No. 74: What to Read, Watch, Eat & Wear in March

plus the February favorites and a March style guide

What does March look like for you? Do we share a universal optimism when we flip our calendars to the third month of the year?

March holds heavy presentations for my big kids, Spring Break, many sports Saturdays, the final stretch of work on the new house and all the usual appointments and work requirements in every other month. Something about Texas being so warm tricks me every year into thinking March is full blown Spring. And to be fair, it sort of is, but Spring doesn’t officially start until the 19th which we can agree is the second half of March. There is so much time, friends.

Nearly three full weeks of the Winter limbo to plan and dream for what we want Spring to look like in our bodies and homes. It’s a deceivingly busy month, but the sunshine and dinner in the sunlight at 6pm and the birds chirping make it so lovely somehow. March is like the honeymoon phase with a new boyfriend. Sure, he chews kind of loud and he plays video games but he sent you flowers for no reason and makes you belly laugh and made you a CD with 22 un-skippable songs. Things are lookin’ up and there’s no way it doesn’t just keep getting better, you know? That’s where I’m at right now. Sure, my eyes feel like they’re coated in poison ivy and my nose feels like a feather has taken up residence in each nostril, but my neighbor’s yellow daffodils are in bloom and we played soccer in the street after dinner wearing just light sweaters in bright daylight.

I know it won’t stick. I know we’ll have another cold front come in, the allergies will get worst and stretch from the end of Spring Break to the last day of school is unbearably long at times. I can be sure of it. But it’s the hope of it all. The promise that what’s promised will actually come.

What could be better than March?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. this one is custom so there’s no link, but it’s a memory I wanted to live here. 8. 9. standing desk 10. walking pad

For the two years I lived in Maryland, we studied the Holocaust for no less than eight months. In all of my schooling years in Chicago before it and all my years of school in California after it I’ve never experienced such an in depth steeping in a topic. The majority of my school and staff and town were Jewish and it felt like a privilege to learn something so transformative alongside them. I’ve been obsessed with all things WWII ever since and Masters of the Air has been no exception for me. It’s like Top Gun with purpose—a show based on the real story of the Bloody Hundredth, an American bomber crew deployed to England in 1943. Austin Butler is fantastic in it and constantly remembering the events you’re watching are real leaves you even more devastated, awestruck and grateful.

This video, How Gen-Z Became the “Buy Everything, Own Nothing” Generation was a bit depressing, but mostly super eye-opening. Every time I see another video with “haul” in the title, I can’t help but cringe. These are strange times.

I’m furnishing a home so I have my eyes on things big and small (and also part of me never wants to buy another home related item again) but even if you’re just looking for a new sweet lamp for your countertop or fresh candlesticks to make dinner that much more dreamy, this new Spring launch is my favorite yet.

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What to Read:

Am I wrong in thinking March is the time for something romantic, introspective, inspiring and possibly in the Historic Fiction genre? We’re not traveling for Spring Break as we hunker down to wrap up the new house which means I’ll inevitably be hit with the Spring Cleaning bug without somewhere to channel it. Of course I’ll be going through our closets and toys and kitchen cabinets to make sure we don’t pack up and move with sixteen unmatched socks, the jeans that will never fit again and forty eight extra tupperware lids. That’s moving preparation though, not Spring Cleaning. And there’s a big difference. All this moving and cleaning typically leads to a surge in audiobook listening but it hasn’t happened yet this year. I know it has something to do with the overwhelm of February still ringing in my ears but all I crave is music and silence. I can feel the tide shifting, but for now audiobooks just aren’t shiny and enticing.

I personally still haven’t picked up a new or new-to-me book yet this year. I’m re-reading The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson for a book club of sorts with some moms from our school and re-reading The Life Giving Home by Sally Clarkson again and Traveling Mercies for myself. I just bought None of This is True and am going to dig in when some more room opens up in my brain. (Has anyone read it? Thoughts?)

What to Watch:

There is no rhyme or reason to this list, but I just know in my bones that as your eyes scan through it, you’ll see at least two movies you deem absolutely March-ish. It’s just a fact. These are the movies that are simply perfect for the month: Emma, A League of Their Own, Pride & Prejudice, Notting Hill, 10 Things I Hate About You, It’s Complicated, Father of the Bride 1 & 2, Sense & Sensibility, 10 Things I Hate About You, Singin’ in the Rain, Morning Glory, Bride Wars, Because I Said So

I didn’t ever watch Dune so I’m not rushing to see Dune 2 when it releases this month, but I have been so excited by the red carpet fashion on their press tour. That’s more exciting than the movie for me.

What to Wear

I think you know me well enough by now to know I’m a very visual person. It helps me to pull together inspiration and find a theme to know what I’m aiming for. I have very consistent style from season to season with heavy overlap. There’s no reinvention of the wheel here, just a change in fabric weights and colors for me.

Navy, white, cream, tan, olive and a bright orange are my favorite colors this time of year. My sister the other day sent me something orange and said “I feel like this is your signature color”—she’s not wrong. I find the orange brings me back to life a bit in a month that can be a bit more deceptively dreary than we remember.

This orange H&M knit is the stuff of dreams for me. This cropped striped button-down is a perfect March piece with jeans and a trench until it can be worn with shorts or open over a cute dress. These are my dream jeans right now because the shape is extra cool and flattering. The price is steep and I’ve noticed J.Crew Factory is basically giving away one of their most popular styles which is a similar shape and it feels like a great move. Lastly, I’ve had the same pair of Gazelles for six years and it’s time to upgrade to a fun color—I’ve got my eye on this peach and this orange meets coral pair.

What to Eat

I’ve mentioned that I’m currently following the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) to help heal my gut and get a handle on my Hashimoto’s flare ups. This means for the month of March, I’ll be following a much more restrictive diet even than I’m used to and it just requires hunkering down, meal prepping, getting creative and remembering this won’t last forever. If I weren’t following this protocol, I’d be making my favorite Healthier Hamburger Helper, Curried Quinoa Salad, Chicken Enchilada Soup, Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars and the tortellini I shared last week that I’m still drooling over. I’m still making meals for O and the kids so I’ll likely end up making some of those things anyway, time will tell.

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Are we feeling optimistic at the start of this month? February was hard. It was a month that battered my physical body and stirred up deep grief, but it was a beautiful month relationally which I’m grateful for. I started true therapy—not marriage counseling, not just talking with someone at church—for the first time this month and it’s already been a gift. I’m so grateful the Lord uses people to help us along the way. I pray wherever you are in mind, body and spirit when you read this, you’re able to hold on to hope.

Have a beautiful weekend, friends.