Hi there, Guys! I’m popping in with a free Valentine’s Day printable that I made last night, and I think the little people in your lives will love them! And I’m pretty sure that they’ll make all of you happy too, because they’re incredibly quick to put together, and best of all, they’re cheap!

I hope your Tuesday is going well. It seems so strange that today’s Tuesday! The girls had Friday, as well as yesterday off, because of the two snowstorms that hit here in Massachusetts over the last few days, and I’m just all out of sorts. It was pretty nice to have a four day weekend though. Who can complain about that? [Read more…]

Hi Everyone! I’ve gotten the smaller details of our kitchen renovation finalized and I thought I’d take a few minutes to share them with you today! I also wanted to talk a little bit about how to shop with purpose and create a space you love.

But first, guess what? We had a snow day today! The winter’s been really mild here this winter in comparison to last year, and today was the kids very first snow day. We started the morning off with a family favorite – crepes! …and spent most of the day in our pj’s. I love quiet, uneventful days like today. We didn’t get anything measurable accomplished, but it was so nice to just hang out and hunker down together.

But, on to the kitchen. The countertops were installed this week, and I LOVE them, they’re sleek and modern, something similar you’d expect to find if you were to search into Granco Granite or likewise companies for new kitchen upgrades. It’s amazing how much they brighten up the kitchen! We also had a company who can fix appliances out to have a look at the oven, as we were sure there was something wrong with it, but thats all fixed now! We’re still waiting on the backsplash tile, unfortunately, but it looks like it will be arriving next week! I’m so excited for this space to come together, you guys. Remember how I mentioned that I wanted to install some roman shades to soften everything a bit, and add some color and pattern to the space? Well, I decided on what we’re going with!

Here’s what I’m thinking:

‘Number 4’ up there is the fabric that I plan to use for the shades. Isn’t it pretty? I love how soothing the colors are, and it has just the right amount of subtle pattern.

Don’t worry. I’m going to share all of the sources for this, but before I do, I wanted to let you all in on a little ‘trick’ that designers use to get you a space you love, even if you can’t afford to fully realize it right away. [Read more…]

Happy Tuesday, Guys! Ayla and I had a little time to kill this morning, so I decided to make one of our favorite, healthy (ish) gluten-free banana bread recipes with her today. I know so many of us are health-conscious nowadays, we want to put the best we can in our bodies from healthy food to health supplements from sources like Unify Health Labs, we are doing our best. That doesn’t mean that we have to skip out on some indulgence, not if we know how to have it support our bodies. So read on for a healthy (ish) take on banana bread.

I say healthy-ish, because how healthy can banana bread actually be? But this recipe makes two big loaves, only has 3/4 cup of sugar in it, is easy on your tummy because it’s gluten free, and only calls for 1/3 cup of oil for the entire recipe. Not bad for the amount of banana bread it makes, if you ask me! [Read more…]

Hi there! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend – and your Monday! We managed to make a little headway on our kitchen renovation this weekend. We installed the hardware and the pendants, and I’m really happy to have that done. The countertops were templated last week, which means that we’ll be getting the call to set up our install appointment any day! Yay! Things are moving along, not quite as fast as I wish they would, but we’re making progress 🙂 In the meantime, I thought I’d show you all some of what we’ve done so far, along with my plans for the new and improved kitchen! If you are now feeling inspired to update your kitchen, just be aware that it is a huge commitment. There is so much that you can do to your kitchen, for example, there are things like water filters that you can install in your sinks to help get clean water. If this is something that you are thinking of doing then you should Read this best under sink water filter article before purchasing. Make sure you know exactly what you want before you start making any changes. The best way to get the kitchen that you want is to plan. Sit down and spend a couple of hours thinking about what you need. You might need to buy a brass square bar to work the material into decorations for your kitchen. All these elements must be thought through, learning from professionals can help you plan out your kitchen more effectively. Because it’s not just the way that the kitchen looks but also how practical it is for your use. If you are unsure about what you could get for your kitchen, then you could always check out something like these nuwave brio reviews to give you a better idea of what you can get for your kitchen.

But before we get into all of that, I wanted to share something with you. As I was mentally ‘writing’ this earlier, my mind kept wandering back to a photo that I saw years ago that really resonated with me, and I knew that I wanted to make it part of this post. Awhile back, someone I’m friends with on Facebook posted a photo of a woman cooking over a fire in a kitchen with a dirt floor.

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This isn’t the exact photo, but it’s similar. And it was captioned with something like, “May I never forget that this is the kitchen she cooks in everyday.”

We’re so fortunate to have what we have in this country, and I think it’s important to keep that in perspective and not get lost in all of the glitter. My ‘gift’ with decorating has, in a way, always been a struggle for me. For a long time, I felt like the thing I did best in life was inconsequential and materialistic, and I hated that thought.

I’m not a materialistic person, and I didn’t want to be perceived as one. Creating, decorating, designing. All of these things have always just been an outlet, a sort of therapy for me. And I love knowing that I helped to create a space that brings people comfort and a bit of joy. I said this to a friend one day, and she said something that changed my outlook.

She said, “Hey, God’s a designer too. He clearly loves beauty, and He’s not materialistic!” I’m not sure why, but that thought somehow helped me to reconcile the way I’d been feeling.

But anyway, this isn’t meant to be a heavy post! And I most definitely do not want to make anyone feel bad about creating lovely and comfortable homes. That’s what I do, afterall!

I think that creating a space that’s warm and welcoming is a gift that we give to our families and to all of the friends and loved ones that we welcome into our homes.

But I also like to try and remember that while beautiful, functional spaces are fabulous (and I’m so thankful to have the chance to change mine up a bit, and work in a field that I love), the things that are most important in life, aren’t things. And my mission everyday is to try my best to never lose touch, or forget to approach everything I do with gratitude ?

So anyway, on that note, I’d like to dive in to some of the kitchen progress we’ve made, show you some of the spaces that have inspired me, and share a few ideas that I’d like to incorporate into our updated kitchen with all of you! Let’s get started!

Here’s a couple of photos of what went on this weekend.

A pretty sconce is hung above our sink now… No need for my husband to hold it in place as I take pictures anymore! 😉

Which reminds me, if, like us, you are in the process of a kitchen renovation project and are thinking of investing in a farmhouse sink, then you must take a look at this useful guide from Annie & Oak: www.annieandoak.com/blogs/design-style/farmhouse-sink-materials-an-in-depth-look-pros-and-cons. Finding a style that you like best is so important if you want to give your kitchen a unique finish.

The cabinet hardware is installed… [Read more…]

Hi there, Everyone!

I’m popping in today to show you how to make your own chalkboard door! They’re simple to make, and wayyyy cheaper than ordering a custom door from the hardware store.

But first, how’s your week been going? Hopefully well! Things are good here. Super busy and crazy, as usual, but good all the same! I feel like we’re juggling 192 things at the moment though. The kitchen is installed and functioning, which is AMAZING considering it was completely void of cabinets and appliances last week. [Read more…]

Happy New Year, Guys! I hope you celebrated the holiday in style… Or on the couch in your pjs, which is my favorite way to party these days! 😉 We were busily chipping away on our kitchen reno on New Year’s Eve this year. I’ve been wanting (and trying!!!) to get this post up for almost a week now, but I’ve been having a serious technical problem with my site. If you were here visiting the last couple of days and witnessed the huge mess – sorry! If you weren’t – good! All you missed was the website looking like a crazy person put it together. It’s mostly fixed now, and hopefully it’ll be completely back to normal in the next couple of days.

Anyway, the kitchen. Those of you who follow along on Instagram and have seen a photo or two of my kitchen might be asking yourself, “why the heck is this woman redoing her kitchen?! It looked perfectly fine!” And you’re absolutely right. It looked fine. From a distance.

Here’s our old kitchen all cleaned up, but very unstyled. I snapped these photos a couple of days before we started packing everything up so we could start dismantling. [Read more…]

Hi there! I have a really pretty tablescape that I put together to share with you today!  But first, can you believe Christmas is a week away?  I can’t!  These last two months have flown by so fast – it’s incredible.  I still have a few loose ends to tie up and a couple more stocking stuffers to buy, which means I may end up being one of those crazy people at the stores this weekend.  That’s ok though.  I’ll get myself a latte and make the best of it 🙂  Coffee makes everything better.  Right?

I decided that since Christmas is a week away and I still hadn’t set that pretty table that I talked about in my Winter Bucket List post, today was the day. [Read more…]

Hi Guys! I hope you’re having a great week! I found the most amazing recipe for cranberry pound cake, and I’m really excited to share it with you today! Last weekend, my husband and I went through the drive-thru at Starbucks with the cuties, and they saw that delicious looking picture of the cranberry bliss bars that Starbucks rolls out at Christmastime each year.

I’m not sure whether or not I’ve mentioned that we’re a gluten free family on the blog before, but we are! I won’t get into the details, but the girls and I are all super sensitive to gluten and we have a much happier and healthier life now that we’ve kicked it to the curb :). We also have to be careful not to eat too much cake as everyone knows the effect sugar can have on your teeth, but there’s always this Dentist Louisville to help us keep on top of that.

So anyway, Jenna saw the cranberry bliss bars, and commented on how yummy they looked, and that she wished she could try one… She was a bit sad, and I wasn’t going to have that – especially at this time of year!

I remembered a recipe for cranberry pound cake that I pinned on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago, and promised to try and rework it to be gluten free this week. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best today, because I have most definitely been fooled by amazing looking Pinterest recipes with gorgeous photos that don’t quite pan out. Well, this cake is not one of those recipes. Is it a cranberry bliss bar? No. But it is topped with white chocolate drizzle and a smattering of dried cranberries like the bliss bars are, and trust me, no one was complaining when they ate it today. [Read more…]

Hi Guys!  I hope your Friday is going well!  I’m just popping in with a really quick and inexpensive advent calendar idea today.  Isn’t it cute?! And it’s so simple, I’m telling you.  My girls have a half day today, and we’re going to spend it baking!  Yay! We’re all pretty excited about it.  But anyway, one of my instagram friends tagged me to play along with a new hashtag called the #15and15project this week.  You finish a project in 15 minutes for $15, and then share it on instagram.  It’s just starting out, but I’m so excited to see all of the inspiration it’s going to bring together.  I have to say that this project will end up costing a bit more than $15 if you need to go out and buy everything…

Somewhere around $30, but if you consider how much really cute advent calendars cost, that’s really not all that bad!  Plus, it’s really simple, really quick, and super fun to put together. LOVE projects like that.  I’ve had the majority of this stuff sitting in my craft box for years, so I’m considering it to be almost free for me! 🙂 [Read more…]

Hi Friends! How’s your week been going? It was kind of cold and dreary here today, but guess what? It’s super cozy in my living room! I’m so excited to share what I’ve been up to for Christmas this year, along with some tips for getting decked out on a budget today!

Ayla’s sitting at my feet right now coloring a picture, and Jenna and Aubrey are intermittently playing/sulking in the kitchen. They’re slightly upset because we forgot about what would have been their first field hockey practice today. Ugh. Major parenting fail moment. Ironically, just before we figured out that we’d missed it, my husband and I were having a little ‘meeting,’ trying to make plans for tomorrow and talking over how crazy busy things have been, but how we’ve somehow been managing to juggle it all. [Read more…]