Fridays Fav Finds

A few things I have found this month that I would love to share with you:

1. Emily at Jones Design Company has released another super cute FREE printable to download for the winter season. Her blog has been one of my favorites for printables, simple diy projects, and home decorating. She has a great sense of style.

2. Still looking for a Christmas gift for one of the women on your list? Be Free Revolution is a company that "empowers young men and women with trades for sustainability and couple that trade with feeding, education, and counseling programs" in schools and orphanages in Nairobi, Kenya. One way you can help is by purchasing a (very stylish) product from their store. Here's one of the products I've had my eye on:

3. Having a party soon? Snapfish is offering FREE vintage party printables here.  I've downloaded the "joy" piece, and there's also gift tags, banners, and kid's party prints. 

4. Looking for new Christmas activities and traditions to begin with your family? Our church, Bellevue Baptist, has meaningful options at their Home Point Center or you can see them online here. I'm looking forward to having a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party with our little guy. Psst! There are also free printables for a Happy Birthday Jesus party here. 

Friday's Fav Finds

Four things that I find helpful or delightful in our lives...

1. Almost everyday I find myself using the Evernote app. Within the app I have folders for recipes, books, travel, sermon notes, and things I don't want to forget. What I love about it is you can type in one word and it will search through your notes to find what you are looking for. No more clipping recipes or magazine pages or saving sticky notes. Less clutter. It is making life more simple.

2. Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. The first time I heard about this book was from my eighth grade campers when I was a winter-camp counselor in 2011. We had to pick a team name, and although I had no idea at the time that it was referencing the book, this is what we went with:

Obviously it made an impression on those sweet middle-schoolers when they were little bitties, so I thought it was worth trying out with my little guy. It has proven to be one of the most fun books to read now with Liam. I really get into the loud voices and motions...and lots of toddler giggles erupt.

3. My favorite blog the past few years to read is Mabel's House. Her writing is open, honest, and speaks to the stage of life I am in. Her perspective on life is really a delight to see, and so is that super cute daughter of hers. You can find her here. 

4. When it comes to gifts for Will, this is one that has become a tradition (Will insists that he get one every birthday/Father's Day/Christmas/Valentines now) - the classic photo mug. The pictures are sweet and chronicle are favorite memories together. Two of the companies I have used and are pleased with the quality are York Photo and Shutterfly. Shhhh!...they often send emails with $10 off coupons and free shipping, so don't tell Will I end up paying only $2 or $3 with tax and everything included. Just put yourself on their email list and you can get free mugs too. 

Friday's Fav Finds

A few things I have found recently that have quickly become my favorites:

Will gave me this in my stocking this past Christmas, and it is one of my favorite gifts. Every day there is room to write a couple of sentences (short and sweet is do-able for me!) about what is happening in the life of your little guy or girl that day. My journal entry for February 4th says, "Today Liam learned a new word, apple. And does he love apples!" What makes this journal unique is that it is a five year memory book. For example, I could turn to June 20th and see what we did in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Such a sweet way to observe the ways your little one is growing!

We eat a lot of Chobani Greek yogurt in our house, and I recently came across these and they are incredibly delicious! The Key Lime Crumble and Coconut Dark Chocolate are my favorite flavors, and I've found them at Target and Kroger (Kroger has the better price).

Our friends Montana and Amanda introduced us to illy coffee and we wondered why has it taken so long for us to come across this deliciousness?! Now drinking anything else tastes inferior. I wouldn't say we are coffee snobs...we just know good coffee when we taste it. Usually I drink my coffee with that sugary (not-so-good-for-you) creamer, but with illy I've scaled back to just a dab of 1/2 & 1/2 and no sugar.

Have you heard of the website Southern Savers? Every day the site is updated with coupons, sales, and other ways to save money. For instance, I check the site before I go to the store (to see which has the best sales and coupons), and I save at least 20% on our grocery bill now (pretty good for a beginner that only spends a few minutes gathering the info/coupons). It all adds up! Check out Southern Savers here.

What foods, books, websites, or other
great finds are your favorite things this month? 

Friday's Fav Finds

Just a few things I've found lately that I thought I would share:

Cupcakes I made and decorated for a sweet girl's birthday. 

For the flags I used washi tape, folded it in half around colored toothpicks, and cut to resemble a flag. I found the washi tape at Target, but when I went back a few weeks later they were out. So now I buy super cute tape here. 

A friend gave me this as a gift, and it has been such a treat! It's a tiny box full of beauty and body care samples called "Birchbox." One comes in the mail each month, and this pic is of my March box. Each month you get 4-5 samples that are tailored to your particular hair and skin type and preferences. Once you write 10 reviews the company gives you $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop.

My Publisher has been giving some incredible deals lately (just sign up for their emails to know the scoop). This sweet 25 page 5x7 hardbound photo book only cost me shipping ($8). I've used a couple of other companies and My Publisher's product is great quality and they will be my first choice in the future. 

My husband and Bellevue College Ministry have been doing an incredible series on relationships called "Together." And now you can listen to the podcasts on itunes! Every Monday night at 7pm is worship at The Vue {at Poplar & Highland beside Cici's Pizza} for college age students.