The Good Things In Life III

Quite possibly one of the best things in life is happening as I write. My kids are in their rooms; one sleeping, the other happily playing. I have a cup of coffee and the windows are open, letting the cloudy day and drizzly weather seep a shadow of comfort into my home. Quiet alone time and overcast days are some of life's greatest things but there are other (and way more fun) things I am loving lately, too. Things too good to keep to myself, so read and enjoy and tell me if you love these things too.

Page CXVI. They are my new favorite band and I will go ahead and spare you the Google look up time to tell you that CXVI translates to 116. If you are cool, you may have heard of the band The Autumn Film, but I am not cool and I live under a rock, so that basically meant nothing to me when I first heard it. But apparently the folks who are in The Autumn Film decided to create a parallel band with the purpose of making hymns known and accessible once again, and Page CXVI was birthed out of that desire. I love, love, love hymns. The beauty, history, tradition, truth, theology, and richness all wrapped up in a simple song that the church has been singing for ages is enough to make my heart swell. But truth be told, it can be hard to find hymns where the music isn't just completely outdated, so I appreciate the modern day twist that Page CXVI puts to these ancient songs. They have several albums out, many of which align with some of the most sacred seasons in the Christian faith including Lent, Advent, and Easter. I love that about them. My favorite song of theirs is currently Feast On Fast From. Listen and you're welcome.

Speaking of hymns, Hosanna Loud Hosannas is a hymnal that I am currently loving. I've had my eye on it for over a year, but I wasn't in love with the price when I wasn't sure what I would really be getting. I remembered a friend mentioning that she had a copy so I reached out to her to see if she loved it and would recommend the purchase. Not only did she love and recommend it, but she had an extra copy on hand and sent it to me for free. This friend loves me and so does Jesus because ya'll know I am cheap and rarely spend a dollar unless I think it is absolutely worth it. Or unless it's on french fries, in which case my money starts to burn a hole in my pocket. Anyway, Hosanna Loud Hosannas is a hymnal that includes not just the lyrics but the music sheets, the background on what the hymn is about and the circumstances in which is was written, and a short devo to accompany it. I love this book because I only know the more popular hymns that are traditionally sung in church but this hymnal is filled with over 100 old songs, most of which I have never heard of. I have seen how much and how quickly kids memorize through song so I love having this as a resource for Moses. We sing a hymn before bed each night, taking time to really learn and memorize the words before moving on to another one, and it is my prayer that these truths would sink deep into his heart even at his young age. 

Off Camera With Sam Jones is a podcast I am also loving lately. Photographer/Director Sam Jones created this show out of a passion for in depth conversation and that is precisely what I love about it. I already mentioned that I live under a rock and I basically don't have a clue who anyone famous is. I see magazine covers in line at the grocery store and if not for the fact that their name is plastered across the page in huge block letters, I wouldn't have a clue who they were. I fail at Pop Culture questions and games 100% of the time. Also, I'm sad to admit that I have historically thought that anyone out of Hollywood is basically surfaced and shallow and lacking any real depth, but Sam Jones has blown my perception to shreds. Not only does he actually introduce me to celebrities, but he interviews and gets to know them in such an intentional and personal way and I am so thankful for that. What I have seen is that these are real people. Not just people who are pretty and make a lot of money and have lots of nice things and amazing opportunities, but real people with real stories, real feelings, real baggage, and real insight. They are educated and creative and innovative in a way that takes a vast amount of brilliance and talent and they are deep and introspective in a way that is beautiful and raw. My favorite one so far has been with Dax Shepard. Listen and enjoy.

You guys. Backing up pictures has always been overwhelming and stressful to me. I love pictures so very much, but with everything being digital these days, trying to know how to best organize and store them in a way that makes sense and can be passed down to my kids in years to come is like a whole pandora's box of crap that has honestly just stressed me out. Should I print them and take up my precious closet space with hard copies? That sounds like money and death. Should I make scrap books? That sounds like time I don't have and basically makes my brain bleed just thinking about it. Should I make photo books? Because this also feels like a nightmare when it comes to organizing and storing things in chronological order because I am neurotic and super care about things like that. For years I have not known what to do about this so I ignored it like the plague while my pictures just accumulated more and more and created additional stress over time. Enter Amazon Drive and Chatbooks. I now have a system that is easy and stress free and it is just the best. Once a month I organize my pictures. I save them in folders organized by month on my computer and then I back it up on an external harddrive. And then, just to be safe, I back it up again to Amazon Drive which is my hero and my life saver because it is super easy and oh yea they have UNLIMITED PHOTO STORAGE for Prime members, yeauh! I also take my all time favorite pictures and upload them to Chatbooks which puts them into a book for me in chronological order based on the date that they were taken so I don't even have to spend time putting them in order myself! My pictures are now backed up twice over and I get a yearly photo book all with total ease and zero stress. YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

I mentioned in my girly post that I am in love with Lush. Seriously, I love going in that store and there is always something fun and happy to buy, usually at a totally great rate. Lately I am totally into their bath bombs. Twilight is my favorite and sometimes I just buy it and let it sit in my bathroom for weeks before using it because I love the way it makes the room smell. It's just the prettiest scent. And this Rainbow soap for the kids! It is bubble bath, shampoo, soap, and moldable playdoh all in one, plus it leaves the bathwater a pretty color and it makes my kids smell so delicious I could just eat them right up. It is the most fun and puts such a little happy in our day.

Perhaps most importantly.... peeled garlic. I eat garlic like I breathe air, for which DJ is forever grateful I'm sure. Do you know how many countless hours I have spent peeling garlic? Too many. It takes a literal forever and I can attest that the only plus side of peeling so much garlic is that I get to eat it when I'm done. Also, that my hands smell like delicious for actual days on end afterward. But still, peeling garlic in the quantity that we eat it could practically be a full time job and this was basically the death of me until I discovered that you can buy it already peeled. Two words: Game Changer. If you love garlic, this product is for you. Don't get the garlic marinating in brine unless you want your garlic to taste like crap; just get the freshly peeled stuff. But wait-- don't be so quick to stop buying the bulbs either, because here's a little tidbit just for free: If you have high energy boys like me, keep some garlic bulbs on hand anyway. Peeling garlic is a great (and quiet!) way for them to re-focus and re-purpose all that energy. You're welcome for this, too.

There are lots of other wonderful things in life, but there is also time and I am out of it. Tell me, what things are you loving lately?

xoxo,
courtney