Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
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I don’t think I have ever done a “current favorites” post before, but there are a few songs, artists and albums, pieces of clothing, Insta accounts, TV shows, shoes, etc. that I have genuinely been enjoying right now and had to share with y’all.
Also, just a side note, I hope you know that I keep things 100-percent authentic on here. I will never suggest something to you that I do not truly enjoy or find helpful in my life, and I will never share a product with you that I have not fully tested and vetted for myself.
Now, with that being said, let’s dive into my current favorites:
“A Million Little Things”
Do you love “This Is Us?” Then I have to suggest that you watch “A Million Little Things.” It is a powerful show that follows the dynamic relationships of a group of (adult) friends after one of them takes his own life. I’m not going to spoil anything for you, so I’ll stop there. Just know that it’s a good one and my husband and I are hooked on it. This is actually the only show we watch each week without fail.
“Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff” by Myquillyn Smith
Like most anyone does after they buy a home, I became obsessed with filling ours with stuff. However, I quickly realized that more stuff does not make a happy home. And then I found “Cozy Minimalist Home.“
I agree with so much of what Myquillyn says about home style and design, but this is something that spoke to my soul and inspired me to start purging our house of things we don’t need but have been holding onto:
” I want to have just enough furniture and beauty in my home to serve my people and to get the style I’m after without overwhelming myself with stuff I have to take care of as a part-time job. I want to know where to focus my limited budget so it will have the most impact in creating the kind of home I want to provide for my family and friends without filling every nook and cranny just because space exists … Even though I love a pretty home and a finished room, there are other ways I’d like to spend my time and money. I want to feel like my home is close to finished — probably not done, but done enough — where I’m free to part with my collection of stuff I was hoarding for Some Day.”
Do I want pretty things? Of course, but I do not want to spend my weekends cleaning those things. Do I want a white rug in our living room? You bet I do, but it’s not a smart decision since we have a 45-pound black dog that sheds a new dog’s worth of hair every week and an incontinent 16-year-old rat terrier that pees with every step she takes. I would spend all of my free time cleaning that damn rug instead of enjoying my house.
As we get deeper into our renovation project list and making design decisions for our home, I feel like Myquillyn’s book has also helped me approach the process from a different but helpful view. I have started thinking about purposeful design and putting our budget into projects that will have the most return on investment over time. It was never the plan that this be our forever home and the work we put into it now needs to add value to the house.
After reading “Cozy Minimalist Home,” I actually re-did our master renovation list to make things that were lower on the list a higher priority. After giving it much thought, I determined that those things will be more valuable to our life in our home and provide a solid ROI.
If home style interests you, particularly cozy, minimalist style, I highly recommend this book.
Elizabeth Mayberry (@oakandoats) on Instagram
As a young blogger myself, I enjoy following more seasoned bloggers who have a similar style and interests as I do. Doing so is a great way to keep your inspiration flowing. For the last several months I have been following Elizabeth Mayberry on Instagram and I absolutely love her. She is a Colorado-based lifestyle blogger, a wife, and a new mama, and I have greatly enjoyed watching her document her life on her blog and on Insta. Plus, her photos are gorgeous and she seems so incredibly sweet. And how cute is her baby girl?!?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igEcU_d6wrA]
Ruston Kelly’s “Dying Star” Album
If you appreciate authentic singer-songwriters, then you are sure to love Ruston Kelly. I am a huge fan of his new album “Dying Star” and listen to it nearly every morning on my drive to work. I could listen to one track in particular all day on repeat, though. “Jericho” is such a beautiful song and it evokes so much emotion (something I always look for in music). I have been fairly open about my husband’s and my trouble trying to conceive and the words in this song help remind me that what we’re trying for is worth fighting for.
Justin and I saw Ruston perform on Halloween night and met him after the show! He is amazing live, FYI.
Ninja Coffee Bar
If you know me, you know I love my coffee. For the last several years I have relied on my trusty Keurig for my morning brew (except on weekends when I use my Chemex or French press). However, my husband and I started noticing that the quality of our cups of coffee weren’t cutting it anymore with the Keurig. So, we started looking at other options. I wanted a Ninja Coffee Bar really bad, but did not want to pay full price for it (naturally). I kept waiting and watching for it to go on sale, but it never did. Then, during a random Target trip when I was running in for “just one thing,” I found my beloved Ninja ON THE CLEARANCE RACK. And it was nearly half priced. Clearly, I snatched that thing up and made my way to the checkout. It has been a favorite ever since.
Latest DIY Home Decor Project
If you read the blog this week, you probably saw that I finished a new DIY project for our home, and I am honestly obsessed with how it turned out. I had a Johnny Cash poem printed on a canvas roll, then attached wood to each end and added some rope to turn it into a piece of wall art by our front door. It is gorgeous to look at and because you have to walk past it to enter or leave the house, it becomes an inviting message for our guests and for us — a reminder that love lives in this house.
Quilted Vest from Old Navy
This piece has become a favorite in my closet. I have had other vests in the past that were too puffy, and I simply could not stand to wear them because they made my outfit too bulky and uncomfortable. This one, however, is perfect for layering because of how light it is. Plus, olive green is a great neutral shade for fall.
{“Dolly Parton Vibes” shirt is from Girl Tribe}
High-Rise Wide Leg Jeans from Target
Last one, I promise, but these pants are too good not to share. I don’t know if anyone else has felt this way, but I am really getting tired of skinny jeans. AND that’s all you can find in stores anymore. I stumbled upon these high-rise wide leg jeans at Target and haven’t looked back. They’re so different from any other jeans in my closet right now. Bell bottoms might not be your style, but they certainly are mine.
