January 2018 Favorites

I thought it would be fun if I took a moment each month to let you know what things are currently striking my fancy, so here goes the January installment! 

[This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through my link, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Notes from Jessie!] 

CURRENT FAVORITES:

BOOKS:

I got a couple new devotionals for Christmas, so I feel like I'm reading a bunch right now, but my favorite at the moment is Annie Downs's 100 Days to Brave. I love how she uses Scripture and stories from her life to encourage us readers to pursue bravery in our own everyday lives-- and in small, manageable ways we might not otherwise have called brave.

I've also been reading more of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series (The Well of Lost Plots and Something Rotten), and as sort of tangential reads,  The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn and The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, which I'm not into as much. I also started Essentialism by Greg McKeown, but I'm not very far into it yet, so you'll have to check back in later about that one!

I also read The Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, which I loved. I can't wait to continue the series! And I read Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, which I thought was very good! It made me think about life from the perspective of someone with an illness that prevented them from interacting with the outside world, which was very interesting.

QUOTE:

"Brave people don't stop hearing the whispers of fear. They hear the whispers but take action anyway." --Annie F. Downs, 100 Days to Brave. SO GOOD, you guys. I'm loving the discussions of bravery in this book and all the things I'm thinking about as a result of it (and the things I'm doing or preparing to do). I encourage you to pick up your copy NOW!

MOVIES: 

I've been watching Reign on Netflix after absolutely LOVING The Crown. It's not as good as The Crown in my opinion, but it's somehow sucking me in nonetheless.

SONG: 

I'm loving Most People Are Good by Luke Bryan. It's just such a good reminder to look for good in the world and in people around you!

FOOD: 

I made some really good baked oatmeal (that a friend practically BEGGED to get the recipe for, asking how closely I guard it) and some really tasty zoodles with basil pepita pesto! And I think my favorite for the month was the peanut noodle salad (which I made without the chicken and with more veggies). So good!

MEMORIES FROM JANUARY:

This month, I went with my college roommates back to our college town and stayed in an Air BnB. It was my first time using Air bnb, and we had a great experience! It was really cold, so we didn't get to walk around campus or town much, but we did drive up to the lookout on the bluff, see the new student center, and swing by the river for old time's sake. It was such a sweet weekend full of wonderful friends.

LOOKING FORWARD TO IN FEBRUARY:

I'm looking forward to the mission trip to Corpus Christi, TX, that my family is going on with my parents' church. We're going for about a week, and we're partnering with Reach Global to assist in rebuilding and restoring houses damaged in last fall's devastating hurricane. I'm so grateful for all the support we received-- our family is fully funded for the trip, and the team as a whole is well on its way! If you would like to support us, please be praying for safe travels and opportunities to build relationships with the homeowners.

What were some of your favorite things this month? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!