Catch a glimpse in to our everyday lives with our Four Things posts. This is where we share what we’ve been READING, LOVING, PRACTICING, and COOKING lately. Whether it’s a new book, a wellness habit, or a favorite meal, we hope you find something here that inspires you.
Today’s edition is by Angela.
What I’m Reading
I just finished this book last night and I loved it! The Wedding People by Alison Espach takes a heavy topic and spins a heartwarming story of hope and renewal. Sometimes we think our lives are meant to take a certain path, but people we meet along the way help us reroute that path into something even better. I hope you have people in your life like that. I know I do!

What I’m Loving
First and foremost, I can’t post on Feb 3rd without saying happy birthday to my youngest son whom I love very much! <3
But back on to the wellness topic of what I’ve been loving….I’ve been struggling with crazy, itchy eczema patches on my skin lately and one step I’m taking to try and help is to eliminate lotions with any sort of chemicals or fragrances. So right now I am loving organic, cold-pressed & unrefined coconut oil to moisturize my skin. I’ve always had it in my bathroom and have used it periodically on my skin, but I wasn’t a fan of digging out a chunk of solid coconut oil. Recently a friend posted about how she puts it on before she’s even out of the shower and that’s been a game-changer for me. The heat from the shower softens the solid oil just enough to make scooping some out and spreading on my skin so much easier. And how much cleaner can you get than using something you can actually eat? And who needs fake fragrance when the smell of real coconut takes you back to a tropical island beach vacation!

What I’m Practicing
At some point over the last few years I started noticing sagging jowls. Like where did those come from?! I found myself going down a rabbit hole learning about face yoga! We exercise to tone our bodies, why not exercise to tone our face? So I’ve started incorporating face yoga into my daily routine. It’s something I can easily do in conjunction with something else, so it doesn’t take any extra time out of my routine. When I’m in the shower, I do simple cheek puffs, like I’m swishing water in my cheeks. Then in the morning I’ve started doing something I actually learned from my mom many, many years ago! When I was about 7 or 8, my mom came home from jazzercise (!!) telling me about an exercise her instructor did at the end of class, and I remember giggling about how silly it sounded. But now I get it! They would look up at the ceiling and recite an elongated version of the vowels….AAAAA, EEEEE, IIIIII, OOOOO, UUUUU! Then they would pucker and kiss, kiss, kiss at the ceiling. Sounds silly right? But go ahead and try it and tell me you don’t feel it working your neck and jowls!


what i’m COOKING
For about 9 months now I have successfully shed some pounds (down 15 lbs!) after years of frustration. One key to my success has been tracking my food to maintain a set number of calories and protein. Where I get derailed is when I have complicated recipes that I just don’t know how to track. But if I can prep and eat foods with simple ingredients, then it’s much easier to stick to my goals. Lately I have been making these Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins to have in my fridge for a simple, easy-to-track protein, that I can pair with a veggie or rice, or put in a wrap (such as the ones I had in my Four Things: Jan 2025 Edition) for a quick meal. <3

Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins
Ingredients
- 1 pkg chicken tenderloins about 8 tenderloins
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Mix spices and olive oil in a bowl.
- Toss tenderloins with spice mixture.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Air fry tenderloins for 10 minutes, turning half way.
And that’s my four things for this week. Stay healthy!