Ending this year seems so monumental. HUGE. It was one of the biggest years of my life. A baby, a book, a big year to say the least. My focus was all over the place & in 2020 I really want to bring that back to the basics here on Liz Marie Blog. But since it was such a big year filled with a whole lot I thought I would round up the top things from around my life from podcasts to clothing to movies & more. I hope this list helps you find some favorite things & also helps you think of your year in review as well. Here are a few of my top lists for 2019… ENJOY!

Top 5 Podcasts:

• Sword & Scale – forever a favorite true-crime podcast. It’s a little on the graphic side if you don’t love that kind of thing, but I love the layout of the episodes.
• Believed – If you followed the Larry Nassar case this is a must-listen. It gives deep insight into just how bad the whole situation was/is & it truly has opened my eyes as a parent & woman.
• The Shrink Next Door – Such an odd & interesting true story. I was hooked the entire time.
• Death In Ice Valley – A truly fascinating unsolved case. This one gave me the urge to join a cold case team and solve this mystery!
• Uncover- Another fascinating dive into a multi-level marketing group turned cult… I was hooked & wanted to know more the entire time!

Top 5 Baby Items:

• This amazing chair [HERE] that we use instead of a high chair.
• This is the best swaddle in the world [HERE] & every new babe needs one! or three. Cope slept in these every single night.
• These are Cope’s favorite pacifiers [HERE] He loves these over everything!
• This is our FAVORITE car seat & stroller brand. We also have the pack & play from them are so thrilled we found them [HERE].
• This is the BEST baby carrier [HERE] & we use it daily.

Top 5 Instagram Accounts:

• @TheLinenRabbit – Love following her creative daily life.
• @_ForTheHome – Love how she is truly herself & truly creative.
• @WhiteFlowerFarmhouse – Love their shop, if I ever owned a shop by myself it would look like this.
• @HouseOfJadeInteriors – Love their style, every space they share is so dreamy.
• @DreamyWhitesLifestyle – Love that every space is white, I can’t resist & always go back to her Instagram.

Top 5 Favorite TV Shows This Year:

• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Love everything about this show, I love how she has so much strength & makes something for herself even when no one is cheering her on.
• Big Little Lies – The plot line keeps you on the edge of your seat, couldn’t stop watching.
• Live PD – If I wasn’t an interior designer I would love to be a forensic scientist or an interrogator so I find this really fascinating.
• You – It’s an interesting storyline with constant twists, its pretty dark but you want to go back to watch more.
• Schitt’s Creek – A super funny and easy to watch show, I love all of the actors & actresses in it!

Top 5 Purchases:

• One of my favorite rugs is this one from Anthropologie [HERE]. We have this in our living room!
• Cope Initial Necklace [HERE] – I love how simple yet meaningful this necklace is.
• We love our Six Penny Sofa – Neva Sectional in Pacific Pearl, it is a perfect size and super comfy.
• All over our house, I have these Storage Baskets with Lids [HERE]. Technically I think they are laundry baskets but I store toys and blankets in these.
• I love our DIY Fireplace Jose built, I am so happy with the Fireplace Insert [HERE]. Check out the DIY HERE.

Top 5 Movies This Year:

• Joker – He was a really dynamic character that kept me watching the entire movie, my one con was there was some blood & I don’t enjoy that.
• The Secret Life of Pets 2 – It is the most adorable movie & it’s basically the story of our life.
• Toy Story 4 – I love all the Toy Story movies & this one was just so cute.
• Feast of The Seven Fishes – Christmas movie that is just super adorable and funny and shows the messiness of family during the holidays.
• We thought way too long about this and I honestly couldn’t come up with one, leave your movie suggests in the comments.

Top 5 Design Books:

• I couldn’t share my favorite design books without sharing my own, Cozy White Cottage! I am so happy with how the final copy of the book turned out.
• The House That Pinterest Built – Obsessed with Diane Keaton & loved her approach to a design book.
• I love Joanna Gaines so of course, I had to include Homebody [HERE] on this list!
• I’m working on becoming a better hostess & I really enjoyed the approach taken in The Gift Of Gathering [HERE].
• I really love Kennesha I felt like her book Restoration House [HERE] just really aligned with my opinions & I truly enjoyed it!

Top 5 Books I Read This Year:

• I can’t help but include my book as one of the top books overall. This was a huge moment for this year, check out my book here Cozy White Cottage!
• The Great Alone – Such a good book, I felt like I was there with them. There were so many twists and turns when the book ended I truly mourned with them.
• The Couple Next Door – Creepy, crawly, scary, spooky.
• The Wife Between Us – Creepy, crawly, scary, spooky.
• The Woman In The Window – Creepy, crawly, scary, spooky. P.S. this one is going to be a movie.

Top 5 Places We Visited:

• Anna Maria Island – Our first vacation with Cope, he was just a little peanut and it was so relaxing!
• Dublin – New and interesting city, I always dreamed of going & would highly recommend visiting.
• Galway – So many cute shops, a really cute downtown area, and the people were so kind.
• New York City – First time ever visiting the city & it is just a bucket list city to visit!
• Loveland, Co – We really enjoy Colorado and this was a super charming city we visited for the first time.

My Top 5 Blog Posts:

• Our Baby Boy [HERE] – This was the first time we shared about Cope & it was so incredible to feel your love & support on this.
• I Wrote A Book [HERE] – Writing a book was something I never expected to do but it has been such an incredible journey, I loved sharing this with you guys.
• Winter Farmhouse Kitchen [HERE] – I think this was our kitchen at its coziest, and I love showing the transition from Christmas to winter decor.
• DIY Farmhouse Fireplace [HERE] – It was one of the coziest little projects we did in our house this year. It was also a huge accomplishment to be able to build our own fireplace!
• Styling Shelves 101 [HERE] – I really want to do more of these posts, I got a lot of feedback that this really helped people & that makes me super motivated to share more posts like this!

Top 5 Bloggers:

• The Lettered Cottage – Love how open & honest she is about mental health & adoption, I feel really connected to her with those things.
• Miss Mustard Seed – She is one of the first blogs I followed & I still keep coming back to see what she is up to!
• Lynzy & Co – I like her approach to sharing motherhood, fashion, and everyday life!
• Chris Loves Julia – They have a really different style than I do, but I really enjoy watching all of the projects they work on!
• Lauren McBride – She shares all about her life, motherhood, and her style in a really genuine way!

Top 5 Stores To Shop At:

• Zara [HERE] – My favorite store to buy Cope’s clothes from!
• Free People [HERE] – Really love the clothing at Free People.
• Anthropologie [HERE] – One of my favorite stores for home, clothing, and more!
• Pottery Barn [HERE] – Truly a staple for shopping for home decor!
• Target [HERE] – Honestly what can’t you get at Target, I’m a regular that’s for sure!

Top 5 Small Businesses:

We wish we could include a million, but these lists are limited to 5 … & I broke my own rule by including 7 whoops!

• Anything Rustic – Love their vintage style.
• BFF Print Shop – Love the prints they offer.
• Connected Goods – Love how curated their little shop is.
• Fin & Vince – Love heirloom baby items.
• Mama Made Minis – Love the rainbows.
• Farmhouse Frocks – Love all the frocks.
• The Maple House Co – Love her antique selection.

Top 5 Beauty Products:

• The Original Beautyblender [HERE] or Blending Sponge Set [HERE] – I use a beauty blender to put on my makeup every day!
• Milk Makeup Prime [HERE] – Love this brand & this is one of my favorite primers.
• I couldn’t pick a favorite foundation but I love both of these, Makeup Forever Foundatio [HERE] or Too Faced Peach Perfect Foundatio [HERE]
• For my brows I love Loreal Paris Unbelieva-Brow [HERE]!
• Buxom Lip Stain [HERE] is one of my favorites for lips & it lasts really long!

Top Baby Toys/Seats

• Chico 360 seat [HERE] – we don’t use a high chair, we use this instead! It connects to the table & we can travel with it. Saves space & Cope loves it! I also spins so we can face him any direction.
• Large play mat [here] – This has been a lifesaver in our wood floor home. It’s soft, washable, & really gives us a “defined play area” in our living room.
• Steering wheel toy [HERE] – this has been one of Cope’s favorite toys for as long as I can remember. He still loves it now. A must get for less than $15
• This fish play gym [HERE] – was Cope’s favorite infant play mat. He was so content in it & honestly it was a life saver when he was a baby.
• Baby bath tub [HERE] – This tub we still use today & we love that it adjusts from newborn to older babies.
• Activity gym [HERE]– Cope still loves this activity gym.. it grows with him & it keeps him entertained.
• Linkimles [HERE] – This is one of Cope’s favorite toys from Christmas. They are really cool because there is a group of 6 you can buy & they all do different activities, but as you collect them they all link together.

Top 10 Moments of The Year:

• Seeing Cope on an ultrasound for the first time in January
• Cope’s Birth – I am so thankful that I was able to watch him be born & help his birth mom through the process.
• Cope’s Official Adoption through the court.
• Hiring our first employee, Makenzie.
• Having our Copeland meet the Copeland we met in Mackinac Island who inspired his name.
• Launch day of my book Cozy White Cottage.
• Being on The Today Show three times.
• Meeting Hoda Kotb & realizing how genuine of a person she is and being able to bond over love for adoption.
• Doing my first book signings & getting to meet so many of you guys at each one!
• Our first-ever international trip as a family to Ireland.

Thank you for being here in 2019, looking forward to 2020 with you! Xx Liz Marie