*affiliate links used

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had a nice holiday break and survived this week getting back in a routine!  We had a great Christmas and really enjoyed the time off.  It was the first time ever that we haven’t traveled right after Christmas and I was a little worried that we might all go crazy with boredom but I have to say.. it was really nice!  I guess we’re getting used to a slower pace, enjoying the outdoors and just staying home more.  Goodness knows we’ve all had plenty of practice with it over the last year. ;)  I took this pic on Christmas Eve.  Kole is 10 and right at that “suspicious” stage when it comes to Santa but just to be safe he left a last minute note in case Santa didn’t know what he wanted.  “All I want for Christmas is headphones (sorry I was kinda rushed).  Love,  Kole.  PS  thanks for coming.”  Ha ha.. I laughed when I saw it.  The girls helped him get the plate ready for Santa and then he wrote that quick when they had already gone upstairs and were waiting for him to start a movie.  Hence the “sorry I was kinda rushed” explanation at why he wasn’t writing a more thoughtful letter.  I love kids. :)

Santa remembered his headphones.  And also threw in some hot wheel race tracks.  I snapped these pics quick a few days after Christmas.  Kole is so close to outgrowing toys like this, but I’m in the business of keeping my kids young as long as possible so if he’s willing to still spend some time each day with cars I’m going to help make that happen.  Especially while we are spending so much time at home.  Santa also left a note with the headphones about sensible iPad time monitored by his parents which Kole wasn’t as excited about.  Ha.  Thanks Santa.  We owe you one.

I noticed after I snapped these that I caught the “Stay-At-Home Order Update” on the news.  These pictures will definitely mark a year to remember!

{Theatre Room details and sources HERE}

I have been busy getting my Christmas put away and my house clean and back in order.  You all know I put up a crazy amount of holiday decor each year so it’s always a good time taking it all down.  Ha.  It’s so much work, but I do have a system that makes it easier.  I put my 3 kids to work helping me bring everything upstairs to our theatre room.  Then I sort, purge, categorize and organize everything and put it all away in my attic.  I snapped this pic after I had finally put everything away other than my holiday throws and pillows.   Felt so good to see the floor in this room again! ;)

And yes.  I recognize that this is an unhealthy amount of Christmas pillows to own.  But I give myself a pass because Christmas decor brings me joy like nothing else!  Plus I share decor for a living.  So while my motto is usually less is more, I allow myself a few exceptions. ;)

In the past I’ve stored my holiday pillows and throws in black garbage bags but I wanted a better system.  I searched on-line and finally decided to give these Jumbo Storage bags a try.  They came in the mail yesterday and I’m in love!  So perfect for pillows.  I have 6 smaller pillows in this bag (4 stacked in the back and then 2 in the front).

Or I can fit 4 of my large pillows.  (2 stacked with one on the side and one long lumbar pillow in the front.)   Some of my favorite Christmas pillows are more than half off by the way!  I know.. not as fun to buy holiday decor at the end of the holiday when it’s time to clean up, but definitely when you can score the best deals.

{storage bags/souk wool rug/roll arm sectional/arc floor lamp}

I’m so excited about these storage bags!  (I got the largest jumbo size.)  They stack on top of each other nicely and have handles on the sides so they are easy to lift and carry.  But the best part is that I can see what’s inside of them!  So much better than the garbage bags I was using.  I never knew what I was pulling out of my attic until I had pulled the sack out and emptied it.  These 4 bags are holding all of my Christmas pillows and then I ordered one more (they come in a set of 2) for my throws.  These would also work great for storing comforters or other large blankets.  If you are short on space my recommendation for pillows is to re-use the same inserts over and over and store the pillow covers folded nicely in a drawer or bin.  That’s what I did in my previous home with limited storage.

This door off of our theatre room leads to our attic.  Our theatre room and this attic weren’t in our original house plans when we designed the house.  We had extra space over our garage and when our architect told us it would be easy and inexpensive to add an extra room and an attic space for storage we jumped on it!

I’m very glad we did because this little inside storage space has come in so handy.  It was supposed to be an unfinished attic, but I decided to add drywall and paint and cheap carpet and I’m so grateful for it now.  This is where all of my holiday decor lives and I feel like I live in this space from about September through January.  Ha.  I always get asked how I store my Christmas trees.  I just keep them in their original boxes!  I know it’s hard to smash them back in, but I’ve found that’s the easiest way for me to store them.  I can stack the boxes on top of each other and fit quite a few in a small space.  I keep them at the back of my attic (behind and to the side of our outdoor reindeer).

Addison was a huge help with the trees this year.  She was just the right size to sit and smush!  Ha.

I use a lot of clear storage bins and ornament bins.  They are hard to see in this picture because they are tucked in the back.  Trees and reindeer I just store out in the open on the right side of my attic.  Things don’t get very dusty in this space because of the carpet so I don’t feel like I need to cover them.

On the right side where my attic ceiling slopes I lay all of my garland.  I just stack it carefully!  The brown trunk holds stockings and tree skirts.  I’ve also been asked how I organize my bins and if I organize them by rooms.  I don’t because every year I decorate my rooms differently so I organize them in themes.  All of my snowflakes are in a bin, small reindeer, gold stars, small wreaths, greenery, pink ball ornaments, silver ball ornaments, etc.

On the left side of my attic I have all of my Fall decor.  Just a few clear bins with wreaths/swags on top.  Then all of my faux flowers for Spring!  I store them upright in vases and baskets.

I stack art and signs along the inside wall.  4th of July decor lives here too!

Half of the attic is Christmas and then the other half is everything else.  Christmas decor makes me happy.  Did I mention that already?  So does organization.  So organized Christmas decor?

I’m here for it.

:)

Below are some of my personal favorites and a few other great solutions for organizing/storing holiday decor.  Happy 2021 everyone!  I’m so happy you’re here.  We’re going to have fun together this year. :)

1 –  Holiday Plate Box  2 – Christmas Wreath Bag  3 – Storage Bags

4 – Ornament Storage Box  5 – Clear Plastic Container w/ lid  6 – Clear Storage Box (6 pack)

7 – Christmas Tree Storage Bag  8 – Underbed Ornament Storage Box  9 – Gift Wrap Organizer

*This post is sponsored by Walmart. All product selections and opinions are my own!

{Wellness Gifts & Decor}

Talking self care today!  If ever there was a year for it, right!?  I remember reading once that self care isn’t just taking care of your health.  Self care is doing something that you truly enjoy.  Something that fills you up and brings you happiness or peace.  Something that centers you and makes you feel like a better version of yourself, which then helps you take better care of the people you love.  That has always stuck with me!

I really struggled as a young mom when my girls were little.  I missed my career as a teacher, I had no help (my family wasn’t close), I hadn’t made many friends in our area and my husband worked pretty much 24/7.  I learned a lot about myself during those difficult years and about what self care meant for me.  I learned small things that I could do each day or week to help me not just survive but thrive in my new role as a stay at home mom.  Even though motherhood in general is easier for me now and my life looks very different today than it did 12 years ago, there are still difficult days and the self care routines I worked on establishing then still save me today!  It was during those difficult years that I started my little family blog.  A place where I could share things that brought me joy (my form of self care!) – decorating, organizing, fashion and family.  A place for all things “sunny” because frankly I needed to cheer myself up daily.  Guess what?  It worked. ;)  12 years later this blog and everything I pour into it still brings me immense happiness and is my #1 form of self care.

Another form of self care for me is getting some exercise outside.  I don’t have to even work up a sweat, but this year especially I’ve tried to get outside (even for just a 30 minute walk/hike) every single day.  It makes a HUGE difference in my overall mood and sanity.

I’m a bath person!  If you’ve been with me for a while you know this already.  Many people have tubs that sit unused most/all of the time.  That is not the case at my house!  I LOVE taking long, hot bubble baths.  I wish I had time for one every night!  Nothing relaxes me like a bubble bath does.

Years ago I started a little weekly routine of taking a bubble bath every Friday night and I still do it!  I rarely miss my Friday night bath and have even scheduled things around it.  That’s how much I look forward to it!  Now that it’s cold I love going on a walk or hike Friday evening and then coming home to take my bath when it’s dark outside.  I’m always freezing from being outside and it feels so good to soak in hot water!  I dim the lights and light my candles and Kenny always shakes his head and thinks it’s so funny.  He teases me about my candles and my little routine and he can’t believe that I can sit in such hot water (I make my water HOT.. love it that way!).  But after he gives me a hard time (his routine!) he leaves me alone and makes sure the kids don’t bother me for 30 minutes.  That’s all I ask!  Leave me alone in my tub for 30 minutes every Friday night.  Moms need to squeeze in self care whenever possible, right!?

*Funny sidenote.. I had a clawfoot tub picked out for this space when we were building (love the look of them!) and then I tried laying in one at the store and it just wasn’t comfortable.  (Yes I actually laid in tubs to try them out.. important decision!  Ha.)  When I laid in this tub I knew right away it was perfect!  My dream tub was delivered early so I had it sitting in my garage in my previous house for months.  Sometimes when I was having a long day and the kids were acting crazy I’d sneak into the garage and hide in it.  Seriously!  Once or twice with a bowl of ice cream.  Since the day I bought this tub it has been a major form of self care for me.

;)

I recently bought this beautiful Acacia wood serving tray and it’s perfect to hold my candles!  Walmart has so many fun bath/spa essentials.

{dove bath salt/dr. teal’s epsom salt/dr. teal’s lavender epsom salt}

I always soak in bubbles and some type of bath salt.  These are three options I love and rotate often.  (Obviously I’m a fan of lavender.) :)

{anchor hocking glass storage jar/smaller glass storage jar}

I’ve been keeping my bath salt in simple glass jars on my tub shelves.  Easy access!  I designed the small drawers below these shelves to hold all of my bath essentials –  bubble bath, candles, wash cloths, etc, but I love also having most of those things set out around my tub so that my cozy setting is ready to go the second I am!

I’ve also been using this set of twisted lattice baskets and couldn’t love them more!  Seriously beautiful baskets for such a great price!  I was thrilled when these showed up on my doorstep and I saw them in person.  I also love this set of herringbone baskets, but decided to order the lattice baskets because they are so unique (love the round shape) and perfect to hold bath towels.

I picked up these diamond drop bath towels and the matching hand towels too.  We’ve had this similar set of towels in our bathroom for over a year now and they are still favorites so I have been looking for another good BHG set.  Love the grey criss cross pattern on these!

The smaller basket fits perfectly in the corner of my tub and I added this beautiful Acacia bowl to hold washcloths and soap.

The best part about this little self care routine?

Is how magical it feels at night!  I added some simple string lights around my window for the holidays and don’t plan on taking them down anytime soon!

{small apothecary jar/dove lavender salt/acacia wood tray}

It’s such a cozy space with my candles going!

Self care: doing something that you truly enjoy.  Something that fills you up and brings you happiness or peace.  Something that centers you and makes you feel like a better version of yourself, which then helps you take better care of the people you love.

Done and done. :)

This year has been a difficult year for everyone in one way or another.  It’s so important to help others, but we can’t really help others and be there for our families when we aren’t in a good place ourselves.  I’ve learned this lesson over and over throughout my adult years!  As difficult as it can be to make time for self care, I promise that it’s worth it!  You will 100% be a better mom, spouse, sister, friend, daughter, etc.  Put yourself on your calendar.  Find whatever it is that fills you up (it’s different for everyone!) and do more of it.

My wish for you all in 2021! :)

If you need some last minute gifts (or you want to kick off your own self care routine for the new year) below are some of my favorites!

{POST SOURCES}

*affiliate links used

Happy Monday!  Fun and busy week ahead! :)  So I’ve only shared about half of my Christmas decor.. ha.  I seriously had the best intentions of getting everything decorated and photographed early and the “decorated” early part happened but all of a sudden it’s almost Christmas and the photographed part is another story!  I think we’ll all live.. I mean – there’s always next year. ;)  And I’ll be sharing more decor when I have time this week, but really – didn’t Christmas week sneak up quickly!?  It always does!

{woven ottomans/red merry pillow/home pillow}

Here’s what my shiplap display wall is looking like at the moment!  I added garland (attached it like I did in my kitchen) and put up our beloved Santa pics we’ve had taken through the years.  I made them in the shape of a Christmas tree like I did last year and then when the amount of pictures didn’t work out perfectly I added a star ornament to the top to improvise.  Same stars I used for my family room tree.  I just attached it to the wreath!  A simple solution that added some 3D sparkle. :)

These Santa pictures are so special to me!  They show my kids growing up through the years right in front of my eyes!  One of the first things I would grab in a fire.

After my actual kids of course.

And some cherry ice chapstick. ;)

On my stairs I doubled the two garlands I used throughout the rest of the house and then I ran out of garland before I could do the top!  I had big plans to add lights and maybe some ribbon or something else fun and then never got around to it.  I’m calling it my 2020 stair garland and am making peace with the fact that it just won’t get done like I planned.  I’m very used to this feeling (as we all are this year!) so I’m not too phased by it.  I still might get wild and crazy and add some lights.

Show 2020 who’s boss. ;)

{Mumbai Rug}

I kept my mudroom decor really simple too!  Just added more of my beloved jeweled snowflakes to my baskets.

And then this adorable HO HO HO pillow to my bench!  I usually jazz up my 1 2 3 hooks with Christmas ornaments but I’ve loved using them for our masks.  So convenient!  So the masks are staying put.  Hopefully that won’t be the case next year!

I hung the other tree scroll wall hanging (from this set I bought for my family room) on my mudroom basket hook.  I love it next to the black door!  So moody.  Kind of like the lighting in this room.  Which was horrible when I finally found a few minutes to snap these pics!  But like I said.. it’s 2020 and I’m just rolling with whatever comes my way.

I added some garland to my little hobbit closet door and loved it off to one side!

So I did the same thing around my door casing for this room.  Makes a perfect backdrop for my Christmas cards!  I’ll share a pic when they are all up!  I’m still waiting for our family Christmas cards to be delivered.  They were backordered and are coming late of course.  Whatever!  You do you 2020.  Thanks for teaching me to become as chill as Crush the turtle on Finding Nemo.

Before 2020 I was a Marlin.

Last pic on my camera!  I moved our dining room bench in the hallway to make room for the tree I have in that room.  I added another HO HO HO pillow (just love them!) and some garland above the bench and our hallway is feeling festive!  I tried attaching garland to my arched hallway mirror and it didn’t go so well.  Epic fail!

But DUDE.  It’s all good!

Ok ok.. I’ll spare you more Crush impersonations.

Even though I like so totally rock at them.  ;)

In other news.. I’m happy to report that I actually finished up my Christmas shopping tonight!  YEA,  I’m usually done so much sooner in the month (Marlin – remember?).  I’ve been very behind this year but thanks to Amazon I’m now set. ;)  While I was finding a few last minute gifts I rounded up favorites for anyone who (like me) has surrendered to the chaos and is still pulling things together this year!  I found so may fun things and love everything on the two gift guides below!  Random gifts for anyone on your list and they all come highly recommended.  Most of them are favorites of ours and a few things I picked up this year.  They all ship quickly before Christmas but that might not be the case for long!

1 – portable charger  2 – crayola light up tracing pad  3 – hilife steamer

4 – magna – tiles  5 – coasters  6 – phone tripod selfie stick

7  – make up vanity mirror w/ lights  8 – weekly planner pad / weekly meal planner

9 – microfiber quick drying hair towel wrap  10 – champion sweatshirt

11 – adidas duffle bag  12 – beats solo3 headphones  13 – le creuset dutch oven

14 – weekly and monthly planner  15 – fujifilm instant camera  16 – Disney 3D jigsaw puzzle

17 – flip slide game  18 – portable sit or stand desk  19 – the life-changing magic of tidying up

20 – best selling high waisted leggings

{hand sanitizing holders}

I also rounded up some fun stocking stuffers because that’s usually what I’m still throwing together at this point in the game!  Aren’t these hand sanitizer holders cute!?  Perfect to clip on your purse, a backpack, key chain.. whatever so that it’s always with you!  I have a feeling that even when all things Covid are behind us the hand sanitizing habit will stick!  I know it has definitely become a routine for us that we don’t even think about anymore.  I love that these come in fun floral pattens and in a more sophisticated brown/black for whatever you prefer.  Below are 15 other fun stocking stuffers!  All tried and true favorites except #12 that I keep hearing are amazing and #15 that I just ordered for myself to try. :)

1 – Melissa and Doug water wow   2 – makeup sponge beauty blenders   3 – gold layered necklace

4 – 4 pack cooling towels (exercise)  5 – Mario Badescu facial spray   6 – slinky

7 – Buxom plumping lip gloss  8 – hand sanitizer holder  9 – playfoam snowman

10 – handheld head massager  11 – metallic scrunchies  12 – gel heel socks

13 – sports headbands  14 – tire pressure gauge  15 – makeup brush cleaner sponge

*HERE is a link to last year’s Amazon gift guide post if you need a few more ideas!

Have a great week rolling with whatever comes your way!  I know that’s the plan around here.

;)

Happy weekend everyone!  I hope you’re having a nice one so far. :)  I’m coming to you from my stairs today.  I decorated a slim tree in my landing and am a tad bit obsessed with it!

It’s so simple!  That’s probably why I love it so much.  Just a fuzzy tree skirt and white ornaments.

Little white houses that light up (you have to set the house on top of a tree light!), snowflakes and white ball ornaments.  That’s it!  Took me all of 20 minutes to decorate.  I don’t have exact sources for these items, but I found several similar options if you want to create this look!

I kind of like this tree without a top.  Or maybe that’s just what I’m telling myself because I don’t really want to worry about figuring out a top for it.  Either way – this tree is going topless.

So scandalous.

View from above!  One question I get asked often is “what would you do differently if you were building again?  Any mistakes you feel like you made?”  Well here’s one.  I wish that our stair plug outlet was in the corner where my tree sits.  Ha.  Probably not the answer you had in mind (and really I  should write a serious post on that at some point if it would help anyone who is building/remodeling!).  But on a small scale, this plug outlet has always driven me crazy.   I could have hidden the tree cord!  What was I thinking!?  Maybe that I didn’t want to see the plug outlet coming up the stairs?  I don’t know.  But I chose the exact spot for every plug outlet in this house.  And in this spot I chose wrong.

I think I’ll live.  But that’s one little thing I would change. ;)

In past years I’ve had a small tree in this landing full of my kids’ special ornaments.  You could set a little tree like this on a table too.  So many fun options when you’re decorating mini trees!

{cozy joggers/matching henley top/similar red thermal/kitchen barstools}

Change of topic to Christmas pjs!  We’ve been living in them at my house and are quite pleased about it.  These cozy joggers rank high on my list of favorite Christmas pjs.  I’ve had the set for years and then bought my girls the joggers this year too so we could all match.  They are the coziest!  And have been just as big of a hit with my girls. :)  On sale for such a good price right now!  I often mix and match my pjs so even if you don’t get the top, seriously think about these joggers.  They look cute with so many tops and really are beyond comfy.  (For size reference I’m wearing the small and Ad is wearing the xs.)  Also Christmas kitchen decor details are coming soon but here is where we are at the moment!

{dreamy cotton pj set/slippers}

Another pj set I’m loving this year!  These are the cutest!  They run big.. I’m wearing xxs so definitely go down a size in this set!  They come in a grey and black stripe too if you aren’t into the candy cane look. ;)  J Crew has a lot of cute cozy pjs on sale right now and pjs always make a fun gift!

{pj salvage joyful top/joyful tie waist pjs/scuffette slippers}

Ok.. OBSESSED with this pj set.  Honestly my husband is sick of seeing me in them!  If you are going for pure comfort.. look no further.  I’ve actually mixed two sets here (the striped pants have a top and the top has matching bottoms) but I love these two together!  PJ Salvage always nails it with their pjs (in fit and comfort!) and there are TONS of cute options this year!  A forever safe gift option!   Also can we talk about how I’m honestly just now realizing that all 3 of my favorite Christmas pjs from this year are striped.  Ha!  Only slightly predictable around here.

I linked other cute pjs for women at the bottom of this post!

{every day two-piece pajamas}

Kole’s favorite pjs this year!  I knew he would love them because they are just cozy flannel pants (always a win when it’s cold) with basically a super soft t-shirt and that’s all he wants to wear/sleep in (this kid hates buttons!).  I also love that they are fun for Christmas but still work for the rest of the year.  They come in a cute green plaid too with a grey top!  He posed so cute for me for this pic it kind of made me laugh.  Looks like a little boy who has been in many pics with his mom over the years. ;)  He gets his braces off Monday and I’m kind of bummed!  They have been so cute on him and he has loved switching up the color of the bands every month.  Red right now for Christmas of course. :)

{oversized sweatshirt/vintage jogger sweatpants/scuffette slippers}

Not necessarily for Christmas but I’ve also been wearing and loving these cute sweats from Target!  They come in other colors/patterns but my favorite is this brown ombre.  Cute for teen girls too.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they mysteriously go missing from my closet. ;)

{curved hem tee/cloth & stone everyday joggers}

Believe it or not I actually do get dressed!  Once in a while anyway. ;)  I’ve had these cloth & stone joggers for months and keep forgetting to share them!  I love the pattern and they are such a great fit.  Really nice material and I like the thick cuff at the bottom.  Higher priced, but definitely worth it!  I’ve worn them with a sweater and sneakers and also with dressier black tops and heels for date night.  CUTE.  On a side note the top I’m wearing is Treasure and Bond (available in other colors).  I really like Treasure and Bond tops and they have a lot of cute options on sale right now!  Kenny’s giving me this green hooded sweatshirt for Christmas.  He doesn’t know it yet, but he is. ;)

{cozy v-neck hooded sweatshirt/faux leather leggings/adidas swift run sneaker/initial pendant necklace}

I’ve about worn out this hooded sweatshirt I shared a few months back.  So cute and perfect for running around with leggings!  Another Treasure & Bond favorite!

{mock neck waffle top/farrah high waist skinny jeans/similar booties}

Another cute top I’ve been loving!  30% off and seriously such a cute fit!  Plus it comes in green so.. :)   Anthro is having a fun weekend sale and these are other tops on sale I’m looking at..

{denver plaid dinnerware collection/cowl neck sweater/modern full length mirror/dyson V8 cordless stick vacuum/le creuset cast iron dutch oven}

If you follow me on IG stories or in the Like To Know it app I’ve been sharing fun daily deals I see when they pop up!  These are a few I found this weekend.  Honestly such a great price on this beautiful modern mirror!  It’s a thinner version of what I have in my hallway.  I love the plaid dinnerware.  I have four of the plates in my glass kitchen cupboards but would love more for entertaining.  Can’t wait until I can have people over again!  The vacuum is also on sale and supposed to be so good.  We have central vac but it’s so much work pulling it out with the huge cord every day.  I’ve been debating getting a Dyson like this one for quick clean ups!

{cowl neck sweater/AG jeans/davis knee high boot/madewell crossbody tote}

The cowl neck sweater is a favorite.  I have it in two colors and love it!   Love the neck, love the sleeves, especially love how warm and soft it is.  It’s on major sale and all sizes are available in black!

Fun deals.  Happy holiday decorating, shopping or vegging!  I’m planning to do a little bit of all three and am excited to enjoy the rest of the weekend with my family.  Chances are if you stop by to say hi we will be in our Christmas pjs.  All month long!

So scandalous.

;)

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