Things I'm Loving: October 3rd, 2018.

First day of preschool. He picked out his outfit.

My precioussssss.

Pic from Mary Catherine Starr's Etsy page (click for link).

Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron. That paintbrush is looking a little rough.

National Muscadine Festival. That cotton candy was gone fassssst.

Pic courtesy of Southern Grace Mercantile's Facebook page.

​This required reading for October. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that October is my jam. How about making October even more special by reading this list of recommended books with witches?
 
This monumental event. Sam had his first day of preschool yesterday and it had me feeling mildly untethered the entire day. Since Sam was born, he and I have stayed home together. There have been the occasional hours of rare, random days when I’ve slipped away—and maybe 6 days where I was gone on trips—but other than that, we’ve been together pretty much 24/7. Two occasional frenemies/mostly best friends who have been sharing the same story for three and a half years, even if we maybe would have told it in different ways. Now we’re living somewhat different stories, and that has thrown me for a loop. Yes, I’m happy for him and for me—we both need this—but I missed my little guy (which proves my first point. This is good for us).
 
These chips. If you know me, you know that I will inhale a bag of these within 48 hours of opening. Plus-side: these chips never have a chance of getting stale. Negative: I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that.
 
This sweatshirt. My amazingly talented best friend, Mary Catherine Starr, has designed these beautiful French terry sweatshirts, and I took advantage of a 5:00 am breastfeeding sesh to order my very own. I have a couple pieces of clothing from her Etsy studio, and they are so comfortable--especially this pullover. Supporting a best friend + buying something I love and would have wanted no matter what = winning all day long.
 
This paint. After you have kids, getting anything extra done—like painting the exterior doors of your house—feels like a monumental achievement. This is why: first you orchestrate childcare for your children, then you complete part of the task, take an extended break for childcare related things, complete the task, and finally, you try to ignore the million other things that you didn’t complete as a result of achieving the first task (the dishes, the laundry. Oh God, the laundry). Before I painted these exterior doors, they were faded white (and also gray and black. Come on, Jessica, clean your doors already). Now they’re Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron, and I’ve caught myself sneaking glances at them at least ten times a day.
 
This wall décor from Southern Grace Mercantile. Last weekend we traveled to the National Muscadine Festival. The views of the mountains were marvelous; I tried edible cookie dough (as in the kind not made with raw egg) for the first time; and I spotted these amazing pieces of art, perfect for the bibliophile in your life. Each piece features a beloved quote, and I could see one of them (ten of them) hanging in my house. I picked out the Anne of Green Gables piece and gave a halfhearted effort to convince my husband that we needed it. I let him think that I’ve given up, but you know my secret.

Other things that I'm Loving: the Armchair Expert podcast (I listen to podcasts super infrequently but always love them when I do); making progress on a rough draft of my second book; the movie Deadpool 2.