Happy, happy December! With everything happening SO quickly with our new house, it honestly seems like we blinked and October and November disappeared. The day after moving in, we proceeded to leave for a week in Syracuse, which felt completely crazy, but was actually a great blessing–it forced us to rest a little and gave us the chance to get all caught up on work before Thanksgiving. Needless to say, Advent really could not have come at a better time. After the whirlwind of the last few months, both my heart and my body are craving peace, routine, and rest. I’m grateful that over the past few years, Advent has become a time of more stillness and prayer to me, and I deeply hope to carry that into this season, despite our looong list of house to-dos. I also started my third trimester this past weekend (what!?) and am thrilled to finally have the opportunity to focus a little more on preparing for baby girl!

November Favorites
1. I made these vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for Thanksgiving so Charlie would have a dairy-free treat, and they were SO good. I loved that they didn’t call for any unusual ingredients, so they’d be easy to whip up any time.
2. I had the incredibly fun opportunity to model in the Simplified shoot a few weeks ago and it was a highlight of the month! As soon as I got home, I finally ordered this gorgeous 2020 planner. I am working on a post about my favorite planners/planning tools, so stay tuned for that before the end of the year :)
3. Speaking of the Simplified shoot, all of the models were gifted the prettiest Julie Vos jewelry to wear and then take home! I’ve been living in these bee/pearl earrings ever since–they strike the perfect balance between classic and whimsical.
4. I’m having a bit of a Draper James moment–this leather bag, these sweet earrings, this gingham sweatshirt, and this cozy robe are all at the top of my Christmas wish list. Maybe these cute slippers too, since the wood floors of our new house are chilly! (All these goodies are still 25% off for Cyber Monday!)
5. I mentioned this in my Cyber Week guide, but this eye cream is my current beauty product obsession. I have literally been taking my makeup off earlier in the evening because I am so excited to apply it! I’ve tried a few different eye creams over the last 2-3 years, but nothing has come close to feeling as hydrating and effective as this one. Highly recommend!
6. Recently revisited this post I wrote for Blessed Is She last year as a reminder of some ideas for living liturgically during Advent. I’m hoping to share more about how we live this out this year, especially on Instagram, so let me know if there’s anything in particular you’re interested in seeing!

November Goals
1. Add reading St. Faustina’s diary back into my daily prayer routine. (I can’t find my copy anywhere, so if it doesn’t turn up soon, I’m ordering a new one!)
2. Prepare for an intentional Advent.
3. Enjoy our babymoon in Asheville! (Recap here!)
4. Navigate packing and moving well.
5. Focus on simple, healthy meals during what promises to be a crazy month.
6. Work on a Something Pretty redesign!
7. Finish curating 2017 photos with the intention of designing the album in December.
8. Order Christmas cards! (From Minted, as usual :) Note to self: order on Cyber Monday next year, because today’s deal of 25% off + free shipping has been the best to date.)

December Goals
1. Pray and journal through the Blessed Is She Advent + Christmas devotional daily (it’s on sale today so pick one up and join in!).
2. Celebrate Advent well. Along with my daily devotional, that’s going to look like lighting our Advent wreath every night while reading the verse from these beautiful Advent cards (also love this new version! Both on sale today for Cyber Monday!), celebrating some fun feast days that fall during Advent, and praying the St. Andrew novena.
3. Enjoy a year-end review/2020 planning date night, inspired by our friends Emily and John.
4. Make a decision/plan for house painting. We want to tackle every room eventually and definitely need to hire some of it out, which feels daunting!
5. Walk around our new neighborhood daily and do a Tone It Up prenatal routine twice a week.
6. Finish and launch the Something Pretty redesign!
7. Finish curating 2017 photos.