This style seemed to work well for us last year: nothing fancy, just a list of really great gifts that we’ve given, own, have on our wishlists, or are considering giving to our loved ones. With sales popping left and right this week, my hope is that somewhere in this list, you’ll find something that speaks to a personal connection with one of your loved ones (always the best gifts!) — or will at least get your wheels turning :)
For husbands, dads, and brothers: — Stylish sunglasses. John just bought two pairs after cracking his Ray Bans – a very similar style at a lower price point! — An at-home car wash. I did this when John started a new job a few years, and it made his car look mint condition. — A cutie little cork planter for his desk (he can pin a favorite photo to it!) — A matching tee with his favorite mini – big dipper/little dipper or head chef/sous chef — A phone sanitizer/universal charger… because COVID — The softest joggers — A subscription to The New Paper, a daily email digest of fact-first top news based on impact to tech, business, politics, and world affairs. John has been subscribing for a few weeks and loves it! Considering for brother-in-law gifts. — A mini shop vac for keeping his vehicle clean – in a great size! — This is a spendier item, but a new office chair (especially if his at-home version is looking sad after this year) — Because they’re beloved favorites in our house and I can’t ever leave them off a gift guide: Allbirds and Landmark Project tees
For moms, sisters, and best friends: — Would it be weird to gift someone a tissue box cover? Because this one is really pretty. — Write the Word | Fruit of the Spirit. MY FAVORITE – it’s baaaaaack! — The chicest blue-and-white yoga mat, of all things — A pretty little silver bow frame (pop in a photo of you two!) — Turns out needlepoint patterns are weirdly expensive?! Feed her hobby with a modern pick from here (based in Raleigh!) or here. — A one-size-fits-all pink Breton stripe tee (really – I have one and love it!) — If she’s into coffee table books, this peek into the Obama White House’s interior design looks neat. Or, for a different twist, this book written by two past administration’s social secretaries, and this one written by a Chief of Protocol. Or, of course, Elizabeth Holmes’ brand-new treatise on royal style! — A “mama” sweatshirt made with Liberty fabric (!) — The Nester’s new book on decorating and hosting year-round — Amanda Kloots’ jump rope – pair with a subscription to one of her classes! Love being able to support this sweet mama. — An art print of reminders for daily encouragement — A pebbled leather wallet. This is the one I bought earlier this year and I LOVE it! I have the Stone color with a gold monogram. — A tee for your favorite gardener — A pretty blush travel mug — A cozy sweatshirt for your favorite reader
For parents or in-laws: Obviously many of the above options would be good fits, but a few additional ideas…
— A pretty blue-and-white tablecloth — A custom leather luggage tag/keychain (lots of neat shapes!) — An electric kettle that looks good (love the matte black) and works beautifully. We gave it to my in-laws and it was a hit! — A cheese board inspired by a Schumacher pattern — A set of PowerSheets (I just think they are the coolest, most unexpected but potentially life-altering gift for empty nesters!) — A highly-rated, gorgeous collaborative game — A rain barrel made from upcycled pickle barrels here in NC — Very sweet ceramic platters featuring kiddo handprints or footprints (no matter where you are in the country!) — Travel mugs featuring illustrated favorite destinations — A cozy ChappyWrap blanket in a pattern that matches their decor or interest — A wireless phone charging pad so they don’t have to scramble for a cord (I got John one for his birthday and he loves it!) — A scratch-off poster of 100 essential novels — Custom notecards with her grandma or his grandpa name, for sending to littles (“From the desk of Pop Pop”)
Of course, keep in mind that these categories are just starting points – mix and match to your heart’s content! Feel free to check out last year’s grown-up gift guide, too. You know your loved ones best!
What gifts are you planning to buy this week? I’d love to hear! Kiddo and teen ideas coming tomorrow. Happy shopping! :)
Working away on gift guides over here (planning to share next week!), and in the meantime, I thought I’d share a few things on my own wish list. Surprisingly, a few of you requested this when I asked for your GG input, and I’m happy to oblige!
— Julie Vos Penelope Small Studs | I wear simple pearl studs day in and day out, and while I love them, I think these would be a fun, beautiful alternative that’s not too flashy. Plus Kristin told me to get them and I do what she says. — More gold taper candle holders | We have two we use on our table nightly and I’d love a few more for special occasions! I linked a style I love but these could just as easily come from the thrift store. — Misty blue mixing bowls | When we moved to NC my mom sent me with a set of 7 glass nesting mixing bowls, which have served us well for over a decade. Since having kids, however, several have met an unfortunate demise… these sturdy bowls in the prettiest color would get us back to a full roster. — A cozy fleece | I love my Patagonia 1/4 zip, but sometimes I just don’t feel like pulling something over my head. I think I’d reach for this often – love the navy color. — The cookbook that all of my friends are raving about. Many of Tieghan’s recipes are in our rotation, so I’m sure this would be a hit! — A beautiful block print quilt | Would love one of these in a king size for picnics and reading in the yard! — Another Long-Long set of Lake Pajamas | I tend to buy things and wear them into the ground, and that is certainly the case with the Lake Pajamas I was gifted last Christmas. I have worn them to bed almost every night this year (I wash them, I promise!), and would love another set to rotate with. Eyeing the Parisian green. — White dish rack | We have a very utilitarian plastic drying rack. Since it sits on our counter 100% of the time, I think this would be a nice upgrade! — Ugg Classic II Shearling Short Boot | I feel VERY conflicted about putting these boots on my list. First, the price makes me wince. Second, they’re Uggs, which I’m pretty sure I swore about 15 years ago I’d never wear. But. But but but. I have nothing like this in my closet, and in a season when I am outside in the cul-de-sac with my kids every evening into the dark (and in a COVID winter when we’re all going to be spending more time outside), it seems worth it to be as comfortable as possible. Tell me you love them and make me feel better? (Or, tell me you don’t and suggest an alternative – that’s cool, too!) *UPDATE!* After reading this post, Kristin texted me to suggest the Ugg Classic Mini Fluff, describing it as “less aggressive,” ha! I love it and have decided that’s the one I’ll go with (or at least officially put on the wishlist!). On super sale as of this writing, too!
What’s on the top of your list this year? I always get inspiration from what others are wishing for!
As a parent and keeper of memories, I can’t do it all. I can’t keep an impeccable baby book, yearly photo book, Instagram photo book, journal, art portfolio, clothing capsule, progressive handprint art, one-second-a-day video, memorabilia scrapbook, schoolwork file, etc., etc., etc. Especially not for multiple children. Especially not while keeping my sanity :)
BUT. I do get to choose a few of those things, and go all in on them. From the beginning, I have gone after these month-in-the-life videos for our kids wholeheartedly, and for that I am grateful. They capture the everyday magic moments I know we will love looking back on, like – my current personal favorite – Shep’s frantic sprint for the porch every time a garbage truck rumbles around the corner. Two has brought an explosion of words, a mellowing of disposition, and the sweetest little exchanges with our boy, and I love that this year’s video captures a bit of that. I hope you enjoy this peek into our life together!
An annual getaway to the mountains is a beloved tradition for our family, dating back to our first fall in North Carolina. These trips have looked different over the years, from low-budget affairs in our first few years to extended-family (on both sides!) meet-ups and now, adventures with kids in tow. Our trips often center around Asheville, though we’ve visited other mountain towns like Boone and Blowing Rock, too.
This year, we booked our trip in February, a few weeks before the coronavirus appeared on the scene. I am so grateful that we were still able to take this trip even with all the intervening uncertainty, and wanted to share a few photos and details with y’all today!
2020 is John’s 10-year anniversary with his company (wow!) and one of the rewards is a few extra days of vacation in their tenth year. Because of this, we opted to take off both Thursday and Friday instead of just Friday. And with an extra day, we opted to go an extra hour southwest of Asheville, to the lovely town of Highlands.
John and I had been to Highlands once before, in the winter of 2012. We very kindly got to stay one night at the glorious Old Edwards Inn on a press trip for my work, and cobbled together the rest of the trip on a meager budget. Our big dinner out consisted of $2 cheese slices at the pizza shop around the corner and a free Dove bar apiece back at the Inn :)
What I LOVE about the mountains, though, is that you can have a magical trip on a big or small budget. From that visit to this one, the things we loved stayed very much the same – gorgeous waterfall hikes, breathtaking views, lovely fall leaves, and charming downtown shops. Even the best food is often not very expensive! (See: White Duck Taco, where we stopped for lunch to break up the drive!)
The winding drive into Highlands along the Cullasaja River sets the tone, especially when the leaves are as brilliant as they were in our October 22-25 visit. We arrived on a perfectly sunny day and had all the windows open, pulling in the crisp fall air!
We stopped at Dry Falls on our way in – it’s an easy stair step down from the parking lot that pays off in a big way with a walking path behind the falls. The falls were roaring when we visited and the mist was floating in the air!
Where to stay in Highlands, NC:
We settled into our Airbnb in the early afternoon. Once again John’s researching skills struck gold – I couldn’t recommend our cozy cottage more highly!
Every detail was attended to, from the snacks left as a treat to the comfy bed, storybook bunks for the kids, heated floors in the bathroom, and cozy screened porch where we ate breakfast most days.
It was so fun to page through the guest book and read about all of the anniversaries, birthdays, girls’ trips, and family weekends that have been celebrated in this special place!
Our kids made themselves right at home :)
One other major selling point: a 20-minute walk through the woods takes you directly from the cottage to downtown (!!!). We walked this path multiple times in the morning and late afternoon, often with one parent accompanying the kids and the other taking the car into town. (Splitting up allowed us to either continue on to the day’s adventure after eating breakfast, or travel back to the cottage after a post-sunset dinner without a moonlight walk through the woods!)
What to do in Highlands, NC:
Though it was a bit rainy while we were there, we didn’t let that stop us from getting outside and exploring the beautiful mountain scenery! We hiked Glen Falls and to the top of Sunset Rock. Glen Falls is pretty much straight down and then straight back up via a set of staircases – round trip, it took us about 2.5 hours.
Sunset Rock was about 45 minutes up and 30 minutes down. Most other groups brought bottles of wine and snacks to enjoy at the top – we’ll do that next time!
We also panned for gold at Jackson Hole Gem Mine, a must for our little rock lover :) The sluice is outdoors and there was only one other family there for part of our visit, so we found it to be highly pandemic-friendly.
Where to Eat in Highlands, NC:
Our meals were the only aspect of our trip where we would have made different decisions had we been sans-kids or not embroiled in a pandemic. As it was, we mostly opted to bring takeout back to our cottage. We sampled salads from Four65 (yum!), ate on the patio at Ugly Dog Pub (yum!), picked up breakfast from Calders Coffee (yum!), grabbed sandwiches from Highlands Deli (eh), and had multiple meals from Mountain Fresh Grocery (breakfast sandwiches and muffins, pizza, and picks from the prepared meals cases – all yum!). Had we been visiting under different conditions, I would have loved to have eaten at Four65, Madison’s/The Wine Garden, Paoletti’s, and/or the Log Cabin! We also eyed the Blue Bike Cafe for breakfast but couldn’t squeeze it in.
All in all, we had a fantastic weekend away and feel so grateful we were able to do it in this crazy year. From the brilliant leaves to the waterfalls to the hikes to the cottage, we loved it all and hope to be back! :)
