No. 117: The 2024 Gold Star Trophy Winners

Buckle up, fam. You know what's coming.

I’m copy+pasting the intro from the 2022 Gold Star Trophy Winners and the 2023 Gold Star Trophy Winners for any new readers! Skip it if you’ve read it recently. || The roundup I look forward to every single year is here, friends. To be completely honest, I do this more for myself than for anyone else (picture the song “Remember” from You’ve Got Mail playing here) but I’m so grateful when my trial and error makes life easier for anyone reading this list. If you’re a new reader of the gold standard and find yourself wondering what help it can be for a stranger to tell you what they like, know that I’m a researcher by nature and a perfectionist by choice, so “I tried ___ so you don’t have to!” comes very naturally to me.

I don’t know a way to say this that isn’t braggy and gross, but in my decade of blogging, six years of which have been full-time, I believe I have built a reputation as someone who has recommendations people can trust. How do I know this, you ask? Because even after three years of being off of Instagram, I still get emails asking if someone should hem a pair of pants/if I like a certain perfume/how long a certain pair of sneakers will be uncomfortable/if I make any changes to a recipe and so on and so forth.

As a former stylist—first for Anthropologie and then on my own—I have spent years keeping an eye on the best new releases of clothing, skincare, makeup and all the things that matter without really mattering. I looked up one day somewhere around four years ago and realized I was straight-up drowning in stuff. Stuff I had bought to wear or use for a specific photo, stuff I had bought because an influencer doing a partnership promised me it’d fix my skin woes, stuff I had no need for and wouldn’t be reaching for more than a couple times…it was ugly.

The three ingredients of being married to a frugal man who keeps a pie chart of our itemized expenses pulled up on his laptop at all times, wanting to grow in contentment and leaving social media created a beautiful cocktail I like to call less. Less, but better. I’m writing this intro after finishing the curated list so less might warrant an eye roll, but many of the things listed are items I’ve owned for years or things I’ve loved and repurchased again and again.

For one more teeny layer of background to help you, The vast majority of things I own and use from household materials and skincare are non-toxic. I’m not going to give a huge description of why I loved certain things and what they do because we’d both be here all day, you know? Oh, and I made myself limit it to seven because seven always feels right (even though to be real, for some categories seven felt like a lot.) Okay. Let’s do this.

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7 Favorite Shows and Movies: The shows or movies that made my monthly favorites list were Wicked, Alone, The Bear, Gossip Girl, Masters of the Air, Past Lives and of course, Fraiser.

7 Favorite Non-Fiction Books This Year: Some of these are re-reads, but I chose the ones that made the most impact nonetheless. Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Disability and the Gospel, The Envy of Eve, Atomic Habits, The Artist’s Way, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Identity Theft

*Favorite Fiction Books This Year: *I only read about 10 fiction books total this year and a handful were not-great thrillers. Beartown, The Midnight Feast, Funny Story, The Women, Husbands and Lovers, The God of the Woods

7 Spiritual Development Essentials: Ephesians Bible Study, Tim Keller Sermons, This Journaling Bible, The Day One Journal App, The Elisabeth Elliot Podcast, Every Moment Holy Liturgies, The Knowing Faith Podcast

7 Favorite House Purchases: (we finally moved into the new house in June after three years of building, so there were lots of house purchases. I’m narrowing it down to the house purchases I’ve loved most over the past six months of living here) This Rattan Floor Lamp that makes light dance in the most beautiful way, these $6 Target Placemats that make hosting feel beautiful and elevated, this White Daybed Zeameh sleeps on in Keogena’s room and will eventually live in the playroom or nursery, The Softest Yet Most Inexpensive Rug in Our Home that makes the most impact, our Frame TV continues to be a favorite three years later, this Samsung Cordless Vacuum that took the place of favorite over the Dyson against all odds and The Green Target Lamps on our nightstands.

7 Best “That was $$$ but Extremely Worth It” Investments I Made or Continued to Enjoy This Year: My Walking Pad and Standing Desk are the two things that actually changed my life this year, not being hyperbolic in any way. My Sweatpant Jeans top the charts, our PEMF Mat, our We Finally Moved In/Thirteen Year Anniversary Trip, My New Laptop, The Headphones I’ve owned for nearly six years and had to repurchase last year, and my Annual Subscription to Substack Writers at Work with Sarah Fay.

7 Most Worn Articles of Clothing This Year: This was another year of wearing and rewearing staples I invested in years ago sprinkled with a few new items that needed to be put to work. We spent the second half of the year on a spending freeze, so favorites really stood out more than ever. This Reformation Cashmere V-Neck was my most worn non-sweatshirt this entire year. I wore this thing constantly and can’t recommend it enough. This Tee and my merch tied for my most worn standalone tops. I rotated This Nuuds Sweatshirt and Sweatpant set and This Spanx Sweatshirt and Sweatpant which are viral for a reason and worth every penny-so much so that I have doubles. We all know my Sweatpant Jeans rarely left my body and, begrudgingly, my Compression Stockings rarely left my body either. Twas the year of four vein ablations, friend.

7 Favorite Feel Good/Self Care Items This year: My Inexplicably Cozy NFL Sweatshirt that I slip into whenever I can and genuinely is self care, these Skims Pajamas that are everything I was promised they were (grabbed a second pair because I can’t be without them,) Eucalyptus Bath Spray makes the list yet again, This Chamomile Lavender Tea, This Grocery Store Bath Detox and Soothe Salt, my Hot Water Bottle and another frequent flyer—the Target Blanket I Sleep with Every Night better known as ‘bed blanket.’

7 ‘Couldn’t Have Made it Without Em’ Makeup and Skincare Staples This Year: *As a reminder, I strictly use non-toxic skincare and makeup products so everything listed falls into that category. Unsurprisingly, almost this entire list is the same as last year. This Cream Bronzer & Cream Highlight make the list again along with this Bougie Face Oil which I have loved and been loyal to for years was the only thing to regulate and hydrate my skin. This Resurfacing Mask (along with the oil) is such an investment but it’s also the most noticeable difference in my skin, My Goop Body Oil, this vibrant, bright orange Cream Blush in shade Papaya brings my face back to life in just a few taps. This KP Scrub continues to be a lifesaver for the bumps on the back of my arms and legs and the Viral Amazon Collagen Mask which works shockingly well.

7 Favorite Recipes This Year (Assume they’re Paleo or can be adapted): Once again, the things I cooked most this year are—of course—my own recipes. Things like my favorite pan seared salmon and salmon patties, coconut rice and roasted veggies, tacos and pasta bake and all the things that you don’t ever follow instructions for. These seven meals are the actual recipes I reached for most. Easy Healthy Hamburger Helper is a favorite to whip up in no time, Sausage and Kale Tortellini Bake is a favorite with vegan and gluten-free tortellini, these Black Bean Burgers, Egg Casserole, Overnight Oats I make for O and the kids just about every week, the world’s most Perfect Carnitas which were perfect for a crowd and and for the first year ever, Sourdough.

7 Favorite Things I Created This Year: First and foremost, my very first book. My baby. Left Out: Believing My Story is For His Glory. I didn’t create it this year, of course. I wrote it two years ago and the final manuscript was completed last Spring. But the promo circuit and releasing it out into the world happened this October and I’m forever grateful for it. The following are my favorite of your favorite posts this year:

No. 67: Easy Come, Easy Go | Goal Setting for the Begrudging, the Hesitant, and the Terrified.

No. 69: Your Style Guide is Here--This is What to Wear to Survive Ugly Winter™

No. 71: I Thought I Failed January--Turns Out I Just Failed to Name and Accept my Season.

No. 77: I Wrote a Children's Book for My Younger Self, My Babies and All of Your Babies, Too

No. 84: How Much Do Babies Cost?

No. 95: I Returned to Instagram for a Month After Almost 3 Years Away-It Taught Me More Than I Thought it Would

No. 103: What Happens When Therapy Breaks You Wide Open at 34 Years Old?

7 Most Listened to Podcasts This Year: Listen—six of last year’s list of seven still apply so I’ll try to add a few new ones to the mix but just know I still love the ones I already shared for the past few years— Huberman Lab, Diary of a CEO, The Rewatchables, The Elisabeth Elliot Podcast, Culture Apothecary (selective episodes), the Interior Collective, The Over Under Achievers.

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Now, I need your 7 Gold Star Trophy Winners in the comments. They can be as random or specific as you’d like! I’d especially love to know the favorite thing you read, wore and watched this year.

As always, thank you for joining me this week and every week. These Roundup Posts aren’t life changing or moving in any way, but a good recap usually keeps me excited and inspired for weeks so I hope this has you covered for at least the weekend.