It's been a while since we've done a Friday Faves! Here are a few things I've been loving lately, from a new rug, to my favorite morning drink, to an email subscription I enjoy, to homemade bread!

If you have signed up for our monthly email newsletter (sign up here!), you already learned that we are finishing our basement! We have been suffering from a severe case of cabin fever this winter. The long winter with a toddler is another level of stir crazy! We have been eager for a change of scenery; more places to crawl and play. When we built this house, we intentionally did not finish the basement and had plans to finish it in a couple of years. 

Our annual winter cabin visit was just as cozy as last year's. Funny enough, winter is definitely the "slow season" on Lookout Mountain. The area is very active in the fall, summer, and spring. The winter, however, does not draw in as many visitors which always shocks me as it is my favorite time of year to visit! Perhaps it's because we are coming from Michigan rather than the Southeast (where most of the travelers in the area reside). Winter on the mountain consists of crisp mornings, temperate (50s-60s) afternoons, and beautiful early sunsets (we love that we could catch them just before it's time to put Brooks to bed!)

The San Jose flip (also known as the EGR flip) is coming along! We just got the cabinets installed. Soon, the quartz counters will be installed followed by the kitchen backsplash! We also have an exterior door and a couple of sconces to replace and some paint touch up to tackle. And finally, after staging and styling, our darling home on San Jose will be on the market! 

This being our 7th house, we put a lot of thought into every detail of the build! We have learned a lot about practical design after living with 7 different kitchens, laundry rooms, etc. We absolutely love our new home and how it turned out, but even house #7 isn't perfect! Here are some things I wish I would have done differently after living here for a few months! 

We recently returned home from our second time snowbirding in 30a! We stayed for one month (spending one of the those weeks at the cabin in GA). We cherished each day down South as a family. Brooks absolutely LOVED playing in the sand. Each time we went to the beach, he would squirm in my arms the minute we crossed the walkover and could see the sand, eager to get down and play! He could play on the beach for hours. I'm pretty sure he crawled several miles during this trip!

Ty here. My favorite annual post (and only consistent contribution to the blogosphere other than editing) has become somewhat of a fan favorite...yes, I am looking at all 11 of you who have told me you look forward to this post each year. Post Brooks, I did not think we'd be able to make it to as many coffee shops, but we surprised ourselves. With Hannah's new role, there was much more travel and plenty of opportunities for new additions to the list! This year, we tried 45 new coffee shops. As always, any shop on this list must be a new addition to our repertoire; we try to avoid repeats! And with that, here we go...