Jan
13
a few of my favorite things
Happy New Year! i don’t know about you, but our holiday season came and went with such a flurry, i can barely believe it all even happened. we are getting back into the groove, and so with the new year upon us, i thought that it’d be fun to share with you a few of my new favorite things, and also to give you a peek into life lately.
here goes…
i’m currently reading a few books on my Kindle that i am loving:
Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity
The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful
The Nesting Place 
and speaking of books…y’all…this cookbook…oh my:
100 Days of Real Food
you can see all my post-its…that’s cause i want to pretty much make every recipe in the book. i’ve already made a bunch. last night i attempted the Veggie Pancakes with zucchini, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes…and my kids raved. i’ve also made the Mac n Cheese, the BBQ sauce, the Taco Seasoning, and a few others, and so far, all have been big hits. y’all…this cookbook is the real deal.
and yes…we are still trying to eat as cleanly as possible. we are a bit more lenient than we were when we first began our clean eating journey a few years ago, but treats are still treats and not expected parts of our everyday. most of it has just become a way of life for us now, and i don’t think we will ever really go back. however, when we are out, or with other people, that’s a whole different story, because we have decided that we love people more than we love our rules. someday i’ll have to post about just that.
but speaking of Clean Eating…this is not…but its oh so good!
Oregon Chai: The Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate
it is made with Organic Evaporated Cane Juice (basically sugar, no matter how fancy that sounds), and honey, so it does qualify as a treat in our house. but i use this on occasion for a little pick me up, and its amazing. you can also get it at Trader Joe’s.
if you aren’t wanting the sugar, the absolute BEST chai tea i’ve ever had is this one:
Stash Tea Chai Spice Black Tea. i make it with milk and a splash of honey or maple syrup, and it tastes just like Panera’s Chai Tea Lattes. i’d take a picture for you of the box, but unfortunately, i just used my last bag, and since the only other place i can find it (besides Amazon) is at The Fresh Market, i am in need of making the trip or placing an order.
and did you happen to notice that Ikea Milk-frother
i am currently loving my new chairs that i found in my neighbors’ garbage:
can you believe someone was throwing those beauties away? they did have a little bit of sharpie drawings on them, and the upholstery was stained, but that’s nothing that a little bit of paint, wax, and some leftover duck cloth can’t take care of! 
which brings me to my next fave…Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, specifically Old White. i have pretty much painted the majority of the furniture in my house with this color. boring, perhaps, but i love how it freshens up and brightens up my house:
speaking of my house, i’m drooling over this:
i’ve been in the market for a coffee table for our living room for a while now, and as much as i’d LOVE to make this one of my favorite things, i am so spoiled by all of the amazing and inexpensive furniture i’ve snagged at GoodWill, off Craigslist, and on the side of the road, that i simply cannot justify spending $250 on a coffee table. oh…and i also don’t have $250! but honestly, if i did have the money, i’d totally buy it…cause its that perfect. so if you are local and see ANYTHING like this for about 1/6th of the price, LMK!
and since we are on the subject of house things, i stole this from a dear friend in our City Group’s White Elephant Christmas gift exchange, and at first i felt really bad, but now that i use it every single stinkin’ day, i don’t feel bad anymore:
Ceramic Electric Candle Warmer
y’all…this thing is amazing. let me tell you why…you know these candles? the ones from Anthropologie that smell like Heaven, but that cost close to Hell?
just kidding about that. they are $28, but still…i think that’s crazy for a candle. anyway…i’ve gotten a few as gifts over the years, and now its my favorite, and i have to have one to burn all the time. but for some reason, there is always still quite a bit of wax left in the jar once the the wick will no longer light. and i don’t know about you, but that always felt so upsetting and wasteful to me. enter in this candle warmer. i stuck those old jars with all that leftover wax in my freezer, and once frozen, took a knife and got all the remaining wax out…it came out in hunks like this (this is about half of what i got. i’m currently burning the other half):
then you just set the hunks in the top of your candle warmer, plug it in, and let it go. it melts the hunks into liquid wax and burns and burns and burns…forever…making your house smell like Heaven once again. literally, it seems as if it hardly runs out. and if you ever want to change the wax you are burning, you just put the top part of the warmer in the freezer for a bit, and pop out that wax and start again. seriously, this thing is totally worth having. and my grocery store sells those little candle tarts that you are supposed to use in them, so that’s pretty convenient and cheap too, if i ever wanted to change up the scent.
okay…so i love this chore chart, cause its one of the smartest things we’ve ever done. i totally copied a friend, who so sweetly supplied me with the frame to get my own family started. to create the chart, i just used stuff i had laying around the house. i didn’t realize that my kids could actually help out…a lot…with house responsibilities. its been great. and to be honest, there really isn’t much complaining. yet. but we are going on 2 months, and so far, so good. we gave them each pretty doable chores (daily ones, like make your bed, set and clear the table, sweep the kitchen, water the garden…and weekend ones, like mop the kitchen, clean their bathroom, windex the french doors). they can pretty much do them quickly and easily, and it crosses one more thing off my own list. plus, its teaching them responsibility and the importance of working together as a family…and its teaching them to appreciate the work involved in maintaining a home. case in point, Bella had just windexed the French Doors, when Canaan comes barreling in from outside with his hands all over the doors. Bella instantly yells out, “i JUST cleaned those!! Be careful!” hmmm…that sounds so familiar. i think its good for them to understand and respect the work that goes into the house.
in case you are wondering, Berkeley’s chores are to daily give kisses, and to learn a new word on the weekends. 
speaking of watering the garden, our little backyard garden is another of my favorite things:
i’m especially excited that our broccoli is beginning to sprout:
because this next quick recipe for broccoli, which is my favorite and which i CRAVE, will blow your mind:
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. cut off the stalks from the broccoli, leaving just the florets. lay the florets out on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. generously sprinkle with garlic salt. don’t hold back. toss all together with your hands until the broccoli is well coated. roast for 10 minutes, stir broccoli, and roast some more. you want to roast until some of the broccoli is crunchy and a dark golden brown. you will be afraid that you are burning it, but the crunchy, burned looking pieces are the best. seriously…this is THE MOST AMAZING way to eat broccoli. you are welcome.
and while I’m in the kitchen cooking this broccoli, or pretty much doing anything else, Berkeley can be found in her current favorite little spot, wedged between the window and the kitchen table:
sometimes with one of her new favorite toys, My Pal Scout
do y’all know about this? its adorable. you basically go online with the directions provided (its really simple and quick) and you program the dog with your child’s name and a few of their favorite things, like favorite animal, color, and food. the dog talks to you when you press different buttons, spells out your child’s name, sings songs about your child, all while using your child’s name and favorite things. Berk LOVES it!
switching gears now…it took me a couple tries to finally find a Red Lipstick that i love, but after my friend let me test her’s, i discovered that it was exactly what i’ve been searching for: Maybelline Red Revival 645 Lipcolor
speaking of things i’ve been searching for…i’ve tried to find the perfect pair of sunglasses for years. i’ve gone through multiple pairs from Target and Forever 21, and some i liked, but never were just quite right. however, i have finally found THE pair: Ray-Ban Cockpit Aviator Sunglasses . they are slightly smaller than the traditional Ray-Ban Aviators that you see around, and although i like the look of aviators, they always seemed a little too big on my face. i always felt like a bug with big eyes when i wore them. so the slightly smaller frames on these are really perfect. i’ve never before had a “real” pair of sunglasses, so when i was given these for my birthday, from basically my entire family, they became one of my favorite things in a matter of seconds.
and since i love y’all and want to be a good friend, i couldn’t just show you pictures of lipstick and sunglasses without showing you for real…on a real live person. so even though i HATE selfies with a passion, my love for you won out. so if you can stand the greasy hair and no makeup (besides the lipstick), here is what these things really look like, because, as much as i wanted the pictures alone to do them justice, they just don’t:
so there you have it. you are welcome. and you most likely won’t be getting another one for a LOOONG time, cause it just feels awkward, and it requires me to actually change out of my PJ’s. oh…and also… cause this is how selfies really go down:
and while we are on the subject of selfies, i’ll show you one of my feet. i have a current obsession with Lace Trimmed Boot Socks
the ones i’m wearing were a gift from my SIL, and i’m pretty sure she got them at Charlotte Russe.
and that sweater you see? yeah. i pretty much wear it everyday.
i got it on MASSIVE clearance at Anthro last year. i have learned that eventually everything goes on massive clearance at some point, so sometimes you can really find some amazing deals if you are willing to wait and look.
and since we are talking clearance, i must show you my all time favorite camera bag…that i actually got for free:
its a Jo’s Totes, and i have wanted the exact same one for many years. my friend gave it to me, as she was getting rid of it. seriously…best camera bag ever.
i’m addicted to gum, unfortunately. i know i know…its got bad stuff in it. but i can’t help it. this one is my current favorite. and although it does lose its taste after a while, its worth it anyway for that initial kick.
i’m also addicted to drinking…not alcohol, lest you are concerned. water, actually. not kidding. its a problem. i get thirsty quickly, and when i do, it will be all i can think about until i can drink something. which is why i carry one of these everywhere i go. the middle one is my favorite: Plastic Tumbler with Straw, 24-Ounce
i got these personalized verse cards for my birthday, and i think they are one of the coolest gifts. i have them sitting on my desk so i can flip them each day. i think they might’ve been off Etsy, but i’m not sure. 
and speaking of my desk, we had to get creative with the limited space in our house, so we put our desk at the foot of our bed. it was the Hub’s suggestion, only because he didn’t want it taking up space in the garage anymore. so i did what any good wife would do, and i laughed at his suggestion, called it somewhat ridiculous, told him it would never work…and then Pinterested it…and it turns out…that desks at the foots of beds are actually a thing. so i stood corrected. and not only do i love the functionality of it, but i also adore the way it looks:
i have a DIY upholstered headboard as one of my next projects, since we recently upgraded to that king bed. (which, btw, is a life-changer.) if it works out the way i’m hoping, i’ll try to do a tutorial. but for now, picture a creamy, linen headboard with gold nail-head trim….
if you have a little boy, then this might become a favorite of your’s too. cause if your car is like mine, then it might smell like a mixture of sweat, dirty soccer shoes, and toots: Febreze Car Vent Clips
i’m showing you this one, so that i can show you the next one too. but i got these bluetooth speakers for Christmas: Sentey® Bluetooth Stereo Speaker B-trek S4 
and i use them to listen to lots of things, but currently the Serial Podcast series, because its become another one of my current obsessions. please tell me some of you have listened to this! if not, just go check it out. its captivating, and will make your exercise routine, your walks, your runs, your jogs, your drives, your painting of furniture, your cooking, your cleaning, etc. go by so much faster. but don’t listen to them with kids around, cause they would be scary for kids, and there are bad words, which the narrator (LOVE HER!) sometimes warns you about ahead of time.
oh…and that iPhone case cover can be found here:
Rifle Paper Co – Botanical Rose Iphone 5/5s Hard Case with Rubber Inlay
since we are on the subject of iPhones, i have this app on my phone called ReadingPlan, and i am currently working on reading through the Bible this year. i’ve done this before, but it took me 2 years to the day…so in other words, i’m not that great at keeping up with it, and will most likely get very behind! but its so helpful for me to have a goal in mind and something set each day to read. i really like this one, because its always accessible on my phone, and super easy to start and follow.
the specific plan i’m doing is called Book at a Time, and here’s an example of how its broken up each day:
lest you think that makes me spiritual and holy, let me show you the TV series that is currently our favorite:
wow, oh wow, oh wow. this is just pure entertainment. we finished HIMYM over Christmas break, and needed something new to watch. so we tried this one on for size, and man…i was instantly hooked. now…don’t go around saying that i told you to go watch HIMYM or Gossip Girl. there’s not a whole lot that is redeeming about these shows. my grandparents used to have a little sign sitting above their TV that said, “What Would Jesus Watch?” i’m honestly not sure what Jesus would watch, but all i know is that i love Him, He loves me, and i also love Gossip Girl, HIMYM, and the Bachelor. i haven’t quite figured out what all that means….
when i’m not tuning into the Gossip of teenage life in Upper Class Manhattan, you can possibly find me hanging out in our backyard, which is another one of my favorite things right now. there is still lots of work to do once spring rolls in, but for now, we hang out back there all the time with friends and family.
Jake and the kiddos surprised me on my birthday with those cool Clear Globe Bulb String Lights
and Santa brought the trampoline
i’m pretty sure he must’ve found a killer Black Friday deal (if they have those in the North Pole) cause otherwise, it wouldn’t be in our backyard. but here’s one that is similar: 15 foot Trampoline with Enclosure
and just for kicks, here’s a little 15 second video of the reaction on Christmas morning. Priceless. (if you are reading through an email subscription, you will have to click through to my blog to watch the video there.)
okay, my friends. that about sums it up for now. its fun for me to compile all my current favorite things. hope you enjoyed! and i’d love to hear if you share any of my favorite things, or if there is something you think would be a favorite thing of mine, but maybe i just don’t know about it yet! so feel free to pass those along to me!
until next time,
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