The Flu Sucked

Last week is a blur.

I had been looking forward to the week where our kiddo attends overnight school for pretty much a year. It’s something required for all 6th graders in our school system – a week of camp/overnight school that centers on environmental science and team building. I was excited for Jack to participate AND excited to have a week where Travis and I could spend time together and go on a couple date nights.

As it turns out, I dropped Jack at school on Monday morning… and came down with the worst flu of my life a few hours later.

I told my boss I was going to lie down at lunchtime, because I wasn’t feeling so well… and when my alarm rang, I couldn’t get back out of bed.

Fever, chills, body aches and fatigue hit me like a truck.

I basically spent the next 20 hours sleeping on and off. I only left bed to use the bathroom and let the dog outside, so he could also use the bathroom.

Oh, and my husband was stuck a few states away when a train broke down for 5 hours, blocking the way he needed to go for a delivery.

Where I typically feel better within a day or two, this version of the flu was extra hellish with the fever and chills revisiting again and again. I was sick all week long, to the point where I was taking a nap every single day as soon as I’d shut down my work computer.

It’s been a week, and I still have a gross cough, no appetite, body aches and allover weakness.

This flu is no joke. And apparently, from what I hear, it’s going around. So, here are a couple things that helped me in case you or someone you love also gets it:

  • Prescription Cough Medicine. I finally broke down and let Travis take me to the Patient First on Thursday. They weren’t able to do much for me, but they did give me a prescription cough medicine that actually works.
  • Ibuprofen, not Acetaminophen. If I need to take something, I’ll typically grab Tylenol. The doctor on call said that ibuprofen is better for this kind of flu, due to how it treats inflammation.
  • Vitamin Water. I had absolutely no appetite for the first 5 days and only now am able to eat small portions. Basically, the only thing I was putting in my body was Vitamin Water and it tasted like the best thing in the world. Whether it be regular water, vitamin water, electrolytes, Gatorade or whatever, just have something on hand that you enjoy drinking since food is no longer your friend.
  • A Heating Pad. The chills were intense and lasted for days. In order to relax, I cuddled up with a heating pad to keep myself from shaking. Please note: it is dangerous to sleep with a heating pad because you can burn yourself. A better option is a hot water bottle or a warm snuggly dog (thanks Ollie for your service).
  • Wash Your Hands and Stay Home. I washed my hands a billion times and thankfully I was able to telework all week and didn’t leave the house. If you can, please, please, please stay home. You don’t want to run yourself down and get sicker and you don’t want to spread this mutant flu to anyone else. According to the doctor I saw, you should remain home for at least 24-48 hours after your fever breaks and while you have active symptoms.

Jack’s back home now (and survived overnight school), and I’m finally starting to see signs of improvement. I’m really bummed to have missed out on our ‘date week’, but honestly having just myself to take care of was a gift.

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Girl’s Weekend Antiquing & Secondhand Shopping Adventure

At the end of January, I had a much-needed girl’s weekend with my friend Lindsey where we wandered around to a bunch of shops touching everything. There were consignment shops and antique stores and more consignment shops. And yummy food. And girlie movies. And face masks. And coffee. It was basically everything I needed for a mental reset.

And OF COURSE I found some awesome stuff on our travels, so let’s check it all out!

Let’s start with Clothing:

Tahari dolman sleeve top, $18

This t-shirt is soft, comfortable and flattering. This is one of those easy flowy tops that I like to pair with leggings on my telework days or throw on with a pair of jean shorts in the summer.

Lou & Grey Cardigan, $20 and Chicos Cardigan, $18

I wear cardigans pretty much year-round, and most of the time I’m able to keep them looking nice with a little sweater shaving every so often. Over the past few months though, I’ve donated a few of my casual cardigans so when I saw these two in new condition, I figured it was a no brainer to add them to my closet. Both brands are typically nicely made, so these should last through a few dozen loads of laundry.

Athleta ‘With Ease’ Top, $6

I have no idea why this top had a clearance tag on it at the consignment shop, because it’s pretty much a brand new Athleta top that is still being sold in stores for $59 (the inside tag shows it was released in stores in 7/23). I hadn’t tried the style before, but I had no idea what I was missing because it is soooo soft and super flowy and flattering. I was originally planning to wear this to bed, but now that I’ve washed it and tried it on, it’s going into heavy rotation for my telework days paired with joggers.

Smartwool Intraknit Merino 200 Crew Base Layer, $15

While I wasn’t specifically looking for a fitted base layer, Smartwool is a great brand and this was cute and my size. Smartwool’s Intraknit pieces run around $130 each, so for $15 it made sense to pick this up and keep it for when I need it. While I don’t have any skiing plans right now, it will be great to have the next time I need to snowsuit up!

Clothing total: I feel like I went a little crazy on clothing with purchasing 5 pieces. However, my clothing total was $77… which worked out to just over $15 per item.

Moving on to the antiques!

Jadeite hand, $18

There was a jadeite grouping on an antique store’s bookshelf and I immediately grabbed this fabulous ring holder. It has the mid-century vibes that I love and was in perfect condition – and it looks super adorable holding my rings. Fun fact: my kid now refers to it as the alien hand.

Vintage Pink Homespun Depression Glass Tumblers, $8 for 3

Google images is telling me that these are vintage Jeanette Depression Glass tumblers, but I don’t see the ‘J’ mark, so I’m not sure. I love the pretty pink tint though and the price was great. I only wanted 2 of them, so I gave the third to my friend to enjoy.

Pottery mug, $7.50

 I love handmade pottery and this cute cup fit perfectly in my hand. It has been added to my coffee cup rotation.

Sargent & Co Carpenters Level, $18

There were two of these antique levels and I ended up with one and Lindsey bought the other. This one is from Sargent & Company, which was formed in 1858 when three Sargent brothers combined their businesses. It looks like they stopped making hand tools in the 1960’s, when they focused more on locks and builder’s hardware. This level is just really cool and I love the look of it on my bookshelf. Also, I know my dad is going to love it and I’ll have to keep an eye on him the next time he’s over my house!

Fulton Woodworkers Marking Gauge, $9

I just thought this vintage woodworking tool was really cool. I already had the level in my hands, so this naturally needed to come home with me too.

Blue Jay by Elizabeth Paxton Oliver, $80

Out of all the treasures we found, this is my absolute favorite! It was hanging on the wall at a consignment/antique store that we love and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I left it to look around some more and just had to return to it again. I did a quick Google Image search while I was in the store to make sure it wasn’t overpriced, but found the same print had sold online for $300.

After doing a little more research at home, I found that the artist, Elizabeth Paxton Oliver, lived from 1891-1977 and was an absolute pioneer of the time. Due to the bias against women artists, she used her initials to conceal her gender (it is signed E. Paxton Oliver). I love it so much and I’m thinking I’m going to hang it on an empty wall in our bedroom. I need to live with it a bit first and walk around different rooms of my house to make sure that’s the best place before I commit.

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A Review of the Judea Travel Weekender Bag from Bostanten Bags

I’m not really a *winter* person, so after the twinkle lights of Christmas have come down, I’m basically grumpy, miserable and cold until spring. Which is why I tend to plan little trips here and there… to help me get through the grumpy season. Looking at January and February, I had a girl’s weekend away, visited Great Wolf Lodge with the family for an overnight, and also am planning to take Jack to NYC to celebrate his birthday.

So, it was kind of perfect timing when a nice person from Bostanten bags reached out to see if I’d like to review something from their collection!

They have an assortment of women’s travel bags and travel weekender bags, but I was intrigued by the Judea Travel Weekender Bag:

Source: Bostanten.com

The Judea Travel Weekender bag comes in two colorways and retails for $149.99. I liked the black/brown version because I feel like it would hold up better long term, and they generously sent it to me at no cost in exchange for my honest review.

I picked the Judea bag, because I liked that it had a separate section on the bottom for shoes, which keeps them away from the rest of your clothing. It also seemed to be a good size – perfect for an overnighter – which fills a hole in my travel gear. It looks a little more high-end, which would be nice for work travel when I don’t want to be lugging around a backpack.

Here it is in person:

It’s a really nice size and has both the handles and an over-the-shoulder strap. Oh and it has a trolley sleeve if I wanted to take it as an airline carry-on (the pocket in the back slips over a luggage handle).

As it turns out, a few days after the bag arrived, I packed it up for a girl’s weekend:

I was planning to wear the same boots both days, so I used the bottom compartment for my pajamas so that they were easy to grab when I was ready for bed. On the right is everything else I fit in the top portion – a full outfit (jeans, sweater, underroos), my toiletry bag, and also a gift bag of stuff for my friend.

And here it is all loaded up! Of course, as soon as I prepare a travel bag Ollie gets nervous and tries to make sure I don’t forget to pack him.

The Judea bag was great for a weekend trip and I even had a little extra space to add in a few things I purchased while I was away. I was curious to see what would fit in the shoe compartment though, so here are a couple tries:

I wear a size 8.5/9 in shoes, so it looks like I can fit one pair of boots or up to three smaller shoe options… which works great since I wouldn’t need more than that for an overnight or weekend trip.

I really like the Judea weekender bag and it will be a great overnight bag for me for when a rolling travel bag feels a bit like overkill. I like that it has that separate bottom section to keep the bag organized, as well as interior pockets and an extra zippered section.

My only caveat is that while it is called the “Judea Leather Travel Duffle Bag” on the website, later in the description it clarifies that it is PU leather. If you were expecting a leather bag, you might be disappointed. However, PU leather (aka polyurethane leather) is vegan, water resistant, durable and easy to clean. So, for a travel bag, it is a good way to get a polished look for a lower price.

Disclaimer: Bostanten provided me with an item of my choice in exchange for my honest review. I picked the Judea Travel Weekender Bag and as always, all thoughts and opinions are all my own!

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