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To mark the end of my thirtieth year, here are a few of my favorite things as recorded on the first day of my thirty-first. I am an HGTV fan. Pretty much all of the shows, but who doesn’t love Genevieve. She used similar illustrations done on vintage book pages in a dining room redo and I was so excited to find similar prints on Etsy. (Another love.) The initial “H” I plan to put in my office and will put a collection of six vegetables, flowers and insects in my eat-in kitchen. Sarah’s (Summer) House. How can I mention HGTV and not mention Sarah. Seriously. She may be one of the only Canadian things I like. Therefore, she gets her own number. I am committed that my next thirty years will be healthy. I will at least never be as unhealthy as I am now. Many of my birthday gifts were in this theme and I’m getting this great tank (in a favorite color, inspired by a favorite quote) and a new pair of running shoes. And since I’ve discovered my new favorite local boutique, I’m listing them here. I’m waiting to shop there until I lose a few pounds so I don’t waste money on clothes that don’t fit. (Fingers crossed!) I always love when I see women with a great statement index ring. I’m hoping that these wire wrapped beauties will be my signature index ring(s). My little guy is turning one in just a few weeks. He and his sister are definitely favorites of mine! Here are a few of my birthday favorites for him… I was worried about how to make a boy’s birthday fun and special (having grown up in a house of girls only), but I found it pretty easy once I chose a “transportation” theme. He LOVES all things with wheels so he should enjoy his party. I made an invitation and then found these great cupcake picks and other goodies on Etsy to help finish the theme. I think I’ll also get this personalized train t-shirt for him to wear on his big day. These are a few quotes I find to be lovely for a few reasons. One, I think they’re lovely to look at. Two, I feel blessed to be doing what I love and grateful to help others express their generosity. For me, 1 + 2 = meaningful. Here they are: “Whatever you are, be a good one. - Abraham Lincoln” and “I will be grateful for this day.” I’ve wanted this necklace for awhile and love it more now that it is on my neck. (Thanks to my hubby for my Mother’s Day present!) I looked at a lot of Etsy stores but this seller and her work really stood out. My necklace is customized with a quote personal to our family and other special things like family names and dates. It’s special and wonderful to look at! Thank the Lord, my children love music as much as I (and my husband) do. Really, a good song comes on and heads are bopping, hands are clapping and voices are raised. It’s joyous. And - if we’re not in the car - our feet are dancing. This song by Ray LaMontagne is getting a lot of play at our dance parties. I can sing it to my hubby and kids and I’ll look in the backseat and my daughter is singing it to her baby brother. THE greatest and my most favorite!

To mark the end of my thirtieth year, here are a few of my favorite things as recorded on the first day of my thirty-first.

  1. I am an HGTV fan. Pretty much all of the shows, but who doesn’t love Genevieve. She used similar illustrations done on vintage book pages in a dining room redo and I was so excited to find similar prints on Etsy. (Another love.) The initial “H” I plan to put in my office and will put a collection of six vegetables, flowers and insects in my eat-in kitchen.
  2. Sarah’s (Summer) House. How can I mention HGTV and not mention Sarah. Seriously. She may be one of the only Canadian things I like. Therefore, she gets her own number.
  3. I am committed that my next thirty years will be healthy. I will at least never be as unhealthy as I am now. Many of my birthday gifts were in this theme and I’m getting this great tank (in a favorite color, inspired by a favorite quote) and a new pair of running shoes. And since I’ve discovered my new favorite local boutique, I’m listing them here. I’m waiting to shop there until I lose a few pounds so I don’t waste money on clothes that don’t fit. (Fingers crossed!)
  4. I always love when I see women with a great statement index ring. I’m hoping that these wire wrapped beauties will be my signature index ring(s).
  5. My little guy is turning one in just a few weeks. He and his sister are definitely favorites of mine! Here are a few of my birthday favorites for him… I was worried about how to make a boy’s birthday fun and special (having grown up in a house of girls only), but I found it pretty easy once I chose a “transportation” theme. He LOVES all things with wheels so he should enjoy his party. I made an invitation and then found these great cupcake picks and other goodies on Etsy to help finish the theme. I think I’ll also get this personalized train t-shirt for him to wear on his big day.
  6. These are a few quotes I find to be lovely for a few reasons. One, I think they’re lovely to look at. Two, I feel blessed to be doing what I love and grateful to help others express their generosity. For me, 1 + 2 = meaningful. Here they are: “Whatever you are, be a good one. - Abraham Lincoln” and “I will be grateful for this day.”
  7. I’ve wanted this necklace for awhile and love it more now that it is on my neck. (Thanks to my hubby for my Mother’s Day present!) I looked at a lot of Etsy stores but this seller and her work really stood out. My necklace is customized with a quote personal to our family and other special things like family names and dates. It’s special and wonderful to look at!
  8. Thank the Lord, my children love music as much as I (and my husband) do. Really, a good song comes on and heads are bopping, hands are clapping and voices are raised. It’s joyous. And - if we’re not in the car - our feet are dancing. This song by Ray LaMontagne is getting a lot of play at our dance parties. I can sing it to my hubby and kids and I’ll look in the backseat and my daughter is singing it to her baby brother. THE greatest and my most favorite!
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Tagged with mom, real, random, favorite, favorite things, etsy, quote, health,
Posted at 12:22 AM 16 May 2011

Forever 21 Remains a Fav

I was so excited to read this article in Business Week. It is an in-depth profile on the retailer Forever 21. I really love this store for fun, trendy items that don’t break the bank.

This may sound silly, but I’ve also always loved the “John 3:16” imprinted on the bottom of each of their bags. I wondered if it was tongue-in-cheek, but regardless, it always made me feel a bit better as a believer walking out with that bag. Needless to say I was more than thrilled to learn more about the company and find out the Biblical reference is very deliberate.

What favorite brands have you been surprised to learn about? Did it reinforce your feelings or change them?

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Tagged with random, brands, Favorite,
Posted at 10:26 PM 03 February 2011

30 Favorite Songs in this my 30th Year

For those of you that asked, here are my 30 songs from my Favorite Things gift to a coworker.  They were selected using my iTunes library and started by looking at my “5 star” rated songs.  Here they are listed in alpha order by artist.  I’d love to know what you think!  Have you heard of any of these artists and/or songs?

1.              Ben Harper “Steal My Kisses”

2.              Billy Bragg & Wilco “California Stars”

3.              Bon Iver “Skinny Love”

4.              Bradda IZ “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

5.              Chris Tomlin “Light of the World (feat. Matt Redman)”

6.              Chris Tomlin “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”

7.              Dave Barnes “Very Merry Christmas”

8.              Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds “Christmas Song”

9.              Duffy “Mercy”

10.           Eef Barzelay “Love the Unknown”

11.           Harry Connick, Jr. “We Are In Love”

12.           G. Love & Special Sauce “Baby’s Got Sauce”

13.           Heavy Step/Skavossas “Run to Me”

14.           Jack Johnson “Bubble Toes”

15.           Jakob Dylan “Something Good This Way Comes”

16.           Jason Mraz “If It Kills Me (From the Casa Nova Sessions)”

17.           Jem “Flying High”

18.           Jenny Lewis “Acid Tongue”

19.           Lyle Lovett “If I Had a Boat”

20.           Matt Wertz “5:19”

21.           Michael Buble “Home”

22.           Michael Franti & Spearhead “Say Hey (I Love You) (feat. Cherine Anderson)”

23.           Michael Jackson “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”

24.           Pete Yorn “Just Another”

25.           Ray LaMontagne “Trouble”

26.           Rilo Kiley “I Never”

27.           Ryan Adams “Come Pick Me Up”

28.           She & Him “I Was Made For You”

29.           Teitur “Sleeping with the Lights On”

30.           Todd Snider “Play a Train Song”

If you were going to add to this list with your own favorites, what would they be?

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Tagged with Favorite, random,
Posted at 9:11 PM 15 December 2010
My Favorite Things Revealed Clearly not as elaborate as Oprah’s, but here is what I included in my favorite thing box to coworkers: A Tiffany & Co. Box - who doesn’t love to get one of these?! Plus, it is my favorite color. (Besides green and orange. Remember, I have a hard time picking “a” favorite) My Family Christmas Card - if we’re really talking about favorite things, my family tops the list. I’m not giving them away nor do they fit in a box, so a card will have to do. My Grandma W.’s recipe for Mexican Wedding Rings - there’s something about a used recipe card complete with stains and corrected typing.  These are by far my favorite cookie and also represent another favorite - memories. Two Discs of my Favorite Songs - I turned 30 this year so I picked 30 of my favorite songs. Thank goodness for iTunes! I love to rate my library so it was easy to scroll through my 5 stars and pick a few of the best (in my opinion). Gift cards to Barnes & Noble and Starbucks - Curling up with a warm drink and a good book could sum how one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. Well - that’s the list. And yes, I deliberately chose 5 things because I have a thing for multiples of five. And yes, many things get this much thought. Interested in Grandma W.’s recipe or my song list?  Let me know and I’ll post them!

My Favorite Things Revealed

Clearly not as elaborate as Oprah’s, but here is what I included in my favorite thing box to coworkers:

  • A Tiffany & Co. Box - who doesn’t love to get one of these?! Plus, it is my favorite color. (Besides green and orange. Remember, I have a hard time picking “a” favorite)
  • My Family Christmas Card - if we’re really talking about favorite things, my family tops the list. I’m not giving them away nor do they fit in a box, so a card will have to do.
  • My Grandma W.’s recipe for Mexican Wedding Rings - there’s something about a used recipe card complete with stains and corrected typing.  These are by far my favorite cookie and also represent another favorite - memories.
  • Two Discs of my Favorite Songs - I turned 30 this year so I picked 30 of my favorite songs. Thank goodness for iTunes! I love to rate my library so it was easy to scroll through my 5 stars and pick a few of the best (in my opinion).
  • Gift cards to Barnes & Noble and Starbucks - Curling up with a warm drink and a good book could sum how one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.

Well - that’s the list. And yes, I deliberately chose 5 things because I have a thing for multiples of five. And yes, many things get this much thought.

Interested in Grandma W.’s recipe or my song list?  Let me know and I’ll post them!

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Tagged with random, real, Favorite,
Posted at 4:10 PM 15 December 2010

Favorite Things.

I have the hardest time selecting something as my “favorite”. How can one thing be so definite, so final, that you would never change your mind and be able to always say it’s your “favorite”? Considering that, imagine my stress when I had to select several favorites for my co-worker holiday staff meeting tomorrow.

Here’s the assignment and my answers:

  • White Elephant Gift Exchange: $20 limit bring something in that’s your “favorite thing”, that could be unisex. [Can’t reveal answer prior to the big exchange. Rules of the game state that stealing, swiping, trading, etc. must be done while wrapped.]
  • Song List: A tradition started last year, we send in songs based on criteria and the compilation is then distributed as a gift. Last year, the criteria was our Top 10 all time songs. This year, the criteria was as follows:

1. Favorite Song from High School [Mary Jane’s Last Dance by Tom Petty] Why: First, yes I know what it’s talking about and no that’s not what I mean. We lived in Nebraska my Freshman year. My friends were the ones in drama and mock trail with me and I guess they might be have been a little ‘hippy’. Anyway, they gave me the nickname “Indiana” and for some reason, this song reminds me of that time.

2. Favorite Song from High School + 4 years [Somewhere over the Rainbow by Bradda Iz] Why: Maui is a special place for my family. My college graduation present was to travel and stay with my family who live on the island. It was there I heard this song for the first time and decided it would be played at my wedding (it was) and my funeral.

3. Favorite Song that Makes you Smile [Free Me by Joss Stone] Why: Love her voice. Love the rhythm. Love the attitude. Just makes me smile.

4. Favorite Song that Makes you Sad [Make You Feel My Love by ADELE] Why: I heard this not long before my Pawpaw passed away. He was one of the most important men - frankly, people - in my life. To give some perspective, he walked me down the aisle. The night he died, we were all there with him and after I was sitting in his living room with my mom and this song came into my head. I played it for her and she and I both cried knowing that there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to make us feel his love at that very moment.

5. Favorite Song that Makes your Feet Move [Footloose by Kenny Loggins] Why: Come on? Feet move. Footloose. Get it? Really though, this song takes me back immediately to when my cousins and I would play the record and dance/jump on the bed. Footloose and fancy-free.

6. Favorite Song that Makes you Feel Romantic [Come Away with Me by Norah Jones] Why: Anything Norah sings is absolutely lovely but this just screams romance in my opinion. It was a close tie between her and Harry Connick, Jr. though.

What would your favorites be if you had to participate in the same activities?

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Tagged with random, favorite,
Posted at 1:51 PM 14 December 2010