Tag Archives: TDLOTSA

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 17

to do lists of the semi-adult

Jewels and I are lifelong readers, and the books we’ve read as kids have made a huge impact on our lives. And I’m so glad they did! In this episode of To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult, we talk about the books we loved the most.

Obviously we started with Harry Potter–you’ve met us before, you knew this was coming. Harry Potter was the no. 1 book that opened my eyes to how fun it is to talk about books! And for that I will be forever grateful. I was on all the messageboards, reading all the theories, and I had a blast. Harry Potter also, of course, has wonderful stories about friendship, heroism, and social justice, and growing up with that series has def made me a more compassionate person.

Jewels also mentioned how hearing about Mary Shelley’s story writing Frankenstein helped wake her up to the unfairness of sexism, and how To Kill a Mockingbird introduced her to an unreliable narrator. Both books are instrumental in developing critical thinking, and realizing that the way the world is presented to you doesn’t have to be the way it really is.

Both of us have read and enjoyed Twilight, and Jewels mentioned that it was a book that taught her writing doesn’t have to be revolutionary and perfect to still tell a good story.

Ella Enchanted is a book for me that also introduced ideas of sexism and women’s agency, even though I didn’t have words for what I learned from that book until much later in life. I’d still recommend it to anyone as an adult–but don’t judge it by the movie, which is way more cartoon-y than the book.

We both really loved the Baby-sitters Club books (who’s your fave babysitter?), especially the mysteries. Turns out I read fantasy, horror, and mysteries as a kid and still pretty much stick to reading fantasy, horror, and mysteries as an adult.

In our lightning round, I said I am currently reading Bitch Planet (check out a great interview with Bitch Planet’s artist) and everyone should read it because it’s SO GOOD.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 16

to do lists of the semi-adult

Make up can be awesome, right? You can play with your look and try fun new things and cover up some insecurities. But with a billion products out there, it’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t. In this episode, Jewels and I talk about our favorite make up products and what works for us.

We both love Neutrogena Face Wipes, and I especially like the nighttime version. I use Stila eyeliner with primer for my every day eyeliner look, and it lasts forever. Jewels likes a MAC paint pot, rather than a primer. We both love MAC, and Jewels really loves her MAC blush in desert rose. Our other favorite is Burt’s Bees chapstick in pomegranate.

Jewels and I both like drugstore brands like Maybelline Falsies mascara (my fave) and E.L.F. products like clear lip liner (Jewels’ fave).

Jewels also mentioned this Reddit tutorial for lipstick that I can’t wait to try out.

We both use Anastasia for eyebrows–I use pencils, and Jewels uses powder. Filling in your eyebrows has been life changing for us, it’s great.

One of my favorite secrets is Expanda Dust Volumizing Powder for adding volume to your hair. A little goes a very long way.

We have many more tips and products on the podcast, and if you have any questions or your own tips, please let us know!

In the lightning round, we talked about The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, and Looking for Alaska by John Green. Jewels also made egg wraps and this Asian salad, which she recommends. And in personal news, I’m moving in with Michael soon, and I got a new haircut and couch!

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 15

to do lists of the semi-adult

As you guys know, Jewels is a very good cook, and I am…a novice in the kitchen. Lucky for me, I can always call Jewels if I have a question or need help, and lucky for you guys, today on the podcast we talk about our favorite kitchen gadgets to make cooking a little easier.

We both love coffeemakers with a timer and have a really cool apple peeler and corer. I love my George Foreman grill to make cooking meat easier, and Jewels recommends steel mixing bowls to make baking easier. My favorite kitchen gadget might be my teapot, partly because I use it all the time and partly because I think it’s pretty cute. Jewels says she uses her tiny spatula a lot, and it also seems pretty cute.

We think that sharp knives and good cutting boards, a salad spinner, and a food processor can also make a world of difference. But the No. 1 thing that has made it easier for me to cook is Blue Apron. For a more inexperienced cook like me it has made me much more confident in the kitchen, and I’ve gotten to make some really cool meals that I wouldn’t have made on my own. Jewels and I have a few free weeks we can give out to new Blue Apron customers, so if you guys want to try it for a week, email us at raesdays [at] gmail.com. First come, first serve.

What do you guys use that makes things easier in the kitchen? Let us know!

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

(Links to products are affiliates, and they are all products we have used and recommend. Also, my second newsletter on what I’m watching and reading and think is cool is going out later today, you can sign up here.)

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 14

to do lists of the semi-adult

Ever feel like you just can’t stand looking at another baby picture on your Facebook news feed? Not me and Jewels. We LOVE baby pictures and want to see all of them. We also like pet pictures, food pictures, screenshots of texts, and basically any kind of snippet into your life. And if we don’t want to see it, that’s cool, we’ll just skip it or follow someone else, no worries.

In this ep, Jewels and I tackle what we document on social media, and what we do to document personal life for ourselves. We have both used Project Life, which is an easy, flexible scrapbooking system. You can see some of our project life spreads here, here, here and here. I also keep a file on my computer desktop where I stash pictures I like when I happen to see them, and then occasionally I’ll upload the whole folder to a picture printing service and print them all.

We also worry about keeping up with digital storage, and Jewels mentioned Forever.com, a service for keeping your digital photo files safe. (There are apparently a ton of companies that offer this kind of service.)

I like to keep a sketchbook for personal documenting and journaling every day stuff, and Jewels uses her planner to write to journal a little bit, too.

In the lighting round, I talk about the amazing book The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, who run Go Fug Yourself, and Jewels is reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. This week I was cooking with Blue Apron again and Jewels made beef and mushroom stroganoff meatballs.

Also, everyone should buy this Stila liquid eyeliner from Sephora, if you’re into liquid eyeliner or thinking about being into liquid eyeliner. It is the best.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 13

to do lists of the semi-adult

One of my resolutions this year is to get rid of the clutter in my house. If I’m not using it and it doesn’t bring me joy, out it goes. I am trying to go slowly but persistently through my house, one drawer at a time (with varying success so far). Jewels and I talk about what we want to clear out of our closets and kitchens, and what we find the hardest to let go of.

Part of my inspiration for clearing out the clutter was a documentary on tiny houses. I don’t want to live in a house that small, but I do want to be mindful of the things I own and buy. Other inspiration came from some discussion on blogs I read about capsule wardrobes, which limits what you wear each season to cut down on clutter and excess decisionmaking that could be crowding your brain.

In between cleaning out my closet, I am reading Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, which I am loving. Jewels just read funny books by hilarious women Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, plus she’s working her way through Joy the Baker’s new cookbook.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 12

to do lists of the semi-adult

Adult Christmas is hard. When you’re little, you basically just have to show up for presents on Christmas morning. Now we have to do the shopping and the cleaning and the cooking all while working full time. If you’re in the middle of holiday stress, you aren’t alone.

Jewels and I are struggling a little to get it all done, but we’re getting there one to-do list at a time. In this episode, we talk about dealing with a crisis around the holidays (everyone’s ok now), when to mail your gifts, and what we do to get ready for the New Year.

In our lightning round, Jewels talks about finishing her amazing Starry Night cross stitch. I have been reading Sex Criminals and ODY-C, and Jewels has just caught up with Serial. We both cooked last week–Jewels made beefy mushroom soup and I made a delicious pasta from Blue Apron with cauliflower and capers.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 11

to do lists of the semi-adult

In this episode, Jewels and I talk about planning for Christmas. I know–Christmas before Thanksgiving?! But part of being a semi-adult is thinking ahead, so here we go.

Jewels and I love Christmas cards (and most other things about Christmas). Jewels has a Pinterest board dedicated to couple’s holiday card ideas, just in case you can’t find a snowy lodge and perfect winter scene for a photo card before you need to get them printed. Jewels has previously done something like Minted’s Year-In-Review card.

I am really into buying cards because I can’t get it together enough to make them on time. I love Barnes and Noble’s holiday cards on sale. And dollar stores have some good affordable options. I am really, really into the idea of an address stamp (like this one) to make things go faster. Elise Joy recommends the Simon Stamp.

We also talked about making small gifts for our friends (like ugly sweater tree ornaments, coffee cozies, monogrammed coffee mugs and Insta-magnets). I also talked about my family’s cool Christmas camp, which you should definitely do with your family at Christmas. If you have any Christmas planning ideas, let us know!

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 10

to do lists of the semi-adult

What do you want? It sounds like a simple question–but boy is it complicated. In this episode of To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult, Jewels and I begin to tackle knowing what you want. We talk about different ways we figure out what we want out of our lives and careers, and what we do when people don’t believe us. We don’t have too many real solutions, but we think a lot of knowing what you want comes from eliminating what you don’t want, trying new things, and ignoring the haters.

If you have any tips and tricks on figuring out what you want, we’d love to hear it. And if need some cheerleaders for support on something you want that people just don’t quite get, Jewels and I are here for you.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram and on Twitter.

to do lists of the semi-adult: episode 9

to do lists of the semi-adult

We’re back! Jewels and I delayed the podcast a week because we both visited family, but we are back to talk about a subject near to our hearts: young adult entertainment.  We struggle balancing trying to be a grown up adult with loving teenage dramas on ABC family, but I believe there are no such thing as guilty pleasures, only pleasure-pleasures.

Jewels and I have watched every episode of the Secret Life of the American Teenager (and you can too on Netflix!). We also love Pretty Little Liars, Frozen (duh), Prince of Egypt, and the Hunger Games, but our favorite of all time is Harry Potter (duh).

Mark Reads is a wonderful way to enjoy Harry Potter all over again, and to learn about other great books and movies, too. Mark also read Twilight, and so did Jewels and I. (We don’t think it’s bad! I watch the movies a lot!)

Jewels and I are in deep when it comes to teenager-y pop culture, and we think it can include exciting and captivating storytelling. What’s your fave young adult not-guilty pleasure? You’ll get no judgment from us.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram and on Twitter.

To Do Lists of the Semi Adult: episode 8

to do lists of the semi-adult

In episode 8 of To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult, Jewels and I talk about traveling. Jewels is heading to California to see her family–which is super exciting, but packing and navigating  the airport is not.

We also talked about what we can do to help new moms. Jewels and I are not expecting, but friends and family of ours are, and we want to be able to help as much as possible without being a nuisance in an already emotional time. There is tons of advice on the Internet, and I suggested making yourself available, bringing drugstore supplies, and dropping off food on the front porch. Do you have any advice for us? Let us know.

Jewels and I had great Labor Day weekends: I went to the Field Museum and went to a goodbye for Anana the Polar Bear, who is taking a trip while the zoo redoes her habitat. Jewels went to the Narcisi Winery in Gibsonia and had a great time.

As for the lightning round, I am reading Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer, and Jewels read John Green‘s The Fault in Our Stars, which I’ve heard I should definitely pick up.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. You can also always find them on my Podcast page. You can find me right here at Rae’s Days, on Instagram, and on Twitter. Jewels is at Oven Lovin, on Instagram and on Twitter.