Here is a fun thing about writing for fun: I get to do whatever sounds fun! And while listening to the Coffee & Crumbs Best of 2019 episode recently, I thought it sounded fun to make my own superlative list. Then, I had an even more fun idea: I’d invite some of my blogging friends to join me!
And so, here we are! A round-up of some of my favorite things from the past year, alongside some of my favorite friends. Don’t miss their posts today: Lisa / Nancy / Rhiannon / Sam / and Victoria. And in the comments, please share a few of your best moments, finds, and memories from 2019. I can’t wait to hear!
Best adventure/travel/trip: If we’re talking adventure, it would have to be our MS ride. Never did I ever see myself biking 70 miles in one day, but I did! That, plus the training that led up to it, made 2019 one adventurous year. Our favorite trip was finally making it to the Outer Banks for a wonderful week with family (complete with adorable bunk bed cousin convos).
Best book: I officially finished The Coddling of the American Mind this year, and considering how many times I’ve mentioned it since, it probably deserves the top spot. It weaves together topics as wide-ranging as college campuses, political polarization, and how we raise our kids, and I think it’s a must-read for literally everyone. My favorite fiction read was the mammoth Pillars of the Earth (I’m eagerly anticipating jumping into the sequel next year!).
Best movie: While we admittedly watch many more shows than movies, I did really enjoy Always Be My Maybe! The type of rom com that doesn’t get made very often these days :)
Best album or song: Considering John is known to say, “hey, it’s your song!” whenever “Look Up, Child” by Lauren Daigle comes on, I’ll go with that one. As mentioned in this monthly goals post, we also had the Hillsong United live album, People, on repeat since it debuted in April.
Best podcast: Also debuting in April, my girl Nancy’s Work & Play Podcast has remained one of my very favorites – the first I click to every Tuesday! Her bite-size inspiration, range of topics covered, real-life specificity, and authentic faith speak into exactly where I am and where I want to go. This is my favorite episode thus far (and I also loved this interview with sweet Katelyn!).
Best follow on Instagram: As you know, I follow very few people, and even fewer that I don’t know in real life. This year, I’ve particularly enjoyed following my friend Callie Davis (I love seeing how she styles her home, glimpses at her sweet marriage, and her adventures!) and one of my newest team members, the one and only Madeline Wieters. I’m not sure if the humor will translate or if I just find her funny because I know her in person, but her Stories routinely have me (literally) LOL-ing.
Best date: In May, we had dinner outside next to the fountain at Mulino in Raleigh. I chose it not because the food was particularly amazing or the setting was particularly incredible (though both were lovely) but because it was a great example of injecting novelty into our routine. It was a restaurant we had never been to before with a different vibe than we usually choose, and I just remember feeling so tingly and alive that night.
Best kiddo milestone: In the last quarter of the year, Shep’s communication ability has steadily grown, and it has brought with it a marked change in his personality — and thus our mutual enjoyment of each other, ha! It seems like he’s learning a new word every day now!
Best faith grower: Wrestling with reconciliation and forgiveness in two very specific instances, and seeing the Lord sow peace and friendship in the wake of obedience.
Best trend you tried: Wow, I’m probably the last person you want to hear from about trends, ha! This year, I embraced the half-tucked shirt, inspired by J.Crew models and my fashionable coworkers, and just last week I snagged a faux fur leopard coat (!!!) after seeing my girl Julie rock one. I think that counts as a trend, yes? I’ll try to share a pic when I wear it for the first time for John’s work holiday party this week!
Best beauty purchase: I asked Lisa one day what she was wearing on her lips, and this Fresh Sugar lip treatment in Rose was the answer! I promptly purchased my own and it’s an everyday favorite now.
Best family memory: A few different things come to mind. An early-spring walk through my favorite neighborhood of downtown Raleigh, the camellias in full bloom. The train ride June and I took to Charlotte. Racing home through an insane wind- and rainstorm that caught us on the beach in the Outer Banks. A particularly perfect evening on a rocky point in Maine.
Best habit you created: I didn’t do this every night, but every night I did, I was so glad I did: showering right after our kiddos were in bed. There’s something so decadent about padding around in fleecy joggers and no makeup in the evening instead of the jeans I wore out and about that day.
Favorite blog post written: In a year where I often struggled to find the time to write here, I’m grateful to have written several posts I’m really proud of (many of which I’ll highlight in my forthcoming year in review!). For this post’s purposes, though, I’ll go with 10 of My Favorite Purchases. It was a delight to write and your comments were so fun to read!
Best life or mom hack: Did you know that Melissa & Doug toy organizers make excellent drawer dividers? I use the one from this car and truck set for bobby pins, lip balm, elastics, and lotion in our bathroom!
Best mama moment: Looking out over the glittering fair grounds and watching June’s total awe over her first Ferris Wheel ride. Also, hearing her pray the Lord’s prayer.
Best home improvement: Making over our living room was a 2019 goal, and I’ve been so pleased with the progress we’ve made this year. Our new rug is the MVP, capturing the gracious and classic tone we’re aiming for. I owe y’all a full tour soon!
Best little luxury you’ve enjoyed: Designers swear that multiple points of lighting in a room make all the difference, but I never really understood it until we added a table lamp to our living room (seen here). It completely transformed the feel of the room – so cozy now! – and every evening when I switch it on it feels like a little hug.
As always, I’m ending the year so grateful for the delights, big and small, that filled our year. I’ll be sharing more in my year in review post coming up soon, but in the meantime, please do share: what are some of your “bests” from 2019? Can’t wait to hear!
At long last — the 2019 installment of June in June! I delayed and delayed on editing this one because life is busy, yes, but also because I had this little voice in the back of my mind saying “you didn’t get that many good clips” and “there’s no way you’ll top last year’s.” (To be fair, last year’s was really fun. One whale!) Filming was particularly challenging this year, as we struggled to hold a phone and a wiggly baby at the same time (and navigated a subject that is increasingly aware of the camera).
But once I finally pushed through and just did the thing, this fourth installment came together easily and quickly, as they always do – because while our life together is messy and ordinary, it is also beyond precious and perfect to us. This little girl fills every day with sunshine in a way that’s hard to even think about without tearing up… so instead, I invite you to simply enjoy this peek into one month with our favorite three-and-a-half-year-old.
The password is JUNE.
Ready for a walk down memory lane? See Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3. (And just try not to cry a little bit.)
On Friday evening, I posted a little three-part Instagram story. In it, I gave a brief tour of my looks-like-a-bomb-went-off downstairs, then cut to me stirring a pot of one of our go-to weeknight meals. I declared it an example of one of my favorite life drumbeats: the idea of trade offs, those times when we knowingly let go of one thing in pursuit of a better thing. I wanted to share the reality that in this season, at these ages, the only way we can sit down to a weeknight homemade meal together is to be okay with June and Shep totally dismantling our downstairs while I cook.
Do I like my house looking like a bomb went off? No.
But I like eating a yummy dinner together more than I like having a tidy house, and so that is a trade off I can live with.
The response to the Stories was swift – dozens of gals saying how encouraging this slice of “real life” was to see and thanking me for sharing it. This perplexed me a bit, even as I was glad it resonated. While it’s true that I don’t often share these types of messy “real life” glimpses, it’s certainly not because they don’t happen – it’s because I’m too busy living that chaotic real life to stop, capture it, and package it for sharing. But of course all of our lives look like this sometimes!!! (Most of the time?) Sometimes real life looks like this, and sometimes real life looks like every toy in the house scattered on the floor. That’s my life right now, and if it’s yours, too, know that we’re in the same boat – even if we can’t always see it.
Anyway – in addition to the thank yous, many gals requested the recipe I was cooking, and I’m happy to share! It’s a special one in our house. Our friends the Henrys made it for us the week before June was born, and so no matter how many times we make it (which is many many many), it will always be wrapped up in the emotions of impending parenthood. It’s good in every season and comes together really quickly – it’s one of the only recipes I have memorized! Read on for the simple tips that make it sing…
Kale, Sausage, and Chickpea Pasta
1 box bowtie pasta
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb mild Italian sausage, ground
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 bunch lacinato kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
Shredded parmesan
Lemon
In a large pot (we use our big Le Creuset), heat 2 Tbs. olive oil on medium-high and add sausage. Cook, stirring and chopping into pieces until it’s begun to crisp and brown (this usually takes about 15 minutes for me, FYI!).
In a separate pot, cook the pasta per instructions. Drain and set aside, reserving some liquid at the end.
Add the minced garlic to the sausage and cook on low for 30 seconds. Add the drained chickpeas and cook for a few more minutes. Add the kale and cook down until the kale is wilted, a few minutes more. Add the pasta and stir to combine.
Working in layers, stir in salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, a little bit of pasta water, and a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Keep adding in each element a little at a time until it looks and tastes good!
Squeeze lemon wedges over individual servings and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to taste!
With four years of monthly gatherings under our belt, you might think we’d have run out of things to talk about by now. But therein lies the secret: the articles, in the end, are just a jumping-off point for the free-wheeling and wide-ranging conversation that always ensues. Challenging ideas, exchanging experiences, and laughing (sometimes hysterically) are de rigueur with this group, and I’m so grateful for it.
If you’ve ever wanted to start something like this, do it. And if you just want to follow along at home, read on – I’m sharing a few of the articles we read together in the last year, plus our dinner themes just for fun! :)
