My Year in Obsessions {2019}

My Year in Obsessions {2019}

• Dec 30, 2019

It's hard to believe that another year – and decade! – is about to come to a close. Before it does, I want to take a moment to look back at the past twelve months. Since 2015, I've done a series of posts that I call "My Year in ______" to share my favorites from each year. It's one reason I love blogging in December so much. There were so many things I loved about 2019, but today it's all about the obsessions! • Obsessions in 2017 and 2018

Listen, y'all, I went a little overboard in today's post. Since I knew at the beginning of the year that I'd be writing this post in December, I did a better job of tracking what I bought and loved. That's why it got a little long! It still isn't a comprehensive list, but it's 26 new obsessions plus a bonus section. In a recent post, I mentioned being thankful for several apps that made my life easier/more productive this year. I listed those favorites at the end!

1. Pride and Prejudice Pemberley Shirt ($20+) – Kelly just gave me this shirt for Christmas, so it's a last minute addition to my list. BUT I HAD TO INCLUDE IT! Do you see this cuteness? I love that it's nerdy if you're in the know. 

2. New Balance Arishi V2 Running Shoes ($35) – I think my feet grew a little bit during my last pregnancy, and some of my shoes didn't fit as comfortably anymore. I replaced my old sneakers with these and have loved them! 

3. GAP Stretch Cotton Hipster Underwear ($10) – Since Target discontinued their Gilligan & O'Malley line, I've been searching for a new go-to underwear brand. After a series of misses, I finally found these. They're great! 

4. Dolce Vita Madox Leopard Sneakers ($130) – Leopard print has been all the rage this year, so I'd been keeping my eye out for a cute pair of flats or sneakers in it. I fell in love with these online, and they're even cuter in person.

5. Madewell High Rise Skinny Jeans in Cordova Wash: Button-Front Edition ($138) – I bought these in the spring and adore them, even though I haven't gotten to wear them much due to pregnancy. BUT NEXT YEAR!

6. Banana Republic Satya Sunglasses in Black ($98) – I am just obsessed with this "Satya" style of sunglasses. I bought a pair last year, treated myself to this color my England trip, and just got another color for Christmas. 

7. Free People Too Good Pullover in Candy Pink ($78) – Dillard's had a huge sale in the spring where I got so many sweaters for cheap, and this was one. It's so cute on, even though I'm not normally drawn to this color.

8. J.Crew Perfect Rain Jacket in Navy ($120) – Before my trip to England, I decided that I needed a new rain jacket. After some research, I decided on this one... and Kelly did, too. And we're equally obsessed with it!

9. Freshly Picked Mini Classic Diaper Bag in Birch ($100) – My mom gifted me the larger size of this bag for the new baby, but I decided to get the mini, too. I've loved using it when I need purse and to be handsfree.

10. Koji Ring Popsicle Molds ($15) – We bought this at Target over the summer, and my son loves it so much. He makes a mess eating them though. And I need to look up more popsicle recipes for more ideas.

11. Emily Ley Weekly Simplified Planner in Navy Blooms ($48) – I switched to this weekly planner, and I adore it. I'm still using a Happy Planner for other things, but this is the perfect size and format for planning my life.

12. I Heart Naptime Blog – I checked out this cookbook from the library, loved everything I made, bought a copy to keep, and then became obsessed with the blog. My meal plan is dominated by recipes from this site.

13. Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew – I've never been a huge fan of the Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but I heard people raving about this new drink. I had to try it, and I was obsessed! The flavor is so much better.

14. Healthish WB-1 Water Bottle ($25) – Rachel from Hello, Chelly recommended this water bottle on Instagram one day, and I'm so glad she did. It's helping me drink more water every day (always a goal for me) in style.

15. Promptly Journals Childhood History in Dusty Blue ($32) – When I found out I was pregnant, I bought one of these journals. I loved it so much that I got one for my firstborn, though I've got a lot of catching up to do.

16. A Hum for Hope Book Sleeve in Sun Girls ($22) – Can you ever have too many book sleeves? Probably, but I refuse to stop browsing and buying. I love the little details on this one the faux leather bottom and tie at the top.

17. Zebra 15ct. Dual-Tip Mildliners ($17) – I bought these in 2018 and featured them in a post that year, but forgot to include them on my yearly recap. Well, I'm remedying that now! I love using these in my bookish bullet journal.

18. Hummix Wireless Car Charger Mount ($31) – This was a random find during Prime Day, and I've been really pleased with it! The charging feature is nice, and it's very stable (compared to the magnetic mount I used before).

19. Recollections 3-Tier Lexington Rolling Cart ($30) – Bookstagram made me do it, but I don't use it as a TBR cart. It's books to be shelved on the first tier, review books on the second, and books to donate/trade on the third.

20. YunTeng iPhone Selfie Stick & Tripod ($17) – This is so nerdy, but it was so useful for bookstagramming! I haven't used it as much recently, but that's just because I haven't been taking as many book photos.

21. Sorbus Acrylic Makeup Drawers ($28) – I saw my mom using this and had to have it. I have a vanity area in my bathroom, but the drawer is shallow and didn't fit much. These look great on the counter with my makeup.

22. Greater Goods Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitor ($45) – I needed to start tracking my blood pressure at home, and I've loved the Bluetooth & app functionality to be able to easily show the results to my doctor.

23. Dash Mini Waffle Maker ($10) – When we moved, we got rid of our broken waffle maker. I randomly got this for Nick's stocking but didn't expect to use it much. Instead, we use it even more than our old one!

24. iDesign Organizers – In my nesting mode, I decided to completely reorganize our kitchen and pantry. I found some of these bins at TJ Maxx, and they made such a difference. They make everything look better.

25. The Lazy Genius Podcast – Most of my listening time was spent on music and audiobooks, but I did listen to a few podcasts. This one is my favorite, by far, and I'm working my way through old episodes to get caught up.

26. Threshold Acacia Serving Tray ($26) – I just bought this last week to make a crudité board for an event. The size was exactly what I needed, the rim kept stuff from falling off, and I loved how it looked once arranged.



A few of these were tried-and-true favorites, some were on my phone already but became favorites this year, and others were new to me. I'm planning to write a more detailed post about four of them soon and marked those with a heart. I didn't include any standard apps like Messages, but here were twelve favorites:

• Audible – How did I live without audiobooks in my life? I'm so glad this format grew on me with time because it's a huge part of my reading life now! This app is a staple for me and one I've loved for years now.

• Balance Health – This app goes with the blood pressure monitor I linked above, and the Bluetooth functionality works great. If you don't want their monitor but need to track your blood pressure, you can add readings manually.

• A Color Story – I included this app in 2018's Obsessions post, but I felt it deserved another mention since I've continued to use and love it. At the height of bookstagramming, I loved the feature that let me plan my grid.

• Feedly – This is a site I've used for years on my computer, but I'd never really taken advantage of the app before. I finally started using it more this year to catch up on my favorite blogs whenever I had a few moments for reading.

• Flic ♥ – One of my biggest goals right now involves digital organization, including going through photos on my phone. This has made it so easy and was totally worth the $2 upgrade. I'll write all about it soon!

• Goodbudget ♥ – I've only been using this for two months, but it's already made a big difference. Similar to the cash envelope system, It's been the accountability I've needed to save more and start to develop new habits.

• Goodreads – There are things I hate about the Goodreads app, but I can't deny that it's one of my most used. I'm constantly looking up ratings for books, updating my reading status, and more. If only they'd improve the search...

• OneNote ♥ – I realized that I had a million physical notebooks and digital notes scattered all over the place, so I started looking for ways I could consolidate them. I didn't expect to LOVE this as much as I do.

• Plan to Eat – Since signing up for this site in 2017, it has revolutionized my meal planning and grocery shopping. Two things that I used to hate are now so much easier. The website is better than the app, but I do love both.

• Pocket – I've used Pocket on my computer for ages, but I wasn't using the app (even though I had it installed). I'm trying to spend less time on my phone, so I'm trying to be better about saving some articles to read later. 

• Spotify – This is a favorite that I've loved for a long time! I'm a Spotify Premium user and have been since 2016. I find a lot of music myself, but I love that the app helps me discover new things, too. So many good playlists!

• Things 3 ♥ – I'm cheating a bit because you purchase this app for each device, and I've only done it for my Mac at this point. It was a splurge, but I love it so far. It's a to-do list app that's thoughtfully and beautifully designed.

What have you been so obsessed with this year?

Anything on my list that you love or want to try, too?