LET'S BE HONEST ABOUT THE BLOG

Can I be super honest with you for a few minutes of your time? Blogging has been tough for me this past year and a half. You want to know why? Let me tell you...

You see, I started out blogging in May 2010 - that's EIGHT YEARS ago - and I absolutely loved and found joy in it. To top it off, I made some money and it made blogging a little more exciting. My following grew and grew and grew...I couldn't believe it! 

Teenaged Girl's Bedroom in Scandinavian Design

It has been several months since we redesigned my teenaged daughter's bedroom for her birthday, but I wanted to share how lovely it turned out. It's difficult to get into her room and photograph these days, as she is now homeschooled and spends an enormous amount of time in her room, and more specifically on her bed! If you've been following me for any time now, you may remember that we re-did her bedroom a few years ago! She is now a full fledge teenager and has very specific design ideas and so for her 14th birthday, I told her we could redecorate her room. It has been FIVE years and she's a lot different at 14 then she was at 9 years old! Here is what her room looked like before:

Spring Cleaning the Easy Way

I've partnered with Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover. 

The Spring Cleaning Tips are all mine!

Spring Cleaning is one of those phrases that I tend to avoid. Well, cleaning is something I tend to avoid but spring cleaning seems sort of like a phrase that everyone is supposed to just do and that's that! If you've ever been in a "spring cleaning" kind of mood, it's your chance to really open your eyes and see your home in a fresh, new way!

I'd also like to note that a wonderful part of spring "cleaning" can and should include spring decluttering! When you start to look around your home, move things to clean behind, or open the blinds you may notice more than just dust and dirt. 

How Decluttering Can Pay Off, Literally!

Lately, I have been hit by the decluttering bug. And by hit, I mean HIT hard. I am pretty good about decluttering, honestly, but about once or twice a year I just start to go a little nuts around the house. Just ask my husband! What I do is I imagine that we are going to be moving across the country! I give myself a deadline - say 2 months - and I start going room by room through every closet, cupboard and shelf! I think about whether I've used the item in the last six months, or even a year. Why am I keeping it? 

Family Room Update: Counter Intuitive

Last week, I share the family room update to our fireplace. Just using paint, it made a huge difference! This week, I did more updating in there. Years ago I painted all the built in cabinetry. The fireplace sits between cabinets built by someone back in the 60s. It's great having them, and I painted them white many years ago. But, the tops of them kept getting chipped up. 

Family Room Update: Fireplace Makeover

Recently, I was looking at my family room and ready to do a few updates in there. We moved into our house over 11 years ago and it was one of the first rooms that I painted. So, I felt like it was time to do something our hideous fireplace. We fixed the fireplace about 6 or 7 years ago so that it could function. This room was turned into a Rumpus Room back in the 1960s, and later enclosed. So, the fireplace had a rotisserie in it - that I've since taken out, of course! 

Getting Organized for Fire Prevention & Giveaway

This is a sponsored post on behalf of First Alert. All opinions are my own.

October is "Fire Prevention" month and I have been preparing for disasters now even more because of how many I have been watching all around our country. I have personally had family effected by the natural disasters and it has made me more aware of how lacking our household is in terms of preparation. 

Mom and Daughter Tiny House Adventure

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a Tiny House? Maybe you are like my daughter and I, watching all the Tiny House shows that are on right now and thinking "how could people possibly live in those?" Well, I definitely wondered how that would feel to live in one of those tiny houses and NOW I can say I have lived in one! Let me share how...

Outdoor Bar Cart Makeover

It mustn't be just me, because I see the bar cart is getting to be quite popular lately - like they were 40 or 50 years ago! I really wanted to find a bar cart, but wanted a vintage one that I could update and make over. We hunted all over the place, looking in thrift store after consignment store after antique store looking for something that would work. I found all kinds of bar carts - metal, plastic, big, small, short, tall. But, I had one in my mind and couldn't get that one out of my head!

THE STORY OF MY ONGOING WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY

About 8 years ago, I lost 40 pounds - I guess it was "baby" weight but I was well passed that stage! I worked really hard, walked daily, used Weight Watchers to help me keep track of every little thing I ate, and felt amazing. 

About 4 or 5 years ago, I began gaining back that weight. I hadn't changed my eating habits much and I was still working out. I was puzzled as to why I began gaining back my weight and started realizing my addiction to sugar and breads and thought that I needed to figure out a way to get that under control. Meanwhile, in the last 5 or 6 years, I have discovered all things natural, clean, organic, and wholesome! Our family now does as much clean living as possible. 

SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE Organizing Clipboards

There are many times that organizing ideas just happen, and this is one of those times! I wanted something to hang up the schedules for each of my kids' activities but I didn't really want it out in the open. I've done file folder and they do fine, but I changed thing around since re-doing my command center recently and wanted to keep those papers close by me in my home office. 

AMAZING Wall Treatment and Command Center Update

This post is sponsored by the Formica® Corporation. All opinions are my own.

Last time I shared with you how I was getting that organizing itch again! Remember that? Well, I've been doing a LOT of fun projects in our home because I just love organizing and decorating! Our command center area had been working well for a while, but then it stopped really working and we needed to update it! I have the big reveal of what we did - and it's AMAZING!

Updated Master Bedroom Wallpaper

I was given products from Sherwin-Williams and Walls Republic to complete this project! 

It's the season of projects for me now, at least I've got that drive to get lots done right now. I doubt I'll ever be done with projects around my house and something will always need updating, but I just love doing new things and having projects to do! Our master bedroom hadn't been painted in nearly 8 or 9 years - and that's a long time for me. Add to that, I wanted something to sort of pop in there and make it change. I updated our bedroom a few years ago but wanted something more. It looked nice, but it really needed new paint since the walls had faded a lot. 

I decided that I would take my wallpaper obsession to another level and again get some wallpaper up behind the bed. I had previously had a darker blue-ish paint color and wanted to update with gray. I also had put these decals on behind our bed and they were starting to pop off! 

The Bee's Knees!

Wouldn't you love to get some FREE summer skincare essentials? Skincare products that you don't have to worry about all that harmful and "who knows what's in it" products? Well, I have an amazing offer for you, so check it out!

New York City - Organized!

We had such an amazing month of May and had the privilege to travel quite a bit, including a trip to New York City! I have always wanted to go there - I'm a true city girl and love to visit the hustle and bustle of cities like that. My husband has a particular conference that I travel with him each year where the location changes each year, too. This year it was in New York City - so I was very excited to get an opportunity to see NYC. The best part, now that my daughter is homeschooling online, is that she got to go with us! We got to see SO much of NYC and do so much! But, I wanted to share some tips that we used to keep organized and see as much of NYC as you can while visiting, for your future trip!