i've been a slacker when it comes to wednesday letters recently. so, so sorry if you read these every week. (but also, THANKS FOR READING THESE!!) with my birthday, thanksgiving, little loves & just trying to get back into the swing of things, wednesday letters got put on the back burner. which i'm sad about. but i'm back. ready for the coming weeks & i can't wait to update you on the exciting things that have happened over the last few weeks.
my birthday:
my birthday was so relaxing. parker had to work, so it was just me & grandma & mackie at our house. i got to go to lunch with my sweet grandmother and that was just such a treat. we went to the lion house pantry & i absolutely loved that. they have theeeeeee best rolls (after my mom, of course!!) i got a chicken caesar salad & gram got this beef stew stuff that looked SO yummy.
after parker got home from work, we went to modern display (a home decor store that i just lovvvve looking through. we don't buy anything because it's expensive...) they had all their christmas stuff up & it was so fun to walk through! then we went to target & got our christmas tree (!!!!!!!!) & stockings from hearth + hand. we went home & set our christmas scene right up! it was the best birthday present ever.
thanksgiving:
we went to my parents' home for thanksgiving. on wednesday night, my family had their annual pie night. which is honestly the best tradition we've ever come up with. we devote a night to the pies that we make for thanksgiving but get too full to eat. on thursday, it was 80 (EIGHTY) degrees & we ate thanksgiving dinner OUTSIDE. [i think i've been in utah for too long because that was just the coolest thing to me] we had a big dinner with my dad's side of the family so that was a ton of fun. then on friday, we had our small family dinner because my dad & brother both had to work on thursday (firefighter life... you get used to it). it was just fun to be with family for a long weekend.
little loves:
this week two exciting things for little loves happened. we launched our winter 2 collection AND applications for the baby grant began this week. if you would like to apply for the baby grant (which you can read more about here), send an email to heylittleloves@gmail.com. we are so excited to be able to help a family try to get their sweet babe here.
back at janela bay:
i took a few months off of working for janela bay to work with bell, but now i'm back in action at janela bay doing my dream job! i get to do social media marketing for them & i am just beyond stoked. janela bay is growing so much & they just opened their very first brick-and-mortar storefront & it is the cutest thing ever. you can do a little virtual tour on their blog here. i am so, so excited to be able to work for janela bay again. i'm not quitting photography by any means, i'm just scheduling out my days better & working really hard to fill my days with productive work. i'm really, really excited to have a schedule that i can count on each week.
also, not sponsored, but i just HAVE to share my favorite suits from janela bay's 2018 line with you. i seriously cannot wait to be able to get one of these. i'm obsessed with their ruffle one pieces. all of them. they are so cute in the front & i just think the open back is so, so pretty.
if you're interested, you can PRE-ORDER janela bay's 2018 swim line right now!! these suits are (in order) OLIVE RUFFLE ONE PIECE | ABSTRACT FLORAL ONE PIECE | BLACK SWAN RUFFLE ONE PIECE
books i've read:
i've strangely been able to read quite a few different books recently. (i don't know if i've just put everything on hold so i can read or just had some spare time...) but i've really enjoyed all of the books that i've been able to read in the last week.
i finally got a chance to read chip gaines' book capital gaines. it was good. more of an autobiography than a book about his way of doing business, but it was still good.
i also read you are a bad-a at making money by jen sincero, which i thoroughly enjoyed. parker thinks it is kind of weird, but i really enjoyed it. there's a lot of self-help & then a bit of tricks + tips to making money, but again, i really, really enjoyed it. (disclaimer: it does have some language that you need to be prepared for... but if you didn't catch that with the title then well....)
i'm still trying to finish getting everything you can out of all you've got by jay abram. which i have also enjoyed. it's basically a business textbook, but i find that stuff absolutely fascinating. (like for real, the e myth is one of my favorite books ever. i can read that over & over & over & legit get pumped up every single time.)
our happiness project:
parker & i have been talking a lot about our own happiness. we have been doing great as a couple, but recently i've been having a really hard time finding my own happiness. so parker & i wrote down a list of things that make both of us happy so that we both can know how to help the other each day. i highly recommend doing this practice. it's so easy to forget what makes you just plain happy.
my favorite things recently:
my christmas tree. we light it up for about six hours every day and it makes me the happiest girl alive.
pillows by chalkaholic.designs. i was gifted the cutest pillowcases from alexis and they make me so happy every time i see them. she also has THE CUTEST christmas pillowcases & i seriously am so obsessed. i'm thinking i'm going to have to snag some of her christmas pillowcases next year because i love them so much. (christmas is literally the only holiday i go all out with decorating for... it's my most favorite time of the year!!!)
hearth & hand stockings. that should really say, everything from hearth & hand and the entire magnolia market. ALL THE HEART EYES for jo's designs. her modern farmhouse also looks incredible as minimalist decor. i'm obsessed.
letterfolk board. i've had my letterfolk board for about a year now & changing out what it says brings a smile to my face every single time.
our promptly journal. my other birthday present was my promptly journal for our love story. i love it because as i've been filling it in, i've been able to remember how much fun it was to date parker & be engaged to him & of course our wedding day. i just love it. i love that it has a place for parker to write his feelings too (which he hasn't done yet, but has promised that he will by the end of the year). i just know that this journal will be something that i treasure throughout our life together & i hope that it's something that our kids will enjoy. (& now that i'm thinking about it, it might just be the thing that i use for every wedding present from here on out... if we know the same people, please don't steal this idea from me) they also have prompt journals to document each of your children + an adoption prompt journal. which WHAT?! be still my soul.
bali market towel. who knew towels could make my heart so happy? not me. but they for reals do. i found the bali market on instagram. i'm obsessed with their feed + i just love their products. we just have a hand towel that they gifted us & i just seriously love it. it comes packaged so pretty & then they are super soft. i am so excited to get more of their towels. (they also have these beautiful blankets that i've had my eye on for a long time.)
norwex body towels. again, a towel making me happy. who even am i? but for real, i love these towels. they're microfiber towels & i love the way the body towel makes my face feel. parker & i use them to wash our faces & then we use face wash soap. it's helped with my stupid acne (thank you, pcos. -_-) a ton. i mean i still have breakouts like a 12 year old, but it has helped me so much. i got mine from here.