How to plan a staycation

I turned 28 this past week and decided to take time off of work for myself. With the heat wave (and maybe the dread of approaching my third decade of life), I didn’t particularly want to spend too much time away from home. And, now […]

Honey & Spice next to monstera leaves

Review: Bolu Babalola’s “Honey & Spice”

It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a romance novel that’s swept me off my feet. While perusing the library one day, I happened upon Bolu Babalola’s Honey & Spice in the New Fiction section. I’ve always found myself snickering at Babalola’s jokes on […]

Red roses blooming

Why I love deadheading flowers

Our summer days in the Central Valley are blisteringly hot; it feels like walking on coals whenever I venture out into my parents’ rock garden in nothing but a ratty pair of Old Navy sandals mid-afternoon. But early mornings — a few hours after dawn […]

Cross stitched gnome

Leaning into the grandmacore life

I recently watched a Vogue video with Alexa Chung talking about quietly slipping into the Met Gala last minute in a modest Christian Siriano gown and no longer needing to be the person who creates the loudest noise. In the winter years of my 20s, […]

Wearing a red hat, flannel shirt, and Simpsons shirt

What to wear when you’re gardening

I’m telling everyone that I’m in my Vietnamese grandpa era. These days, I’ve been into flannel shirts, clogs, multi-pocketed cargo pants, and wide-brimmed fishing hats—things that made up my late grandpa’s go-to outfit on his flea market ventures. Fact: These also happen to be the […]

Cactus in pot

My first time ordering from Hey Rooted!

Hey, guess who just got *rooted*? I’m a thrifty gal, and I don’t usually seek out uncommon plants. Most of my plant collection comes from pure serendipity as I encounter cool picks from nurseries, flea markets, and grocery stores. BUT, I’ll occasionally do a little […]

Maranta

So-called easy-care prayer plants I haven’t killed…yet

Ross and Rachel. Sam and Diane. J.D. and Elliot. Me and prayer plants. Prayer plants and I have the most on-and-off relationship ever because I cannot resist their gorgeous patterned leaves no matter how much pain they cause me down the line. They get crispy […]

Summertime fragrances

The best summertime fragrances!

I’m back again with a fragrance recommendation list because my vanilla perfumes post was surprisingly a hit! Anyway, I first got into perfumes the first summer of the pandemic. Because no one was actively smelling me up, it was truly a hobby for my own […]