If you’ve been following Beehive for a while you’ve probably indulged yourself in our favorite monthly blog post: Things We Love. As eager as we are to get back to our regularly scheduled programming, we felt it appropriate to share this month’s TWL as a few of our favorite ways we are getting by while on quarantine. We hope you find this helpful and enjoyable. We can’t wait to open our doors again but until that party happens, tune into Local Honey – we’ll be sharing new ideas and posting more frequently here to provide an at home happy Hive experience that we miss getting to enjoy in store. We love y’all!
- Dolly Parton’s bedtime stories: It’s no secret that we are big fans of DP. She’s a household name at Beehive because honestly, can she do no wrong? Just when we thought quarantine was going to take over, here she comes like a knight in sparkling, glittery, bedazzled armor to save the day once again. First off, Dolly donated ONE MILLION DOLLARS to support research for a cure to the Coronavirus. Can we get a slow clap on that one? On top of that, her Instagram is full of encouraging videos and support for the people working on the front lines. The cherry on top of it all is that she’s been reading bedtime stories nightly via IG live and it couldn’t be any cuter! Aside from aging backwards, we wondered what other superhuman powers Dolly had in her but she just keeps surprising us. Give her a follow if you haven’t already and tune in before bed! You won’t regret it.
2. Morning devotionals/taking time to simply BE: This is something that has proved to be a great start to the day for us. As each day goes on and weirdness becomes the new norm, a bit of encouragement added to your adjusted routine is our biggest advice! Whether it is prayer, meditation, devotionals, or just taking an extra 15 minutes to sit and be still, we definitely suggest starting your day with YOU time! Whatever that may look like. We’ve linked a few devotionals here that we are currently loving and sharing with each other! Breathe by Charlotte Gambill, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer, and any gratitude journal out there.
3. Roommates: We love our roomies!!! Can we hear it one more time for the people in the back?! Now is the time to be so thankful for your roomies, besties and live-in lovers! This is the time to cultivate relationships whether you’re hangin’ at home with your parents or bestie from college, we are so thankful for what community we have! Pro-tip: start matching sweatpants and sweatshirts with your quarantine crew. You’re all comfy but you look GREAT! Even go the extra mile and tie dye them! A fun activity and you look cooler than ever with the final product. We’ve linked our go-to and cost efficient sweats here, or find a few of our Hive favs online!
4. Lemon balm: No, it’s not a citrusy chapstick (sounds fun though!) it’s our newest fav product for quarantine calmness. Lemon balm was introduced to us by an OG Beehive Babe, Joy Cross. She is currently in health coaching school and is a great Insta to tune into right now! She promotes healthy eating and speaks on how important it is for your mental health to feed your body with the right fresh foods. She is also full of encouragement and speaks openly about her struggle with anxiety. One of the all natural remedies she has used to continue calmness is lemon balm! It’s an oil that you add to your water, tea, whatever you may be drinking throughout the day and it helps soothe symptoms of stress, helps you to relax, and it boosts your mood. We totally recommend it! We’ve been drinking it with ice water and fresh lemon in the morning and before bed and not only is it refreshing but overall calming throughout the day as well.
5. Crocs: We may have been big fans of the so-ridiculous-it-works bouncy mules before quarantine but they have come in quite handy while staying home! Indulge yourself here in a list of our fav Crocs selling points. First of all comfort- it’s like walking on Play Doh everywhere you go! The bright colors are not only happy but helpful and easy to spot when you are looking for a shoe to throw on to take your dog on a walk. We’ve recently learned of the phrase “four wheel drive” which is when you move the crops strap to behind your heel when the terrain you’re encompassing get’s a little rocky. Never know what’s gonna happen on your morning walk to the mailbox! Styled with a comfy-still-cute maxi dress and a cute headband or scrunchie, we say this is the ultimate quarantine fit for you! Their price point is also super affordable and they are so easy to clean- magic eraser and GO! We’re thinking we’ll have one in every color by the time we’re back to normal life again, but we’re not mad about it!
6. Leslie Jordan’s Instagram: You may recognize him from Will and Grace or possibly American Horror Story (as he so shyly states in his Instagram bio) but Leslie Jordan may have peaked at 64 as the most loved Instagram during quarantine. If you haven’t seen this yet, we urge you to run, don’t walk to your mobile device and give him a quick follow. At 4’11” Leslie Jordan stands just shy of 5 feet tall but his substantial Tennessee accent and energetic flare reach sky high. The phrase, “What er y’all dooin?” has been ringing through households all over America but his commentary on how much quarantine sucks has truly surpassed any Tik Tok dance in terms of entertainment. Quarantined at home with his mother and his cats, it makes for a perfect setting for his one man show. Who knew that watching a short but sweet white-haired man make his bed in the morning could be so hilarious and worthwhile? We’re kind of over the Tiger King hype but we are not over his much delayed reviews on the “murder program on television.” When in quarantine, I suppose! Stay home and stay you, Leslie, we are fully tuned in from this group of “hunkerdowners” to the next.
7. Texts from your Dad: If you so have the pleasure of being quarantined with your parents, that is truly special! But if you are staying home together from afar, communication has become more important than ever. Not that we didn’t appreciate a good dad text before, but checking in with friends and family has become truly significant as of late! A few of us think our dads are getting a little cabin fever but we’ve never been one to turn down a good dad joke. We’re so thankful for community, however it may look right now! Check on your friends, your neighbors, your parents and grandparents. We’re all in this together, bees and we appreciate you all times a million!
8. Claire’s Fav Salmon Pasta Dish: If you weren’t a chef before, there is a high chance that you’ll be walking out of this quarantine with a Michelin star. Everyone is at home so cooking has become more of a necessity than a preference. Though we love a good guilty pleasure, we’ve also found that taking this time to invest in a healthy diet has helped us with feeling better inside and out! Bailey Womack, one of our bees in Ft. Worth and the stylist/guru behind many a Beehive lookbook shared this recipe with us a while ago and it has become a staple dish between all the Hive. Claire is a particularly big fan and probably makes this at least once a week! It is gluten free and dairy free so for the most part, pretty guilt free if you ask us! It’s delicious, nutritious and if we can make it, you can too! Just consider it like fancy mac-n-cheese.
Here’s how:
+ First take a handful of asparagus. Cut into 1″ pieces and throw in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Toss around.
+ Prepare 1lb salmon topped with lemon juice, fresh rosemary and sliced lemons.
+ Place salmon and asparagus on 2 different pans and preheat oven to 400. Start with asparagus and bake for 12-15 minutes. Afterward, remove asparagus and place salmon in oven. Bake until opaque throughout, about 10-15 minutes.
+ We prefer to use lentil or chickpea pasta as a more healthier option but if you prefer traditional penne that works just as well! Bring this to a boil as you are waiting for the salmon to bake.
+ After everything is done, break apart the salmon and dish up with the asparagus on top of your noods! Be sure to put all that yummy rosemary in there, along with the asparagus. Top with lemon and shredded parm (if you want a little hint of dairy) and some salt and voila!
9. Dress to De-stress: At a time like this, who doesn’t want to be dressed as comfy as possible? We know that it can be hard to wear the same sweats every day and we are well aware that fellow fashion girls around the globe are reaching the point of FREAK OUT MODE due to the lack of dress up opportunities. Enter the ultimate dress to de-stress. We’ve found the happy medium between comfort and cute and that’s in the form of mid/floor length shift dresses! A soft linen combined with a fun print and/or color means you can look cute on the couch but stay comfortable all the same. No one ever enjoyed hangin’ at home in your high-waisted jeans and that, honey, is a fact! We’ve compiled a list of our top fav effortlessly cool maxis available online- so comfy you could sleep in it! Wear with Crocs (you know you want to) or sneakers for your mid-day walk around the neighborhood- another activity we’re big fans of over here. So cute for post-quarantine with a slender mule and a gold hoop too!
10. Romertopf Chicken Baker: We’ve always been a big fan of anything with a goofy name so this next product had us sold before it came off the shelf! Claire got this beauty for Christmas and it quickly became a weekly household staple. It just makes dinner feel so fun and fancy with little room for messing up (which is always a plus)! This clay chicken roaster can be found on Amazon and makes cooking effortless while giving you something fun for your kitchen display.
Here’s how Claire prefers to use hers: First you need to be sure you soak the pot fully in water for 20 minutes. Then just put your whole chicken on top, seasoned really however you want but we love it with salt, pepper, lemon pepper and (not gonna lie) a good amount of butter! Make it pretty with some fresh herbs on top if you have any, or fresh sliced lemons, etc. You can even layer some vegetables underneath and the entire meal is ready in an hour! Put in a cold oven on 425 and voila. You’ll have the prettiest juiciest little situation that will last for a few meals! Quarantine chic is not just for your outfit- this brings comfy cute straight to the kitchen! If this lockdown goes for much longer, we plan to try it for many of its other uses: baking bread, ratatouille, etc.
Beehive 