Currently | December 2020
B A K I N G
I’m not huge into baking, but anytime I do bake, it’s always chocolate chip banana muffins. I’ve been making them the same way for years, and the recipe is fantastic (no thanks to me, I found it online). I’ve also been wanting to make beer bread and scones ever since Sarah made them for us in October.
D E C O R A T I N G
We started decorating the house much earlier this year than we ever have. With being at home more, it just seemed like it made sense. In general, I would say that we lean towards “essentialism” in most things and that includes Christmas decor. I love the lights, the vibe, the cozy, all of it and am definitely tempted to completely go crazy throughout the entire house. I bought a few things this year to add to our collection – a faux fur table runner, two small wreaths, and a macrame tree. I’m loving the absolutely everything about it.
G I F T I N G
I mentioned this a few times before, but we’re trying to do as much shopping as possible at small businesses (and bonus points if they are local)! I wrote this list of small businesses that we love and have been super thankful to get to help support many of them already this holiday season. We still have a few gifts to wrap up, but for the most part we do a majority of our shopping on Black Friday and the few days that follow.
H O P I N G
I’m hoping for more hugs, more family time, more in-person connecting, and a whole lot less COVID in 2021. Fingers crossed.
S E N D I N G
Tomorrow my Christmas cards arrive!!! I absolutely cannot wait to see how they turned out and send them to our family and friends. For the first time since our wedding, Kevin and I had professional photos taken and I just cannot stop looking at them. I am going to be making it a point to get them done every year from now on. (I also plan to share them here, too!)
Currently | August 2020
C H O O S I N G
Each day, I’m choosing to show up and have a positive outlook despite the ups and downs of this weird season. “Show up” has become a side kick to my one little word, open, and has really had a huge role in this year and how it’s shaping up. One of the biggest things that I’ve been learning is how my mood and intentionality affects my life. I have the choice to make in how my day and ultimately this year looks. So far that has meant: professional growth, weight loss, starting a business (with Kevin), celebrating others, practicing gratitude, and putting others first. It’s been a huge year of growth.
C O N S U M I N G
In all honestly, I’m consuming way too much content on social media. Whether it’s friend’s opinions of politics, IG Stories of every person I follow, or just vlogs of stranger’s daily lives, it’s too much (and I’m working on setting better boundaries).
E N J O Y I N G
I have thoroughly been enjoying the sunshine and warmth on my skin this summer. Whether it’s getting outside for a sweat sesh or laying out by a pool, the sunshine and vitamin D just hits different in 2020.
O R D E R I N G
I have lots of friends who are celebrating big life events, so I’m over here ordering all the gifts online. It’s honestly so much more enjoyable to me to pick something off a registry for a friend than it is to order something for myself. Pandemic 2020 is really making all the things look a little different and I’m really doing my best to make sure that they feel celebrated during the exciting moments of their lives.
R E M E M B E R I N G
It has almost been a year since we adopted Willow, and I’ve been remembering back to the days of potty training, waking up every night at 2am, and chewing on all the things that made up her first 6 months of being ours. I’m very glad that we’re sufficiently past all that fun and that the dogs are continuing to get along with each other. It truly feels like we just got her and simultaneously had her for our entire lives.
Currently
F E E L I N G
I’ve been treating this whole quarantine as an intense sabbath of rest and resetting. It’s been a great feeling to really investigate the things still on my plate to determine if they are worthwhile and God-honoring, driving me to the person I want to be. There are so many ‘good’ things but I want to make sure what I’m doing are only the good things meant for me.
W E A R I N G
During quarantine, I went from wearing jeans to wearing yoga pants daily. I love a good pair of lululemon leggings, but I’m also pretty hard on my clothes and prefer not to spend $100+ on something I’m not going be precious with. I’m also a little peeved that I’ve had to throw out 6 pair this year alone because of rips, tears, and overuse. I’ve tried multiple different brands, but my current fave is QueenieKe on Amazon, which were recommended to me by a friend at work pre-quarantine.
B U Y I N G
We recently just bought ourselves a new mattress, and I’m absolutely dying for it to arrive. We made the switch from a queen (which was my bed from before we were married) to a king. This meant all new sheets and a new headboard, so now all we have to do is hope I measured correctly and our bedroom is big enough for a bed of this size. Can’t wait to get a tiny box with a huge mattress in it super soon.
C R A V I N G
I’ve really been thinking a lot about traveling lately. I don’t get the travel bug super often (since I am able to travel pretty regularly) but knowing that our trip for the year has been postponed I’m definitely feeling the itch to try to plan something a little closer to home. I’m typically a beach type of gal, so even a little weekend get away to the Lake would be a step in the right direction as things start to open back up.
D I S C U S S I N G
We’re always working on content creation and side-hustles, so that’s what we’ve been discussing, brainstorming, and dreaming about the most lately. Check out Kevin’s new project –> FinalVibe.
Currently
M A K I N G
Right now, I’m meal prepping like it’s my job. My current favorite thing to make are quiches with all my favorite things – broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes. Healthy, simple breakfasts save my life on weekdays.
M I S S I N G
This month, I’m really just missing the sense of normalcy that comes with being able to go where ever we need to whenever we need to. Things like haircuts, doctors visits, and trying on clothes before you buy them just got a lot more complicated. Definitely something I hope I don’t take for granted in the future.
L E A R N I N G
Where do I start? I’m learning that experiences always trump things. I’m learning that I always have time for what I prioritize. I’m learning to ask why instead of just doing what I’ve always done. I’m learning that sunsets and stillness and showing up are keys to this season.
L O V I N G
Right now, I’m loving working at home. It’s given me the space to get a few extra zzz’s in the morning, lunch breaks with my hubs, as well as extra snuggles with the pups. Even though I know this time will come to an end, I’m definitely enjoying it while I can.
R E A D I N G
I recently borrowed the audiobook Goodbye, Things on my library’s app and I’m really enjoying it. All around I’m fascinated by the why and how behind minimalism and this book didn’t disappoint. Throughout quarantine, Kevin and I worked on downsizing our stuff and it’s felt amazing. I know I’m holding onto a couple of things because of price or “what if” circumstances that this book might just do the trick in helping me get rid of once and for all.
Currently
A R R A N G I N G
Spending all kinds of time updating and arranging my Trello boards. I’m working on moving all my to-do lists and notes over to Trello, just to have everything in one place. I’ve used it for projects over the course of the last couple years, but I’m looking forward to really testing out all the features to see if it would be more realistic than lugging around a giant planner. I’m a paper gal at hear, so we’ll see how it goes.
L O V I N G
I’m not sure if kimonos are still “in” but I’m still loving having them in my weekly (read: daily) line up of clothing. I currently have enough for an entire work week (which means I have more than basically any other item of clothes HAHA) so don’t be surprised when I show up wearing one. Currently loving this one because #Mizzou.
E M B R A C I N G
Fall always makes me want to embrace hygge. Bring on the comfy blankets, flickering candles and cozy vibes. Even though it’s still pretty warm here – upper 80*F for the highs – I just know it’s coming and I’m definitely here for it.
P U R C H A S I N G
I just kicked off a no-spend month, but I’ve been thinking more about the things I’m buying and how I’m spending my money. I’ve started investing in some nicer pieces for my wardrobe including some second-hand, name brand pieces. My most recent purchase was Lululemon leggings for only $25.
S H A R I N G
I mentioned yesterday that I am volunteering for Compass 31 and part of my responsibilities include posting and creating content for their social media pages. I am absolutely loving digging into the data of when and how is the best to share with the followers. It’s such a fun project and truly amazing to be able to give my time to this great organization.
About
Hi, I'm Jacqueline - believer, learner, and all around hobby enthusiast. I'm married to my highschool sweetheart, Kevin, and we live in the midwest with our sweet pup.
On this blog I share all kinds of things about my life - from my faith journey to the garden in my neighbors backyard. I've been blogging for almost eight years and use this space as a way to document my daily life.
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet.