I have 4+ blogposts sitting in my drafts waiting for me to polish them enough to publish (or, realistically, to work on them until I hate them enough to delete), but this seemed so much more fun, so inspired by Ashlee Gadd, here are 27 random things I'm loving at the dawn of 27*.
1. Merino Wool Clothes**. Ok, yes, they're expensive. Super. I didn't buy any for years because of that. Finally though, I bought one pair of black leggings on a huge clearance sale and wow. They were worth it. They're my favorite leggings by far. It's true what they say: they don't smell, they last ages between washes (unless your baby spits up on you I guess), they are moisture wicking, THEY ARE WARM, they are breathable, they are not itchy, they do not wrinkle. I have since bought a second pair of leggings (olive green), a long sleeve v-neck shirt (black), and even a long sleeve shirt for Nick. I have not regretted a single one of these purchases. I love how I can go so long between washing, thus one pair of pants ends up being as good as three. I love the warmth in the cold MN winters. I really love supporting a small business, wearing all natural fibers, and having high quality clothes that will last and not wear out or become see through. I know, this is a long paragraph to write about wool clothes and you probably feel like you can't afford them. HERE'S THE THING: Don't buy them full price. Wait for the end of season clearance sales and buy then. (Or buy right now during their prime sale!) That is what I have done and maybe you don't get first choice of color, but at least you can afford it then! My goal is to update my wardrobe slowly overtime with pieces that are high quality and will last.
2. Seasonal recipes. Give me all the sausage stuffed squash, steak and ale pies, brats and pretzels, apple *everything* in Fall, the soups and homemade bread, gingerbread scones, oranges and chocolate and all the spices in Winter, asparagus and goat cheese and lemon and rhubarb in Spring, and homemade pizzas with fresh tomato, BLTs, fresh salads, and Mediterranean recipes galore in Summer. I'm all about food and this really gives me something to look forward to as the seasons shift and the available produce changes.
3. Our sacred art wall. When we bought the house last year, I knew I wanted to do a gallery wall here in the dining room, but it took me a while to decide what specifically I wanted to be on it. Favorite pieces of a variety of kinds? Tied together with a theme, like a seasonal theme? We finally settled on a sacred art theme, then painstakingly picked out specific pieces and specific sizes, and a specific budget, and then we finally purchased them and hung them. And the final result? I love it.
4. Friday Tea Parties. The girls and I started this tradition recently and it's been a highlight of the week. So on Friday afternoons, after naps, we set the table with a tablecloth, china tea cups and saucers and sugar bowl, the girls pick one of my tea pots and a kind of tea, and mommy gets a treat or two (often one of the many delicious little cookies that Aldi sells from Germany or France or Italy, sometimes when I have time a homemade treat like scones or cookies or such), and we enjoy the delicious tastes along with practicing our manners and reading through a poetry book (we just finished When We Were Very Young).
5. The Great British Baking Show. I still love this show so much. I look forward to a new season every year, even years when the contestants aren't my favorite, and I love that it overlaps with my birthday.
6. Close Reads. My favorite podcast on one of my very favorite things: books! I've been reading along with them now for a few years and I have loved all the conversations, the new books I've discovered and the old favorites I've returned to. I've discovered a lot of really great books (the Patreon books this year have been two of the best books I've ever read, and before that it was my all time favorite LotR), and I always look forward to listening to a new episode even if the book isn't my cup of tea. It feels like a chat with old friends at this point.
7. Chubby baby cheeks. I mean, duh.
8. Sending and receiving letters in the mail. They're much less convenient and much more time consuming, but they're also so much more special and exciting and beautiful. I want to make more time for this in the coming year (I say that always).
9. Lore Pemberton art prints. I have this one, this one, and this one and they brighten my day every time I look at them.
10. 60 degree days. They're simply unmatched, and I could spend all day outside on them.
11. Clear tubs for food storage. This is very trendy right now, but here I am on board with it. We have lots of tubs of various sizes in that style, and we use them for everything from cereal to flour to sugar to pretzels to chocolate chips to marshmallows to raisins. I really love how organized my small pantry is because of it, how easy it is to see how much you have when you are making your grocery list, and how easy it is to open and close and use (instead of keeping track of bag ties and clips). Goodbye lost chocolate chip bag in the back of the cupboard. Goodbye five open cereal boxes at once. Goodbye pretzel bag that always rips down the side, spilling everywhere. Opening the pantry now makes me smile. And for just a small purchase of containers every once in a while, and a few extra minutes on grocery day when I put everything away (not even an extra five minutes, really). Total win.
12. Better World Books. Probably the only thing I wholly enjoy buying is books. I've never regretted buying a book, and at this point I use my fun money almost exclusively on books. Better World Books almost single handedly supports this spending spree of mine, because for the price of 1 new book, you can get 3-4 used books. And while there is something to be said for buying new copies in pristine condition with that freshly printed smell to them and perfect covers, there is also something so happy about opening a box of books you got for a fraction of their listed cost, that have already been read and loved and now are finding a home on your shelves with new friends. If, somehow, you haven't already jumped on the used book wagon, consider this your sign.
13. folklore and evermore. Maybe I'm thirteen again, or maybe I'm just stuck in a rut of familiar artists already at this age, but these albums are two of my favorite albums ever and I still listen to them all the time. They're perfect for fall and winter, and the first few notes of them are, to me, like diving into a clear fresh pool and sinking slowly into a hot tub, respectively.
14. Spotify Premium. I think this is the only subscription I have to something to avoid ads but let me just say, it's money well spent. We have Spotify playing approximately all of the time at our house, and if I had to listen to ads still I think I would have gone insane. Also can we talk about how crazy it is that my kids can listen to whatever they want to instantly? They have no idea about waiting for a song to come on the radio, or getting albums from the library, or just not having access to certain movie soundtracks or songs at all. Truly a golden age in that regard.
15. Newsletters on Substack. I am having a quarter life crisis surrounding internet usage, but Substack is one thing I am decidedly in love with and glad to be in existence. If you've never heard of them, a few of my favorites to subscribe to are The Honest Broker by Ted Gioa (all things Jazz and music and a bunch of other unrelated topics, every single newsletter here has been worth reading), 5 Quick Things by Tsh Oxenreider (filled with a variety bag of fun and thoughtful links, polls, and thoughts), and Word and Song by Anthony Esolen (etymology, hymnody, songs, movies, all written by the great Anthony Esolen).
16. Sleeping. You don't know what you have until it's gone, and all that.
17. Leaded glass windows. They're simply beautiful, and the little rainbows they cast on the floor throughout the darker months of the year are enchanting.
18. Nap time. By this, I specifically mean my children's nap time, although I would also nominate my own nap time if I ever really got it. This is a laughable thing to list, but it's true, so I'm listing it. I love having a cup of tea and some "quiet" (quiet is rarely actually achieved but is more an ideal we strive for) time to get things done on my own. It's a nice little pick me up and recharge after the morning to ensure that we can all get through the rest of the day.
19. Birkenstocks. The perfect summer shoe. I only wish they worked year round. I even got these for this summer and they were perfect for the pool and lake.
20. Bullet Journals. I do not spend as much time with my bullet journal as I have in the past. In a way, this whole year after our big move and third baby has still felt like playing catch up and inevitably letting a lot slide. However, I have still been using it, if less frequently, and it is such a helpful tool for me in getting things done. I buy a new one every year, fill it out with our yearly calendar, a monthly spread with goals and to do lists and notes, and then a weekly calendar with specific goals and to dos and meal plans in it. It helps my brain be a little less like a chaotic control center with 15 buzzers going off at all times. I also include my reading list from the year, a gift tracker with gifts we've given and received (excluding Christmas which has it's own bullet journal), a 1000 hours outside tracker (which we haven't used this year hah!), etc. Next year I hope to add some sort of nature tracking pages to it, although I'm still figuring out what that would look like specifically. The Leuchtturm journals are enviable, but I've had no complaints with this much cheaper version, going on 5 years of use.
21. Goodreads. With reading being one of my main hobbies, it isn't that surprising that Goodreads is a favorite of mine. I love following the handful of people I follow, seeing what they're reading and getting new titles added to my tbr pile from people whose tastes I trust. It's also just super handy for keeping track of what books you have read and when, and which books you want to read some day. It's true that the app is pretty bad though and could really use some updates.
22. Bookbuddy. Continuing with the theme of books, the Bookbuddy app is the only app I have ever spent money on, and that says something about what I think of it. Admittedly, there are others like it, but this one had what I wanted and looked and worked beautifully. For somebody who buys books frequently, it's wonderful to have a full catalog of books you own right at your fingertips, in case you're out and about at a used book store and can't remember which of the 66 Agatha Christie novels you already own, e.g. You can scan them by the barcode on the back, which makes entering the titles easy, you can search, tag, and categorize them as you wish.
23. Walks. Walking is by far the superior form of exercise, if you ask me. With three children, it is nigh impossible for me to summon the energy and willpower to take time out of my day to do a workout. Going on a walk, however, is not only enjoyable but easy, and I can even do it with all three kids in tow (although at a much slower pace). I really enjoy walking, and would love to get in the habit of walking a mile or two a day, if I could figure out a way.
24. Commonplace books. I've been keeping a commonplace book for as long as I can remember, and at this point it is full of all sorts of wonderful quotes I've read and wanted to save over the years. I love leafing through it and re-reading passages from books I love, and comparing them with other quotations from other books. It's a great way to memorize favorite passages, and to avoid marking all of your books up with underlines, which I am still loath to do in most of my nice copies of novels.
25. A good old bouquet of flowers on the dining room table. Nothing makes the house feel instantly nicer than a $5 bouquet of flowers from the grocery store.
26. The book of Psalms. Between writing choral settings of the psalms (an ongoing composition project), expanding my memorization of key psalms, and generally trying to read the book of psalms frequently, I've really had a greater and great appreciation for it. As with all poetry and all of the Bible, the more time you spend in it, the more you uncover.
27. Matching dresses for the girls. Self explanatory.
*I am specifically choosing things I have not been obsessed with for ages and that you have already heard me wax eloquent about, thus the absence of Bach and Tolkien, etc, on this list. You don't need this list to tell you yet again that I'm obsessed with Lord of the Rings, after all.
*This is a referral link so you will get $20 off and I will too if you use it.
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