feb 25 newsletter

hi friend,

february was a blur, was it for you?

This month I’ve really been focusing on food as a source of creativity and joy.

I went for a snowy hike to start the month, at one of my favorite places in the gorge, Hamilton mountain. I like her better with a little less snow, but she’s a beauty all year round.

We made sushi at home with friends, a first for us. It was actually so easy I don’t know why I’ve never tried it before now. We loved it so much we did it again later in the month. My recs for sushi grade fish locally are flying fish + uwajimaya on the west side. That place is the best! I so wish we had something similar in vancouver, but alas we do not as of yet. I’m on a mission to perfect a poke sauce now.

Made progress on selections for a kitchen remodel client project, and did another tarot reading, which I really enjoy doing. I have a few new design projects coming up, but generally things are still quite slow for me, as they have been for over a year now. I’ve been taking over more duties in my assistant role with Jess’ real estate business, vonderhaus, which I’ve really been enjoying. If you know anyone looking to buy or sell property in washington or oregon, we’d really appreciate the opportunity.

We got our first (and likely only) snow of the year just in time for valentines day. In what I’m calling the ‘necessary sacrifice’ of 2025, aka our constrained budget, we stayed in for our anniversary for the first time ever. We made baked crab legs, something we’ve wanted to attempt at home for years but were always too chicken to. I can’t say I’ll do it again, but it was an experience. In continuing with my baking kick, we made a red velvet cake to celebrate as well.

I’ve been having knee issues, something I’d been ignoring for probably months, but finally went to my chiropractor, who is an absolute angel. Another sign I’m getting old, my body starting to hurt for no apparent reason at all. But I still have to take care of her. 

I started getting into a new cookbook, salad freak. Its a bit intimidating for me, as she mentions varietals of fruit, cheeses and odd combinations I’ve never heard of before. I attempted a chicory salad, knowing I didn’t like chicories in the past but wanted to give it another go. Turns out I’m still not a fan of that intense bitterness, but I did love this mexico city inspired fruit salad. My first time eating a guava at home, and it was so beautiful.

We took a deep dive on LOST this month, finishing the entire series in just a few weeks. We previously attempted to watch it, but I believe it was at a time when only the first 3 or 4 seasons were available to stream. When I get into shows, I get very emotionally attached to the characters. Damon Lindelof has created some of my favorite shows of all time, and I really really loved LOST. Its the perfect show if you need a complete distraction from our current reality, which I’d say is all of us.

• all the things I’ll miss at target

• realizations I’ve had since leaving meta

• death and all his friends

• being an hsp

• new happy - sections of this book were things I’ve heard before and zoned out a bit for, but alot of it was really useful. The general idea is that we’ve been sold an idea of what happiness looks like, the traditional path to the ‘american dream’, but we need to find our own version of happy. Filled with resources, research, and generally a great read.

• loving kindness meditation- a buddhist practice included in new happy

  • may you feel safe + protected

  • may you feel happy and peaceful

  • may you feel healthy + strong

  • may you live with ease

• belle gibson documentaries- what a story! Theres currently two versions of this story on Netflix about an australian wellness influencer who faked cancer. We watched this one, but theres also this one.

• a new playlist I created - finding new music and making playlists was my life from the day I got my first iPod in high school, but something I lost somewhere around the time streaming platforms became the norm. It’s been fun to spend time rediscovering this hobby.

  

tushy - we’ve supported this WOC owned brand for years, with one of their classic bidets, but we just got a gifted upgrade to the tushy ace, an electric bidet with a heated seat, front and back bidet nozzles and warm water! Its such a small luxury, and I highly recommend it. Use code ‘the modern minimalist’ at checkout.

branch basics - my go to for cleaning supplies for YEARS. one solution that you mix and use for literally anything. They have cute minimalist glass bottles that I love, its women owned and I feel really good about the ingredients. They also have non toxic, clean ingredient dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent. Code TMM for 15% off

sort joy- An incredible sustainable materials, women owned organizing company, making these awesome felt like bins in minimal colors that I love. I use them in primary closests, pantries, and linen closets primarily. Code TMM for 10% off

cozy earth- my new bamboo, sustainable sheets obsession. They are the comfiest sheets I’ve ever owned, and temperature regulating so they’re good for hot and cold sleepers alike. Code CE-TMM for 40% off

• LOST

• baking + playlists

• more sunshine + 7 pm sunsets in a week!

there’s so many ways we can work together.

• home therapy consult -a virtual option for home therapy, design projects, or business mentoring. Standalone or as a series of sessions.

• design consult- a 2 hour option for creating a furnishings or remodel plan for 1-2 spaces. Maybe you have a vision, but need a collaborator to take it to reality. You’ll leave this consult with a roadmap, and plenty of resources to do so.

• soul + space healing- utilizing reiki energy healing for both body + your home, virtually or in person.

  Schedule a call here to get started.