From the Couch: 9 Things I Did and Loved in Q1 2025
3 baby blankets, top-notch FSA purchases, a great bookstore event, and more.
Hi, friends.
This is my (slightly early) quarterly From the Couch post, in which I deviate a bit from my focus on books to pretend we’re hanging out on my couch. If we were, I’d undoubtedly talk your ear off about all the random things I’ve loved and done lately. None of it’s sponsored content; it’s just the stuff I’d talk your ear off about if we got together in person
It’s been such a great quarter for things I loved and did that I couldn’t even wait until the end of the month to tell you about it. So let’s get right into things.
My library chair
When I worked with a local carpenter on the built-ins in my dining room library, we designed them so that I could safely add a ladder — obviously. The plan was to find one that could hook on and off, rather than rolling, because the shelves wrap around three of the room’s four walls.
But then the baby was born, and I pictured her as a curious toddler, and I realized a ladder felt a liiiiittle too risky.
Then one day I was scrolling on Facebook Marketplace (as one does) and saw a gorgeous wooden chair that folded backward into a stepladder. A few Google searches later, there it was available for purchase online. On the Christmas wishlist it went — and thanks to my parents, I found it under the tree!
See it in action:
This chair is so beautiful and so fun, and it’s made my library complete.
A polaroid camera
This cute little instant-film camera was another Christmas present from my family, and honestly, it almost tied with the library chair for best gift. I used about half of the 10-photo roll of film that came with the camera that day, gleefully showing my family every single photo as it developed. The 2”x3” photos are deeply nostalgic and so cute and give even the most imperfect pictures a perfect, vintage feel. I loved it so much that I bought myself more film and a physical album to keep the photos in the next day.
The Brick
For those of you who have heard of the Brick: Yep, it got me too. And I regret to inform you that it was indeed worth every penny.
For those of you who haven’t: It’s a little device that helps you cut down on screen time. You use the Brick app to block out access to whichever apps you choose, and then the only way to “unbrick” the phone is to physically tap it to the Brick.
I keep mine on my refrigerator. That means if I block social media so that I can focus — let’s say I’m reading on the couch or working upstairs in my office — I can’t scroll on Instagram unless I get up and walk all the way to my kitchen, which would obviously be ridiculous. And so it works. I’ve been using it since January and still going strong. I have also been Bricking my phone before I go to bed, which not only means no bedtime scrolling, but no scrolling for an hour after I wake up the next day.
The other thing I love about Brick is their commitment to only charging you once. You buy the device, and there are no subscription fees or anything to use the app — forever.
PSA,
has a discount code!Murdle Night at my local bookstore
Murdle is a daily murder mystery logic puzzle that’s great fun, if you’re into logic puzzles. They’ve even published four or five Murdle activity books, which I highly recommend for some screenless brain exercise.
Anyway, Parthenon Books here in Syracuse hosts monthly-ish Murdle Nights, where folks can come and buy something from the cafe and try to complete four puzzles the fastest and most accurately. The winner gets a gift card for books. What’s not to love?
I dragged three friends to the January Murdle night and we had a blast. I did not win, but I came close! Hopefully I’ll be able to go again soon.
Canopy humidifiers
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person living in a place where it snows must be in want of a humidifier in the winter — especially if you have a baby who brings lots of congestion home from daycare.
Those of you familiar with humidifiers will understand how great this is: Canopy makes humidifiers that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. They also run safely on tap water, no distilling necessary (although tbh, I didn’t do that anyway, whoops). Finally, they send you new filters on a subscription so you never have to think about it.
I’d been contemplating making the jump every time I grudgingly cleaned all the tiny parts of our humidifiers with vinegar, but couldn’t quite bring myself to splurge. Then they became FSA/HSA eligible, and that was it for me! No regrets; they are awesome and I haven’t even had to clean them once since I bought them in January.
Supergoop tinted moisturizer
Did you know you can get Supergoop sunscreen with your FSA/HSA, too??? It’s true! 10/10 recommend this expensive-but-worth-it tinted moisturizer with SPF 50, especially if you’re using tax-advantaged dollars to get it.
Ground News
The news is so much these days. I’d had my head in the sand a little bit, having turned off push notifications from the New York Times on Inauguration Day and never turned them back on. Then my sister turned me on to Ground News, which aggregates news stories from many different platforms and presents an unsensationalized version that also reports on media accuracy, points out blind spots, and more. It’s been great so far.
If you’d like one free month of their Premium subscription, DM me here on Substack or on Instagram — the only way to refer you is to put in your email address.
The annotated edition of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
It’s beautiful and fascinating and I’m so I bought it. If you’ve read and loved this book, as I have, get yourself a copy.
3 super-cute baby blanket crochet patterns
I had three babies to make blankets for very quickly, and listened to several excellent audiobooks while finishing them. Plus, going hours without looking at my phone felt AMAZING. Look how great they came out!
Here are the patterns, for those so inclined:
Charming cloud puff blanket: Day Dreams Crochet Baby Blanket by Made on Mill (I used a double strand of worsted-weight yarn to make it chunkier and bigger)
Playful bobbley stripey blanket: Crochet Boho Lines Baby Blanket by Daisy Farm Crafts (I improvised a thinner border because I ran out of yarn)
Adorable heart stitch: Heart Blanket Vol.2 by by Marina Nikolaidou (worth the couple of dollars to support the pattern creator!)
Next yarn adventure: learning to knit! If you’re on Ravelry, let’s be friends.
As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to hear about something you’ve loved lately in the comments, too.
Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.
Until next time!
— Deedi (she/her)
Those baby blankets are BEAUTIFUL!
The chair is a need