Have A Little Faith in We

We are all about Fall in the Blogosphere aren’t we?? Pumpkin everything, the pretty pictures, back to school posts, boots, scarves….. that is truly one of my favorite things of all about the blogging community: celebrating the simple things in life, a change of seasons!  So speaking of the little things – for me, it is not fall without school supplies – and silly rabbit, they aren’t just for kids!

Growing up one of my FAVORITES was getting new school supplies! New fresh notebooks, crisp new folders, fresh new pencils – LOVE! In high school when I was elected to my student council board with one of my besties (Love my Libby!!) – we were given permission to get some new tools from Staples….. o yes we went crazy! Have you seen that commercial where “its the most wonderful time of the year” is playing and the parents are shopping for school supplies dancing their way down the aisles while the kids shuffling behind them…. in this moment, we were the ones dancing down the aisle!!

So with the fall air all around me – I wanted to share my current favorite “school” supplies with you!

1. Erin Condren Planner. This planner was on a wish list for quite sometime and this past year while I really kicked up my contract business, got cracking on a new job, and made plans for the blog my husband gave into this purchase. I love this planner, I love the company, and I love personalization – but it is more expensive than what I had been using in the past. So owning my very own personalized planner is a treat!!

My favorite part: it is personalized. My planners from 2005 (the one that contains my first date with Danny) are kept with me as sort of memory books – so to have a planner that actually displays my memories is awesome. Everyday life is lived through these pages and I love a good planner to both capture life and keep it organized.

In an ideal world I would work for myself and have a planner that would need hours 6am-11pm to account for – but at this stage in life that is not my world. The meat of my days is at the office and I have other calendar tools there – so this morning, day, night layout is perfect for reminders (birthdays, holidays, etc.), errands, reminders, and personal to dos!  It travels with me ALL OVER THE PLACE and has held up nicely – as well as offering pockets and extra pages to catch my ideas and keep my necessary stack of post its handy. If you are curious peruse the site – there are even videos for how the planner looks.

2. My Arc System notebooks. These puppies allow you to create the exact notebook you need. I have one for my personal life, my blog, my office – and they are awesome. You add pages, dividers, tabs, documents you want to keep as you go! And when you need a total revamp – EVERYTHING can come out and you start over again.

To help with my perfect notebook creations I purchased the special arc hole punch. Another more costly investment, but I LOVE it and it helps to solve that loose paper issue. Staples has their own line (with some pretty awesome page inserts – blank pages,meeting pages, calendar pages) and Martha Stewart has a line of her own at Staples. I have used and LOVED them all.

3. Fitness Happens. Yup – my health continues to be a journey – but this fall it has really taken a turn for the serious. Partly cause I am 30, partly cause I want to feel and look better, partly cause of some medical needs – all the part-lies have translated to one thing, the need for a serious focus has to be made a priority. And how do I make things a priority? I get organized and buy school supplies.

This particular book I stumbled across in Target and have LOVED it. The pages encourage you to really dig deep and look for the inspiration and benefits of being healthy – while also encouraging you to love your life and body just as it is today. This is the EXACT coaching I need and have loved it.

4. Evernote. I love Evernote – not as much as I love my paper and pen – but I really do love what it brings to my life: a way to have ALLLLLL my thoughts with me at all times and not have to carry too many extra bags. When I am going somewhere – from a run for coffee to all day out of the house – I travel with luggage. I never ever ever leave the house without a few of my to dos, and the notebooks/books/supplies needed to do them. My name is Jackie and I am 30 years old and my purse has a pencil case in it. Yea I am a little crazy…… but it helps me to feel like I am getting the most out of my days. No matter where life takes me I have the ability to be productive.

Well Evernote has truly revolutionized that for me. At any given moment via my phone, my lap top at home, my office computer, I can login to see my notes or to dos or lists from any aspect of my life. There are SO MANY tools out there for learning to use Evernote and in the past I have shared a few of my favorites, however that is probably only the tip of the iceberg. So I am no expert, but if you are looking to really get organized and streamline, check out Evernote.

5. L.L. Bean Boat Bags. Ahhh yes – when I am not being efficient with my technology solutions and instead want to revert to my safe place of being surrounded by my supplies- you will most likely find them in a monogramed or personalized L.L. Bean Boat Bag. Since college these have been my go to and I have actually convinced my husband that a new trip can translate to the need for a  new, different color bag. And before you even ask – why yes, yes Quinlan does have a monogram L.L. Bean bag and he knows which is his!

These bags are durable, great catch alls, feels feminine, but your husband does not mind using them – the perfect book bag!!

So there you have it – a few of my favorite things! New school supplies are not just for kids and I encourage anyone who is looking for a new lease on life, perhaps want their creative juices to flow a little better- get a new notebook or pretty pen and watch the magic happen!