Happy New Year, friends! I so, so enjoyed the break of this past week but I’m ready to jump back in with both feet! As I enter into a new year, I always find it so important to reflect back on the tangible things that enhanced every day life the year before. I’ve found the more I do this, the less likely I am to repeat super bad decisions (I’ve yet to splurge on a one-time wear item again..I’m looking at you, neon green skirt from 2013.) Here are my absolute favorite, would-re-buy-in-a-heartbeat purchases of 2017.

Is this motherhood? Is this 27? I never thought I’d see the day when a silk sleep cap made my “favorite purchases” list, but here we are. It’s no secret that all our tossing and turning on the pillowcase through the night splits our hair, especially if, like me, you have dry curly hair. I didn’t start wearing one until four years ago when an amazing hair dresser in New York basically said I was “ruining my life” or something along those super dramatic lines and I do my best to wear them as much as I can now. I wore the same one until it was so raggedy I was ashamed to even pull out of the drawer and also, I looked like Betsy Ross in it. This one is the prettiest sleep cap I’ve ever seen! (I know that’s not saying much.)

Stuart Weitzman Lowland Boots

These are certainly an investment item, but when I purchased the Highland boots years and years ago I realized they are one of the best shoe investments you could ever make. The ‘Highland’ version definitely elevate every outfit, but the 3+ inch heel isn’t super practical for me being as tall as I am and wearing heels as little as I do. I’ve had my eye on the Lowland for just as long and finally bit the bullet on Cyber Monday. In the short amount of time I’ve had them, I have to keep myself from wearing them every day! It’s no wonder they’re a cult classic, they’re currently replacing lunges and squats in my life.

RMS Luminizer

Are you sick of this yet? This highlighter has been hiding all the things for me this year. No sleep? Use this. Not enough water? Use this. Need a facial, like, a year ago? Use this. Want to distract from a breakout? Use this. It’s my favorite secret to look super glowy and healthy.

Vitamix

We’ve had a Vitamix for 9 years now. O lived across the country and we kept it at his sister’s place since he lived with her when football season ended. (She and I lived on the same street in San Francisco!) When we first got it, you had to order it directly from the company and the only places that used them were Jamba Juice and restaurants. They’ve come a LONG way! When ours started to show its age, we spent a lot of time researching the new line to find which one fits our needs best. It’s such a big investment but our first one lasted 9 years and for something I use every single morning without fail. My favorite thing about this one is the button for each specific use– like soups, smoothies, and ice cream. You just press one button and it does it for you!

 

Meal Planner

This started off as a random purchase when I was in a rut coming up with an actual Meal Plan for our newly meatless diet. I didn’t expect much, but it has really simplified and structured my Meal Planning every Sunday. I really like that it has a shopping list attached as a tear-off so I can keep the ‘Meal Plan’ portion to look back on so I can repeat favorites and remember to plan for lunches too.

Whole 30 Book

Doing ‘Whole 30’ was a distinct turning point for my post-partum body. I had weight I felt was stuck to me forever before starting the program. It definitely takes a lot of discipline but I highly recommend not cheating a single time. This eating plan kick started me feeling more comfortable in my skin again for the first time since getting pregnant with Oshiolema in 2014 and reset my body after a season of too many indulgences.

This necklace is so special to me. It was a Mother’s Day gift from O and came at a time where life with an infant an a toddler were a smidge less than easy. The sleep and the patience were little and the tears and to-do’s were many, but when I opened this up that day it served as the sweetest reminder that this is the most precious gift. Motherhood. I wear it just about every day, along with this one

While I try to use my DSLR as much as possible, this is my favorite camera for documenting the kids with video. After seeing all my favorite YouTuber’s get this camera for their vlogs and travels, I started doing my research. I used it almost exclusively in Italy since lugging my huge camera around was too difficult at times and I was hooked! While it’s pretty much made for video, the photo quality is incredible and the option to turn the camera front facing is my favorite part

Virtuous Book

I’ve shared this book a few times on social media and every time I’ve posted a quote or page of this book, no less than 5 people ask me what the book is! It goes through virtues found in scripture and dives deep into how we can apply them to every day life. Topics such as “Modesty” and “Patience” really stir me up and cause me to reflect on how I measure up to the Biblical standard.