Savored Melodies: January 12th, 2026
Off to a great start….I’ve already skipped a week. That’s life—especially life as a new mother, and I’ve learned to joyfully let go of many expectations. Anyways, here’s my list this week. All the lovely things that are making my life easier, more joyful, sweeter, etc…the stuff worth savoring.
Carnegie’s Maid—I honestly cannot say enough about this book. This was my first time reading a novel by Marie Benedict, and I can honestly say, I absolutely adore the way that her stories, while historical fiction, are entirely plausible. Her stories fill holes in stories that already exist. This novel gives a plausible reason for Andrew Carnegie becoming a philanthropist. The story has grief, loss, romance, some feel good scenes, some suspense. It’s just…good. Also, if you’re a Pittsburgher, it will delight you even more.
2. Aldi dupes—Particularly this dupe for the LMNT sparkling water. My mom got us cases for Christmas, and let’s just say we went through it very quickly. I usually get our groceries at Aldi, and I already get the Perfect Bar dupes for my husband, but when I saw these bevs, I was so thrilled! They’re not quite as salty as the LMNTs, but they are still sooo good.
3. Lazy girl protein pancake bowls—I use the recipe from Christina Thornton, but there are tons of recipes for this online, on Instagram, and Tik Tok. They only require a few ingredients that I already had on hand. It’s done in the microwave in two minutes, and I’ve even prepped it the night before when I wanted to be super quiet in the morning with my baby sleeping. I top mine with yogurt or chia pudding or nut butter, fruit, and a drizzle of honey, but the possibilities are endless!
4. Perry Mason Episodes from the 1960’s- I grew up watching these reruns with my Dad on TV Land. Later, we bought all seasons on DVD. These days, you can watch them for free online. I love a good mystery, and they aren’t too morbid or gory even though they involve a murder case. They are oddly…feel good? The innocent person always go free with Perry on the case, and the guilty party is always revealed. Even though you can predict that, you can rarely predict the culprit, and you can’t predict how Perry will get there. The fashion, the architecture, the California vibes, the cars, it’s…immaculate.
5. Walmart sneaker dupes— The other day I was at Walmart, and I just happened to notice that the sneakers there look like the hip New Balance shoes that all the momfluencers are wearing!! Fast forward two days later, and I noticed my Reeboks were falling apart. We’re talking the metal part of the heel was popping through the padding and fabric. So you bet my son and I went to Walmart! I found a pair on clearance for $15. They also might actually be kids, but that’s the perk of having small feet. They also had adorable baby shoes, and this is actually the first pair of shoes I’m buying Joey. He was barefoot until winter, and these days he’s usually only in socks, but he’ll be walking before I know it. Plus, I know he’ll be warmer in shoes for our outings! My heart can’t take the mini-me vibes…