Yes, it’s true that we love pretty houses, but pretty houses are what we do. They aren’t just who we are. The stuff that happens within those walls will always be more important than what is on those walls. That’s why each month, I want to show up here — between the posts about the latest home accessories, how-to design ideas, and project reveals — with The Good List.
So while we may occasionally post about our new favorite kicks or the latest hair product we are loving — we’re mostly focusing on the good stuff in life — the things that fill our cups and help us connect more with ourselves and the people we love. It’s just one more way we are trying to #spreadgoodness here at Basil + Tate.
The Good List
one | 7:52 am
One of my favorite parts of the day is at 7:52 am when my phone alarm rings reminding me to send pics to my kids before their school bell rings. Both of my kiddos have Apple watches (highly recommend - even for younger kids!), so I started sending them a pic every morning with a little text to remind them that I love them. It’s like the 2023 version of sending notes in their lunchboxes - which is still awesome, too, btw! Apple makes digging up old photos so easy with their ‘For You’ feature that pulls pics from years past. I usually grab one of these, forward one to each of my kiddos along with a mushy little text, and then grab a tissue to wipe away my tears because these pics are daily reminders of how quickly these years are going by. I need to love on them as much as humanly possible while they still let me, and this is one easy way of doing that.
TWO | H.A.W.K.S. CHAMPION
This was definitely part of my February Good List… my little guy was nominated as the ‘H.A.W.K.S. Champion’ of his class this month. The acronym is made up of all of the qualities I could want my kids to have - Honest, Achieving, Working hard, Kind, and Safe. There is no better feeling as a parent than to know your kids are doing these things out in the real world - especially when that is NOT what they are doing at home! Ha! Both of my kids have achieved this award… and it gives me hope that maybe we are doing a thing or two right in the midst of doing so many things wrong. Parenting is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.
THREE | DAY DATES
Nick and I played hooky on Valentine’s Day and both took the afternoon off of work to go see Titanic 3D in the theater. It was EPIC! It has been 25 years since it first came out, and I loved watching it with 25 more years of life experiences under my belt. Inevitably, I had a different type of appreciation for the love story and the life lessons it taught. I’m (almost! #wink) always grateful for marrying Nick, but I walked out of the theater even more grateful than when I walked in. He is my Jack Dawson. He is the fun and adventurous one who lives life more intentionally than anyone I have ever known. He is unapologetically himself, and the movie was a great reminder that some of the qualities that drive me most crazy about him are the same qualities that I love the most about him!
four | sweat
As I approach a milestone birthday this year, I frequently think about how fast life has flown by. I have been fortunate to live such a good life and, more than ever, I wish I could find the pause button. Fortunately, every year keeps getting better, and I want to make sure that my health never gets in the way of checking things off my bucket list. There are so many things that are out of my control, but eating healthy-ish and exercising regularly are within my control, so I’ve decided to commit to both.
I just got a notification the other day that I hit my ‘8-Week Streak’ in the Sweat app. I was Instagram influenced back in December and decided to give this workout app a try. For years, I have run outside or on the treadmill 2-3 days/week, and then I would do a few sit-ups and push-ups and call it good. However, towards the end of last year I was in a slump and kept looking on YouTube for new workouts. I found a few good ones, but I spent too much time constantly looking for new ones. This app has been just what I needed. I do three resistance workouts each week that typically consist of a variety of high intensity interval exercises. In addition, I still run 2-3x/week. I’ll openly admit that I still cry inside every morning when my alarm goes off at 5am, but I just remind myself of the payoff… more years of living the good life… and that makes it all worth it.
FIVE | THE BODYGUARD
I’m a sucker for love stories. I have been trying to push myself to read other genres because, admittedly, the love stories start sounding the same after awhile. I recently read Project Hail Mary and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Both are really well written, but they just didn’t suck me in like the chick flicks of books do. The others feel like a chore to get to the end of the story, and the love stories feel like a treat. The Bodyguard didn’t disappoint. The main male character is a famous actor living in Texas, so I pictured Matthew McConaughey the entire time - which probably made me like it even more. It’s not quite Book Lovers (5 stars!) by Emily Henry, but it was still a quick, fun read that I really enjoyed.
Image via Tattered Cover
Thanks for reading this month’s Good List — Until next time,
Welcome to Basil + Tate, your full-service interior design team based in sunny Denver, Colorado. We describe our design aesthetic as light-and-bright, transitional, and modern. If you like clean lines and lots of white space, you’re in the right place! Looking for interior design services within the Denver, Colorado area? Let's get in touch.