Category: things i love

things i love right now

Lately I haven’t had a whole lot of time to write, but I wanted to pop in and share some things that I’m currently loving. It’s always good to focus on the good stuff, no matter how big or little, right?

1. Bar earrings

I got a pair of these handmade silver bar earrings and I’ve been wearing them every day for months. They are modern and understated and classy and make me feel just a little bit cool. She is currently on summer break but I bet they’ll be back in the fall! Also find some similar options here and here.

2. Voxer

This is a life-changing app for me. It’s a hybrid of voicemail, walkie-talkie, and messaging, and I am in love. I have convinced my family and a couple close friends to get on it, and we are in such better contact now! I also chat frequently with some Internet friends which is so fun. Being a working mom I don’t often have time for friends so this really helps the friendships I do have to flourish. If you want to chat with me, let me know!

3. Salad

I’ve been eating salad most days for lunch for the past year, but lately I have started branching out from my standard shredded chicken & strawberries combo. I like to make a big salad every Sunday, and that way I have time to be more creative with it, so I’m actually excited to eat salad for lunch (and also not tempted to buy food). My latest favorite is this one.

4. Bullet journal

I tried out the bullet journal method a long time ago, and I used it for quite awhile before letting it fall by the wayside. Well, I’m back at it and loving it again. Even though I have my to-do list digitized, I like the act of writing down my tasks for each day because it forces me to evaluate them. Writing them down also helps me remember them. I’m also keeping random lists of things here for now, and then at some point I might transfer them to Evernote.

5. Popsicle molds

I like to have treats to offer my kids for bribes (am I right?) but I don’t want to be giving them junk all the time either. Popsicles are the perfect solution for summer! Since my kids are little I bought these mini-pop molds which are the perfect size for them, and now I can fill them with whatever I want. I usually use natural juice but obviously there are a ton of popsicle recipes out there to try. When they get bigger we’ll probably graduate to a bigger size mold and I’m liking these!

What are the things you’re loving lately?

p.s. – photo above from Death to the Stock Photo, a fun resource for bloggers!

July 29, 2015
instagram hashtags i use & love

Like the rest of the world, I’m in love with Instagram and it’s definitely my favorite social media platform. Over the past year I’ve realized the power of the hashtag. I don’t like it when there are more than a few hashtags used, but one or a few can be really helpful! Here are some that I personally use or love to look at.

personal

These are the hashtags I created myself so I can look back on certain categories of photos grouped together later on.

#meredithforbes & #liamcforbes – The kids each have their own.

#forbeskitties – It’s impossible to own a cat and not post pics to Instagram.

#kapachinoreads – These are updates on what I’m currently reading or reviews of books I’ve just finished.

crafts

third photo by Leanne Coppola

#projectlife – I use this when I post photos of Project Life spreads, and I also really enjoy looking through it for inspiration and new people to follow.

#crossstitch – Cross stitch is one of my favorite crafts so I use this when I post photos of what I’m working on. It’s also a great one for finding new people to follow, and getting new followers. I’m in the middle of my first stitchalong – the #mysweetiepieabcsstitchalong – and that’s been so fun.

#yarnalong – I haven’t used this personally yet, but people post photos of what they are knitting & reading so it’s fun to look through. When I get more into knitting I hope to use it.

lifestyle

second photo by Ali Edwards Design, third photo by Naturally Leah

#toddlerfashion – I sometimes document Meredith’s outfit choices using this tag, and it’s kind of fun to see what other toddlers are wearing. Although I think we need to move on to #preschoolfashion!

#weekinthelife – This is one of the documentation projects I like to do with Ali Edwards. You can find photos of everyday life on this tag as well as scrapbook projects.

#wycwyc – This one is based on the podcast “What You Can, When You Can” which I’ve listened to occasionally. It’s about cultivating a healthy lifestyle by doing, you guessed it, what you can, when you can.

Hashtags are so great for personal photo projects, too. I’m currently dreaming up my next one! I’d love to hear how you use hashtags, and which ones are your favorites!

July 8, 2015
more podcast love

My love affair with podcasts continues! They are having their moment, and more and more awesome ones are beginning all the time. As I continue to listen and try new ones, my tastes have evolved and refined. I have discovered the style of podcast that I love the most, and I’m calling it Friends Chatting With Structure. Let’s analyze.

Friends Chatting: I like it when the hosts of the show know each other and are just talking about a topic, rather than having one host who does interviews with someone new each show. There is also the more professional style podcast, like Serial, or a storytelling style, like This American Life. Those are great too, but I still love Friends Chatting best because it draws me in and makes me feel like I’m friends with them too, which is nice when most of my life involves work or kids and I don’t get to connect with my friends that much. And I like my podcasts to be lighthearted.

With Structure: Okay, so the friends need to be talking ABOUT something. It could be that the whole show is focused around one thing, like books or parenting or whatever, or just that they have different segments of the show that guide their discussion. That way things don’t get overly rambly (although I don’t mind a good ramble sometimes).

With that in mind, here are my current absolute favorite podcasts, the ones I look forward to every time a new episode is published, the ones that I will put my audiobook on hold for!

1. Mom Jeans & Dad Jokes

I am sooo excited to share this one with you! My friend Indiana Adams and her husband Chris just launched it this week. Indiana is incredibly funny, charismatic, and when you’re around her she makes you feel special and like you just want to keep hanging out with her forever. And Chris is the perfect match for her; together they are hilarious. They are the parents of three kids under 4, and they talk about parenthood, pop culture, current events, and other stuff. It’s family friendly, lighthearted, and just all around awesome. And bonus, there is a blog to go along with it, which is why they call it a blogcast (totally a word). The blog will have shownotes and funny conversations about daily life. Seriously…you’re going to want to check it out and subscribe.

2. Sorta Awesome

Other than MJDJ (above), this is my most recent obsession. Hosted by Megan Tietz, formerly of the blog Sorta Crunchy, with a few rotating co-hosts who are all equally cool and interesting. Each episode they share their “awesome of the week” and do a Q&A session which brings up all sorts of topics. One of the best parts of this is that there is also a Facebook group to go along with it where you can share your “awesome of the week” or chat more about the topics on the show.

3. Joy the Baker

A longtime favorite of mine that I’ve mentioned before, but it’s still one of the best. Two hilarious friends chatting about all sorts of things. I only wish they recorded more often!

4. Books on the Nightstand

This is still my favorite podcast about books. The hosts are sales reps for Random House so they have a bit of an insider view. Every episode they have an audiobook of the week, talk about one particular subject relating to books & reading, and then they each share a book recommendation. They have a really active group on Goodreads as well.

5. Happier with Gretchen Rubin

I’m a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin and I’m so interested in her research and theories on happiness and habits. In this podcast she and her sister Elizabeth Craft share a “try this at home” tip, chat about a topic regarding happiness or habits, answer a listener question, and give their own happiness gold stars and demerits. The dynamic between the two sisters is so great; Gretchen is super strict with herself but Elizabeth is a bit more relatable. They both have a good sense of humor and are understanding of the other; they obviously know each other very well. I always come away from listening to this with ideas to try.

6. Spawned

This is another new funny parenting show hosted by the ladies behind Cool Mom Picks. They talk about a subject and share a pick of the week. It’s just light and funny and interesting, plus the episodes are pretty short which I like for something like this.

So, do you listen to any podcasts that fall into the genre Friends Chatting With Structure that you think I should check out? Please share!

p.s. – more podcast favorites here and here!

June 19, 2015
making me happy

Learning to knit. This was my first ever cast-on. It has grown a couple inches since then, but it is also messier. I think I’ve got the knit stitch down, but if I make a mistake (which generally happens when I’m trying to watch the kids at the same time) I have no idea how to fix it. I also don’t know how to carry the yarn yet, so I have to drop the needle every time I wrap it. But I’ll get there.

A new Bible study. There are only a few more of Beth Moore’s that I haven’t done yet! I’ve had my eye on this one for a long time and so far I’m really enjoying it. That is, when I am actually able to DO it – for some reason Liam has been waking up even earlier since the time change. What gives, buddy?

We splurged on a blender – the Ninja professional with single serve. I’ve been making smoothies every morning and it is amazing. I also plan to make a lot of sauces in it, and it can be used as a food processor too.

This week I signed up for and started Frugal Real Food Meal Plans. That’s an affiliate link because I am a BELIEVER. I’m going to write all about our transition to real foods once I get some more experience, but so far this week we have had delicious dinners every night that haven’t taken long to put together and I have a plan and staples bought for the entire rest of the month.

Finally, these kiddos make me happy. They’ve been in pretty good moods all week long and we’ve enjoyed having a little extra light in the evenings to take walks to the park after dinner. Also helpful for getting my Fitbit steps in!

What’s making you happy this week?

March 12, 2015
updates to my natural beauty routine

Last year I wrote a long post about all the natural personal care products that I use. Recently I’ve made a few changes and wanted to share those with you. I still stand by all the products in my original post, and if a change is not mentioned, I still use them.

Face

The only change I’ve made to my facial care is that I’m now using handmade body butter as a moisturizer at night, and in the morning too if I feel extra dry (which is often, during the winter). I also started using a tinted moisturizer during the day, but I consider it more of a makeup item.

Makeup

My skin has been too dry recently to use powder foundation; all my little wrinkles were standing out clearly. I switched to Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer with spf, which has a light coverage but it gives me just what I need. On top of that I still use a little powdered sunscreen to take away the shine and set it in place.

Right now I’m using bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara. I think it’s just as good as Tarte Lights Camera Lashes (what I’d been using before) and it’s cheaper.

I also added a brow pencil, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, to the mix. I’m in love! My eyebrows have been thinning as I get older and this looks so natural but really defines my face.

Miscellaneous

I started using Everyone Lotion for my body (apart from face). It’s perfect.

I carry around Honest Company lip balms. Still love Lanolin but these are easier. :)

Two things I’d like to try:

1. A physical facial exfoliator, like a Clarisonic Mia, or maybe this cheaper version by Olay. Anyone have either of these? I wonder why there is such a price difference?

2. Lipstick! I’ve never worn it, but I think it might be fun for church and outings.

Anyone use any of these products? Anything else I should check out?

February 25, 2015