Sweet Shit Round Up
January 2021
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I’ve been slacking lately. I mean, I almost didn’t even realize today was the last Friday of the month! I was in the process of putting together another post when I realized, “bitch, it’s a round up week!” It’s been way too long since I last put one of these together so I hope you’ll enjoy the first Sweet Shit Round Up of 2021!
Books
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
- By now you should know that I’m a big fan of Tiffany D. Jackson and this month I finally got to read her latest book, Grown. Ya’ll….so sad, so unfortunately relatable, highly recommend. It follows the story of Enchanted Jones, an aspiring singer who sees her dreams become a reality when she meets R&B sensation Korey Fields at an audition. But what starts out as the answer to all her prayers turns into a living nightmare when Korey’s abusive and controlling behavior takes Enchanted captive. The R. Kelly case and the stories of the women he tormented heavily influenced Jackson’s novel and it may be triggering or difficult to read through but very worth it.
TV & Youtube
- For months, Jonathan and I have debated about spending the money for HBO Max. It has the Ghibli collection, all of HBO’s original series, and newer movies we were never able to see in theaters. But it just didn’t fit in the budget. Luckily, Christmas came along and Jonathan’s mom gifted it to us…and it’s been everything we wanted! After almost a year in quarantine we’ve pretty much seen it all and it’s been exciting to have access to a plethora of new stuff and old favorites to rewatch. Got something we should check out? Leave your rec’s in the comments below!
- Competitive eating is kind of amazing. Like, how do they eat so much so quickly? Where do they put it all? This last couple of months, we’ve become obsessed with Beard Meats Food, a British Youtuber who takes on eating challenges and creates his own while the pandemic is on. For the most part, Beard does his best to not be gross while he eats (much appreciated) and his fiancé is a delight (and the pickiest eater which makes their dynamic especially fun.) We spent much of our COVID stupor watching a loop of his videos so at the moment, we’re taking a brief hiatus from his work, but if you like accents and Yorkshire puddings, check him out!
Music
Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae
- It might be weird to include this old song on the round up this month but Jonathan brought it up in reference to when the Disney Channel use to play kid friendly videos during commercial breaks and, no lie, we’ve been singing it to ourselves ever since. It’s a fucking bop AND we just happened to hear a cover of it by Ritt Momney on the radio earlier this week. No idea that existed. Huge coincidence. But very excited about it cause it’s just as good. If you need a little musical pick me up, add this one to your playlist!
Video Games
- Ya’ll, I did it. After MONTHS, literal months, of searching online for a Nintendo Switch at the beginning of quarantine, I finally found the one I wanted in stock online. I initially tried to talk myself out of it but wound up YOLO-ing after COVID struck and I’m so glad I did because it has lead me to maybe one of my favorite games of all time….
My little farmer girl! How cute is her Daisy?
- …Do you remember Farmville on Facebook? Well Stardew Valley is like a cuter, longer, more involved version of that…with the benefit of not supporting Facebook by playing it. You play as a person who, after being rundown by the corporate world, takes over your grandpa’s farm in a small village. As the farmer, you get tasked with fulfilling requests, fixing up the community center, and wooing all the local bachelors and bachelorettes. This game is honestly a shit ton of fun. You’ll easily lose yourself in it for hours at a time (which can be a pro or a con depending on who you are.) You can download it on the Switch, PS4. XBOX ONE, or Steam for only $15.00. Plus, there’s a major update coming to consoles in the next coming weeks that adds all kinds of new material so this would be a perfect time to become obsessed!
Products
- So we have this coffee table that has housed a tabletop LED Christmas tree for the last year to act as a nightlight. Well, I finally became a reasonable human being and bought an actual lamp so we could retire that Christmas tree and it has been a fun change. This lamp is small but has a lot of power to it. The light can get a little too bright but there are warm, cool, and neutral white light settings to help you find your perfect one and the ability to turn it up or dim it as much as you like. You also have the option to change the light to all kinds of different colors which means…you can use it like a mood lamp! It’s super cool and works great on a bedside table, as background light, or a nightlight for adults or kids.
- If you’ve ever had to take the time to wind a ball of yarn by hand you will understand my excitement when my aunt got me a yarn winder for Christmas. It cuts the time in half to wind the ball of yarn and it makes it look nice and neat. Plus my wrists and fingers don’t get crazy sore after winding two or more skeins. If you’ve got a hobby that involves yarn….pick one of these suckers up immediately!
- I love knickknacks and things to display. So when I saw the real life action figures made by FCTRY what choice did I have but to buy the plastic representation of a few political women who are changing the game. I’ll be honest, they did my girl AOC a little dirty in the face (what’s happening with those eyes?) but her little hoop earrings are so cute. They’ve got a range of political figures to choose from, including a pre-order for Dr. Fauci, you can check out on their website. And if you use my link (https://shop.fctry.com/a/refer-a-friend/redeem/27a5tfmvskalq2wph6v8ws3325hmqwmziw3qnrb2/4217 ) you’ll get $10 to put toward your purchase and so will I!
Miscellaneous
- A year ago, Joe Biden wasn’t my first, second, or probably even my third choice for president. But he’s what we got and I can live with it for four years. As of this posting, he’s been the active president for like 10 days and I haven’t noticed that underlying presence of politically induced anxiety and dread. No part of me expects this man or this presidency to be perfect but at the moment, he’s not Trump and that’s a real plus.
- How cool is this? Our first woman VP. No kids born from here on out will have ever lived in a time where a female hasn’t been Vice President. That shit gives me chills.
Temperature Blanket
The first 24 days of the year.
- Last year, around this time I wrote about temperature blankets in a round up after finding a tweet about someone who was making one. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, you keep track of the temperature where you live (or wherever) for an entire year and then use different colors to knit/crochet/cross stitch a physical representation of that year’s temperatures. I still think they’re fucking rad and this year I decided to start making one of my own. This is my first biggish project I’ve done since learning how to crochet but so far….she’s looking like the corner of a blanket! I’m only a month in, so the excitement is still high, but I’m gonna try to keep up with it and give monthly updates as I go.
What made your sweet shit list for the first month of 2021? Let me know all about the good stuff you’ve experienced, bought, watched, or read this month in the comments below!