A few things I'm loving lately:

1. I think it's possible that I've tried nearly every natural deodorant on the market, and none of them have really stood the test of time. Until now. I know nothing about what makes this one special, I just know that it works for me. And smells fantastic (Rosy Pits and Sunny Pits are my two favorite scents.) Which is really the point, right?

2. One of my great loves in life is to travel. My lifestyle, however, doesn't always align with taking the kinds of (or amounts of) trips I'd love to take. I realized - sometime at the start of this year - that I didn't necessarily need to actually go anywhere to enjoy travel: sometimes reading about other's adventures and paging through pictures of places near and far can be joyful and fulfilling. A subscription to Afar magazine has added destinations to my growing list, inspiration to my imagination, and a cultural (and logisitical) education to my life. It turns out armchair travel really is a thing.

3. I first heard the band Little Feat as a kid (who could ever forget a lyric like "If you'll be my Dixie chicken, I'll be your Tennessee lamb?") but didn't really listen in earnest until college and beyond. When I stumbled upon their tour calendar very randomly last month and saw a show happening a couple of hours away, I snagged last-minute tickets the evening of the concert and drove up with my 16-year-old music-loving daughter. We were definitely the youngest fans in the audience, and it was a delight to see and hear such incredibly talented musicians live. A long-time groupie (who explained he'd been catching Little Feat shows since before we were both born) stopped us after the show and exclaimed how refreshing and encouraging it was to see a teenager appreciate that kind of music. On our way out, my daughter scored a setlist from the band's sound technician (no doubt because she was the youngest person there by a solid 40 years,) and I think it secured her appreciation of the band forever. Our latest Shopify playlist features some Little Feat favorites among other loved tunes - new and old.

4. I have become obsessed with Yemeni coffee. It happened purely by accident one Saturday morning when I decided to reward myself for getting up early to ship orders from my local post office branch, rather than waiting until Monday. I knew there was a coffee shop called Bayt al Mocha about which I'd heard great things next door, but I had no idea what a discovery I'd make there. (Good news, Kentucky and Michigan friends, they have locations in both states!) I loved reading about the rich history of coffee in Yemen and throughout the Middle East while I waited for my drink, and the coffee itself (I had the Mufawar) was transformative. 

5. Who doesn't love a good hang? And with Amy Poehler at the helm of this new favorite podcast, it's a marvelous mix of fun, funny, down-to-earth, self-deprecating, easy-going gab. And her guests are pretty great, too. 

This year, our Mother's Day Collection was inspired by a beautiful little girl named Marguerite, the niece and cousin of sweet friends here in Louisville. (And - by extension - getting to know Marguerite's mom and family in Louisiana has been a joy.) Though Marguerite was diagnosed with a brain tumor (DIPG) as a kindergartener and passed away just over a year ago at age 7, she brought so many people together in hope, love, courage and kindness, and her shining spirit continues to be a light - even for those who never had the joy of meeting her. 

The name Marguerite means "daisy," fitting since the flower is a cheerful reminder of the beauty that surrounds us and the hope that returns again and again each spring even after the cold of winter.  As funding for research and trials are cut, and since May 17th is DIPG Awareness Day, bringing focus to childhood brain cancer, we thought it fitting to honor Marguerite and her loving family with a collection of three different small-batch daisy designs, each offering a portion of proceeds ($20 of each purchase price) to an organization called Tough2gether, founded by a mother who lost her own son to DIPG. With each daisy design, it's lovely to think of Marguerite's legacy and to contribute to helping families facing childhood cancer, offering hope, support, science-backed research, and resources along the way. 

Shop all three daisy designs here.