I’m sharing a handful of new Favorite Things this month — including many great gift ideas (maybe even for yourself!)
One of my MOST favorite things right now is reading together as a family after each breakfast and dinner.
We’ve been reading after meals for a couple of years now and since our children tend to eat much slower than Dave and I, we usually spend 20 to 30 minutes reading a few more chapters.
We’re currently working our way through the Little House series (along with an Advent devotional).
I think Dave and I are enjoying re-reading the Little House books just as much as the kiddos!
It sure makes me thankful and grateful for so many of the “modern conveniences” we have these days.
- Indoor plumbing
- Heated water
- Insulation
- Modern appliances
- Refrigeration
- Electricity, Heat, Air Conditioning
- Grocery stores
- Telephones
- The post office
- Soft mattresses
- More than two dresses and one pair of shoes
- Libraries
- Neighbors
- Reliable transportation
Our family can’t fathom that type of pioneer lifestyle… and while it sure is fun to read about, I’m certainly glad to enjoy a more modern life (in our 1800’s farmhouse!)
On that note, here are a few more of my favorite things for the month!
This content is not sponsored.
Merry Christmas + Thank You Stickers
I recently purchased 2 rolls of super cute stickers for all the envelopes we mail out.
One says, “Merry Christmas”. The other says, “Thank You”.
These are the 2 most common types of cards I send, so I thought the stickers would be a nice addition — and they are!
Both sets of stickers are very thick (they won’t easily rip), durable, and high quality.
I’m so happy with this purchase and am excited to use my Merry Christmas stickers on our 2020 Christmas cards and gifts (I use rolls of brown craft paper to wrap our gifts.)
One Line A Day Journals
I’ve kept some sort of journal since I was in 7th grade — I suppose writing has always been cathartic for me.
Back in my younger years, my journal entries could be pages and pages… but these days, I have better things to do than spend 45 minutes a day journaling about my life.
A few years ago, I searched for “mini journals” not knowing what I’d find… and low and behold, I came across this “One Line A Day Journal” which was EXACTLY what I was looking for.
Here are a few more options on Amazon.
The idea is to write ONE sentence or thought every day… and stick with it for 5 or 10 years (with the same date’s sentences eventually ending up all on one page for easy reference later on).
Isn’t that such a cool idea!?!?
If you’d like to start journaling (or pick it back up again) but not sure you have the time, try a One Line A Day Journal and see what you think!
Honestly, it’s SO fun to look back on previous years and reminisce.
NOTE: I personally prefer 10-year journals, which are harder to find.
Amazon Prime Music, Movies, Books, and 2-Day Shipping
Believe it or not, I never listen to music any other time than at Christmas.
Of course, I play the piano, we sing regularly at home, Dave plays the guitar, we’re involved with musical groups at church, etc… but I don’t ever listen to music on the radio, on my computer, on my phone, or in the car.
Never.
I just like it quiet.
However, all of that changes right around Thanksgiving, when I break out my collection of Christmas CDs and fire up my Christmas playlists on Amazon!
(Dave plays music almost non-stop all year long — he uses earbuds!)
The Christmas music plays constantly in our home from late-November through the middle of January — I even read and type with instrumental music in the background.
My personal favorite is piano + violin… of course, the kids love dancing and singing along to a few of the more “peppy” songs on my playlists!
This brings me to one of my favorite things… our Amazon Prime membership.
We use it weekly (sometimes daily) ALL. YEAR. LONG. for books, TV shows, movies, and (of course) the free 2-day shipping.
This time of year, we get extra use out of our Prime membership as we ship gifts to others, catch up on our long list of books we want to read over Christmas break, and enjoy Christmas music all season long.
If you’ve considered a Prime membership, you can get a FREE 30-day trial now, and enjoy all the perks for the month of December!
NOTE: you can also give Prime memberships as gifts (perfect for those hard-to-buy-for people)!
USA Pan Bundt Pan
I’m not a “cake person”, but I LOOOOOOOOVE the semi-homemade pudding cakes I’ve been making in my bundt pan for well over a decade.
These bundt cakes are amazingly fluffy, moist, rich, and delicious.
In fact, my favorite bundt cake recipe is one of the most popular recipes on my blog — so many of you now use my recipe for birthdays and other special occasions.
Yes, it really is THAT good and THAT simple!
The flavor combinations are almost endless.
Anyway, the bundt pan we received as a wedding gift, back in 2006, finally bit the dust a few months ago, and I happily replaced it with the USA Pan Bundt pan (even though it was significantly more expensive).
Over the last few years, I’ve been slowly transitioning all my bakeware to the USA Pan brand because it is superior to any other brand I’ve tried.
I’m sure there are professional brands that are better, but for the average home cook with a little wiggle room in her budget, the USA Pan products are worth the splurge (in my opinion!)
Reflective Vest with Lights
We purchased these lighted vests for Dave’s parents a few years ago as they like to walk in the evenings and don’t have sidewalks where they live.
Now we also use them for our early morning runs (yes, I’m still running several mornings each week!)
They are super light-weight, easily adjustable to fit over any shirt/coat, easy to wipe clean if necessary, compact for storage, and VERY reflective!
The LED lights on the back have options for solid red or blinking red, and there are more reflective strips on the back as well.
Another feature I like is the small front pocket — great for keys, a cell phone, money, etc.
If you find yourself outside often when it’s dusk or dark, I’d hight recommend these vests. We’ve gotten so much use out of them this past year.
That’s all for me this month.
View my previous months’ favorite things — and feel free to share YOUR favorites in the comments below!
Lori says
Can you please recommend good quality biscuit and cookie cutters or what do you prefer??
Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Lori,
if you’re just looking for circles we like these. They stack together and store nicely.
Subbulaxmi Ramasubramanian says
Hi Andrea,
Happy holidays!! As always I feel so connected whenever I come back to your blog after a long time. I just wanted to know what gear do you use to keep yourself warm during your runs in the winter. The cold weather keeps me from stepping out for runs and it would be great if you could do a small post on this or just respond offline.
Great job for always having relatable content on your blog..
Sukanya.
Andrea says
Aw, thanks so much 🙂
As for running in the winter — our weather hasn’t been too bad yet (so we’ll see if I continue when the snow flies!)
That said, I just wear these fleece-lined leggings (they are THE BEST!) and a fleece coat over my long-sleeve dryfit shirt.
I also wear gloves and a hat or headband.
I’m usually a little cold at first, but by the end, I’m nice and toasty!
Natalia says
I love, love, LOVE my “A Memory A Day for Moms” journal. It has awesome prompts at the top of the page, so even if I don’t write something everyday, I go back once in a while and fill in the answer to those questions… for this season of life.
For ex: “In what ways have you become your own parents? or “The sweetest thing my child has given me recently is:…”
I randomly opened to May 12th for an example, and the question was: “Who is a mentor in your life right now?” And… “Andrea Dekker” is one of the people I listed. 🙂
Also, there’s a Bible verse and a short prayer at the bottom of the page. I love it!
Andrea says
That’s such a fun idea — I love the promts.
And so fun that I made it into your journal!
Jen says
Yet another way we are alike! I NEVER listen to music either–except at Christmas. Give me podcasts or books on tape ALLLL day long but not music!
I have NEVER journaled, but one line a day I may be able to do, and I love to walk in the early mornings when it’s still dark. We have sidewalks and I only walk in our community, but the vest may be a good investment!
And your cake mix bundt cake is in daily rotation at our house! Sawyer usually picks it for his birthday cake!
Andrea says
haha — glad you guys are consuming lots of bundt cakes!
and enjoy that Christmas music 🙂
Katie says
Have you ever seen the cookbook “The Cake Mix Doctor” by Anne Byrn? I got one probably 15-16 years ago and still use it regularly. It is all “doctored” cake mix recipes that really taste like they are from scratch!
Andrea says
NO! But I must go research it right now. I wonder if our library has it!
Thanks for this suggestion!
Hannah Beth Reid says
A thousand times YES to Christmas music! Have you ever listened to the O’Neil Brothers instrumental cds?
Andrea says
no — I will need to look them up. Thanks for the suggestion!
Lori says
Also Pentatonix Christmas! So beautiful!
Cheryl Wetherington says
I LOVR your triple chocolate bundt cake recipe! It is my favorite go to for the holidays and pot luck dinners!
Clare says
I have just finished reading the whole Little House series to my son. He really enjoyed them too. I think I remember you mentioning you were reading Prarie Fire, a fairly recent biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder? What did you think? I read it last year and found it so interesting, but very sad in parts to learn the full reality of the poverty experienced in those days. The book is really long but I would recommend it if you are a fan and want an in depth historical perspective.
Clare says
Sorry Cheryl this was not meant to reply to your comment!
Andrea says
yes, the Prarie Fire was LONG, I never finished — it was just too much for me at that time (I think Clara was a newborn at the time). I’ve thought about going back and trying to reread it now, but I have too many other books I want to read first!
And yes, it was very sad to realize all the bad, BAD things that were so prevalent in that day and age. We look back now and think “ah, a simpler time” — but truthfully, you couldn’t pay me any amount of money to go back and live in that time period.
Andrea says
yay — thanks for sharing!
Cathy Howell says
We used to read to our kids by candlelight and they loved it. Then at Christmas time is was always a Christmas story.
Andrea says
oh that does sound like fun! our kids would probably get a kick out of reading by candlelight too!
JoAnn C. says
We’re replacing our pots, pans and baking pans this year and found, on Amazon, a bunt/springform pan. One ring with two different bases: standard springform and bunt. Now we have a bit more room on the shelf housing one pan, (with two bottoms).
Andrea says
well that sounds like a great way to save space in your kitchen — what is the brand name for that pan?
JoAnn C. says
Here is the link to the bundt pan from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Springform-Non-stick-Cheesecake-Leakproof-Quick-Release.
Andrea says
thanks for the link 🙂
Amanda says
The 1 line journal is so what I need! I enjoyed Journaling too, but now it’s hard to set time aside for that. So many cute things my Littles say that I could record in there to keep. One child asked me if I was at Moses’ (old testament character) funeral! Way to make me feel like I must be ancient!
Amanda says
Our children also love little house books! We have the audio series they listen to over and over!
Andrea says
haha — we actually know someone named “Moses” so my kids think it’s hilarious to say “we’ve met Moses”!
And yes, love the journals!
Rita Duvall says
Laura’s Rocky Ridge farm where she penned the Little House books is in Mansfield, MO. It’s a great place to visit to see the actual farm house and rock house where she, Almonzo and Rose lived. You can also see the little desk where she wrote her books in pencil on Big Chief tablets. My mother was a teacher in the Detroit area for 30 years from the 50s into the 80s She always read the Little House books to her 5th graders. I hope there are teachers who still do that today. Thank you for reminding us of simpler times and the values of hard work and family.
Andrea says
Yes, we’d love to visit there someday (whenever we decide that traveling with 4 kids is worth it — LOL!)
Also, I have to believe that many teachers still read to their students — I know that was always my favorite part of the school day (even in 4th and 5th grade when I could easily read myself). If not, at least we’re committed to reading to them at home!
JJ says
We are reading through the Little House series, too!!! Amazon has some of the episodes from the show for free. My kids are quick to point out the differences between the books and show. Haha! I agree. I couldn’t have lived that life. There is a game at Target called Oregon Trail based on the video game from years ago. It’s hard to win, but it’s probably somewhat realistic. So thankful for modern conveniences!!! I have a one a day for my kids, which was spurred on by so many telling me to write things down. They all said I’d forget so much. They were right! Pictures and the journals help a lot! You are doing a fantastic job running!!!
Andrea says
Yes, I saw the show episodes on Amazon and am waiting until we are finished with a few more books to tell the kids. We have Friday night movie night and I’m already planning to use those episodes for our “movie nights” coming up next month (or maybe over Christmas break if we read quickly!)
Karen says
I have done some journaling on and off throughout my life. I’m thinking of starting a gratitude journal as I have littles around again. Yes, I’m a grandma of 4 plus another one coming in the Spring. Your bundt cake looks amazing and thanks for sharing the USA pans. I’ve never heard of them. I’m excited to check them out. I enjoy reading your material. Oh, the stickers, I have a side business, CandidNailwithKaren, Color Street. Just recently started and I’m loving it. Those stickers will work wonderfully for my Thank You cards and sales. Happy Holidays to You & Yours!
Andrea says
congrats on the soon-to-be new grandbaby!
and yes, the bundt cake is SOOOOO yummy — I’m certain your grandkids will approve 🙂
Katie says
Thanks for sharing. Would love to hear more about your running journey and routine and how it is going as well as any goals you have. I am currently getting back into running after a long hiatus, I have been using the couch to 5k app.
Andrea says
You know — I have not “plan” or “goal” with running. I don’t track my time or my distance, I’m not trying to lose weight or improve my performance, and I’m not planning to run any races.
I just decided (back this summer) that I had more time and should fill that time with something useful… and running was the cheapest and most practical option for early mornings when it’s still dark! LOL
How’s that for the truth!
Katie says
My dad always kept a diary/journal and loved the 5 year ones like the one you have. He passed away 4 years ago so it is so nice to now have them to look back on. He would write special events (births, deaths, weddings, etc.) at the top of the page.
Andrea says
this is encouraging — sometimes, I think journaling is a waste of time, but it’s exciting to think people might benefit from it later!
Ann says
We also read the Little HOuse books during 2020. Now we are reading the Rocky Ridge series by Roger Lea MacBride which is the stories of Laura and Manly and their daughter Rose. (Rose is the main character). Next we will read the series of when Caroline was a young girl. (Little House in Brookfield and Little Town at the Crossroads)
Ashley says
I read the Little House books as a child and an looking forward to reading them to my children. I didn’t know about the other series!
Andrea says
oh yes, there are LOTS of books. If you really want to dive in, you can get the biography books on Laura and her family — they have a much more realistic portrayal of pioneer life in the 1800’s (it wasn’t nearly as lovely as the books portray!)
Andrea says
yes, I love all the “extra” books and series too! I wasn’t sure our younger kids would get into the books, but they are all loving them!