A Few of my Favorite Things: January

Hello friends! It's a cold and rainy Thursday here in North Carolina, the perfect day to cozy up and write to you!

But first, a quick note about the blog: A few of you have asked me how to receive emails when I write a new post. After a lot of trial and error, I finally created a way to make this happen! If you view this (or any) post on my blog, you'll see a form on the right side that says "Add me to the email list!" Simply input your name and email into this form, and I'll add you to my email list. I will send out an email each time a new post is published.

And now, a few of my favorite things this month!

Library Days

Our local library is absolutely fantastic. The librarians are friendly, the story time is phenomenal, and the holds shelf is always full of books I request! If you have little (or big!) people in your life who need something to do on cold days, I highly recommend checking out your local library. They offer so many programs and activities. I'm working on a post all about utilizing your local library. Stay tuned! (Wondering what I'm reading? I keep a link to my current reads here.)

Legos

We turned our train table into a lego table for Christmas and I had no idea how many hours of fun it would provide! All three kids love it, and have had so much fun playing together and creating new projects. Eli loved this Ninjago set and this DIY book, and Tessa has had hours of imaginary fun with this set that matches her new doll.

The Enneagram

Some of you know that I'm a personality test junkie. I've recently learned about the Enneagram and have loved discovering my type! It's a little confusing at first, but check out @enneagramandcoffee on Instagram or the Matt Morgan Podcast for help understanding yourself. I am a 9w1, meaning type 9 that also has traits of a 1. This basically means that keeping peace is very important to me, and I love being cozy and at home. Having 1 traits is where my organized side comes in. There's so much to learn and it's so fun! I love learning about myself and the people I love.

Cozy Clothes

In line with my type 9, I've been all about cozy clothes this month to combat the cold. For at-home days, these yoga leggings help hold in the mom-tummy and have a cell phone pocket!  This sweater has become a definite favorite. It's cozy, roomy, and comes several really pretty colors. I have the v-neck style in olive and I'm thinking about ordering the crew neck style in rose coral. I'm also love this cozy blanket scarf for days I'm outside or on the go. I even sent it to a couple friends for Christmas!

What are you loving this month? Share in the comments!

Add to Your Bookshelf: Color Board Books

One of my favorite things to do on Instagram is to talk about books I'm reading, and I realized it was high time I brought it over to the blog! Welcome to "Add to Your Bookshelf." I'll be posting throughout the year some of my favorite books on a particular topic, for kids and grownups. These will be a mix of books I own plus ones I've checked out from the library. I don't believe you have to own a book to enjoy it, but I do buy my kids a whole lot of books!

Clockwise from top left: Big Book of Colors, Alice in Wonderland, Pantone Colors, ABC Color

Today we're talking all things colors! I grew up with a creative, artistic mom, so I love books that foster creativity. A few years ago I realized I didn't have a lot of books specifically on colors, so I've sought to change that. Now my kids (and I!) are learning about tons of new colors. Bonus? It's hilarious when your four year old tells his teacher that cerulean is his favorite color.

First up, Usborne's Big Book of Colors. This book has one page for each of the colors of the rainbow, plus lots of fun extras like a color wheel. It also lists specific colors like "caterpillar green" or "deer brown" and uses an incredibly large variety of hues for each color. This book is very large and very sturdy, making it feel more preschooler than toddler, which Tessa (almost 4) really likes. I've linked to the book on Amazon so you can see it, but the best way to buy Usborne books is through a consultant! Ask around to see if you know one, or ask me and I can put you in touch with the one I buy from.

I bought ABC Color for Tessa last Christmas because it combines her love of the alphabet and colors. I was not disappointed! This book runs through unusual colors that correspond to the ABCs. The illustrations are darling, and it's just the right length for a shorter attention span. Similar to the Usborne book, the pages are sturdy but not quite board-book style.

Pantone Colors is brand new to our bookshelf. I ordered it for Theia for Christmas this year. I have to be honest, this book might actually be more for me! I love Pantone colors, and have always wanted a book or art print with a few. When I found this board book, I couldn't pass it up. Pantone Colors includes one page spread per color-- on the left is a grid of Pantone color swatches, on the right is a picture using multiple shades of the color. This is a visually exciting book that is perfect for little eyes learning to appreciate new colors. There is no story to read, so I like this as a reference book or what we call a "look at it book" more than a story time choice.

Finally, Alice in Wonderland: A Babylit Color Primer. BabyLit has been a long-time favorite of mine. (As you can see from the photos, this book has been well loved!) They take classic books and turn them into board books. We have a number of these that cover everything from counting to emotions to flowers. Alice is their color book, and it's filled with delightful illustrations. It might be especially fun if your children enjoy the Alice in Wonderland movies.

Share your favorite colors book in the comments. I'd love to add it to my library!

Christmas Cards with Basic Invite

The holidays are almost upon us, which means it's time for one of my very favorite things: Christmas cards! Friends, I adore Christmas cards. I spend hours each year choosing the perfect card for our family to send out to our loved ones. When friends and family send me cards, I hang them on a wall throughout the Christmas season and them save them in my holiday scrapbook. I've begun telling friends that the best Christmas gift you can give to me is a holiday photo card.

This year, I've had the privilege of working with Basic Invite to create a beautiful holiday card. Over the years, I have used many different websites to create Christmas cards with photographs. I've had years where I loved my cards and the ordering process, and years where the process and the results were disastrous (don't even ask me about 2014!). Basic Invite made the process of creating and ordering my cards easy, and the results are stunning.

Here are a few of my favorite Basic Invite features:

Almost Unlimited Colors - Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it down to the littlest detail.

This year I used a photo from my brother's wedding where all three of my kids are wearing a specific shade of burgundy. In the past, I would have spent hours looking through card styles to be absolutely sure the colors matched. This year, I simply chose my favorite card and then edited the colors to match. It was such a timesaver and my cards look stunning!

Customizable Card Back - Basic Invite offers a number of options for the back of your card including solid colors, patterns, and photo layouts. As you know, my family moved this year. I was hoping to include some information about our move in our card, and Basic Invite did not disappoint! As you can see, my cards have a "new address" graphic with all our moving information for friends and relatives.

Over 40 Different Colors of Envelopes - Basic Invite is just as colorful with their envelopes and envelope liners as with their cards. Customers can choose from over 40 different colors when it comes to their envelopes so that they can make their card stand out even before it is opened. All of the envelopes are peel and seal so the envelopes can be quickly and securely closed without licking a single one because really, who wants to do that?!

Address Capturing Service - Basic Invite offers an address capturing service that allows customers to simply share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other form of social media to request their friends and family’s addresses which will be stored in the customer’s account and can then be selected during the design process. Talk about a time saver! Basic Invite offers recipient address printing at no cost on all Christmas card orders.

Foil - Foil holiday cards are available in gold, silver, and rose gold. Customers can choose flat or raised foil on all of Basic Invite’s foil designs. My holiday card includes raised gold foil. It looks even more stunning than it sounds and is such a lovely way to add some extra flair our cards.

Custom Samples - Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers the ability to order a printed sample of their actual card so they can see exactly how it will print as well as feel the paper quality before they ever have to place their final order.

Not sure what style you like? Basic Invite offers over 500 Christmas card and holiday card designs for you to choose from. They also offer custom holiday cards for businesses and holiday party invitations. 

I know many of you love to receive and send Christmas cards. Right now Basic Invite is offering 30% off with coupon code: holi30. Run over and start your holiday card now, and don't forget to send me one!

Thank you Basic Invite for partnering on this post.

A Few of My Favorite Things: August

August has been a rough month for me. It's been full of prepping and planning to move, goodbyes, and packing. I'm honestly ready to make it to September in our new house in our new city. But we close on our new house tomorrow, and the end is in sight!

Skiphop Lunch Box, Quilt made by me, Kindle Fire

Here are a few things I'm loving this month:

Summer Bible Study

This summer a group of my mama friends and I have done a prayer time/Bible study together. We hired a couple of high school girls to watch all the kids in the basement while we pray, share, and encourage each other. It has quite honestly been the best summer I've had as a mom. Normally my summers are long and lonely. This summer, by contrast, has been filled with encouragement and community. We each grabbed a prayer journal to use, and I chose a Write the Word journal. I have struggled over the last few years to get into God's word, and this journal has made all the difference! I'm hoping to write a whole post on this soon, but wanted to point you all to this fantastic resource. I have the "Cultivate Prayer" journal, but there are several different ones.

Showers

Don't laugh! A friend told me that you can measure your well-being by how many showers you take a week. I have found this to be true! When I take a few minutes to take care of myself, I feel so much better about my day and my life.

Ebooks

I'm finding that with so much happening in our lives, I need to be able to take a few minutes for me. Ebooks and audio books have allowed me to do that this month no matter where I am or how much time I have. This month I have listened to Girl Wash Your Face (loved it) and What I Saw and How I Lied (almost finished, okay but not great). I've read The Immortalists (didn't love it) and I'm currently reading (and enjoying!) The Lost for Words Bookshop.
(For more info on where I get my ebooks, check out this post!)

Lily Jade Diaper Bags

You guys, I have been eyeing these bags for years and I want one SO bad! Not only are they absolutely stunning, but they have a super amazing removable insert so you can have a diaper bag and a purse all in one. All their bags are on sale, and the navy ones are on closeout. (My favorite is the Shaylee in Camel or Grey. What's yours?)

Movers!

Friends, in God's graciousness, Ben's new job is hiring movers for us. *angels sing* Words cannot express how thankful I am for this! I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am hopeful that our move will be less stressful than I anticipated.


What about you? What are you loving this month?