeat. Read them, skim them, scroll for the photos, or skip them entirely. This is meant to be fun, light, and honest. I ask only for a bit of patience as I figure out what feels comfortable to share and what this series ultimately becomes. I won’t be sharing any earth shattering viewpoints or take you to deep places. This is meant to be light, fun, and give you a monocle-like view into what my messy/boring/exciting/mundane/happy life entails. These posts may evolve as I go, and that’s part of the process.

Taking this step feels small, but it also feels meaningful. As I work through my own hesitation about being more visible, I’ve taped a quote by Marianne Williamson to my cork board: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” It’s a reminder to move toward creativity, vulnerability and openness instead of away from it.

And with that, let me tell you about the spinach lasagna I made this weekend. 🙂

A Few Thoughts From The Weekend

We had two half days of school on Thursday and Friday and MLK day was yesterday which made for a lot of fun in a long weekend. I’m currently the coach for my son’s 5th grade Battle of the Books team which essentially entails trying to get four goofy wound-up boys to focus for an hour after school each week and discuss one of the 7 books they are required to read before they go into competition with their classmates…NO.EASY.FEAT!! We didn’t accomplish much other than deciding on a team name and taking 18 bathroom breaks over the course of 60 minutes but, hey – there’s always next week!

Saturday was our ski day. I spent seven, yes seven, hours sitting in the lodge of our local ski resort. Our son is a complete ski nut. Last year he skied over 40 times and I think he’s looking to break that record. We aren’t quite at the point where we are comfortable with dropping him off and leaving so one of us sits in the lodge while he skis. I usually take the time read and come up with new post ideas. I did a little Valentine’s shopping. I bought these cute wood hearts to hang on my front and side doors and Valentine hand towels for our bathroom.

My “desk” for the seven-hour ski session.

Sunday and Monday brought a cooking extravaganza to knock out a few lunches for the week. I made two kinds of lasagna: this classic easy lasagna and this white lasagna with spinach (as I don’t eat meat). Rave reviews for the classic easy lasagna. The white lasagna was good as well, but it could use a few more veggies to make the flavor profile a bit more robust.

Here are a few links to things I was checking out and reading this weekend:

If you’re in the mood to browse and be inspired, you might also like:

• Winter Coats I’m Loving This Season
• Lounge Sets To Keep You Warm and Cozy
• My favorite Coach Bag Lookalikes (affordable but look so much like Coach bags!)
• Planning a Spring Break Trip? I’ve Got The Best Travel Accessories To Make Life Easier

A quick note: Some links I share may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to shop through them. I only ever share things I genuinely use, love, or would recommend to a friend.

Written by Abby, the gal behind The Betty Edit, where I share wearable style, thoughtful finds, and real life favorites. You landed smack dab into my weekly musings.