Look, I’m not above admitting when I’ve made a design mistake. But this week was a doozie. Since we first looked at our new house I knew I wanted to make some changes in the laundry room to make it more functional. It was too dark, the doors open in weird ways, there’s nowhere to put your laundry baskets… it needs help. The first step (lighting!), started out to be a big design fail, but ended up to be a major win. Today I’m sharing that fun little project, along with the rest of my plans for our Farmhouse laundry room makeover.
The One That Got Away…
You know… I talk a really big game about how we move from one house to another without the inconvenience of the emotional ties that most people feel with their homes. But, the truth is I was not always this way. I’ve had my heart broken. And it all came rushing back to me this week when I saw pictures of the one that got away… the last place that really felt like home.
Tips to Make Moving Easier
Oh boy. Where to begin? Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and (for us) Happy New House! We survived the move… barely. BUT, we are all still alive, and all of our stuff (SO MUCH) made it from the old house to the new one. I call it a win. I can’t wait to catch you guys up on all of the insanity that the last six weeks have been and show you all that we’ve accomplished in the house so far. I’d like to jump right to the pretties (the floorrrr!!!, the fireplaaaaace!!!), but to really appreciate it all, I will start with how we moved an entire 2700 square foot house on a tiny time frame, with three giant moving trucks, two pick up trucks, a handful of the BEST friends, and one tyrant toddler. It won’t be pretty, but it can be done, so here are my best tips to make moving easier. Get your back brace!VIEW POST
FLOATING: Sensory Deprivation Therapy {Project Get Happy}
Hi bloggy friends! Sorry if I scared you by taking a blog break after my nervous breakdown post! We’ve been really busy. If you’re new here, I’m pregnant, I’m a mess, it’s the holidays, and we’re moving. This Friday. After I wrote that last spill-my-guts post, some really great things have happened. First and foremost, so many of you shared with me that you feel or have felt the exact same way that I do. It means so much to me to know that we’re in this thing together, so thank you! Also, I’ve started making some changes to work on my own happiness, and so far the results have been… interesting. And good. Today I’m going to tell you about my experience “Floating” this past Saturday! Up until about two weeks ago I had never heard of Floating or Sensory Deprivation Therapy, but it’s really interesting and pretty cool. It involves a dark pod, warm salty water, your brain, and well… floating. Today I’m sharing my experience at the newly opened H2Om FLOAT here in Jacksonville!
What Makes You Happy? No, Really.
On Thanksgiving we announced to the social media world that I am pregnant with our second babe. I’m so relieved to finally be able to talk about it here on the blog. I’m certain that I’m not the only woman out there who starts growing a human and consequently begins to reevaluate ummmm, basically life as we know it. I look at my daughter when I’m rocking her to sleep at night and think, “she deserves better.” I go to work and I think, “this is not my dream.” I recall my interactions with the people I love on a daily basis and think, “this is not who I want to be.” Pretty heavy, right? I’m not saying I’m a terrible, miserable person (all the time), but I could do better and I know that. All of this recent reflection has led me to one conclusion… I need to know what makes me happy and then go for it. If someone asked you the question “what makes you happy?” What would your answer be?VIEW POST
The Best Paint Colors for a Toddler Girl’s Room
Hey guys! I’ve been M.I.A. lately, have you missed me? For some reason last week, what with the election and the subsequent meltdown of half of our country, it just didn’t seem like a good time to be all “OMG y’all! Crisis with the paint colorsssss!” So I took a lil break from blogging. Also, there has been some major drama with the contract and the buyers for our house, wherein our deal was as fragile as a millenial’s tender heart and very close to falling through. Thankfully I think it’s all resolved now, so I’m proceeding on in a state of blissfully ignorant optimism and making plans for the rest of our renovation of the new house. Which, of course, leads me to the next blatant vote solicitation on the best paint colors for a toddler girl’s room.
Car Seat Safety 101 {& Big Mistakes We’ve All Made}
People. This was not a post that I planned on writing, but over the last few days I’ve seen so many pictures on social media, both Halloween and voting selfies, that have shown kids improperly strapped in car seats that I think I’m about to lose my mind. We’ve become so detrimentally PC that we are afraid to say anything to anyone at any time that may be perceived as “interfering”, but this is far too important to just keep your mouth shut. When it comes to keeping people that I love safe, I will get all up in your business in half a hot minute. End of story. So on that note, here is a quick Car Seat Safety 101 lesson for those of you that have a kid, know people with kids, or have ever seen a kid in your life. VIEW POST
The Perfect Grey Wood Floor Stain
We are t-minus thirty days until the move and are working away on the list of to-dos for the new house. As we work on this list I’m realizing that the alternate title for this post should be “And This is How Things Snowball.” Right now we are walking the line between sticking to our budget and “aw forget it, let’s just get it done before we move in.” So here is our list of priorities, as well as our list of would-really-like-to-haves, AND our desperate plea for a vote in our search for the perfect grey wood floor stain. Let’s get this reno party started people!
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How to Survive the First Year of Parenthood {Stuff for Baby’s First Year}
Welcome to the second installment of JSH Baby Time! In the first post I talked about some tricks to make pregnancy survivable, and now we’re going to talk about how to survive the first year of parenthood, a.k.a. Stuff for Baby’s First Year. I must tell you though, no amount of lists, planning, thinking, prepping, reading, washing, organizing, or car seat installing can honestly prepare you for becoming a parent. There’s no checklist that can make the full gravity of leaving the hospital with seven pounds of brand new human life that is completely dependent upon you any less terrifying. So, if you’re looking for that post, this ain’t it. This is, however, a list of the top things that I wish I’d known much earlier in my foray into motherhood, so here ya go… a list of sixteen things to help you Survive the First Year of Parenthood, also known as Stuff for Baby’s First Year!
Fall Home Tour: Pumpkins, Palms & Pushpins
TODAY IS THE DAY! I’m so excited to finally reveal all of the fun fall home tour projects that I’ve been working on for the last few weeks! It’s been a while since I’ve really gotten into decorating for a season, and I’d forgotten how much I love it. It really is like therapy for me. 98.9% of the time my brain is in overdrive… Mommy thoughts, work stuff, bills, blah blah blah. When I got into decorating for this fall home tour I completely zoned out. Finding the perfect combination of textures, color, and scale, and then arranging all of it is like my ultimate anti-anxiety prescription. In fact, when I finished all of this stuff, I think I was buzzed. So without further ado…VIEW POST