I wanted to talk through my April favorite.

I kind of wanted to do this video differently then the way that I've done favorites in the past, which is just kind of like listing off products that brought value to my life, but actually kind of giving a fuller picture of just experiences.

That meant a lot to me this month, and some of those might have been receiving or like buying something that was special, but just all with the mindset of how it made my life better.

I had kind of a different month, too, because April is my birthday month and you know, I had family in town for that Easter and everything.

Plus, we just moved to Nashville a couple of months ago, and so we kind of have been treating it as being a tourist in our new town.

Lots of different experiences have meant a lot to me this month, and I just wanted to kind of run through them with you today and just kind of use it as a way to have a diary entry of sorts that I can look back.

I'm years later and remember what this moment in my life was like the first thing that I really set intention on was listening to audio books.

I really want to hit my book gold this year.

For me, that just meant more so reading and experiencing and learning more than actually opening up in book and reading it off a page while I'm cleaning and cooking, I will be listening to my audio books.

One that I've been loving so far is Outlander.

Book six.

You guys know how much of a fan of Outlander I am, so I'll leave that brief.

The narrator is incredible.

I will leave you guys a link to my favorite narrator and where you can read the audio book version of the series that I love the most.

And then also out of respect for what happened with Notre Dom, I actually used the audio book version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, written by Victor Hugo, so that was really interesting.

It was something that you know, I was familiar with the Disney story and everything with the Hunchback, but actually going back to the Victor Hugo version was really interesting.

And even though it's a fictional story reading about it in the setting of Notredame was very, I don't know.

I was able to respect it for what happened there and also learn a little bit of not necessarily history but the history of when it was written.

And then also the version I listened to was from Christopher Lee, who I am really familiar with room Lord of the Rings being sorrow man.

And he was such a nen credible actor and was able to narrate that so beautifully.

It felt like I was listening to him actually acted out, and that brought a lot more depth to the story than if it was just reading off a page.

Next, I've been really focused on expanding my accessories collection.

That's really just as a broad range of how I've been developing my personal style.

I started with not accessories, hardly at all.

Like I started with the bare bones of where do I need to start from?

And if that's where you are today, I would definitely say to do idea, which was to pick out a very minimal color scheme, and I'm talking from Day one.

I went with black and white, really, maybe just a little bit of beiges or browns that I could mix together well, and so I would use different things, like a basic blouse and a pair of black silk pants, which I'm wearing today and and those types of things.

If you buy them with quality, then you don't need to buy so many of them to begin with.

And you can wear them for several times and they don't wear out.

That's kind of how I started then.

I built from there with, like, outerwear and sweaters and things to wear.

In addition to that, now it's a couple years later, almost to the day.

Actually, that's weird to think about.

So now I am really investing in what type of jewelry do I still need to My collection jewelry has been something I have been investing in along the way from here.

I'm really trying to curate that collection as well as purses and just, you know, knickknacks and accessories.

One of those being a scrunchie, says crunchies, are a little bit less timeless per se, but it's just a very affordable thing that really makes a lot of outfits come together, and what I mean by that is when I was looking on Pinterest for some outfit inspiration, which you guys embassy.

I post a lot over there if you're interested.

But I found that a lot of photos that were office that I loved were very basic.

I'm talking like a cameo in a pair of jeans from like What makes that photo is that she's wearing a scrunchie on her arm or in her hair like that was a trend that I felt like that brings so much value and makes your style so much more effortlessly sheet.

So I went ahead and got one that was on Etsy.

That's 100% silk, and I'll link you guys down description where you can find it super happy with that one.

And then also, there were a few different pieces of jewelry that I want to go into next.

Some of the more timeless pieces I'm really excited about these were gifted to me from Pamela Card.

So this what I'm wearing right here is thespian time allegory.

A necklace.

I This is the part I love about her stuff is that she is inspired by museum pieces and old coins and anything that is from around the world inspires her work.

So what this necklace represents is really inspired by springtime, which was prima vera by BOTTICELLI.

And it was just interesting to see the influences from that painting that she put into this necklace.

One thing that I was doing research on with that painting is that there's this idea of 1/2 circle, which is going around the head of Venus in the painting.

And then also there's this shape represented throughout the painting where because it's spring time, every woman in the photo or goddess is pregnant.

And so that's just another symbol there.

This is a really beautiful piece, though, because it looks just kind of like, luscious on and fruitful and playful, not necessarily perfect geometric.

And then also, it's got again a very organic piece with the pearl down at the bottom, which is about an inch long.

All of them are, But then also, they're all unique.

They're gonna have different shapes, So I like that, too, that it's one of a kind, and it's very much like made to where you're wearing something that's unique to you.

And I just love the art history behind that too.

Another piece was this one, which was the Madonna necklace.

It was the Madonna halo, so it looks a lot like her Maj.

I A necklace.

But then it also has this little string of little dots all the way around it, which really looks like Madonna's halo.

And a lot of older paintings would look like they're too so more art history for you guys today.

I just find that to be really inspiring.

I have a background in design, but I don't end.

You know, I've been in art and oil paintings for quite a while, but I'm no art history expert, and they're usually is someone out there watching these videos today.

So if you know more about the paintings that inspired these pieces, I love to hear more about them in the comments below.

And then one more piece that I am so thankful I didn't lose.

It was this ring that she gave me two, which was a signet ring, and it's got kind of like, symbolically, a little face on there.

You know, a lot of signature rings.

They used to be used to seal your stamp into anything like wax that you would send office an official document.

And so just to have something like a signet ring is very special.

In that way.

What I mean by I am so thankful I didn't lose it is that on Easter I decided that I would wear it out.

Then I realized that I really don't want to lose it.

While I'm like playing tennis and stuff.

I hid it so well and perfectly placed it so well that I thought I lost it and I found out where it was.

Eventually I connected the dots and remembered where I hid it from from myself, really so thankful.

But I still have it because oh my gosh, I would feel so bad And then something that's more on the trendy side.

And this is actually really affordable, too.

It's from etc.

And it's a snake chain necklace.

So I love the one that I have that you guys have seen before.

That was from the Daisy brand.

That's a very like smaller snake chain.

This one is more for impact, and it just has such a beautiful reflection on it on.

I've just been wearing it with layering other pieces with it is really pretty.

Look, there's times where with necklaces us make J necklace looks really good with really casual outfits, and it just gives a little bit of flair that, you know jewelry can bring to an outfit without it feeling too ornate.

And so that's been fun to just kind of play with that as well.

So if I'm just kind of running around town and I don't have a beautiful outfit on, I'm just kind of wearing, you know, a sweatshirt or whatever.

Then sneak chains are a really good option for that.

Another thing that I have been investing time in is master class, which you guys know.

It's like a place where you can take courses online for skills that are really cool, and this isn't sponsored or anything.

It was just something that I felt like I wanted to actually invest in and kind of improve on things in my life.

One is they have, like all sorts of cooking classes on there that I haven't taken yet, But I'm really excited for that.

I've been mainly focusing on the wonderful Natalie Portman and just learning from her on things like communication through her acting classes.

I don't really have any career aspirations for being an actress, but just learning from Natalie Portman on how she moves around and like when she's in character in the outfits that she's wearing can give a lot to how she's portraying her character.

She talked a lot about that and then also just, you know, communication.

Things like when she takes a breath or how she delivers an emotion has been really cool and just kind of helps me while I'm trying.

No, like even today, like talking through Ah, Favorites Video has some sort of ramifications of what I learned from Natalie Portman.

And then also, I was able Thio watch her Jackie movie.

I rented that, and I could see a lot of the techniques that she was describing in her master class.

So then, like talk through, like, actually come through toe life on stage or the onstage.

But like on camera, I've just found her to be really inspirational and learning about how her techniques have influenced that has been really cool and then also there have been amazing authors.

I've just started to crack open their courses on on how they write, and I just find it all to be really inspiring.

So spending time on that this month and then because I've been faced with another birthday of no, I'm actually really pumped for that.

And I'm excited for the new year.

But something's ever prioritizing in my life, Have been reflective of that allows you to kind of evaluate like where you're at.

So one thing that I've been privatizing is a multi vitamin, and this one was actually recommended to me a few months back from my registered dietitian.

I went to her seeking advice about, like how I kind of eat for what I'm going through with PCOS.

And so this has made a big difference even when I'm like sick.

You know, I can really tell the difference then where I can.

I feel like I've just pumped with vitamins and I feel so much better and why I have kind of shied away from multi vitamins.

Um, sometimes has been just because I feel like I always break out, and one reason that that could be is because iodine, some people might find that breaks you out a little bit with I don't really understand it.

All but that has been something I've noticed.

So if I take this, I don't break out ever.

So I've been taking these probably like six months, and I love them so much.

I got some for Zach, too, and he he takes the kind with iodine and iron.

We just kind of both have our own supplements.

And I think for him it's made a big difference in just like how he fights sort of things like infections and stuff.

And then I've just been going to the gym almost every day or working out at home.

My food's here one second.

Sorry.

So I've been going to the gym like every day, and that's been so helpful because I've got one close by and just prioritizing that or else I'll just work out at home.

I use all sorts of APS.

I'll leave links down in the description if you're interested in what kind of APS I use for that, but just kind of prioritizing that has made me feel a lot healthier and just, you know, like I'm I'm achieving something and having routine if you're new to your city or you just kind of feel like off having routine has helped me so much.

Another routine in my life that I am prioritizing is my nighttime routine.

I'll leave this brief because I actually want to go more in depth with a nighttime or team video.

But some pieces that have really helped me so far my belief eye cream.

In the past, I've used this belief cream, the peat miracle revival cream for my face.

But I specifically bought the eye cream because I was so happy with the face cream.

Next I switched up my neck cream.

And so I'm using this one that I can't pronounce by Tarts.

It's just a neck treatment is what it calls it.

So I really like this one.

So far, it's just been helping me to really evaluate the need for that.

I used to use one that was by Perricone, and I just wanted to kind of try a different brand.

This time.

This is what I'm using so far, I really love it, and, you know, when you get to a certain age, it's never too late.

Actually, it's a start using a neck cream and then Oh my gosh, I am in love with this stuff it is on a ga ve lip therapy.

So you use it overnight and it just feels like a really dense chapstick, but more sticky than that.

I wouldn't wear it during the day at all, and it's just made a big difference when I wake up the next morning, you guys know I have talked at length about how much I hate having chapped lips.

It's a problem in my life, and so far this has been really good.

So if you're like me and you have issues with that, definitely look into this.

I'll leave a link down below.

I'm gonna fly through these last ones because I feel like this is getting a bit long.

Okay, so I have been focusing on my house this month.

Some things that have really come to mind have been.

I wanted to kind of redo my plates and saucers and mugs and all that in my kitchen because I've got open shelving now, and I just want it to be more curated and something that will last a long time.

So these are a couple of pieces from my sets of buffalo China, and I just really like how thick they are like it's something you find in a restaurant like a nice restaurant, and it's more of a natural color.

It's not quite white, and then these cups have been absolutely perfect because I want something that's a little bit thicker.