October Favorites: 31 Things That Made Me Happy
🍁 Welcome to November! 🍂
I feel like I JUST did my September favorites and yet here I am already doing October. It's as though God sat on the remote, and is speed channel surfing. Not that I'm complaining, but I don't know that I've ever seen a year fly by the way 2017 has.
No matter how fast it goes by though, I still found some time to stop and think about the things -- great or small -- that made me happy.
I'm never a big fan of October & that's for 2 reasons:
- Halloween: it scares the holy heck out of me & if I could abolish it altogether, I honestly would; yet for 31 days, on my tv, it's non stop Halloween related mess that I could absolutely do without.
- Holiday Prep: anyone who isn't in the Halloween spirit, has already skipped right on ahead to making Thanksgiving & Christmas plans, and that's just a lot of pressure. I just want to get through Monday!
Despite my feelings towards the month of October, I definitely found a lot to be grateful for & to just be happy about...and that's never a bad thing!
31 Things That Made Me Happy In October
Magnolia Home AR App
If you’ve been wishing Joanna & Chip would come lay hands on your home, this is the next best thing, because you can shop the Magnolia Home store AND “see” the items right where you want ‘em.
Make It Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take the Leap. Live On Purpose. by Lara Casey
A great listen for inspiration & perspective, especially when trying to balance being a mother, wife, entrepreneur, and Christian.
Tailwind App for Pinterest
Pinning can be a really daunting task, especially when you’re pinning every blog post; to make sure I am consistently pinning, without actually having to go into Pinterest, I can just schedule out my pins, easy peasy.
iMessage Stickers
I am such a dork when it comes to lil tech things, and even though this isn’t exactly tech, I get a sort of corny joy out of answering as many messages as possible with just a sticker…or 2…or 5.
My fav sticker packs:
LimoStudio 18 inch Fluorescent Dimmable Ring Light
I’m no beauty guru but I def knew I couldn’t rely on natural lighting for pics & videos — beautiful when the skies are clear but once those clouds start doing the tango, watch out — so finally getting a ring light has made especially filming slightly easier than it used to be.
Heavy Duty Non-Slip Velvet Hangers
As a stickler for organization this is perfect for me because it keeps all of our closets looking clean & organized, and all clothes in place.
5 Pack Washi Tape
What a super easy way to jazz up just about anything without having to make a permanent commitment; I was able to add some visual interest to my rental walls, since wallpaper was not an option.
Sherwin Williams Cadet
After 7 months here, I finally got around to painting my office; but more importantly, I finally got around to picking a paint color. Even though I knew I’d be going with some in the grey family to keep it neutral, not all greys are created equally. This one a the perfect shade of soft grey, with the most subtle hint of blue.
Magnetic Glass Whiteboard
After months of coveting these I finally decided on a glass finish & size that would make sense for my office & needs. Bonus points for em being magnetic & “floating”, which was the perfect opportunity to spray paint the standoffs gold.
Brilliant Bee - 6 Pack of Liquid Chalk Markers
No whiteboard is complete without dry erase markers but knowing I was getting a snazzy new set of glass boards, I wanted a more branded, snazzy set of markers. Chalk markers have a super clean finish & this pack came with silver, gold, and black markers. Score!
DC Shows on CW aka “Arrowverse”
I’m not comic book junky but I was super excited for my CW lineup to return this fall. Each show offers something different, and I do have my favs, but to say I don’t watch all 4 -- Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow -- would be an absolute lie.
Charming Modern Kitchen Featured on The Design Network
I was super pumped to have one of my designs featured on the front page of the design network; bonus points because this happened to be one of my fav ever designs.
MailMunch
There’s nothing necessarily pretty about email capture forms…but mail munch gets me a whole hell of a lot closer because I can customize different types of forms that still integrate with my email service providers. My favs? The scroll box & animated pop up.
Gold 20 Piece Flatware Set
If you saw my H&M haul vid, then you saw my unboxing of my new gold flatware. OMG, do I love this set!! I’d been putting off getting gold flatware since we lived in NYC, waiting for the “right time”. Now I just need an excuse to throw a dinner party to show em off.
H&M Fall Haul
If you haven’t seen the vid or read the post, I’m just gonna drop the link right here & let it speak for itself: H&M Food & Friends Kitchenware Collection
Wayfair Credit Limit Increase
Now this was clearly because I shop to much #sorrynotsorry but the reason it really made me happy is because that means I wasn’t shopping irresponsibly and that now my credit utilization ratio would be way better. #adultinglikeachamp
Geico Savings
15 minutes really does save you some money. Back when I bought my very first car, I had Geico, but after my husband enlisted, we switched to USAA for a better rate. Now that we’re in WA, with 2 cars, going back to Geico actually ended up saving us more. #winning
Having a Friend in Town
I’ve never gotten homesick since being here, but there are times I’ve gotten lonely for some human interaction, that isn’t my husband or daughter. Having one of my best girlfriend’s in town from NYC was exactly what I needed. We gossiped. We drank wine. We went shopping. We stayed up way to late. And it was all awesome!
Greenleaf on OWN
This isn’t a new show, but it sure as heck was new to me. My girlfriend put me onto it and in less than a week, I binge watched both seasons. The cast is awesome — hello Lynn Whitfield — and the storyline was def something of an emotional rollercoaster. I can’t wait for season 3.
Insecure on HBO
Another show that I was unapologetically tardy to the party for; but I finally got around to it, and binge watched both seasons in a weekend. I spent most of both seasons thinking to myself, “man I’d love to be a fly on the wall for this” because scene after scene, it was just some of the most awkward adult moments, but like in the best possible way.
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna… again!
Bad girl Riri came through again to snatch our wallets. Although I didn’t get the new holiday collection — gorgeous in person but I’m just not that girl — I did finally snag a few more things I hadn’t last month, including the gloss bomb, that I can’t stop swooning over.
Russian Navy by OPI
After way WAY too long, I finally decided to get back in the swing of treating myself & getting my nails done. I went into the salon with a vision in mind, of the perfect deep rich navy blue. That’s what Russian Navy was. Gorgeous rich blue, with just the right amount of sparkle.
Tiramisu for Two by OPI
Yet another color that not only met, but exceeded my expectations. It’s the perfect neutral fall shade, and I can not stop staring at my nails.
Android 6.0 Smart TV Box
We’re an apple family through & through but there are just a few things our apple tv cannot do, including play Set TV, which I mentioned in my ____ favs. The android tv box does exactly what we need & none of what we don’t. It’s the little things.
MailerLite
I recently decided to switch over to MailerLite for their visual automations & OMG, talk about a game changer. I am a visual person so this makes planning out emails so much easier because I can actually see what I’m creating, versus mind mapping beforehand
4 Piece Mini Pumpkin Decor, Gold & Black + Glitter Polka Dot
I don’t celebrate Halloween but I do love fall & with it, fall decor. While in Target looking for a craft pumpkin for my daughter, I found the cutest little pumpkins that I could decorate with throughout the house — shelves, mantle, wherever — and the best part is that they’re all black, white, and/or gold.
Forever 21 Sweaters & Accessories Haul
Forever 21 seldom let’s me down, but they definitely made me happy with some new sweaters for the Seattle fall weather. Another win was finally getting some new accessories that I’d been meaning to replace for the longest time.
The Cheesecake Factory
This used to be one of our fav places to go back when we lived in NYC, so when my girlfriend was in town, I took the opportunity to swing by for a late dinner & of course, some cheesecake. Yum!
Hitting Sephora VIB Status
I’m still not entirely sure what this al entails but I’ll take it, especially considering how not too long ago, my idea of applying makeup was coconut oil & chap stick…maybe a nude gloss if I was feeling fancy. Rihanna has created a monster.
Guest Post on Reina & Co.
I’ve been a big fan of Reina & her biz for quite some time — hers is one of the few Facebook groups I’m still in & one of the few podcasts I listen to habitually — so getting a chance to guest post on her blog was just so awesome, especially on something I love talking about.
Mommy Turns 74
Not a “milestone” year, but definitely a big damn deal. My mom has lived one hell of a life — from migrating to the states nearly 4 decades ago, to having me at the tender age of 42, to losing my dead, to shoulder & knee surgery. And I don’t say all this to say that she’s had a bad life, but to say that through it all, she’s been super strong & has never wavered in her faith. It’s not everyday that someone reaches 74, so I am super honored that I can say my mom has. 74 & just getting started.
