Uncategorized

A Gardening Goal

This post is in partnership with Chase Freedom Unlimited. All opinions are my own.

Let’s discuss goals! Can you think of something that you want to be better at or something you want to learn more about but don’t know where to begin? Personally, I have a few goals that comes to mind but today I’m going to focus on one specific goal that I plan to work on for the rest of the year and then ultimately the rest of my life.

I’ve always admired other women in my family who are so knowledgeable about gardening, landscaping, and plants in general. My parents’ yard is one of the most lush and beautiful yards I’ve ever seen and I used to wonder “why do they go to plant shopping every single weekend?”. I totally understand now and I think I’m at that stage in life where I am turning into my parents. Our yard on the other hand needs a lot of TLC. I just have so much to learn when it comes to plants. We have bushes to replace, grass to grow, flowers to plant, and I would love to have a small vegetable garden in our backyard. In the past, I kind of just selected the prettiest bushes and hoped for the best. But there are actually a lot of really great resources out there, classes to take, gardens to visit, and so much to help you gain more knowledge about this topic. I’m also excited to be partnering with Chase Freedom Unlimited to share my #AlwaysEarning journey.

With this goal that I have, I’ve researched specific workshops to take, popular botanical gardens to visit, DIY projects to do, and books to read which will help me little by little reach my goal of learning more about landscaping and becoming a better gardener. Each month, I’ll update you all on my journey and how much I’ve learned. I’m also specifically excited to partner with Chase on this because my Chase Freedom Unlimited (my personal favorite credit card) card allows me to earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase (and 3% cash back for the first year). I’m not a huge credit card person but when I am looking for the right one, I look for no annual fees, easy cash back programs, and 0% APR for at least 12-15 months. This one has ALL of those so I’m a big fan.

Anyways, I’m excited to learn more about this topic and hope to one day be as skilled as my mom and grandma are. We have a lot of backyard goals this year in terms of landscaping so I can’t wait to share all the progress as we dive into something new!

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Capsule Wardrobes

06.11.19

A Casual Summer Capsule Wardrobe

If you follow along on Instagram, you’ll see that I frequently wear the same pieces over and over again. I’ve been pretty particular with my shopping lately and have wanted to build a summer wardrobe that is cute, easy, and efficient when getting ready. This specific wardrobe is definitely casual (mainly for weekends or if you work at home) but there are definitely some outfits that can be worn to a casual office (pants, skirt, tops). I’ve included each outfit below with all outfit details. I’ve been building this for a while now so hopefully most items are still in stock (and on sale!).

UPDATE (6/19/19): Exact white pleated midi skirt has been added online.

The 17 items consisted of the following:

DENIM JACKET

This is a year-round staple that ties together any casual outfit but my favorite denim jacket would have to be either the one in this video (this one) or this lighter wash boyfriend fit jacket (not included in video). The one in the video is by Madewell and is the highest quality!

STRIPED MAXI DRESS

Blue and white stripes are basically considered a “neutral” when it comes to summertime. You can layer other shirts over top of this maxi dress to make it look like a skirt and I’ve linked a few other great options below:

DENIM SHORTS

Denim shorts are a summer casual must-have and these are my favorite ones I’ve found. Wearing a 25 for reference.

TAN SHORTS

These are my favorite and I love that they come with a built-in tie waist belt! On sale for $35 today (6/11/19)

WHITE BUTTON DOWN SHIRT

STRIPED BUTTON DOWN SHIRT

OLIVE V-NECK TEE

BLUSH CREW NECK TEE

CHAMBRAY SHIRT

BELTED JOGGERS (Grey or Khaki)

NEUTRAL STRIPED SKIRT

DENIM OVERALL DRESS

WHITE PLEATED MIDI SKIRT

My exact skirt I’m wearing in the video (from here) is sold out I believe (UPDATE: exact skirt has been restocked and can be found here) so I’m linking a few similar ones below:

BASKETWEAVE BAG

3 PAIRS OF SHOES

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DIY Projects

06.07.19

Painting Kitchen Cabinets Yourself

This is way overdue but I’ve been meaning to write about how we painted our kitchen cabinets since… January. As part of our kitchen renovation we knew we wanted to give our cabinets a major refresh. We weren’t that big of fans of the original color and knew they would match better with the rest of our kitchen if we painted them a solid color. Painting cabinets yourself can seem very daunting, especially when you look at all the steps involved, but it can save a lot of money! Typically companies charge per “door” that is painted and it can be upward of $2,000-$3,000 for hiring a painter. This was the route I thought we were going to take until one day we were just like “let’s try it ourselves”. We knew we could save some money to use elsewhere and set aside about 3 days to get them completed. And I’m so glad we did!

The first step for us was to decide what color we wanted to paint the cabinets. Ultimately, we wanted a 2 tone look, with the top cabinets one color and the bottom a different. We ended up choosing “Pure White” for the remaining top cabinets and Rhino by Behr for the lower cabinets. We picked up the highest quality Behr paint, Marquee, because the kitchen cabinets are one of the highest traffic areas in the house. Think about how many times those doors are opened and closed and the sauces and oils that splatter all over them over the years. A full list of supplies we made sure we had before starting is below:

Paint (get the highest quality possible in satin or semigloss finish)

Primer (we used this water-based one)

Medium grit sandpaper

Fine grit sandpaper

Vinegar and water mixture (to clean cabinets before anything)

Sponge (also for cleaning)

Painter’s Tape

Tack cloth (for wiping after sanding and getting all wood dust off)

Paint Sprayer (optional but makes things easier – NOT necessary though – we did not use this)

Sponge brush

Paint rollers (make sure to get the half size)

Angled brush

Power screwdriver (to remove doors)

1. Prep your cabinets by cleaning them thoroughly.

The first step is to make sure the cabinets are thoroughly cleaned. The kitchen area has a tremendous build-up of oil and grease, substances that will not be conducive to having your new paint stick to the wood. There are a couple options for cleaning the doors to remove the grease. You can opt for a cleaner like Spray Nine, or you can just use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. To get tough on grease, use a kitchen sponge to scrub the doors and cabinet structure. Wipe them dry afterwards.

2. Remove cabinet doors.

Once the doors and cabinet structure was clean and dried, we removed our doors. The easiest way to do this is with a power screwdriver. We had 17 doors that needed to be removed, some anchored with 3 separate screws. It would have been very time consuming and difficult if we were using a hand screwdriver to remove the screws. One thing to be sure to do is make sure you know which doors go where to help with putting the doors back. We labeled the back of the doors with sharpie. For example, starting from the left side of the kitchen, we numbered the top in order (T1, T2, etc.). We did the same with the bottom doors (B1, B2, etc.).

3. Set up sand, paint, and drying station.

With 17 doors that needed to be painted, we had to have an area where all the doors could be sanded, painted, and where they could sit for a while and dry. We ended up using our fire pit stones in the backyard along with the railing to our deck. This enabled us to have a flat surface with which to work and we didn’t have to worry about paint getting places it shouldn’t. We saw other setups where people used 2×4’s hung between ladder rungs. It doesn’t really matter what you use, just something where the cabinet doors can sit so that you can paint all edges of it. I even used some stacks of books when I ran out of space outside.

4. Sand cabinet doors.

Our cabinets were manufactured with natural wood stain. We knew that they would have to be sanded well to make sure the paint was going to stick to the wood. We sanded by hand to get into the crevices as much as possible, but if you have flatter cabinet faces you may be able to use an electric sander. For this first pass of sanding we used a medium grit paper. Use a tack cloth to rub down the cabinets and cabinet structure to get rid of any excess wood dust that may have accumulated. Don’t sand too much that it makes the surfaces uneven, just enough so that the wood will accept the new paint. This was our least favorite and most tedious part, but one that is most important.

5. Prime cabinet doors.

To make sure the paint stuck and covered the wood grain on the cabinets and cabinet structure, we started out with white primer. There are a couple of ways to paint the cabinets. The most efficient way is to use a paint sprayer. We do not own a sprayer, and it was not in the budget to buy one for the project (they can be anywhere from $150-$350). Instead we used a mixture of sponge brushes, angled brushes, and mini rollers (mini rollers are where it’s at). The angled brushes were effective in getting the edges and corners of the doors, the sponge brush worked well to get smaller grooves in the doors, and the mini roller helped with the flat door surface and the cabinet structure.

6. Sand cabinet doors again.

Once the doors have dried from the primer, it is time for another thorough sanding. Yep, again, but lightly! Go for the fine grit sandpaper on this step. The goal is not to remove the primer, but to create as smooth a surface as possible for the next coat of paint. Work lighter and then apply more pressure as needed. Use a tack cloth to remove excess wood dust (make sure to buy several of these).

7. Paint cabinets with first coat of color of choice.

Finally! Time for some color. Using the same techniques that worked for the primer (roller, brushes, sponges), apply the first coat of paint to the doors and cabinet structure. We made sure to apply the paint generously to keep any of the wood grain from showing up after the drying process.

8. Sand cabinet doors once more, paint second coat.

Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the doors and cabinet structure.

9. Screw doors back into original places.

Once everything dries, you can add the doors back to the cabinets utilizing the labels that were made when taking off the doors. As we were adding the doors back, there seemed to be a couple gaps between the doors that we had to fix. This was relatively easy by ensuring the doors were straight and level when reinstalling.

Woohoooo! It’s really not THAT bad. The worst part is just how long each step takes but the steps themselves aren’t bad, just tedious, especially if you have a lot of doors and drawers.

Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any other questions!

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Organization

05.30.19

Our Pantry Organization Makeover

The other day I shared how we made our pantry barn doors but today I wanted to take you inside the pantry! One of my goals for the year was to get more organized and declutter my life. Closer to the beginning of the year, we organized our fridge but I knew this pantry had to be organized before our kitchen was complete! It’s crazy how organizing one little space can make such a difference in so many areas of your life. Every type of food now has a “home” in our pantry and it’s the best! I picked up these metal baskets months ago which then set the tone for the rest of the pantry!

The first step was creating categories for each food or item that we have in our pantry regularly. I ended up going with: canned vegetables and soups, oils and condiments, coffee and tea sweetener, smoothie stuff, pasta, assorted rice/quinoa, nuts and nut butters, sauces, assorted snacks, dog treats, bread/bagels, coffee pods, chips/popcorn, drinks (Vitamin water, etc.), and “dranks” (wine).

I knew that we would have some extra space after this so I decided to make some extra baskets and space for items that aren’t food like: cookbooks, party supplies, napkins/napkin rings, reusable water bottles. I also picked up some clear containers to store other assorted items for baking and other foods we go through quickly (pretzels, tortilla chips, spaghetti) that way we always know when we’re running low on those.

Other Pantry Organizational Items:

And lastly, a before pic!

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Our Home

05.29.19

Kitchen Gadgets On Our Counter (and Radar)

*items above are clickable

Yesterday I shared a few kitchen accessories that I picked up recently but today I wanted to talk about kitchen gadgets! Kitchen gadgets that we own and love and a few that are on my radar (or currently on it’s way to me via Amazon Prime). Either way, these kitchen gadgets/items are all very highly rated and reviewed and I’m going to start with the ones that we personally own and use on a daily basis!

15 Piece Knife Block Set
We recently updated our knife set with this beautiful white and wood block set and I’m in love! The white knives look so good with all of the white in the kitchen and once I saw that these were 60% off, I had to have them! If you’re in the market for a new knife set, look no further than these! Such great quality and looks so great on the counters!

50s Retro Style Two-Slice Toaster
I purchased this toaster a few months ago and I’m so glad I did. It toasts everything to perfection and the only regret I have is that I didn’t get the 4 slice size. This toaster comes in a few different sizes and several colors to match any kitchen! Worth the splurge for sure!

Large Round Cutting Board
This should be called “Very, Very Large Round Cutting Board”. I’ve been eyeing this cutting board for the longest time. I finally went to see it in store and I’m glad I did because it is huge. I want to say it’s at least two feet wide but maybe I’m wrong. Either way, it is beautiful and would be the perfect cutting board or even cheese board for a larger group.

Breville Nespresso Creatista Espresso Machine
I’ve been wanting to make the Keurig to Nespresso switch for a while now but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I have been doing a lot of research on some of the highest rated models and this one seemed to have some great reviews. For a while I was making lattes making a mess and using so many different things in our kitchen so this machine would simplify the entire process and make life a lot easier (and tastier). I’m also considering this model although there are some questionably reviews.

OXO Vegetable Chopper
One of the things that keeps me from cooking so often is all of the prep work so I’m always looking into ways to save time with 1) cutting vegetables and 2) washing dishes (see the next item for what I recently ordered). This vegetable chopper would be the perfect way to help save some time when I’m making some of my favorite summer salads.

Blade Brush Knife and Cutlery Cleaner Brush
I think my least favorite chore around the house is washing dishes. I’ve found a few items that help get the job done but this is a little Amazon find I recently ordered and can’t wait to use. I never know what to do with our nicer knives and this little knife brush will make things much more simple.

Silicone Clip-on Snap Strainer/Colander
One of the foods I make most often is pasta. I feel like our pasta to strainer ratio is very disproportionate so I decided to order one of these clip-on strainers to add to our collection and help save space instead of getting an entire colander.

KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender
I have been in the market for a new blender for a while now and after looking up some of the best ones, I think this one is the winner! It has amazing reviews and is a great price plus we’re entering smoothie season quickly with these 100 degree weeks!

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget?!

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Our Home

05.28.19

Functional Accessories for the Kitchen

If you’ve been following here for a while, you might know that we’ve been working on our DIY kitchen renovation since the very beginning of the year. It is not complete just yet but while I was doing some shopping the other day at Home Centric, I picked up a few new kitchen accessories to decorate the countertops a little bit. I wanted to add in functional items that can also help spruce up the space. If your kitchen is in need of a budget-friendly refresh, there are so many cute smaller items that you can find for a quick and simple update.

The first item I knew I had to have: these white oil and vinegar bottles. Sometimes too many oil bottles on the countertop can look cluttered (although it’s convenient for them to be on the counter) but these are the perfect clean and simple addition! I also found a large white utensil holder to put all of our wooden spoons in. I also love placing a pretty oven mitt in that same utensil holder to have easily accessible. I have another one of these holders under the counter to hold plastic/rubber utensils but I love having these in an easy to reach spot plus all of the wooden pieces together just makes the space more cozy and cottage-y. I also store our bamboo straws from the farmer’s market in there. If you’re in need of an inexpensive utensil holder, or really anything for your kitchen, you have to check out Home Centric’s selection. I’m still on the hunt for a bread box so I can store our bread out of sight but still close to our toaster.

Some other pieces I found were striped oven mitts, a small cake stand, salt and pepper shakers, a ceramic pitcher for fresh flowers or branches, cook books, and faux succulents. I also picked up some dishware, pots and pans. I needed a new pan to saute all of our vegetables in and I found this beautiful champagne one with a white interior. The prices were too good to pass up. I thought I was almost done shopping until I came across the cabinet organizers and I picked up some organizers for pots and pans. If you follow along on Instagram, I have a story highlight where I share spaces I’ve organized including the refrigerator and the pantry but we haven’t quite tackled the cabinets yet! Hopefully these will help start that process.

Functional Kitchen Accessories:

– storage jars or canister sets

– utensil container and wooden spoons

– oil and vinegar sets

– salt and pepper sets

– cookbooks

– paper towel holder

– bread box

– cake stands

– pitchers

Anyways, do you see that small space to the left of the range hood? I can’t decide whether or not to add some shelves on the wall there. If we end up doing that, I’ll for sure be picking up a few more items! If you’re near Raleigh/Cary, I highly recommend stopping by Home Centric in Crossroads for all of your home needs! If you’re not around Raleigh, you can search for the nearest location near you here. Hopefully this gives you some ideas of how to decorate your kitchen using some useful items!

This post is in partnership with Home Centric. All opinions are my own.

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Uncategorized

05.24.19

Memorial Day Weekend Sales

Short Sleeve Bubble T-Shirt || Denim Mom Shorts

ABERCROMBIE || 50% off *most* items

AERIE || 40-60% off select items

AMERICAN EAGLE || 25-60% off EVERYTHING

ASOS || 40% off new arrivals

BANANA REPUBLIC || 40% off everything

EXPRESS || 40% off everything

GAP || 40% off EVERYTHING (no exclusions)

J. CREW || 40-50% off everything

J. CREW FACTORY || 60% off MOST styles

LOFT || 40% off your purchase (code: FINALLY)

MADEWELL || 20% off DRESSES (code: PERFECTMATCH)

OLD NAVY || 50% off ALL tees, tanks, swim, shorts, and dresses

TARGET || up to 30% off patio items & home (extra 15% off w/ the code HOME)

WAYFAIR || up to 70% off

WORLD MARKET || up to 20% off (world market rewards members, code: MDW20)

I know I’ll be shopping for a few more basic items for my summer wardrobe and some everyday summer dresses I can wear all season long. Dresses are all I feel like wearing these days. Anyways, I hope you have a great long weekend! We’ll be doing some work around the house, maybe having a pool day, and enjoying the weather! Incase you missed it, I shared our DIY pantry barn door tutorial yesterday.

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DIY Projects

05.23.19

DIY Pantry Double Barn Doors

In this week’s episode of the neverending kitchen renovation, I’m sharing our pantry makeover! First of all, I’d say our house is much more basic than you’d think. We have just added a lot of personal touches to it and have elevated it with some DIY projects. These pantry doors are a prime example of that. I have always loved the feel of barn doors and I love how big and sturdy they look while making a room still feel warm and cozy. Our pantry, which was probably one of the not so pretty spots in our house, is now maybe one of my favorites, thanks to these double sliding barn doors… and thanks to TJ who built them!

We originally had bifolding double doors which seem to be especially popular in homes built 20 or so years ago. Those didn’t really add much to that wall so a while ago we decided to add barn doors. I honestly never thought that we would end up building any ourselves but when I started shopping around online, I realized that they would cost over $1000-ish each for a fairly basic design. We have about 9,078 other things we want to do to our house and spending thousands on pantry doors was definitely not going to happen. After a couple of recent DIY experiences that were pretty challenging (range hood, floating shelves, etc.), we figured doors might be somewhat easy compared to what we did.. and we were right! Well, up until the horizontal 1×2 wood detailing (that was the most challenging part of the whole thing).

I asked TJ how difficult he thought building these were from 1-10 with 10 being the most difficult and he said they were a 6. Without the horizontal detailing, they’d be a 4. This definitely won’t be the last time we build them though! I really want one in our bedroom where it leads to the master bath.

Anyways, here’s how we built them:

Supplies

(2) 4×8 ft, 23/32 in sanded pine plywood

(3) 6 ft 1 x 6 boards

(4) 8 ft 1 x 4 boards

(6) 8 ft 1 x 2 boards

(1) 10 ft 1 x 4 board

(5) 6 ft 1 x 12 boards

#10 screws

Liquid Nails

Clamps

Miter saw

Nail gun

Sand paper

Behr Moth Grey paint

Primer

Barn door mounting set

Level

Wood putty

1.5 inch 18 gauge brads

The first step for us was to measure the doorway that we were trying to cover. The demensions ended being 53 inches wide (including the trim) and 81 inches tall. We knew we wanted the doors to cover the trim so we decided to create two doors as opposed to one large door. We figured it would look more seamless with dual sliding doors as opposed to one. Plus, that would have been a gigantic door. The final measurements for each door ended up being 28 x 83 inches.

The next step we needed to decide was a design on the door. We knew we didn’t want to do anything too fancy, but also wanted to have nice lines that drew the eye in when looking at doors. Ultimately, we ended up with a more modern design using 1×2’s.

To start creating the doors, we began with the sanded pine plywood as the base. Luckily, Home Depot was kind enough to cut the 2 pieces of plywood into the dimensions that we needed. We used the 1 x 4’s to frame the two long sides of the doors, with the 1 x 6’s running horizontally at the top, middle, and bottom of the doors.

Using the miter saw, we cut the 1 x 4’s and 1 x 6’s to the lengths needed. The 1 x 4’s ran the length on the vertical side and the 1 x 6’s were placed in between the 1 x 4’s. We felt this would give us the desired streamline look. We used the Liquid Nails to attach the boards first, holding them in place with clamps. After the Liquid Nails had set, we used the nail gun to secure the boards in place. With the plywood being 23/32 of an inch and the boards being 3/4 of an inch, the 1.5 inch brad nails worked well.

Once the frame was made, we moved onto the 1 x 2 diagonal boards. This was the most difficult part of the project, only because we wanted to match up the distances, angles, and cuts as close as possible. We didn’t want to have the diagonal boards of one door to not match up with the other. In order to get this correct, we made sure to measure where each board hit the vertical and horizontal boards as well as using the mitre saw to make the diagonal cuts needed. There were times where we were a little off with the angle, but we were able to remedy this with the wood putty before painting.

Just like the 1 x 4’s and 1 x 6’s, we used Liquid Nails and brads to secure the diagonal boards to the door. At this point, the doors were constructed and the only thing left for us to do was to sand, add wood putty, prime, and paint. At all intersection points of the boards we added the putty to make sure there were no seams that could be seen. To make sure we did not have the plywood grain or knots from the boards show, we used 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint. This sufficiently covered those spots.

The next step was for us to mount the doors onto the wall. We chose to buy a standard 10 foot barn door wall hardware kit from Amazon. We decided to go with 10 feet because the 8 foot option would not allow the doors to open wide enough to get to all of the items on the sides of the pantry. The doors ended up weighing about 45 lbs each, so we wanted to make sure we had a secure way to hang them. The best option for us was using a header board to utilize each stud in the wall to hang the doors. We were able to find a 10 foot 1 x 4 board from Home Depot that ended up being perfect. We hung the header board into the wall studs about 3 inches above the trim, meaning the barn door slider would be 4 total inches above the trim.

The barn door slider was simple to hang to the header board, but the most important aspect of hanging the slider was to make sure it was level. We did not want the doors to slide without us moving the doors. To make sure we had the door slider rail level, we made sure to use a 4 foot level while measuring every connection point that the slider made to header board. This kept us on track. Another good way to do this would to use a laser level, but we did not have one of those.

At this point the barn doors were complete! But… we needed to still replace the inside of the pantry with refreshed shelves. We weren’t big fans of the wire shelves that were there previously, so we chose to use 1 x 12 wooden boards as the new shelves, securing them to the sides with 1 x 4’s. We had extra pieces of 1 x 4’s and measured how long they needed to be on the sides of the pantry. It ended up being about 11 inches. We secured these into the wall studs with #10 screws.

The 1 x 12 boards needed to be 59 inches long in order to sit on the 1 x 4’s for the sturdiest connection. We cut them to this length and secured them with the #10 screws. Once the boards we set, we painted the walls and shelves with Magnolia paint in the color of Ship Lap. This is the same color we used for our dining room walls around the accent wall. It gave a really nice, clean, refreshed look to the inside of the pantry. As a side note… if it looks like the shelves may be sagging a bit, we will reinforce them with 1 x 2 boards underneath.

And that’s it! All in all an easy project that only took us about a week to complete (in the evenings) from demo to finished product. Let us know what you think!

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Our Home

05.22.19

My Favorite Serena & Lily Items

Last weekend we decided to take our new beach chairs for a spin and had an afternoon adventure to the beach. The weather was just too good and I was way too excited to put these beauties to use. With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, there are a lot of great sales happening and today I wanted to share one that I think is worth sharing! Serena and Lily is having 20% off everything starting today so I thought it would be a good time to share my favorite picks and the 4 items I own from there that I absolutely love. No, Serena and Lily is not cheap but you will be blown away by the quality and detail of everything. Plus, these items will last!

There are 4 items that I have and love from Serena and Lily. The first are these beach towels. They come in several different colors (the green was my favorite) and they are such great quality and HUGE. I just keep thinking of how nice it’ll be to have a set of 4 when we have a family one day. These towels are splurge-worthy for sure. I like “turkish towels” but I love how this one has your traditional soft and thick white terry material on the other side.

The second item: the beach chairs. We’ve bought inexpensive beach chairs from Wings countless times but these ones are keepers. They are stunning with the natural rattan woven pattern and we received so many compliments on them just from the first weekend of using them. They make me so excited for summertime and I can tell they are really well-made.

The last two items that I own and love from Serena and Lily are: this giant woven basket and this ceramic pendant that now hangs over our kitchen sink! Both items are so simple yet so detailed. The basket is definitely a splurge but once you see how large it is and how thick the material is, you’ll realize it’s worth every penny. I have mine under my coffee table (the PERFECT spot for it) and put hand weights and other random work-out items for when I’m working out in the living room.

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Entertaining & Recipes

05.15.19

Fighting Mosquitos in Our Backyard

This post is sponsored by TIKI Brand. All opinions are my own.

We’re coming up on our second summer of having our own backyard and, after last year, I can safely say it’s my favorite part about homeownership… having an outdoor space to entertain guests or just spend the evenings with each other and the dogs while the sun sets behind the trees is the best. We definitely experienced our fair share of challenges though once we started spending more time out there last summer… most of them being bug challenges. You can have the prettiest patio in the world but if you are constantly being bothered with bugs, it can make it very difficult to enjoy it, leading you to spend the season indoors. Our most common uninvited bugs last year were ants and mosquitos. I shared with you all our ant solution the other day but today I wanted to share one item we’ve been using that is known for proven mosquito repellency and that is the TIKI Brand Clean Burn BiteFighter Torch Fuel.

I was walking the aisles of Target a few months ago (when am I not?) and noticed that TIKI Brand had pink glass TIKI torches… um yes, please! My parents always had TIKI torches on their deck but they were the more traditional looking bamboo material ones. I couldn’t believe how many cute options there were. It didn’t take me long before I was setting up two pink torches in our backyard along with one of their table-top ones, which also come in endless styles and colors. The best part about this brand, aside from the fact that they carry the cutest torches ever, is their newest torch fuel that you fill them up with that helps keep mosquitos away, is 85% plant-based, and petroleum-free.

The Clean Burn BiteFighter Torch Fuel comes in a light green bottle in two sizes and is also made to create dramatically less soot and smoke compared to traditional torch fuels which makes for a much more pleasant summer experience for those nights when we want to sit out on our patio. I haven’t noticed any smoke yet, actually, and this is the only fuel I’ll buy now because of how clean the flames are. I also really love how I can control the size of the flame with the “adjustable flame” knob on both the torches and the table-tops.

These products have been such a game changer when it comes to helping repel mosquitos in our backyard and I highly recommend this fuel for the next time you want to enjoy a night outside. You can sign up for their emails and get 25% of products and free shipping here and let me know if you end up trying it out or if you have any summer mosquito secrets of your own!

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Our Home

05.09.19

Spring Home Finds at Walmart

Every spring and summer, I always like to add in some rattan touches and a little bit of color to make the house a bit more bright and fun for the season. This year, a new home collection launched just in time and this one is especially exciting because 1) it’s in collaboration with Drew Barrymore 2) it’s all at Walmart.com! The new collection, Flower Home, is filled with colorful bohemian pieces and vintage florals. You can check out the entire collection here but today I wanted to share with you the 3 pieces that I purchased to brighten up our living room a little for summer.

First off, I think my favorite piece in the entire collection is this brass arch floor lamp with a rattan shade! It makes such a statement in any room but is fairly neutral at the same time making it flow well no matter what your color scheme is in your home. It also comes in a rattan pendant version. The quality is also really great. Ever since adding this floor lamp beside the end of our sofa, I love sitting there with a book as it gets dark outside. It just makes the space feel so much more cozy. Walmart has a bunch of beautifully designed and functional home finds that can fit budgets of any size plus they offer free shipping for any orders over $35.

I also ordered this floral throw pillow to compliment my other solid white pillows. Our living room is pretty much grey and white so this pink and green floral pattern is such a fun way to bring in some color. It would also look so good outside on our outdoor furniture for the next time we invite people over. I also decided to buy this abstract set of 3 vases of various sizes that have the most beautiful pink and teal patterns. I added in some eucalyptus branches and the coffee table was complete! I also love this larger vase in the collection.

Walmart has a HUGE home selection and I recently found out that they are sister companies with one of my favorite online home retailers, Hayneedle! So cool. I’ve had my eye on this porch swing for quite some time.

This post is in collaboration with Walmart.

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05.01.19

May Coffee Date & Last Month’s Favorites

I really have no idea where April went but I thought I’d write a post today just updating you and chatting about life. How was your April? Was it positive? Challenging? Enjoyable? There are few things I love more than catching up with someone over coffee and this post is going to be a digital version of that, sorta. April was a whirlwind month and it flew by mainly due to how busy it was. Last month was filled with weekends out of town (Dallas and Charleston) or hosting family in town (TJ’s parents visited from FL) and many, many weeks of TJ not being home. I don’t think there was one week where he wasn’t traveling for work. I really wish we could just book a last minute trip somewhere and take a much-needed mental break for like, two weeks… I’ve really been craving that quality time! One of these days that’s going to happen.

For me, April was challenging. Actually, the last few months have been. Since TJ starting his new position in January, which requires him to travel 75% of the time, I feel like I am still struggling with being alone a lot. I knew it would be an adjustment, but I didn’t fully know how I’d handle it. It’s definitely made me realize what I do want in life and what I don’t and it’s motivated me to work harder to reach certain goals. Him being away really doesn’t affect me much during the daytime but it has significantly during the evenings. I hate to even talk about it because it’s so personal but it’s been a huge change for me, and has affected how much I share on here, and I’m not really adapting as well as I hoped… I mean, I’ve seen him almost every day for 10 years so it’s been kind of weird and has left me in not the best moods at night time. I know there are couples in way, way worse situations though so I’m trying to remain as positive as possible and also keep our house in check. Anyways, if you are reading this and you have a spouse who travels frequently for work, I’m with you! It’s hard. My parents traveled so much internationally while I was growing up and I really don’t understand how they did it. It gives me Sunday scaries again, which I haven’t had in years.

On a more positive note, those circumstances have pushed me to spend more time cultivating community and saying “yes” more often to things that I used to not make time for. For example, a neighbor friend of mine texted me the other day asking me to go to a local spring festival and, since then, we’ve made plans to meet up for walks and get outside more while her husband travels a too. It’s like she came back into my life at the perfect time! I went to a blogger fitness meet-up the other weekend and I can’t tell you the last time I said yes to something like that… it’s been years, but I was able to catch up with an old friend and meet new ones. April also started with a conference in Texas which was such a fun way to connect with others who do what I do. I’ve had tendencies to put my personal life and work in front of relationships lately and I plan to be better about that moving forward. As someone who spends the weekdays alone, I’ve really found that it is just as important to incorporate spending time with others and building relationships as it is to spend time working hard alone. I don’t know where I fall on the introvert scale, but I know it’s probably somewhere a little closer to an introvert although I definitely have times where I crave friend time!

I think when you let the negative blind you from seeing the positive, it can affect many aspects of your life and keep you from enjoying things you once enjoyed… for me, writing blog posts has been one of those. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t written much on here lately. I also think my interests have slightly changed over the past year which has had me thinking a lot about the future and where I want the direction of this to go.

Anyways, I hope your last month was a joyful one! I’m excited for May. A new oyster/seafood restaurant opened up right near our house and I’m positive I will eat there at least 10 times this month. I also don’t have any plans to travel as of now and TJ’s schedule is not as crazy as last month’s so May looks promising for more quality time with him.

I thought I’d also share a few of my favorite things in April whether it be a dress I wore over and over, a helpful beauty product I discovered, or just anything that made the month a little more happy!

LAST MONTH’S FAVORITES

Charleston Food
I had forgotten how much I love the food in Charleston until a couple of weekends ago when we visited. I rounded up a few of my favorite spots in this post but a few of my favorite places we visited this time around were Harbinger Cafe, Five Loaves Cafe, Basic Kitchen, and Grace & Grit.

Old Navy Opening
Anytime anything new opens near our house I get really excited and our area is in major growing stages with new businesses popping up every month. This month, an Old Navy opened up and I am SO excited about it. I mean, there was already one like 20 minutes away, but now it is 5-6 minutes so I’m happy to have more clothing options close by for when I need something last minute or if I’m just in the mood to do some shopping.

A Flowy Spring Dress
I wore this dress multiple times in April and I think it is a beautiful option for any special occasions you may have coming up. It can also be dressed up or down though which is my favorite type of dress! I wore it to the conference I went to and then wore it again in Charleston for dinner one night. Both times, I wore it with these shoes.

Another Comfy Midi Dress
I’ve been loving midi dresses this season and, while this ribbed dress is a little thicker (great for when it’s in the 60’s), I just can’t stop wearing it! If you’re pregnant, this dress would be such a cute maternity option and it’s a great price.

Filling Up an Empty Bedroom Wall
After having this empty wall for over a year beside my side of the bed, I decided to fill it with a few of these honeycomb shelves for a simple yet unique look. I just filled it with small items such as plants, a tiny tray for my rings, an oil diffuser, a photo frame, and other smaller items I love. They really complete the space perfectly!

Walks Through the Neighborhood
It’s that time of year where it’s still bearable to go on long walks before it gets too hot and I’ve taken full advantage of it. I love going on long walks with Colbie (Russell can’t go too far) and discovering new podcasts to listen to. I’ll have to round up my favorite ones I’ve found sometime soon but I’m really excited about ordering this for my walks!

Social Media Freedom
This month I felt a lot more freedom when it comes to social media. You might be like “what?”. As somebody who uses social media as a source of income, it can put a lot of pressure on you to post every single day, and lately, I’ve found that I don’t need to necessarily do that. I’ve mainly been taking either Friday or Saturday to not post on social media and it’s been really nice to have that time to catch up on other things and take time to recharge.

The shoes I haven’t stopped wearing.
If you buy any shoes for spring or summer, let it be these platform sandals! I’ve worn them probably 30 times since I’ve had them and they’re only $50.

You can shop all of my outfits on this one page.

Paint Color Crush
At the beginning of April, we painted our dining room wall and I love the color we went with for a statement wall. We used a color called “Sage Slate” by Valspar (I think it’s an exclusive Ace Hardware color but I’m pretty sure anywhere would be able to match it).

Trying out a New Online Workout Program
I love finding a workout class that works for you. For a while, I did Tone it Up (I’m still subscribed to their app but I think I’m going to pause it temporarily) and loved it. But every now and then you need to switch things up to add some excitement into your routine, so I tried out Burn Boot Camp a few times. I really loved it once I was there but it was the “getting there” part that was challenging for me. So, that brought me to try out a new online workout program called Barre 3. I know there are in-person Barre 3 classes but there aren’t any super close to me. Their online subscription is much more reasonable for my lifestyle right now and I have really loved it, even if I’ve only done 4 classes so far. I’m going to continue to do it at least for a month and then give you an update on my thoughts!

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