This is the first weekly love list of 2024, so happy new year! My weekly love list items are light and fun, a great way to start a new year.

Winona ‘Odyssey’ Pants

Is there a more summery piece than a bright linen? These Winona ‘Odyssey’ linen pants are the perfect vibe for summer. Imagine walking through a tropical, beachside resort, pina colada in hand, warm breeze blowing in your hair, and these gorgeous linen pants playfully swishing.

This bright, lively print can be easily matched with a basic like a singlet or a blouse, and the linen fabric is comfortable and cool. I am such a sucker for a pink/orange combo, and the florals scream lush vacation. They’re fun and colourful, can be easily dressed up and down, and made with a high quality linen. I have worn these a few times this summer, both working from home, as well as in the office. I will keep these in my rotation for the rest of summer.

Winona is small Australia label, started by Alyssa Mobbs, with a boutique in iconic Bondi. The Winona girl is someone that understands that style is so much more than a beautiful dress. It’s an infectious smile, a kind and abundant heart and positive outlook on life. Let’s all be Winona girls!

atp science noway collagen marshmallow protein bars

Protein bars can have a bit of a bad reputation. They can be dry, tasteless, and sometimes tough on your tummy. The ATP Science Noway collagen marshmallow protein bars will change your mind.

When looking for a snack, foods with a higher protein content are always a good choice. That’s what makes these protein bars so great. They have real dark chocolate on the outside. The insides are made of whipped hydrolysed bovine collagen, and have a squishy, marshmallow centre. With 14 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fibre, you’re getting a satisfying snack, that will tide you over until your next meal. I wouldn’t necessarily call these a ‘health food’, but they’re tasty, have a great texture and are a better option than a chocolate bar.

I have been stocking up and having them as par of a quick breakfast, or an afternoon snack. There is also a jelly version of these, which are another great option.

The bars come in three flavours, strawberry, vanilla, and birthday cake. They are gluten free, lactose free, soy free, nut free, high in protein and fibre, and are friendly to the gut. You can get these in Coles, and are often on sale.

rupaul’s drag race – season 16

I have loved drag queens for as long as I can remember. The warm familiarity of Dame Edna Everage, RuPaul as the Judge of the Other Realm on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and watching Courtney Act perform on the first season of Australian Idol, back in 2003. The bright colours, the sequins, the makeup, the extravaganza. What’s not to love?When I heard there was a reality show about drag queens, how could I resist?

RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality, competition show where 14 drag queens from across the USA show off their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, all for the chance to win a cash prize of $200,000, and the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. Each week the queens will compete in a series of maxi-challenges, which could be the famous “Snatch Game”, the “Rusical”, improv, dance, or fashion design and construction. The top queen each week will win a cash prize, while the bottom two queens will have to ‘Lipsync for their Lives”, with the loser being eliminated.

Drag Race debuted back in 2009, with a season of nine contestants, and a measly cash prize of $20,000. It started with a real tongue-in-cheek attitude, almost ripping off the competition shows that came before it like, America’s Next Top Model, Survivor, and Project Runway. But over the last fifteen years, the show has exploded in popularity. From that original season spawned seven spin-offs tv shows, fourteen international franchises, a mobile game, international conventions, and a Las Vegas Revue. Many of the queens who appeared on the show have also gone on to have enormous success with their own tv shows and web series’, extreme social media followings, sold out internationals tours, music, some even appearing on Broadway.

At first glance, a reality competition tv show about a bunch of drag queens sounds like a frivolous, light-hearted jaunt, but it provides a platform for the stories of many marginalised people. The show dives into some serious topics like racism, homophobia and transphobia, substance abuse, survival sex work, and homelessness. The contestants are so incredibly talented, having to be able to do their own hair and makeup, make their own costumes, dance, sing, act, be quick-witted, and have a fierce runway walk. For the most part, there is a real positive tone to the show, a celebration of performance, fun and embracing your true self. If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?

The new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race debuts 6th January on Stan, in Australia.

yes please by amy poehler

This is turning into an Amy Poehler fan site.

I bought this book back in 2014, when it was first released, and it’s taken me nine years to get to it. I don’t know why, I love everything Amy Poehler does. But all I can say is that I’m glad that I finally got there.

Yes Please is a collection of essays written by Amy Poehler, comedienne extraordinaire, about experiences that have made her the person she is today. She talks about her birth, both her own and her kids, falling in love with improv comedy, the important people she’s met along the way, advice from her parents, and so many other nuggets of wisdom.

This is a really easy book to read. The chapters are relatively short and are packed full of gold. While Amy is known for her comedy chops, there are some beautiful insights and advice.

Just to give you a taste of this amazing book, here are some of my favourite quotes –

1. “Good for her! Not for me. This is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again.”
2. “You don’t always have to win to get the pudding.”
3. “Emotions are like passing storms, and you have to remind yourself that it won’t rain forever. You just have to sit down and watch it pour outside and then peek your head out when it looks dry.”
4. “Sticking up for ourselves in the same way we would one of friends is a hard but satisfying thing to do.”
5. “I am a firm believer that every few years one needs to shake one’s life through a sieve, like a miner in the Yukon. The gold nuggets remain. The rest falls through like the soft earth it is.”
6. “You actually don’t have to do something if you don’t want to, and you don’t have to explain yourself either”
7. I think if you can dance and be free and not embarrassed, you can rule the world.”
8. “Because what else are we going to do? Say no? Say no to an opportunity that may be slightly out of our comfort zone? Quiet our voice because we are worried it is not perfect? I believe great people do things before they are ready.” 

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