Once a year, around my birthday, I do a round-up of the (corresponding to my age) things that made the year great. I try to think about the new stuff I discovered that I really loved. I try to think about the things that in five, ten, twenty years, I might still love or appreciate.
Without further ado, here's this year's list:
film / I'm no stranger to film photography, but this year was the year that I really got back into it. Film captures in a way digital cannot. I adore the limited images I have been able to get of Ellerie on film.
Trader Joe's taper candles / I've been using these for years, but somehow they never made the list. So cheap, so excellent. We light them every night with dinner.
capsule wardrobe / one of the three game-changers of this past year. You can read tons more about Autumn's wardrobe here and Winter's here.
knitting / I broke even further out of my scarf mold this year! 29 blankets! Three sweaters! A striped cowl! One sock! Learning to read knitting patterns is seriously one of the things I am most proud of this year.
VSCO app / I used to do no editing on my iPhone photos and now I use this to boost the color and add an extra touch of crispness. Maybe someday I'll be annoyed that I filtered my photos, but today is not that day.
licorice twist tea / a super fave from the past few months.
giant white weaving / one of my favorite DIYs from this past year, for sure.
fitbit flex / the second of three game-changers. I have worn my fitbit every day since April 30. I have been working on getting my 10,000 steps every day and while I don't always hit it, I've made a massive improvement. The fitbit is not for everyone, but for me, someone who is absurdly goal-oriented, it's absolutely perfect. As a new year's gift to myself, I bought the Tory Burch rose gold bracelet and I love it. I wear it about 40% of the time (vs the plastic bracelet). I am a huge fan of the look and feel but will caution that the door to get the tracker in and out is really hard to open.
Canon large format printer / yes, I was given this in exchange for some sponsored posts, but I really love it and am obsessed with the projects I can create at home now.
Bumble + Bumble texture undressing cream / I've gone through so many hair products over the past 2 decades (my bathroom is like the Hunger Games for hair stuff) but this is currently at the top.
Lo & Sons OG bag / I've had this for awhile but this was the year I used it the most. I took over ten trips this past year and every time I packed I was grateful for this bag. I'll still be using it in 60 years, no doubt. If I have two daughters they will for sure fight over it after I'm gone.
iPad keyboard / I love this for travel so I don't have to lug around my laptop but can still get some writing done. After having a kiddo, I realized the plane (without said kiddo) is the most productive space in the world.
the sliding door in our bedroom / I've had this project on my list since before we moved in two years ago. Getting to cross it off was no small victory.
Still Alice by Lisa Genova / my favorite fiction book this year. See more book reports from me here.
podcasts / I started my own this year, but that's not why these are on the list. I enjoyed listening to some really great shows this year (Serial, Start-up, This American Life, Invisibilia, After the Jump) The only downside is that now normal broadcast morning radio makes me want to drive my car off the road.
MAKE29 / this was a business game-changer for me. I pushed it this past year and a big part of that was because I had such a massive project hanging over my head. I'm proud of what I did with MAKE29 and I'm thrilled with the path that is coming next.
a new look for the blog / my God was it time.
Portland / I LOVED visiting this city last summer. One of the highlights of the past year for sure. I'm so excited the Get To Work Book is coming out of Portland because maybe that means I'll get to take more trips up there. I'm also so glad Paul was able to take time off work and come up to WDS with me. I could not have done that without him.
grilled pizza / for Father's Day this year we got Paul a gas grill and our summer dinners were the best ever. One of my favorite's was grilled pizza.
"Just you wait." / this is my favorite blog post to write.
tarte foundation / I don't wear make-up often, but every time I put this on I think I should. It looks so natural but amazing. I picked mine up at Ulta and recommend going in and having them color match for you.
The Parker Palm Springs / I am so glad we finally got to go to there.
The Americans / I think this is my favorite TV show watched this year. Maybe. Really tough call.
my denim vest / obviously this made the list. Is it spring yet? Can I put this back on? Also, this lady-bug. Stop it right now.
daycare / the third of three game-changers for me this past year. I know I've written about this in chunks here and there but again...I was hanging on by a thread until we got more help. The difference has been night and day and I am so grateful I got over myself and we were able to make this decision. I'm a better mama, business-owner, wife and human now that I have some extra time.
side-by-side comparison photos / I've always loved them, but you throw a kid into the mix and they're just the best. Watching my baby grow is the highlight of my life.
Take Me To Church by Hozier / loved this song. And am still mad it wasn't in the Sons of Anarchy Finale.
the Graham Glider / when Ellerie was born I hoped I could make our wooden rocker work for late night feedings and rocking. Well, I made it work, but it wasn't the most comfortable and it was not ideal. For months Paul and I thought about getting a more comfortable chair. And then the months turned into a year. And then in the fall, around 15 months, Ellerie started waking up in the middle of the night again. And every night I would bum out that we didn't have more comfortable chair and vow to buy one when daylight came again. This is turning into an essay, but the bottom line is for Christmas we bought each other this chair and our nights are 200% better on nights where we're up. I'm interested to see if a comfy chair will help me nurse baby #2 (#notpregnant) for longer than I was able to nurse Ellerie.
“Good for her! Not for me. That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again.” - Amy Poehler / quote of the year/decade right there. I'm entering my 30's with this tattoo-ed on my heart.
You can see past lists here : 26 things, 27 things, 28 things.
