This is my hobby.

Holding Off the January Scaries in Dominica

This week, I’m coming to you live from the island of Dominica.

In 2024, Vince and I discovered that our favorite way to vacation is visiting islands in the Caribbean.

It started because Hawaii is on my bucket list, but a plan we had to visit fell through, so Vince started researching islands closer to us that gave similar vibes.

We wanted hikes, waterfalls, beaches, and tropical rainforests.

After diving down several reddit threads, the French Antilles quickly surfaced as the ideal location — these tropical islands are only a 3 hour flight from Miami and offer what we wanted and more.

So far, we’ve explored Guadeloupe twice and are now on our second visit to Dominica.

(We’re taking advantage of having a pre-school aged child. Once kindergarten starts up for Elaine, we’ll only take long trips on school holiday breaks.)

Dominica, in my opinion, has the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen.

It’s technically not part of the French Antilles, but it’s sandwiched between the French islands Guadeloupe and Martinique.

I know, I live in Florida, and we have nice beaches, but these beaches are secluded, provide excellent shell hunting opportunity, and the water is crystal clear for snorkeling, an activity I only recently got brave enough to try.

There’s also something about traveling to a beach — on vacation I can’t be distracted by laundry and my never ending list of errands like at home. So, beach times just feel different here for that reason too.

There is no thrifting on the islands, of course. My collecting hobby translates into shell and souvenir hunting.

I’m not big into t-shirts and refrigerator magnets. I’m drawn to woven baskets (obvi) made of local materials, handmade accessories and caftans, and any children’s books written by islanders we might run across.

I love spontaneously stopping into a shop during a drive or discovering an outdoor market with locally made goods.

Should I share a souvenir haul at the end of this trip?

Here’s one of my highlights from this trip so far:

We hired a guide for the first time to take us on a jam packed island day:

-A visit to the Red Rocks
-A tour of a chocolate factory
-Lunch in Calibishie (we stayed in this tiny beach town on our last visit)
-A quick beach dip
-A waterfall hike

On the drive back to the resort, our guide mentioned we’d be driving by his mom’s house and asked if we’d like to stop by for some “coconut jelly” (coconut water).

We got to meet his mom, step-dad, and brother, and he grabbed coconuts from the backyard tree for the freshest most delicious water!

Our guide told us the only Caribbean island that holds a candle to Dominica’s beauty is St. Lucia, so it’s on our list.

For now, we’re holding off the January scaries just a tad longer and soaking up island life. No thrifted outfits this week, friends, just swimsuits, robes, and hiking shorts. 😉

>> Final Goodwill haul of 2025 on my Instagram profile here! <<

Surprisingly Artsy Crafty

Happy New Year! I’m grateful to have this creative outlet and friends who support it by reading and engaging with my ramblings.

So let’s waste no time and get right into my ramblings this week!

I ordered a hot glue gun from Amazon, and I fear it has made me too powerful.

I’ve never been an arts and crafts type of gal, though I admire artsy and crafty folks so very much.

But…has this hot glue gun made me artsy and crafty? Perhaps you can be the judge.

I initially ordered the hot glue gun for my mom, actually. She needs it for a project, but once I had it in my possession, I quickly realized that the possibilities are vast.

On literal Christmas day, I took this hot glue gun into my bathroom to renovate our struggling towel hooks, because the thought had been scratching the back of my mind ever since the Amazon package arrived and I could wait no longer.

Here’s how the towel hooks looked before:

Woof. Chipped and broken.

As you’ve learned by now, I’m really into shells and have a lot of them laying around my house, so I thought: why not hot glue some shells onto these broken towel hooks?!?

So, that’s what I did:

This experience was so intoxicating, that I took my hot glue gun and shells to a picture frame I thrifted during my Denver Goodwill trip in October:

I’m obsessed. What will I glue next?!

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Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

>> Highlight reel of the thrifted Christmas gifts I gave to family on my Instagram profile! <<

House of Harlow dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Gorgeous necklace made of thrifted fabric, charms, and shells by Sarah Bray Bermuda

Dooney & Bourke bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby girl’s Christmas eve dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

My Christmas day sweater and linen slip dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Vintage, secondhand Lilly Pulitzer caftan purchased at a nonprofit event

Baby girl’s Lilly Pulitzer romper from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Woven bag thrifted and gifted from a friend!

Sweater layered over a white sun dress – both from Goodwill West Palm Beach; Necklace made of thrifted materials by Sarah Bray Bermuda; Ring from A Timeless Treasure in Northwood Village

Sam Edelman sandals from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Sunglasses from Goodwill West Palm Beach; Top from Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach

Can you believe my mom found this bag brand new at Goodwill?! She gifted it to me for Christmas.

I hope the new year brings you many thrifting adventures, friends!

A Thrifted Christmas Table

This year, our boys were out of town for Christmas, so Vince and I hosted a small Christmas dinner with just baby girl and our moms.

I’ve been collecting items for my Christmas tablescape for several months and am sharing here all the details of my completely thrifted, gifted and secondhand Christmas table:

-White Dinner Plates – Goodwill West Palm Beach
-Green Cloth Napkins – The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach
-Napkin Rings – Thrifted and gifted from a friend
-Silverware – Wedding Gifts
-Milk Glass Goblets – Passed down from my mom
-Candle with Glass Christmas Tree Charm – Goodwill West Palm Beach

-Taper Candles – Thrifted from Goodwill West Palm Beach or gifted
-Crystal Candle Holders – Wedding Gifts
-Table Runner – Goodwill West Palm Beach

The table runner originally had tassels on either end, but they fell off after I ran it through the washing machine, so I tied ornaments on either end to replace them! The vintage wreath ornaments were sourced from The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach.

-Brass Candle Holders – Passed down from my mom
-Small White & Green China Candleholders – Goodwill West Palm Beach
-Glass Christmas Tree Votive Holder – Passed down from my mom
-Christmas Holly Candle Holder – Goodwill West Palm Beach
-Cake Stand – Garage sale find
-Wooden Nativity People – The Cozy Cottage Lake Worth Beach

Now that all my Christmas gifts have gone out, I’ll also be sharing details on most of the items I thrifted for friends and family this year — stay tuned!

I hope you had a cozy Christmas full of warmth and love, friends.

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Last week’s thrifted ‘fits and treasures:

>> Mom and I visited the Rust Market in Lake Park for last minute Christmas shopping – reel on my Instagram profile! <<

Sweater and MANGO tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Ring from A Timeless Treasure West Palm Beach

Sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach; Madewell Jeans from Goodwill Boutique in Boca Raton

Hightop chucks from Goodwill West Palm Beach

J. Peterman jumpsuit and leather belt from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Anthropologie skirt from Goodwill West Palm Beach; Amazing necklace made of vintage fabric, charms, and shells sourced from thrift and estate sale trips made by Sarah Bray Bermuda

A closer look at my stunning Sarah Bray Bermuda necklace!

Baby girl’s dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Mom bought me a pair of tassels from the Rust Market in Lake Park – they are on our end tables in our bedroom for now.

This stunning handmade, one-of-a-kind dress made from a hand stitched vintage tablecloth is from a Rust Market vendor named Marcia. She doesn’t sell online/has no digital presence and more people need to know about her!! This dress is one example of many gorgeous designs. I highlighted her in my recent instagram reel – check it out!

Vince and I brought a bottle of wine to dinner with friends and I popped on this vintage ornament sourced from a collection I found at Goodwill West Palm Beach.

Elaine’s set from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Pouf! A Bedroom Solution

I’ve always loved the idea of a bench at the foot of our bed, and keep my eyes peeled for one at all times while perusing the shops.

They are hard to find! I guess people tend to hang on to their benches.

Granted, I haven’t been overly serious about finding one and am only willing to pay Goodwill prices, so that narrows down my possibility of snagging the perfect bench, I guess.

Would scream if I found something like this in the shops.

During my latest Goodwill trip, my eyes fell upon two seagrass poufs. I almost passed them up, because I truly have enough furniture in my living room and loft, and couldn’t immediately think of a place for them.

I stood thinking over it for a while before moving on, though, because I knew those things were expensive and I could snag them for $20 each — a steal.

Then, I realized — I could put these at the foot of my bed in lieu of a bench! I hadn’t really seen this before, but a quick Google search confirmed that it’s a thing:

I’m pretty sure these are the poufs. I was right about the original price!

The floral pillows are from Goodwill too!

The thrifterverse provides yet again. I’m so pleased with this purchase.

Do you think the poufs work here? Or would they be better suited in a different setting?

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With the weather cooling down in FL, I drove past several garage sales while out running errands over the weekend. Here’s what I found:

A basket as big as my baby and the sunglasses she’s wearing (she picked them out) — the basket was only $10!

Things I left at Goodwill:

This rattan napkin holder. Would be good for parties, but I already have several little basket caddies that I use for napkins and party flatware, so I left this for a fellow thrifter to find.

Look at the prices on these Tory Burch espadrilles! I didn’t leave these by choice – they were both too small for me. 🥲

These lime green sunglasses that Elaine looked FAB in.

I also attended a holiday home tour event in an historic district of West Palm Beach over the weekend, which was a blast and also inspiring.

I loved seeing how people have cared for and upgraded their old homes — my community has such great taste!

Me, my mom, and our friend Jill at the holiday home tours event.

My favorite shop keeper, Inge, from the absolute best vintage and handmade shop, Stone Button Studio, was part of the event’s holiday market, so I grabbed a few of her treasures — I can never resist!

I love collecting Inge’s hand painted stones and tucking them on shelves and desks, the same way I place my shells.

I have several of her hanging charms in windows and on plants throughout my house.

This table runner is so gorgeous, I can’t wait to style a tablescape with it.

I hope you’re having as much fun as I am this holiday season, friends.

—-

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round- up:

>> Goodwill Thrift Trip Video on my Instagram Profile! <<

Holiday party green dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Vintage glass candy earrings from the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival

Baby girl’s bumblebee dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

White Elephant Exchange

Every year, my office gathers for a holiday lunch and white elephant gift exchange.

Since my thrifting habit has been insatiable, and I constantly seek excuses to be in the shops, I decided to create my first thrifted basket of the season for the holiday lunch.

We have several animal and nature lovers where I work, so I’m hoping someone enjoys the items I found — brand new and unopened (!!!) — at Goodwill.

I’m always snagging baskets when I find them, so it was easy to pull one from my growing collection in which to place all the white elephant items.

I think, ideally for a thrifted basket, I would arrange the items cutely and tie a ribbon on the basket handle — kind of like a typical fruit or gift basket.

But, the whole point of a white elephant exchange is that nobody can see what the gift is before selecting it from the pile.

So, I decided to tie up all the items in a thrifted scarf.

I don’t love the look, but it got the job done.

I found a fun dog puzzle and wild flower field guide — both great gifts for the animal and outdoor lovers.

Our white elephant gift spending limit is $25. This puzzle would’ve almost reached the limit, had I purchased it elsewhere.

I don’t imagine anyone is going to pull this field guide from their back pocket whilst traipsing Mounts Botanical Gardens, but I think it’s a fun thing to have on a table or bookshelf.

I added this beautiful glass ornament I found at the Nearly New Shop in West Palm Beach.

To decorate the basket, I tied on a bow of holiday ribbon (I found a collection of ribbon at Goodwill a few weeks ago), and another ornament found at Goodwill.

I’ll never tell you I’m good at wrapping gifts or tying bows. It’s a skill I have sadly not mastered, but I did my best and I think it looks kinda cute!

Happy holidays!

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Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round-up:

>> Last week’s thrift haul video on my instagram page <<

Lord & Taylor gingham dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach, layered with a non thrifted sweater.

Baby girl’s top from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Top and GAP jeans from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Linen top and pants from Goodwill West Palm Beach

GAP oversized button up and jeans from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Comfy coastal dress and MANGO tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

I forgot to do a proper outfit selfie, but the top I wore to brunch with Santa is from Goodwill West Palm Beach!

A Thrifted Thanksgiving Table

I was thrilled to host Thanksgiving this year, not only because I love spending time with my family, but also because it gave me an excuse to create a holiday themed tablescape.

In recent years I’ve gotten more and more into tablescapes.

It’s another outlet for creativity, and I like pulling things from around my house to place down the middle of my dining table.

I’ve pulled framed photos, shells, and collected trinkets for my tables when hosting friends and family.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like almost anything goes for a tablescape.

You want bows? Butterflies? Bird houses? Tie and stick them onto candle holders or table runners and make it a thing!

(My husband was sure to tell me that placing miniature chairs down the middle is a little insane — I just love a miniature piece of furniture, okay?!)

This holiday, I’ve had a lot of fun thrifting specifically for my tablescapes.

Here, I’m sharing the details on where I sourced all the items for my Thanksgiving table.

Goblets – Goodwill West Palm Beach
Glasses – Home Goods (I store these separately / away from our daily use cabinets so nobody can break them, and only bring them out for guests)
Flatware – Passed down from my mother-in-law
Crystal candle holders – wedding gifts
Pink taper candles – Goodwill West Palm Beach
Beaded/wooden candle holder – Nearly New Thrift Shop West Palm Beach

Napkin rings – thrifted and gifted from a friend
Fall wreath – Goodwill West Palm Beach
Bronze candle holders – passed down from my mom
Dark blue dessert plates – Goodwill West Palm Beach
White & blue dessert plates – thrifted & gifted from my mother-in-law

Floral urn – Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach
Block print napkins – Etsy
White vessel thingy I used as a candle holder – thrifted & gifted from my mom
Glass cake stand I used as a candle holder – found at a garage sale years ago

Baby girl made this sweet centerpiece at school!
Teacup I used as a candle holder – thrifted & gifted from my mom
Dinner plates – fiestaware; I chose dark blue plates for our family’s everyday use because the color hides scratches and they look nicer longer!

It felt like a blessing to be able to make my table beautiful for friends and family to gather around — I hope your Thanksgiving was fab, too!

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Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & highlights:

Easy breezy dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

GAP shirt dress, linen pants, Target sandals from Goodwill West Palm Beach

I left this at Goodwill and kinda regret it!!!

Top from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Madewell jeans from Goodwill Boutique in Boca Raton

Cutie frog earrings from A Timeless Treasure West Palm Beach

Shells and rocks from Goodwill West Palm Beach styled in one of my plant pots

Still screaming over this bag found at Goodwill West Palm Beach — the red and the bamboo handles!

Button up from my Denver Goodwill haul, MANGO bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

I styled an area in my bedroom with shells, a basket, and design books from Goodwill West Palm Beach

This basket from Goodwill West Palm Beach is solving a clutter problem on my desk!

Christmas Tree Weekend

The weekend before Thanksgiving is “Christmas Tree Weekend” in our house.

Since our daughter was born, it has been magical to reinvigorate holiday traditions — naturally, the teenage boys are less interested these days.

We only truly began defining the elements of Christmas Tree Weekend a few years ago, really.

There aren’t many tree lots open this early, but we found one in Boynton Beach. So, the tradition is that we pile into the car and hit shuffle on our Christmas playlist for the first time.

It’s the official start of a nonstop loop of Christmas music from now ’til the new year.

Picking out the tree is always a battle between Vince and me. I want a smaller, more manageable tree, he wants a sky scraper. I think we met in the middle this year.

We take a family photo and Vince always requests the guys save a slice of tree trunk to turn into an ornament — he uses a wood burner to make them every year.

Elaine was 8 months old for her first Christmas, and picked out an ornament at the tree lot. So, we always have her pick out an ornament! These beautiful beaded ornaments support makers in a Guatemalan village.

After we lug the tree in, the Christmas music continues, we don our matching jammies, and start decorating.

As you know, I love to decorate my home, but for the holidays I don’t do much. The tree is the main event.

Elaine is three, and it’s the first time she’s truly aware of tree decorating, which made this extra special.

She was so thoughtful about each ornament she placed (and screamed for us to look each time 🤪).

Elaine loved seeing the ornaments her brothers made at her age, and I imagine she’ll love it even more as she gets older.

We added another layer to the tradition this weekend: we took a break from decorating to order Chinese food and eat it while watching a Christmas movie.

Elaine has to have ranch, even with Chinese food. 😆

Just missing the middle child this year – he’ll join for upcoming traditions!

Elaine comparing her hand print to her dad’s when he was her exact age.

I love that we can add layers to our traditions — they can evolve while staying the same. This is truly the best time of year.

—

Recent Thrift Haul Reels:

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round up:

Draper James top thrifted from Goodwill during my Denver trip, J.Crew slacks thrifted and gifted from a friend ✨

Velvet sunnies thrifted from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Mom’s Cynthia Rowley dress and sandals from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Vintage top found at Goodwill in Denver, GAP jeans from Goodwill West Palm Beach

J.Crew cardigan set found at my thrift brunch party!

Items I was sad to leave at Goodwill:

I don’t have any more space for lamps, but it was painful to leave this one behind! I have the perfect white shade for it too. I hope it goes to a good home!

You know I *love* collecting baskets but this picnic basket was too big – no place for it!

The Brunch of My Dreams

I decided to switch up my holiday cocktail party/girly girl hang this season and throw a different kind of party.

Of course, I did not sacrifice the girly girlness (NEVER).

I wanted to host an event that served multiple purposes:

Foster connection with fabulous women

Honor my love of thrifting/buying secondhand

Help me clean out my closet (Things are severely out of hand — you see my thrift hauls! Gotta make way for more. 😏)

Offer food and drinks aplenty (obvi)

I decided to throw a ~Sip ~Shop ~Swap Brunch — a serial thrifter’s closet clean out.

Over a series of weeks, in preparation for this extravaganza, I went through my drawers and racks and created a massive pile on the floor of my closet.

The pile was full of pieces that I still love, but don’t need to hold onto any longer.

Pieces that I wanted to go to a good home and get more quality use.

In my profession, I wear a lot of dresses to events and sometimes when I see photographs from those events, I feel like a major outfit repeater.

Several of my friends feel the same way, so I thought, why not bring all our outfits together and swap? We each get to leave with new (old) things.

Or, we might find something we’d like to gift to a loved one over the holidays (gifting secondhand is cool, let’s make it a thing!!).

Baby girl was truly in her element at this party! She loved pulling pieces and bringing them to the ladies to try on.

The whole idea was to offer a fun way to shop for free and sustainably while also hanging out with my favorite people.

In preparation for the party, I activated my network to source portable clothing racks, extra tables, and hangers. The girlies came through.

I picked up bags of clothes from friends in advance, and two sweet ladies helped me set up the whole first floor of my house like a boutique.

The party had This is My Hobby vibes from top to bottom: The disposable wine glasses, wine charms, silverware caddy, serving platters, decorative fall napkins, party garland, and accessory display trays were all sourced from Goodwill.

I found a small storage piece in the service entrance of my friend’s condo building that was being thrown out; it displayed shoes, hats, belts, bags, and scarves perfectly.

I met this cutie on the airplane on my way home from Denver. She recently moved to the area and left the party with bags full — a new Florida wardrobe!

This girlie found the perfect holiday dress!

We don’t know where she’s wearing this, but it was made for her — stunning!

My mom flew in just in time for the party and racked up on cute finds

Didn’t snag all the ladies for this, but — look at these gorgeous friends! ❤️

The event came together better than I could have dreamed. I loved watching my friends connect — many meeting for the first time — and fill shopping bags with gorgeous finds.

*I’ll share an event recap reel on my instagram later this week!*

This was the best kick-off to the holiday season. I’m thinking I should make this an annual thing.

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round-up:

Bag sourced from Goodwill, West Palm Beach

Sam Edelman shoes sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Trina Turk dress sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach

These are the pumps I found during my Goodwill excursion in Denver!

Baby girl’s ~ interesting~ outfit includes a Ruffle Butts swim top sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby picked this dress out herself from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Express shirt sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach, skirt secondhand/passed down from a friend

Cole Haan pumps sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Comfy, cotton guauze button up sourced from Goodwill, West Palm Beach

My faves lately – huaraches sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby girl couldn’t keep her hands off the merch during party set up

*Bonus:* This sweet girlie shared pics of her party haul — how gorge?!

I sourced this Reformation dress from Goodwill several years ago. It’s a classic cut that will never go out of style – doesn’t she look gorgeous in this?!

LOVE how she styled this dress – perfect for the holidays!

What’s in a Portrait

I grew up with framed portraits of my sister and me hanging in the upstairs hallway of my childhood home.

They were in a spot I couldn’t avoid seeing every time I walked from my bedroom to the bathroom.

I hated the way I looked in my portrait. She didn’t look like me at all and, in fact, looked homely compared to my sister’s portrait, which was gorgeous.

Naturally, this would be the case, right? One sister jealous of the other sister’s portrait — a tale as old as time.

But I ain’t lying. Mine looked like a boy to my 12-year-old eye.

Also — my ears were not that big. So rude.

My mom eventually gave me the portrait when she sold her home and I’ve tucked it away in various spots in the couple of houses I’ve lived in with my family.

I decided recently to hang it on the wall again, right in the entryway of my home.

I still don’t think that little girl looks like me (or how I used to), but now when I look at it, I think about my childhood, my sister, and my mom’s love for her kids.

As a mom now too, I totally get wanting portraits of your kids — it feels elegant and more meaningful than a photo in some ways.

I also understand wanting to capture your children at a moment in time so you can cherish it forever. This portrait is now a reminder of that.

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round-up:

>> WATCH Video Thrift Haul here! <<

Dress – Lands End, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach; I think it needs a belt, noting this for the next time I wear it!

Vintage blown glass candy earrings from The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival

Love that they are two different shapes.

Shoes – J. Mchlaughlin (brand new!), Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby girl’s Beauty and the Beast needlepoint onesie (so sweet!) thrifted and gifted from a friend.

Kimono and belt from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Shirt – LOFT, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Dress – Old Navy, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach,
Leather & Silver Belt Source: Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach

Italian leather sandals, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Variegation Consternation

Like most people, I love natural light. It’s important for my home to have lots of windows and the blinds raised at all times of day.

I don’t like having indoor lights on when the sun is out.

I’m always going behind my housemates and flipping the lights off.

We have lots of plants in our house that benefit from all the windows and natural light, but as my husband propagates and collects more, he’s needing to hang and shelve them in darker areas; we’re running out of prime window real estate.

His solution is to install grow lights — special lighting that work just like the sun for plants.

The hanging grow light in our primary bedroom.

I know that my ideal design aesthetic can never be achieved whilst sharing space with an adult man, two teenage boys and a toddler. I know this.

But, the introduction of the grow lights was simply something I could not have foretold.

To me, they’re giving: science experiment. Nail tech lighting. Clinical.

I want soft sunlight that casts a gentle shadow as the day progresses.

A vintage lamp found at The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach transformed into a grow light set up.

The light these grow lights cast are literally disturbing to my eye. Am I being dramatic?

The lights are making a big difference for the plants they’re nourishing. One pothos in particular is growing orangey looking leaves now — I’m told this is called variegation.