lists

Fall Favorites

October 25, 2019 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

Anyone who knows me knows I dearly love summer but it’s also true that fall is the coziest, and I WILL be cozy. I insist on coziness.

Here are a couple things that are charming me this fall…

First of all, the Harry Potter books are best read during cooler months with a hot cuppa and preferably under blankets, which is exactly how Drew {12} and I have been reading them aloud together. Usually at bedtime, and then I have to pee in the middle of the night because of all that hot chamomile.

∇ Currently reading:

I’ve discovered a Spotify playlist appropriately titled, “Happy Harry Potter” for that perfect background feeling of Hogwarts:

∇ Harry Potter playlist

Fall makes me fond for all things British, including these wellies, which I’ve had for years (an old Target purchase!) and they serve me well come rain & muck:

∇ Joules Women’s Field Welly AKA RAINBOOTS

∇ Fairy lights. I have some that stay permanently on, it seems, because they are so perfectly cozy. I have these (Target) and these (IKEA).

∇ Stew. Stew is everything that is good in this world. Sometimes I follow a recipe, sometimes I follow my heart,* always is my stew simmering in a dutch oven for hours upon delicious hours. The best fix-it-and-forget-it meal!

What are your fall favorites right now? I’d love to hear and adopt some more! We need all the cozy we can get.

*my most recent stew included radishes, and nobody was the wiser! Hahaha I’m so clever!

This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a cozy fall day to me.

Photo by Stella Rose, Sarah Ehlers and ERIC ZHU on Unsplash

Letter 40 {6 quick things on turning 36}

June 9, 2018 by Rachel

Dear Candace,

Now that I’m 36, I’m living in the fullness of myself and have come to terms with a few things.

One, I still forget to switch the laundry to the dryer.

Two, giving myself a manicure is an arduous task requiring a ridiculous amount of Q-tips and toxic polish remover, and I still end up with nails that look like they were done by a 6 year old.

Three, pie is my always and forever weakness and a crust made with lard makes my knees buckle. I could eat pie every day of my life and never, not once, feel guilty. Pie is life….

5 Things I’ve Been Working on in March

March 17, 2018 by Rachel

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a bag of dark chocolate to me.

You know I love a good list! Here are my top 5 focus areas for March….

∇ Getting up early. It’s hard for me to find space during a busy day of homemaking & homeschooling to have my own quiet and writing time. This past week I’ve been getting up between 5-5:30 am which is rather brutal for me. I’m not really a morning person OR a night owl-I’m a sleep person! However, I’m really appreciating the quiet and stillness of our small house during those hours before everyone starts the day. Not only am I getting myself all put-together and ready, I’m making the time for meditation, prayer, journaling, and writing. I’m willing to sacrifice some sleep to make it happen, but it’s not easy for me! As part of my devotions, I’m using my friend Ruth’s lovely book, GraceLaced-Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart.

∇ One-on-one reading time with my youngest, Drew. I’m reading aloud A Wrinkle in Time to everyone, which we all enjoy so much, but Drew has long requested permission to finish the Harry Potter series (up till now I’ve only allowed him to read the first few books) and this is a way we can enjoy them together and I can help him process through the last and most difficult books. We just started Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and usually read together snuggled on the couch with a good cup of tea or in my bed with a fluffy blanket before nights out.

∇ Exercising and being more active in general. Along with rising early during these dark winter and early spring days, being outside in the cold isn’t my favorite! I’d much rather be glued to a leather coffee shop chair reading the hours away. As I mentioned in this post, I’ve been doing yoga 2-3 times weekly and now I’m being purposeful about adding in more activity in general. Even little things like parking at the far end of the Target parking lot so I can get some extra walking in! I am becoming an Exercise Person and shocking myself at the change.

∇ Saying “yes” more to my kids. Sometimes I feel like I say “no” more than is necessary, so I’m trying to stop and ask myself: How much does {fill in the blank} really matter in the big picture? Is it worth saying no, and if so, why? What will saying yes mean for my child? Saying yes has meant more time spent with friends as our schedule allows, letting them listen to the music of their choice as long as it fits within our family values (which means I’ve heard a lot more rap lately, ha!), deciding their own haircuts and styles, and making creative messes in the kitchen and around the house.

∇ Self-care. Everybody is talking about it these days; it’s a topic on trend and honestly, one I find a lot of value in and enjoy discussing. For me this has included working with a functional medicine doctor, consistently taking my list of prescribed supplements in order to address some deficits in my health, focusing on getting enough sleep, drinking more water, and in general engaging in things that feed my soul (this ties in with the first thing on my list!). Also, dark chocolate because #life.

Here is my last list of 5 things I’ve been working on. What about you? Anything on your list for this month?

Photo by Silvia Agrasar on Unsplash

Rose Gold Favorites

March 5, 2018 by Rachel

Rose gold is the new black. A couple years ago I said mustard was the new black, and I was sincere though misguided. I amend my previous statement to clarify that rose gold, not mustard, is the new black. What does this mean, exactly? If you have to ask then you don’t know. Just leave this blog now and go search your heart. Is any of this confusing? How about we just get to what’s important, which is my obsession with all things rose gold:

∇ First of all, these Signature Rose Gold Leather Earrings from Nickle & Suede. I gifted them to myself for Christmas (sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do) and then, surprise! My mom gave me ANOTHER rose gold pair in a different shape. I think I’ve exclusively worn both pairs in 2018. They are so light I forget I’m wearing them, and they go with everything. People are constantly asking me about them when I’m out in public so if you are an extreme introvert be aware of this side effect of potential human interaction.

∇ Hoop earrings from Target. When I was checking out at Trader Joe’s recently, my cashier was wearing these hoops which accentuated her adorable pixie cut. Naturally, I had on my own rose gold earrings and so we complimented each other on our extreme good taste while also discussing the contents of my cart: cheese, olives, and rice mochi snacks.

∇ This Romeo & Juliet jacket from Evereve. IT HAS ROSE GOLD STARS NEED I SAY MORE.

∇ Rose gold clogs via Lotta from Stockholm. {Plan: buy these clogs, go to Stockholm.} I do not own this adorable footwear, but someone might mention to my husband that they’d make a great gift and would match my leather earrings and therefore improve my quality of life.

∇ For a perfectly glamorous wire basket suited to all your basketing needs, check out this coppery rose gold Project 62 basket.

∇ My French Press has got to be a decade old, and showing it, so I’m thinking of replacing it with this rose gold number that gets great reviews on Amazon.

Is that all? No. That is never all. But it will get you started! Do you have rose gold favorites, too? Share the links here; I’d love to see!

Oh look-here’s a photo of me wearing the above mentioned jacket + earrings:

Me with my lovely sister, Esther

Photo by Kara Michelle on Unsplash