Hey, hi, and howdy, friends! Whew! 2020 PowerSheets launched this week (more about that below), which partially explains my extended pause here. The rest we can blame on travel and other excitement – so many good things, but I’ve had to put blinders on and take them one at a time in this season: first getting ready for our Charlotte trip to see family, then our Connecticut trip for a friend’s wedding, then launch week, family photos, Asheville, Halloween costumes, etc. I’ve tried to focus on, prepare for, and enjoy each fully, which has helped keep me from getting overwhelmed.

Wednesday was wonderful. Big launches can be stressful, and we’ve had our fair share of glitches in the past – most notably the infamous FreeShipGate of 2017, when our free shipping code failed to fire and we racked up hundreds of customer service emails in a matter of minutes. YIKES. But, by the grace of God (and a LOT LOT LOT of preparation), Wednesday was a joyful and rewarding day. I literally laughed until I cried several times, we had chocolate milkshakes with lunch, and a new inter-team meme was birthed. Couldn’t ask for much more :)

I truly believe the 2020 PowerSheets are the best yet, and I hope if you’re on the fence, you’ll take the leap and get them! We reworked much of the prep work as well as the monthly pages this year, and I think it is the most effective and impactful process we’ve ever shared. I’ve tested a bunch of the pages, of course, but I can’t wait to crack open my own set for real in December – I’ve been waffling, but I’m officially on Team Teal. You heard it here first :)

(If you’re new to PowerSheets, you can read more about why I think they’re important here – and, of course, visit the Cultivate website for more!)

Perhaps because of the preparation for this launch, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being a patron. It’s kind of a stodgy word, conjuring up images of opera goers in fur, but it’s an identify I have recently embraced. As a patron, I get to think of the dollars I spend as supporting and furthering things I want to see more of. My dollars say, “I value this! This makes my life better! I want to be a part of this!”

This is the beauty of capitalism – your dollar really does have power. If you care about a cause, you can further it with your purchases, not just your donations. If fair trade practices, cruelty-free testing, American manufacturing, employing former inmates, or women-owned businesses are close to your heart, then let your dollars follow! And once they do, allow yourself a bit of ownership and pride. Not only do we have a duty to spend our dollars carefully, but it’s really quite fun.

A note: I have not always had the luxury of spending every dollar completely according to my values, and I’m still not doing it fully – and probably never will. We all have limited resources, and sometimes expedience or convenience wins. But when we have more, we should do more, and over the years as I’ve found myself with more disposable income, I’ve done my best to refine my spending accordingly.

You can be a patron of all sorts of things – a particular grocery store you love, or a clothing brand – but my patron mindset is fixed on media right now. My Dad likes to say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but in the age of social media and the internet, it can certainly seem like it. As we know, though, all publishing we enjoy takes time, effort, and money. As there is so much published out there that I DON’T enjoy, I’ve tried to take a more active role in supporting that which I DO enjoy.

This year, I subscribed to The Atlantic. We’ve read their thoughtful pieces for Articles Club for years, and I appreciate their generally excellent writing and interesting topics.

I’m also giving $1 a month to the Coffee & Crumbs Patreon – I’ve become pretty attached to Ashlee, April, and Indiana, and I love their heart for moms.

Finally, among other things, I’m a long-time subscriber to Our State, which is a treasure trove of North Carolina adventures-in-the-making, filled with excellent writing, and satisfyingly thick in the age of emaciated magazines. Plus, many of my friends contribute to their gorgeous images, which I think is just the coolest!

What about social media, though? If there’s, say, an Instagram account that you love to follow, that brightens your day, or that’s taught you something helpful, how can you be a patron of it? Not every account has an obvious monetization. (In that case, you can support them by leaving kind and encouraging comments or sharing their work with a friend!)

If it’s an account you really love, though, and they do have something for sale, consider buying it – because not only will you own something neat, but you’ll be telling that person, “I value this! This makes my life better! Thank you!” If you love following Julia’s travels, consider a Gal Meets Glam dress. If you love following Nancy’s family, consider picking up her photo guide. If following Val buoys your faith, consider a prayer journal.

On that note, a few things you might love from the new Cultivate collection, if CWM is a bright spot in your days (or even if you’ve never heard of it before, ha!):

PowerSheets One-Year Goal Planner | Because I’ve yet to meet a person who wouldn’t benefit from them. The prep work alone is worth $60. SO excited they have monthly calendar spreads this year, since I’m a monthly calendar gal!

Everyday Notebooks | A set of three with the prettiest covers! These would be great to break up and gift to friends (tied with a bow!) or to tuck in a stocking.

Wildcard Page Pack | Even if you don’t use PowerSheets, you’ll find a spot for these 24 sheets in your life. I’m most excited about the fun lists, the go-to meals sheet, and the goals-at-a-glance pages.

Legacy journal | The fancier notebook from this collection! I’m going to transfer my Life List to the Chambray version. I’m also thinking about starting a practice of asking these six questions each week with John, and if we do, I’d record our answers in one of these.

Write the Word: Fruit of the Spirit | Not technically in the new collection but this is my FAVORITE WTW volume and there are only 13 6 more in stock!! Since it’s limited edition, once it’s gone, it’s gone. (There’s a kiddo version, too!)

Joyful Greeting Card Set | I saved the best for last!!! Everyone and their mother knows these are my favorite things ever. I am their professional hype girl. They’re $1 each (do you know how much they would cost at Target?!), lined envelopes, beautiful designs, beautiful stock, blank insides, gold foil. YOU WILL LOVE.

On that note… let’s give a set of cards away!! To enter, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear about something of which you’re a proud benefactor, or your thoughts on my thoughts about being a patron! :) I’ll choose a random winner next Friday.

UPDATE: A winner has been chosen and emailed! Congratulations to Holly! :)

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We’re rounding the corner on the year, and I’m grateful for another month of progress on the things that really matter to me! Though the goals on my monthly lists might look simple or pedestrian sometimes, they’re connected to a big picture vision for myself and my life. In that frame, even the simplest tasks can take on great meaning. Let’s chat about a few of those simple tasks I’m planning to squeeze in in this full month of travel…

On my calendar this month:
— My favorite consignment sale
— A trip to Connecticut for a dear friend’s wedding
— The fourth anniversary meeting of Articles Club (I’ll share our articles from the last year soon!)
— Our family fall trip to Asheville
— The NC State Fair (biscuits, silhouettes, and giant slide, here we come!)

What I’m loving right now:
— Are you working on kiddo Halloween costumes, too? My favorite source for homemade costume pieces is Primary! We used them for June’s Rainbow Brite and Shep’s caterpillar get-up! (They also have tons of fun ideas in their galleries!)
— It’s family photo season! We’re doing a mini session with Anagram later this month. Now is the perfect time to check your favorite photographer’s Instagram or blog to see if they’re offering up shorter, lower-priced sessions in time for Christmas cards.
— This block print tablecloth is my new favorite! We use a tablecloth most nights on our dinner table – they’re so easy to throw in the wash with a little spray and wash whenever they get something on them! (Which, let’s be real, is most nights.)

What I read in September:
— Still Me: The final book in the Me Before You trilogy. The worst of the three, in my opinion, but still enjoyable!
— Before We Were Yours: I’m on a novel kick, and even though this isn’t the most sophisticated writing, it’s still a page-turner! I’d classify it as an ideal beach read, in case you’re looking for one of those this fall :)

Revisiting my September goals:
Celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary (and read a book about marriage) (Celebrate, yes – book, no.)
Complete the MS 125! (Yes!! Even though it didn’t look like we expected. More to come soon!)
Finish culling and sorting iPhone photos from 2005-2012 (Yes!!)
Hang (and buy) living room curtains (As much as I love the idea of curtains in this room, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s just not enough clearance on either side of these particular windows for them, so abandoning this for now.)
Film Sheptember, Volume 1
Edit June in June, Volume 4 (Still work to do here.)
Ride our bikes once a week (3/4 weeks! Planning to keep this up long-term!)
Bake apple cider scones for June’s teachers on the first day of fall

October goals:
— Find a new pot for our mantel and a throw blanket for our sofa
— Create our family Halloween costumes!
— Finish culling and sorting our 2018 and 2019 (thus far) iPhone photos
— Edit Sheptember, Volume 1, and finish editing June in June, Volume 4! Whew!
— Design our family Christmas newsletter and order Christmas cards

Keeping it pretty simple this month along with a number of weekly goals on my PowerSheets! This is such a classic question, but I’d really love to hear what you’re most looking forward to in the next month/fall in general. (With today being 90, I can’t WAIT for cooler weather in Connecticut and Asheville – and apple cider donuts at Clyde’s!!)

Affiliate links are used in this post!

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I recently listened to a Coffee & Crumbs episode all about media, and between that and our lively discussion about Where the Crawdads Sing and Educated on my last post (and the planning underway for my book swap!!), I thought it might be fun to keep rolling on the reading train. So today, all about my life as a reader… and I want to hear about yours!

What do I read?

Right now I’m averaging about 20-40 books in a year, or 2-3 per month. About half are non-fiction, and half are novels. I love…

…(good) parenting books
…pop psychology and behavioral economics books
…personal finance books
…books that give me practical ways to live out my faith
…books that deal with the intersection of technology and family
…novels with exquisite writing.

And of course I read the Bible! Usually this version.

How do I read?

I exclusively read physical books, for a few reasons.

I prefer the experience of real books – seeing the typography on the page, feeling the heft of the book shift from right to left as I page my way through.

I am a visual learner, so I tend to retain more from a paper page – even if I haven’t marked it, I can often recall where a certain quote I paused over was (top left corner, bottom right) many days later.

I want to live in a home with books because I think they’re beautiful and because I want where I live to be filled with things I treasure. Environment is a strong way of imparting our values to our kiddos, and there is almost nothing I more want to give them than a love of reading.

On that note, I read physical books because I want my kids to see my reading. I want that to be one of the most common sights of their childhood, me curled up with a book, to learn from my example that reading is a delicious past-time, one of the most delightful and worthy ways to spend an hour. I could be doing anything with my phone in my hand, but when I’m holding a book, my priority is clear.

When do I read?

At this stage in my life, most of my reading is done right before bed. This is both good and bad. If I’m reading a book that’s sucked me in, I’ll eagerly head to bed early to squeeze in a few more chapters. However, if I’m reading a book that’s sucked me in, I’ll often stay up too late to squeeze in a few more chapters :) Some nights I read for 15 minutes, some for an hour.

I’m also diligent about leaving a book in my car or packing one in my bag if I’m heading to an appointment so I can read on the go instead of scrolling on my phone. I imagine this will become even more helpful when our kiddos are in activities that require my chauffeur services!

Where do I find books to read?

Fiction I almost exclusively borrow from the library – I tend to only read it once, so to me it doesn’t make quite as much sense to buy! Nonfiction I prefer to buy (on Amazon or Thrift Books), because I’ll often read favorites multiple times. I also like to underline quotes or ideas that hooked me (often for use in EFM posts later!) and am an eager lender of my favorites to friends and family members. (Stephanie has my copy of The Coddling of the American Mind right now and when I get it back I’m sending it to Kim!)

It also helps that one of my benefits at work is a book library, which is $15 a month to spend on the “personal growth” book of my choice! As an Enneagram 5, lifelong learner, and avid reader, this is heaven :)

I keep an iPhone note on my phone for “Books to Be Read” as well as a list of the books I read each year (they are some of my most-referred to notes!). I add great suggestions to it from my Articles Club ladies, from my siblings, friends-in-real-life and on Instagram, from EFM readers in the comments, and from a few favorite blogs (Cup of Jo and Everyday Reading especially!).

More posts about reading:
My thoughts on reading in 2014 (a few things have changed!)
25 favorite picture books
25 favorite chapter books
My favorite parenting books

I think my next reading post will be about the books I recommend most often – though of course, if you’re an avid reader of this blog, I’ve probably already recommended them to you :)

In the meantime, I’d love to hear: what are your favorite types of books to read? And when do you read?

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I read through last year’s review post as I prepared to write this one, and I was wowed again at the amount of life that has happened, and the amount of change we’ve seen, in the last two years of our family. That’s one reason I love these opportunities to stop and reflect — life is constantly calling us to move fast-fast-fast, but the rhythms of seasons and calendars give us an opportunity to pause and count the fruit.

So here we go – some of our favorite moments of 2018, in our lives and on the blog.

Life on the blog sprinted out of the gate in January with the first four posts in the How We Do It series: Time, Finances, Homes, and Personal Lives! I also shared my Life List Book (and have since had occasion to add several items to its pages). John and I celebrated our 13th dativersary (a tip here) and June’s second birthday (sans party this year!).

A highlight of February was sharing three more How We Do It posts: Work, Relationships, and Spiritual Lives (the last one, Kiddos, posted in March). We announced some VERY happy news and John and I took an early babymoon to Anna Maria Island, one of our most laidback vacations ever (and our first multi-day trip without June!). I also shared my refined vision for our home, which I’m happy to say is slooooowly coming to fruition – more updates to come in the new year! Our church home also broke ground on a new building!

We spent time outside in the beautiful North Carolina spring weather in March. We got and shared the news that we were adding a BOY to our family (and I shared so many thoughts!). I delivered a manifesto on the purpose of EFM and wrote one of the most popular posts of the year: our favorite board games! (Loved your comments!)

We celebrated the resurrection of our Savior at Duke Chapel and celebrated spring by picking strawberries approximately twice a week. We traveled to Georgia for a dear friend’s wedding and learned an important lesson about vacations. On the blog, I shared tips for managing money together (complete with controversial article) and organizing your own childhood memorabilia.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I mused on a variety of kiddo topics: a revelation about parenting, the cost of our first year with a baby, and our you-do-you clothing solution. (We also made a flower craft!) My skincare routine was a fun post to write.

We logged our sixth-annual camping trip with the Rays, spent lots of time outside scootering, welcomed visitors, and celebrated John passing his Certified Financial Planner exam!!

With baby boy’s arrival approaching I think I was on a kiddo kick, because I shared three more kiddo-centric posts in June: what June eats, the plans for Shep’s nursery (reveal coming soon!) and my favorite parenting books. We filmed June in June Volume 3 (they keep getting cuter!!) and I loved sharing this post about my parents – one of my favorites from the year.

And oh yes – we spent two weeks in Connecticut and Maine!! Around those two big trips we tucked in tons of little adventures closer to home, savoring our final days as a family of three.

The highlight of our month (year!) came on the last day of July: John Shepherd Thomas made his arrival! He has delighted us from the start with his sweet sideways smiles — we couldn’t love him more! At least for now, all my hesitations about having a son have been put to rest :)

In less exciting news, I also FINALLY shared a look at our backyard renovation – only took me a year! :)

Shep took it easy on us in his first month, and life with a two-year-old AND a new baby meant things didn’t slow down as much as they did last time! We headed out frequently for picnics, splash pad trips, the zoo, birthday parties, and visits to the Museum of Life & Science. I was so happy to share the meaning of Shepherd’s name!

We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary with dinner at The Durham in September, as well as ten years of Em for Marvelous! We marked the beginning of fall with apple cider scones and weathered Hurricane Florence with my parents.

October saw us in Asheville with my sister, trick-or-treating all around our neighborhood, and flying to New Hampshire for a dear friend’s wedding (our first flight as a family of four!). Shep and I had lots of solo adventures in my last month of maternity leave, two friends and I hosted a pumpkin painting fundraiser for Florence victims, we hosted our annual pumpkins and soup party, and June moved to her big girl bed! I shared the tax benefits of an HSA, my favorite jeans, and everything we read in Articles Club this year.

Things slowed down in November around EFM as I went back to work and our parents traded shifts watching Shep. We celebrated three Thanksgivings – an early one in Virginia with the Thomases, on Thanksgiving Day with the Terhunes, and the weekend after with the Ayers – and marveled at the fact that we now have family living in North Carolina.

We closed out the year with an early-season snow day, a visit to the Nutcracker (and many subsequent living room performances), and a big trip home for Christmas (complete with stays at both grandparents’, a horse ride at my family’s farm, bowling, and a trip on the Polar Express!). Our Christmas tree was naked until mid-December, we never did get our outside lights up, some Christmas cards were mailed on December 23rd, and posts were sparse on EFM, but there were sweet, slow moments even on the busiest days.

I am grateful for a fresh start tomorrow. I know there’s nothing magical about January 1st, but marking time is important, and a whole new year ready to be etched with memories and milestones gives me a bubbly feeling inside :) I’m about to wrap up my PowerSheets and am excited to share my 2019 goals with you soon. They’re different — more concrete — than in recent years, and I’m excited to dig in to them little by little over the next many months.

I know I’ve said it before, but I am SO excited for what we’ll discuss here in 2019. Thank you for being here, and for sharing so generously with me! It’s one of the delights of my life. Wishing you a healthy, happy, and abundant new year. I’ll see you soon! :)

2017 year in review
2016 year in review
2015 year in review
2014 year in review
2013 year in review
2012 year in review

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