What I’m Loving Lately: Quarantine Edition

About Me, home

Hey y’all,

I don’t know about you, but these past two weeks have been the hardest of quarantine for me. I feel like I am in a constant loop of exhaustion, anxiety and guilt, and I cannot stop thinking about the stress of work, the loneliness of isolation, and the worry I have for family, friends, and the rest of the world. All of it is just swirling around in my head. So, I’m going to work on focusing on the positive right now instead, and share with you some things I’m loving lately:

Trader Joe’s Everything: Tyler and I are now firmly Trader Joe’s converts due to COVID-19. We’ve always enjoyed Trader Joe’s, but have historically avoided shopping there because of the crowds. However, for some reason, our Trader Joe’s here in Memphis has been the most calm, organized and clean grocery shopping situation we can find, and we have shopped nowhere else since quarantine started. My favorite purchases in particular have been the Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Charles Shaw Shiraz, Mac & Cheese Bites, Tomato Basil Soup, Chicken Spring Rolls, Bacon Ranch Dip, Southwest Chopped Salad, and a bunch of flowers each week to brighten up the house. My favorite quarantine meal has been to heat up the mac & cheese bites and put them in my tomato basil soup with a piece of french bread. YUM.

New Podcast I’m Loving: We all know I’m a podcast lover (linking my favorite podcasts post here if you haven’t checked it out yet). My sweet friend Jade turned me on to All Crime No Cattle (@allcrimenocattle), a Texas crime podcast based out of our beloved Fort Worth. The husband and wife duo behind the magic are so fantastic and feature various crimes committed in Texas throughout history. I have listened all day every day for the past two weeks and can’t get enough.

Instagram Accounts I’m Loving: @thehomeedit for all of my organizational needs, @heatherkmcmahan and @unforettable when I need a laugh, @tanksgoodnews when I need to be reminded of the good in the world, @juliaroseboston when I need to dream of handbags I someday WILL buy, @tuckerbudzyn and @taroandzippo when I need adorable, baby nugget goodness, and @lisafrank when I want to wax poetic about my childhood.

Enneagram Instagram Accounts, In Particular: All of these accounts, (@chalkandleaves, @cathartic_word, @letterbyhan_, and @enneagramashton), are just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to awesome creators who integrate the Enneagram into their design work. If you don’t know what the Enneagram is, take a look at Alyson Haley’s post here.

My Peloton: I’ve owned my Peloton for a little over a year now, but it just now during quarantine has really become a source of stability and motivation for me. If you have ever considered purchasing one, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so. And if you do, you should ride to Cody Rigsby and Cody Rigsby alone. He is a gem of a human. Even if you don’t have a Peloton, follow him on Instagram @codyrigsby.

Long phone calls: I hate talking on the phone when I could be texting, unless the phone call is an hour-minimum catch-up session. Those are my bread and butter, and my quarantine time has been full of them to stay connected with loved ones.

My sloth coloring book: I’ve spent a LOT of time coloring. I’ve tapered off over the past few weeks, but it’s time to ramp up again while I hang out on the couch with Tyler and watch tv for the ninth weekend in a row. ๐Ÿ™‚

TV shows, comedy specials and movies: My favorites aren’t surprising, but they are golden: Forensic Files, Bob’s Burgers, Onward, Frozen II, Chris D’Elia: No Pain, and Bert Kreischer: Hey Big Boy. I also can’t wait to watch Jerry Seinfeld’s new special, 23 Hours to Kill, with Tyler this weekend!

Hope y’all have a fantastic weekend wherever you are in the world,

CEW

What I Miss the Most During COVID-19

About Me

Hi sweet friends,

How are you doing? In this time of uncertainty and fear, I know we are all feeling worn down, confused and scared. Also, for those who are serving on the front lines in so many different capacities from medicine to transportation to hospitality, we know that you are all weary beyond compare and can’t thank you enough for all that you have done and will continue to do.

With that being said, I personally am feeling pretty overwhelmed in a lot of ways, while also trying to steer my thoughts and prayers toward positivity and to focus on trusting in the Lord more than ever during this time. However, I am also feeling quite uninspired and torn at the moment, as a part of me is wanting to post travel guides and makeup tutorials to help bring some lightness and distraction to your feeds and timelines, while another part of me is acutely aware that some people are currently undergoing massive financial blows and are doing all that they can to make it through the next day and make ends meet. Moreover, I know there is an ever-pressing feeling of frustration and sadness for so many people about not being able to celebrate Easter in-person with their loved ones this coming weekend.

As such, I needed to take a step back today and just talk about what is on my heart, while also wanting to know more about what is on your hearts and minds as well. Over the past few days, I’ve seen a bunch of posts on social media about the “10 most unpopular opinions” people have about things that the majority of society are perceived to like. While quite a few of these posts have made me laugh, I thought I would try a bit of a positive spin on this topic and discuss some things that I am the most excited about doing once things go back to as normal as they possibly can to show a bit of solidarity:

  1. HUGS – I am not much of a touchy feely person, but I love me a good hug, especially when greeting someone. While I can hug Tyler (which I am extremely grateful for), I can’t wait to hug family and friends as soon as possible.
  2. Going out to eat – I know we’ve all seen the memes, but I truly have established that my #1 hobby is going out to eat or to get drinks. I can’t wait to be able to laugh, catch up and hang out with all of my favorite people over appetizers and Moscow Mules.
  3. Browsing a store – The TJ Maxx and Target withdrawals are REAL y’all. There is something so relaxing to me about browsing a store on my own, even if I don’t buy anything, so I’m ready to have that time back, as silly as it sounds.
  4. Movie theaters – Tyler and I love going to the movies, so we can’t wait to go in, get us some Sour Patch Kids, Bunch-a-Crunch, and a White Cherry Icee, then settle in to see a good movie.
  5. Travel, of any kind – Y’all, I want to get on an airplane so badly. I can’t wait to visit both places that I love and new places that I’ve wanted to discover, with a fresh appreciation for how blessed we are to be able to travel.
  6. Nail and hair salons – My nails are a catastrophe after having to finally soak off my dip polish and need professional intervention ASAP. Also, this blonde hair of mine is going to need some serious maintenance from my hair angel, Rende Baker, once all things are said and done.

What are you looking forward to the most post-quarantine? And what are you doing to keep yourselves preoccupied? I’ve personally got a sloth coloring book coming my way on Thursday that I couldn’t be more excited about if I tried!

Keep your chins up, lean into Him, and please let me know if there is anything that I can be praying about for you.

Love y’all,

CEW

All Things Podcasts

About Me

I fought the podcast train for a long time because I don’t enjoy audio books (I know, I know, I don’t know why I had that stuck in my head, but I did), and now I’m addicted in the best kind of ways. My friend Katherine finally convinced me to make the leap in October of last year and I haven’t looked back since. Below you’ll find a list of my favorites so far, as well as favorites from the amazing Caroline Kraddick [@carolinekraddick] that I plan on steadily working my way through (who also has her own podcast that you should check out, which I am also about to start: Caroline’s Obsessions).

Carly’s Favorites:

  1. Crime Junkie
  2. Supernatural by Ashley Flowers
  3. Congratulations
  4. Dateline
  5. Meateater
  6. S Town
  7. Doctor Death
  8. The Thing About Pam
  9. Joe Rogan Experience
  10. Counterclock
  11. Red Ball

***Buzzfeed Unsolved is not a podcast, but is one of my favorite YouTube series of all time and easily can be listened to as a podcast. However, my personal recommendation is to fire this baby up on the YouTube app on your TV and watch as normal. #Boogara #Shaniac

Caroline Kraddick’s Favorites:

  1. Cold
  2. Broken Harts
  3. The Thing About Pam
  4. Root of Evil
  5. Up and Vanished (Seasons 1 & 2)
  6. Someone Knows Something
  7. Sleuth
  8. To Live and Die in LA
  9. Culpable
  10. Sword & Scale
  11. Teacher’s Pet
  12. Atlanta Monster
  13. Murderville
  14. Hell and Gone
  15. Accused
  16. Over My Dead Body
  17. Man in the Window
  18. 22 Hours: An American Nightmare
  19. The Ballad of Billy Balls
  20. RedHanded
  21. Critical Condition
  22. Hit Man
  23. Best Case Worst Case
  24. Doctor Death
  25. Dirty John
  26. S Town

Others On My Radar:

  1. Serial
  2. This American Life

Love y’all,

CEW

Hi! I’m Carly.

About Me

Hey y’all, I’m Carly. I am finally, FINALLY taking the leap and putting out the content that I have talked about posting for years. My passion for all things makeup, beauty, travel, food, clothing, photography, reading, etc., is at the forefront of my mind every day, from the moment I wake up until the moment that I go to bed, and my soul has been craving this creative outlet for far too long. With that being said, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading the ramblings of this curly-headed blonde girl. It means more than you will ever know. And, with that being said, here are 20 little tidbits about me that will let you know what is in store for you if you stay with me on this journey in the future:

  1. My name is Carly Elizabeth Wallace, if you can’t already tell from the name of this blog. My maiden name is Barksdale, which has garnered me a lifelong nickname of Barky (even though my mom is the OG Barky –shoutout to Sarah). But, I do have many other nicknames such as Carls, Carlita, Carly Sue, Princess, Sister, Candy B, Honey Bun (miss you always, PawPaw), Carls Barkley, Carly Davidson, and the list goes on and on. I also used to introduce myself as Carly Barksdale Elizabeth to everyone because of the “First Name, Last Name, Middle Initial” section on paperwork.
  2. I love Jesus. I was saved at 15 and have been constantly surrounded by an incredible group of believers and mentors since the day I was born. ๐Ÿ™‚
  3. I currently live in Memphis, Tennessee, with my incredible husband, Tyler. However, #TexasForever.
  4. I graduated from Texas Tech University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Media Strategies. #WreckEmForever
  5. My passion for sloths is unparalleled. Seriously.
  6. My favorite food is french fries. With a close second and third being chicken fajitas and cheesecake.
  7. My ideal Starbucks order is a nitro cold brew with sweet cream.
  8. I am an Enneagram 3 with a 2 wing. My Myer’s Brigg is ESFJ.
  9. I would much rather watch a YouTube video than watch an episode of TV. *Get ready for a list of YouTubers that will knock your socks off, folks.
  10. I keep Chick-fil-A in business. Seriously. Even on keto, which I’m doing now, to my own personal horror. Those grilled nuggets SAVE ME.
  11. I have the coolest parents in the world, Lance and Sarah, and a younger brother, Davis. We are part of an amazing, very large, very connected extended family.
  12. I am an oily skin type with rosacea.
  13. If I could pick one makeup product to bring with me on a deserted island, it would most certainly be a foundation (with SPF, because this girl fries up like a tomato in .2 seconds).
  14. I cheer for the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars and Memphis Grizzlies.
  15. I also love the game of golf thanks to my Dad, who is a fantastic golfer. I can’t play the game to save my life, but I am always down to watch a round.
  16. If I could have lunch with one famous person, dead or alive, I would always pick Jane Austen.
  17. As you can now expect, my favorite book of all time is Pride & Prejudice (quickly followed by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire).
  18. I am a Ravenclaw.
  19. My favorite movies are Princess Bride, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Mummy, Gone with the Wind, Legally Blonde and the Keira Knightley Pride & Prejudice, in that order.
  20. I could enjoy a frozen margarita, gin & tonic or glass of Shiraz any day of the week.

Thank you for hanging out with me friends. Stay tuned for much more to come!

Love y’all,

CEW