Some Current Favorites

one. This, on repeat.

two. Signing a lease on a little townhouse we love! (Please excuse the terribly grainy picture.  CamMe is a great self timer app, but not such a great quality picture...photos from the real camera soon!)

three. Raspberry coffee creamer.  We go through phases with creamer & were kind of in a rut, not loving anything we had.  Recently we started making our own with half & half & flavored syrup, & it's so much better!  We found that Torani makes tons of flavors of sugar-free syrup!  So far we've tried coconut, white chocolate, salted caramel, & raspberry, but the raspberry is my favorite.  And it gives your coffee a fun pink tint :)

four. Learning some fun new watercolor techniques.  (New prints coming to the shop later this week as soon as I can get them all printed, photographed, & listed!)

five. Grayson's mom has been going through lots of old pictures, so I get a few texts a day with little prizes like this.  (Also, the shirt in the picture on the left, he got rid of two weeks ago.  Yep.  You can't even imagine how much more closet space we have after that purging.)

six. Freefall to Fly.  Rachel gifted this book to me on my kindle as a shop opening surprise & I'm just now getting to read it, but loving it.  A more extensive reading post coming later this summer.

seven. This picture.  Seeley is an eraser thief.  When mine go missing, I know about three hiding places to check, & never fail to find at least one or two.  I was trying to take her picture the other night with her stash & she yawned right as I was taking it & then I just couldn't stop laughing at it.

Recent Favorites

1. Neon Steeple.  This wasn't an album I really got excited about because I wasn't expecting to like it.  So I hadn't even listened to it until a few days ago & now that's just about all I've listened to since.

2. Product photography.  It turns out this is one of my favorite parts of running a shop.  It's just fun to style things how you like & attempt to take pictures that help others envision where they would put a print in their home, or what colors it would look good with, etc.

3. I've had my eye on a Rifle Paper Co. phone case for months, & I finally broke down & got one.  I'm picky about phone cases, & Grayson is even more so.  So one that fits his demands of phone safety & no scratching, & my demands for beauty...that's a pretty tall order to meet, & it does so beautifully.  And the one I got is now on sale.

4. Gifting a kindle book.  On opening day of our shop, Rachel sent me a kindle book as a "happy first day" prize.  I'd never thought of doing that, but it was such a sweet gift & a great, easy way of giving one!  I'll have to keep this in mind.  And I can't wait to start reading what she sent me!

5. I'm developing quite the Etsy wish list lately.  This has been #1 on my list for several weeks, followed closely by this, this, & this.

6. The countdown is on.  My parents arrive in 9 days & are staying much longer than they got to last fall!  And we're going back to Yosemite & taking them!  So excited!

Friday Favorites

one | Trader Joes' cookie butter.  I bought a jar last weekend & it's empty already.  And that is a problem.

two | Our "herb garden."  So far this consists of one basil plant that we bought & some seeds Grayson planted that have yet to sprout.  Not sure there's really enough sun on our balcony, but we're trying!

three | I think I've finally mastered fish tacos.  Maybe not mastered...I'm sure they can be better, but they're much better than any I've tried to make before & we will probably have them every week now.

four | Still loving my new camera lens.  This little bird kept posing for me right outside our apartment yesterday morning.

five | Grayson discovered this list yesterday of Yelp's top 100 highest rated restaurants.  A lot of them are in California, & quite a few in the San Francisco area, so we're now planning to try to go to as many of them as possible!

six | This week I've been in decorating mode.  Even if it's just rearranging the things I already have, or painting over something I don't love to make something new, it makes me happy.  I got the big photo canvas for my birthday, already had the black one, & just recovered another with burlap & painted a $2 "C" & glued on there.  No more blank walls!

Friday Favorites

A few of my favorite things I've come across lately...because who doesn't love a good list?

one | This eyeliner by e.l.f.  I have it in black & midnight, but black is my favorite.  I've always liked liquid eyeliner but am not very good with it, but this pen I can handle.  And it's only $2, so it's a win-win.

two | This post by Blair at wild & precious.

three | This blog.  One of my sorority sisters from college + some of her friends started You Can Sit With Us recently & I love it.  It's a great mix of decorating, faith, fashion, travel, food, etc.

four | This scarf.  I've been wanting a leopard scarf for probably a year & couldn't ever find one I loved.  Cait surprised me with it when we went home last week!  It seems to go with every outfit, & I especially love it with my new $7 red jeans from Entourage (my new favorite store...too bad it's only in Georgia).

five | New glasses.  These are what I want to wear, but not what I would usually be brave enough to wear.  I decided to risk it & be brave & I love them.

six | This birthday present from Rachel!  She's so talented & creative & always gives the best handmade presents & cards...my kind of girl!

2013 Favorites

As kind of a year in review (& because I think this will be fun to look back on a year from now), I thought I'd make a list of some of my favorites from this year.  Not necessarily things that came out this year, but things I discovered & loved during 2013.

Books
I got a kindle & rekindled (yep) my love for reading this year.  I got it in July & read 14 books since then.  I haven't read that much since middle school (& I think I've managed to take a step up from Babysitters Club & Lurlene McDaniel).  Favorites that I read this year:

• The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser
• Divergent (whole series) by Veronica Roth
• The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser (one of my new all-time favorites)
• Cape Refuge (series) by Terri Blackstock
• Hinds Feet On High Places by Hanna Hurdard

TV & Movies

• We started watching Chicago Fire this year & are addicted.  It's by far been our favorite of the year.  We also loved the Following!
• The Impossible & Catching Fire.  Nothing else even came close to those two.

Songs

• Oceans by Hillsong (the whole Zion album really)
• Forever Like That by Ben Rector
• Beneath the Waters by Hillsong
• Clear the Stage by Jimmy Needham
• Dead Sea by The Lumineers
• Crown Him by Chris Tomlin (whole Burning Lights album...)
• anything Taylor Swift (especially when performed by Grayson Carr)
• We Both Know
• Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen (really can't help it...it's catchy...)
• Wrap Your Arms Around Me by Gareth Dunlop