While we used to call this blog series Five Things, we’re renaming the blog series to Monthly Musings because sometimes we have more than five things to share & we don’t want to limit ourselves! We hope you’ll continue to follow along & learn a bit more about the women behind The Inspired Abode.

These past months have been incredibly busy for both of us! In addition to the usual work stuff & e-design clients, Brooke recently graduated from her UX/UI design bootcamp & is looking for work as a full-time product designer (if you know of anyone hiring, let us know!), and Kelcy has been house hunting & recently moved into a new place (with a yard!). Stay tuned for decorating updates to come!

Take a look below to see what we’ve been loving this month & what we’re looking forward to – and please do share your own monthly musings with us in the comments!

Credits (clockwise from top): A Fabulous Fete; Kirstin Ash; Pottery Barn; Crate and Barrel; The Local Project (Photo: The Palm Co; Interior Design & Styling: Bone Made; Build: Mirage Developments; Joinery: U-Neek Interior Solutions); Nicola Jane Creative

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING…

It’s so hard to believe the year is almost over! We’ve been trying to spend a little less time on our screens, but we still love plopping down on the sofa with a glass of wine & watching our favorite shows and movies. Like everyone else, we watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix and also American Murderer: The Family Next Door – both are so interesting and worth a watch! We’ve also been enjoying Sweet Magnolias as a fun-loving show that’s great when you need some girl time & if you’re like us and imagine a second life as a Southern belle in South Carolina, you’ll love the setting.

More productive “watching” has been YouTube workout videos from Heather Robertson. While we love her individual workout videos, we’ve been keeping up with her 12-week program & highly recommend! She is SO tough, but the workouts are around 30 minutes & as “enjoyable” as a workout can be! We also love that you can do the same workouts over and over if you wanted to, increasing the weight and bettering form as you go!

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO…

We recently switched from Apple Music to Spotify & we’re absolutely loving it! While we love so many of the playlists we’ve found, we’ve also been curating our own. We hosted an alfresco Italian-themed dinner party to celebrate Brooke’s engagement in early September & we’ve been playing the “Dinner Party Vibes” playlist on repeat – a nice mix of romantic & fun, yet soothing tunes – perfect for background music while enjoying a meal with your closest friends. Please send us your favorite playlists!

WHAT WE’RE READING…

As more and more emphasis is being placed on our immune systems and healthy eating, we started reading a book we saw circulating around Instagram that really resonated with us. Authored by gut-health doctor Will Bulsiewicz, MD, Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome is all about not restricting what you love to eat, but adding more plants into your diet that help your overall health and therefore your immune system. While his full program for clients is 100% plant-based, we feel that just incorporating more plants into your diet whether you eat meat, dairy, etc. will vastly help everyone feel better, more energized & healthier as a whole. We’re still learning from this book, but hoping to share some gut-healthy recipes soon!

WHAT WE’RE EATING & DRINKING…

Remember those sandwiches we told you about last month? Now you can make them too by following this recipe. They’re so delicious, easy & will make the work day a little more enjoyable!

We also picked up the Love & Lemons Every Day cookbook recently & have been obsessed with the miso quinoa bowls recipe! It’s in the breakfast section, but Brooke’s been loving it as a healthy & quick lunch bowl!

As we mentioned with our Dinner Party Vibes playlist, we recently had a small, outdoor (socially distanced) dinner party with friends to celebrate Brooke’s engagement – and also as an excuse to get together – and we loved every minute of it! It was an Italian menu to commemorate what should have been a proposal in Italy. We served arugula salad, bruschetta, whipped ricotta, Jon & Vinny’s spicy fusilli recipe, pesto pasta & tiramisu for dessert, along with Aperol spritzes. We may have a blog post coming soon with the details if that’s something everyone would be interested in!

WHAT WE’VE BEEN BUYING…

Once Kelcy moved into her new place, one of her first purchases was a new desk for the home office/guest room. After searching for a standing desk that was A) in stock & B) semi-affordable, she ended up buying the EC1 55” standing desk + ergonomic chair from Flexispot. So far, it’s been a dream – and if you’re interested in your own, you can get $15 off with this link!

Though it’s definitely getting chillier (even in LA), Kelcy recently got a few things at Abercrombie during their most-recent sale. If you’re looking for some warm-weather clothes, her favorite picks were the tie-back lace-trim top, linen-blend puff-sleeve top, mid-rise mom shorts (they can actually be high-waisted & cover the belly button too if you size up!), and the cutest striped underwire bikini top!

We also learned a great, new trick that I’m sure most people know – add items to your Nordstrom account wishlist to be surprised with an email when those items go on sale. It’s how we were both able to snag these cute Paige jeans for 60% off! These are our first pair of jeans that retail for over $200 & the quality is amazing. They’re as soft as butter & fit so well!

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO…

It’s been a few months since our last Five Things / Monthly Musings feature, and that’s because our life has been in a bit of a transition phase! Brooke’s been busy working her freelance jobs in her new UI/UX career, Kelcy’s been spending her free time building furniture & coming up with design plans for her new place – which we can’t wait to share – and also working with our e-design clients. In addition to all of that, we’ve also been trying to take time for ourselves to relax (self care is so important these days)!

This month, we’re so excited to spend more time on the blog now that we’re spending more time inside as the weather gets chillier, trying some new recipes, and taking time off of work. While travel isn’t necessarily the most “fun” right now with masks and Covid tests, Kelcy is taking a much-needed vacation to Cabo in Mexico! If you have any recs, please let us know – otherwise, we’ll be referencing Brooke’s suggestions from her past trips & this Cabo travel guide – and honestly probably just eating chips + guac & drinking margaritas all day at the resort.

We’re also having a small family Thanksgiving get-together, which we’re so excited for since we haven’t seen our mom since just before Covid hit the U.S. Excited for plenty of quality time, delicious food, hopefully some holiday Hallmark movies & plenty of cozy family snuggles on the sofa.

We’d love to know what you’ve enjoyed watching, listening to, eating, drinking & what you’ve been eyeing and are looking forward to. Let us know in the comments section or send us a DM on Instagram!

Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest to see what inspires us daily! Also, be sure to check out our e-design packages if you’re looking to update any rooms in your home prior to the holiday season!