My Favorite Things 2014

I am linking up to several blogs that are hosting Favorite Things posts. This is the first time that I've ever joined in on any of these link-ups so HELLO THERE if you are new to my blog!! :)

Some of these items are things I already have and love such as the iPod Nano, planner, creamers and Thermos cup and others are things I would love to have or have another one of. I hope you enjoy and get some ideas for those Christmas lists.

1. The North Face Apex Bionic Jacket - This is probably what the hubby and I are getting each other this year. We both need a good jacket for the winter that will last and that is casual.

2. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens - I would love to get this lens in my stocking. A girl can dream....and start saving. LOL

3. Scentsy Pumpkin Roll - I love my big and small Scentsy burners and have this scent. It smells just like you are cooking a pumpkin pie!! Love it!

4. iPod Nano - I got one of these from the hubby a couple of Christmas' ago and still love it and I still have a ton of room for more songs. I guess I need more iTunes gift cards...wink, wink. :)

5. Idina Menzel's Christmas Album - I just found this and started listening this past week and love, love, love it! She has an amazing voice that, dare I say, rivals that of Celine Dion.

6. Thermos 16-Ounce Vacuum-Insulated Travel Tumbler - My Mom gave me this for Christmas last year and I have literally used it everyday since then for my morning coffee. If you enjoy sipping on your coffee all morning long or are like me, and are running after kiddos all morning and having to take gulps here and there, then you will love this. It keeps your coffee the temperature that you pour it in for 8 hours!!!

7. Ellie Holcomb-As Sure As The Sun - This album is so amazing! I love her voice and love the depth and message of her songs. It's like listening to your favorite Bible scriptures set to music. She is so very talented. I enjoy following her on FB and IG too.

8. The Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker - I have had my baker for probably close to 5 years now and it's about time to get a new one. They bake so evenly and thoroughly and they just get more and more seasoned with each use. Kind of like with a cast iron skillet. 

9. Sugar Paper Planner- I bought my first Sugar Paper on a whim last year at Target and I've loved it. I intend to get another one in a few weeks. They are big and have lots of room to write in. They are pretty too!

10. Little Women movie - This is my very favorite movie and my favorite movie to watch at Christmas. I love the story of course but I love, love the costumes and set design and the actresses. Just such a timeless story of the different kinds of love.

11. International Delight Caramel Macchiato creamer - I hate to leave the list on an odd number but I could not leave out my long-time lover, LOL!! I may or may not buy this creamer in bulk. :)

All of these things are fun and make life fun but let us now forget the true reason for this very special time of year. Merry Christmas and happy shopping!

Linking up at these fun blogs:

November Goals & October Goal Update

Well I'm finally getting around to catching up on my goals. October was a bust on some of my goals but I will just push ahead and try to do better.

October Re-cap

Here were my October goals. I did not get my Bible read like I wanted to but I have spent time in the His Word in other ways this past month so not all is lost. I also did not "read" a book but I did listen to one audio book and it was awesome! I listened to The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. It was such a moving, historical and suspenseful book. The story is told by two different characters and the voices were different and authentic for both of the characters so that is why it was so great to listen to. I highly recommend it!

We did make it to the pumpkin patch and I did take lots of pictures of my kids this past month so both of those were wins! I also decorated up my hutch for Halloween and enjoyed it! Now it all decked out for Thanksgiving!

We did eat more at home and enjoyed some potlucks with church and family this month as well. We did not carve a pumpkin this year though. Boo! (I can't say I missed it though because it's lots of work and mess and I would have ended up doing all the work) :)

My November Goals

1. Study the book of Matthew and follow along at Hello Mornings.

2. Do better about starting my mornings off on the right foot by spending 10-20 minutes in the Word, making my plan for the day and doing some movement.

3. Get started on buying Christmas gifts for everyone. I really want to be done by early December!

4. Get the Christmas tree up so I can work on decorating it. We usually do this the day after Thanksgiving but I am hoping to convince the hubby to do it a week early this year. (He is my muscles)

5. Get our Christmas cards designed (DIY) and ordered so I can mail them in early December.

6. Read one book or listen to one audiobook.

7. Do some Christmas crafts for the house and plan out our family events & traditions before the busy month gets here.

8. Host my first Favorite Things party with girlfriends and family at my house the last weekend of the month! I am so excited to do this type of party!

Whew! Seems like a lot but I am sure I'm forgetting something else. I am just loving this time of year. It's busy and fun!!

Our Halloween

The kids and us had a fun week of Halloween last week. Wednesday we had Trunk-or-Treat at our church and Jonah got a bag full from there. He really didn't need any more candy but he did get a little more at school on Thursday and then Friday night we hit up a couple of houses. When you live out in the country it's hard to do door-to-door without burning up a whole tank of gas just driving from house to house. We wanted to take him at least a little bit because he had never done house-to-house before. My sister and her husband were in town this week from WV (she is a resident right now) so it was great to see them and my parents had a dinner before they left. So we ended up over there and ate WAY too much food!

Here are some pictures from Trunk-or-treat and our Halloween in general.

Mickey & Minnie were ready to roll!

Haley is happy to ride along in the stroller.

Time for the hotdog dance!!

Jonah and a cute little Dorothy pose beside our trunk.

This year's trunk was brought to you by the DG and what I had at the house. LOL

We found Dorothy's little scarecrow!

It's Doc McStuffins!

The whole gang (minus a couple).

Haley had an adorable Minnie hat that ended up being too small and of course she wouldn't keep it on anyways. Sigh!

Love my spooks so much!