Bookworm Cottage Style

^^ Collage made on Pinterest. Another one of my favorite things!

The biggest highlight of this year was becoming a mom and getting to know our little guy. But outside of the newborn bubble, there were plenty of other new discoveries that sparked joy for me this year and lots of little wins around the house too. Below are some of my favorite things this year. What were yours?

Entertainment: The Names by Florence Knapp and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid were my two favorite books of the year, though Nexus was the one that I couldn’t stop yapping about. I loved the new Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man, and also enjoyed One Battle After Another. Taylor Swift’s Opalite was my most-listened to song of the year and I enjoyed the whole Showgirl album in general.

Clothing: Rather than splurge on  a dress that I’ll wear one time to a wedding, I tried to make an effort to be realistic about the clothes I wear on a daily basis and double down on those items. Which is how most of my favorite purchases were striped tees. In the splurge category, I bought three of these stretchy Alice Walk tees during a sitewide sale earlier this year and am in love! They are so soft and so comfortable and I consistently wore them this summer and fall. On the other end of the spectrum, I got these Old Navy tees in two different colors and I also love them. The material is thick and they feel so much nicer than you’d expect for the price. My other favorite fashion purchase this year was a YPB workout set (tank + leggings) that offers surprising tummy coverage and makes me feel put together when headed to barre class. Lastly, my husband gifted me some new slippers earlier this month and I haven’t taken them off since.

Home: I had SO much fun decorating baby’s nursery this year! And now that it’s chilly, we are loving our wood burning stove (and are pleased that our gas bill is significantly lower than last year). Other fun house updates were our new dining chairs, building a little storage nook, adding more perennials to our garden, and hanging string lights in our backyard. 

Beauty: Soshe Waterproof Precision Eyeliner and Ilia Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm in Lullaby are my two favorite beauty buys of the year. On the skincare front, I’ve been loving my red light mask, which definitely makes my face look brighter and tighter when used consistently. This year I started working on my skincare routine and I’m feeling pretty happy with how my skin is looking these days. Just because I’m a 36-year-old mom doesn’t mean I have to look tired or haggard. I’ll definitely share my exact products and routine on the blog soon.

Community Building: Two women on my street happened to have babies within 8 weeks of me, so it was such a gift to spend this summer and fall in the trenches of maternity leave together and having someone to go out on walks with. Both before and after baby, I also tried to be very intentional about socializing and spending time with neighbors. My craft party was a highlight! Similarly, I had an informal goal of buying a book from my local bookstore once per month which was a fun way to support a local business. Once a quarter or so, my husband and I also tried to have a “small business Saturday” in town where we’d support as many businesses on Main Street as possible (lunch at a local restaurant, buying a bottle of wine or a book from a shop in town, going to the brewery, etc.). Bonus points if we walked there!

Other Micro Joys: I saw the northern lights! They were visible in New England in November and I happened to find out about it in time to dash outside and look up at the sky. We also started a new tradition (going on a short, neighborhood hike on Thanksgiving morning) that is something I hope to continue year after year. And I found a new favorite apple picking spot! I’ve been apple picking around a dozen times in New England (Maine, Vermont, and a few places in MA), and going in late October at Russell Orchards this year was an excellent discovery. Going at the tail end of apple season meant that the weather was crisp and cool (no sweating in the orchard!) and the foliage is at its peak. Plus, Russell Orchards is just a really beautiful property and is far enough from Boston to not be mobbed.

Tell me about your favorite discoveries and accomplishments this year!