On finding pretty stationery

One of my goals for 2016 is to send 50 handwritten notes. I love both receiving and sending mail, so this isn't a very hard goal for me to achieve. I also love all things paper, so my collection of notecards and stationery is pretty extensive. If you're hoping to start writing more notes to friends + family (do it! it's so fun and such a surprise in this day and age!), here are some of my favorite brands of notecards and places to find them.

Mara-Mi // You can find these at Target, Homegoods, TJ Maxx, and I'm sure many

other places. If I'm in one of these stores and find a box of notecards 

that I just have to have, it usually ends up being Mara-Mi.

Target Dollar Spot // Seriously! There are always tons of options to choose from,

and it's usually only $1 for 8 cards. Because I do send so much mail, it's nice

to have some cheaper options in the mix. And they really are super cute.

Rifle Paper Co // Such pretty pieces! The cards are really thick and high quality, 

and the illustrations are always beautiful. 

Carlton Cards // These are just your basic notecards that you can find 

at Hallmark, Target, etc., but they have some really cute designs sometimes. 

Because I like to have notecards and stationery on hand for every

occasion, I can find some good filler pieces to round out my collection.

I also really love the notecards + stationery that I have from Kate Spade, Papyrus, and greenroom.  If you haven't sent a handwritten note in the mail recently, I encourage you to first go buy some really cute stationery, and then make someone's day by sending them a good ol' fashioned letter.

On finding a flattering lipstick

As I shared at the beginning of the year, one of my goals for 2016 is to find a flattering lipstick. I started my search at the MAC counter, where the sales associate informed me that any lipstick can be flattering on anyone; it's all about being confident in the color you're wearing. Seasoned lipstick wearers: is that true? I've tried colors on in the past that I have to believe were truly not flattering. Regardless, I've spent some time trying different colors and searching for what will be my favorites, so here's the first round of results:

1 // MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Crème Cup This is the first lipstick I bought and tried for this little goal of mine, and I hit the jackpot. It's actually a bit more pink than is showing up in the pictures, and I love it. The formula is really smooth and does not feel like any lipstick I've ever tried. It lasts a good while (and kind of tastes good too). This is the one that I'm grabbing and applying most often.

2 // Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien This color is clearly more red than the others, but as someone who doesn't typically like a red lipstick (I always slightly resemble a clown!), I was pleasantly surprised to find I like this color. It's red without being too red. Out of these four, this definitely goes on the most smoothly, and it feels great!

3 // Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gel in Pin Up Pink I've been looking for lipsticks, but I was surprised by how much I like this lip gel. It goes on more like a gloss, and it does have a little bit of stickiness, but I really like the color. Because it's more of a lip gloss, it does not have the lasting power that a lipstick does. It's perfect if I want a punchy color that I don't need to last too long.

4 // Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild In the pictures above, this color seems very similar to the Sephora lip gel (#3), but in person this one is not as hot pink. I love the way that this feels going on, and they are not lying when they say this is super-saturated! The color stays really, really well. This is my second favorite of the bunch.

So! tell me what you think! Which is your favorite? What colors/brands should I try next?

House projects for this year

There always seems to be another house project waiting to be finished, amiright? We've lived in our house almost 4 years, and we have done a ton of painting, decorating, replacing, etc., but it seems like the list is never-ending! I thought that if I documented several of the projects we want to tackle this year, it would help us to stay focused in accomplishing them.

Finish the bonus room // The bonus room has been quite the project. When we moved into this house we kind of dumped everything we didn't have a specific place for in the bonus room. A couple years ago we did a major purge, donating a bunch of stuff and transferring a lot of things to the attic. A little over a year ago, Caleb undertook a huge project to replace the supporting beam in the garage ceiling/bonus room floor. Now that structurally we're comfortable with the bonus room, we're ready to turn it into a playroom for Madeleine. This means replacing all of the insulation, tearing out the wood paneling, putting up drywall, replacing all of the trim, painting every single surface in the room, getting new carpet, and then decorating. Caleb has done a lot of this work, and we're hoping that the room will be finished in the next couple of months. It will be so nice to have another usable space in our home!

Refresh the master bedroom // We've been needing a new duvet cover for a while, but I just haven't seen anything that I've liked. I also have been getting tired of the colors in our room, so I would like to replace all of the bedding and curtains and do a total refresh in the room. The goal is to get a lighter, fresher feeling room without having to repaint. This is the project I'm probably the most excited about!

Find wall art for the living room // We need one more piece for this room - a large piece to go above the couch. Investing in a large piece is hard for me - it has to be just right if it's going to take up that much real estate on our walls. I have one idea, I just need to follow through with it. If that doesn't work we need to come up with something else. 

Figure out what's in the attic // Like I mentioned above, we've transferred most of our stored belongings to our attic. I also periodically ask Caleb to take random bins or boxes up there once I've sorted through some section of our house. Because of this, I don't really know what all is up there, and I have a feeling some of it could be consolidated or at least organized better. Part of the problem is I don't ever go up in the attic to look at everything myself, because I have a fear or going up pull-down attic steps. Specifically our attic steps, because they seem rather rickety to me. So I guess the second part of this goal is to fix our attic steps. 

Rearrange our family room // We're not happy with the way our main family room is set up, and we've been trying to come up with a solution that will maximize seating and also be practical for our lifestyle. This is going to take some time, so I'm hoping that as we think about it and try different things over the next months, we will come up with something that will work. Then we will need to purchase the additional furniture, etc. that we will need.

Tackle closets // Am I the only one that seems to do this every year? Right before Madeleine was born, I organized and purged through almost all of the closets in our house. Somehow these same closets look like they need to be tackled once again. I hate accumulating stuff, and the closets seem to be the first place said stuff lands. I guess what I need to do is a better job of maintaining the closets throughout the year instead of letting them get overrun and disorganized.

Do you have any projects or jobs you are wanting to work on in your house this year?

(image sources: 1 // 2 // 3)

2016 Reading List

Last week I mentioned that one of my goals for this year is to read 75 books. I thought today I would share some of the nonfiction books on my reading list for this year. The majority of what I read is fiction, and the books I choose come from a variety of places: what my book club is reading or what has been recommended by friends, bestseller lists, blogs, etc. Because of this, I don't ever know which fiction books I'm going to end up reading through the year. But I keep a running list of nonfiction books that I'd like to read, so here they are for this year, in no particular order.

Stepping Heavenward // I read this book my freshman year of college, but recently I've heard my mom and sisters all comment on how much they enjoyed reading this. I thought it was time to pick it up again. 

The Songs of Jesus // This is a yearly devotional that works through the Psalms. I typically read a Psalm each day as part of my devotions, so I'm enjoying this book with the short devotional and prayer that is with each portion of the Psalm. 

Simply Tuesday // My sister has mentioned more than several times how much she likes this book, and I've also recently enjoyed reading Emily's blog and following her on Instagram. I've not read any of her other books, but I've definitely heard the most about this one.

Evidence Not Seen // This is one of those books that I thought that I had read, but it turns out I haven't. It's been on our shelf for several years, and Caleb has told me things about it, but I'd like to read it for myself.

What the Dog Saw // I really enjoy reading Malcolm Gladwell's books, and somehow I've read all of them but this one. 

The Portrait of a Lady // My goal each year is to read a piece of classic literature. It usually takes me a while to get through them, but I always enjoy reading them. I randomly picked this one off of my shelf. I don't even have any idea what the story is about, but I hope I like it because it's 600+ pages.

Idols of the Heart // I have enjoyed all of the Elyse Fitzpatrick books that I have read, and I'm sure this one will be challenging and eye-opening. 

Thinking Fast and Slow // Nerd alert: I love reading books on the brain and how we think and process things. I've had this book for a little while now, but have just not gotten around to reading it. 

What Did You Expect // I have read a lot of books on babies and parenting over the past year, but I haven't read one on marriage in a while. All I know about this book is that it discuss the realities of marriage versus the expectations, which sounds like it will be a good read.

Grace and Power // A couple of years ago I read a biography on Queen Elizabeth by this same author, and I absolutely loved it. The Kennedys have always intrigued me, so I'm looking forward to learning more about them. I told Caleb that just like when I read the book on the Queen, all he will hear about for the chunk of time I'm reading this is random details and facts on the Kennedys. He's been warned. 

Brain Rules for Baby // Reading books on babies and parenting has been so enjoyable for me. There's so much to learn! And even if you decide you don't agree on the stance of the book, it's good to just be informed. Parenting a child is no small thing, so why not learn as much as you can?

What are you hoping to read this year?

2016 Goals

Have you made goals for 2016? Here are mine. Nothing too earth-shattering, just things I'd like to work on throughout this next year.

Memorize Colossians 3 // I've learned that memorizing Scripture is really the best way for me to meditate on it throughout the day. I've memorized large passages before and have really enjoyed it, so this year I'm going to work on Colossians 3.

Read 75 books // Last year on Goodreads I set a goal of 50 books, but I ended up reading 75. I decided to make that my goal again for this year. I absolutely love reading, and I typically spend some time reading every day. I think it will be attainable if I can stay on track.

Learn to sew // I've always told my mom that she could teach me to sew once I had a baby. Well, I have a baby so it's time to learn! I don't ever plan on sewing my own clothes or being an expert seamstress; I would simply like to know how sew basic things.

Send 50 notes // I'm a firm believer in snail mail. I'm only slightly obsessed with pretty notecards + stationery and love brightening someone's day with a piece of real mail. This number can include birthday cards but it cannot include thank you notes, as a written thank you note is a non-negotiable in my book. Last year I went over this number, so I'm hoping to be able to that again this year!

Find a flattering lipstick // Setting super serious goals over here, folks. I've never had a lipstick that I love, so I'm determined to hunt for one this year. I imagine that this will include lots of trial and error.

Run a race // Distance still undecided. My sister and I briefly talked about doing a race together. She's one month postpartum and I'm seven months postpartum, so we will see what we are up for. I just need something to keep me motivated!

Learn to curl my hair // I have never been very good at styling my hair, but this year I would like to master an everyday, loose waves look. Kate, I'm looking at you for tutorials and tips!

Cook more out of my cookbooks // Last fall I was cooking more of out of my cookbooks than I was magazines or Pinterest, and I loved it. I have some really quality cookbooks, and I don't like that they are sometimes forgotten on the shelf. Here's to discovering more delicious recipes from a source more reliable than Pinterest.

(image via here)