Selling Our “Dream” Home So We Could Move to a Smaller House at the Beach!
Everything we've shared about this process so far this year is here!
7 Refreshing Things We’ve Had More Time (& Energy!) for Since Downsizing to the Beach!
Some people don't even like to use the word "downsizing," preferring the word "rightsizing!" So whether you prefer "rightsizing" or "downsizing," the point is that we made the decision to sell our big, beautiful, highly functional house in the suburbs to test out living in a smaller house near the beach. And while this house we're currently renting is still bigger than my ideal, it's been a great way to See that going down 1,000…
5 Easy Ways to Simplify Christmas.
Everyone celebrates Christmas differently, that’s for sure! In the past several years, we’ve learned how to simplify Christmas and (dare I say it?) make the season much more peaceful for our family. Today I'm sharing five of the things we've done that have been working for us. How to style a console, simply! #5: Simplifying Christmas decorations. Like many people, we have boxes and boxes of not only interior Christmas decorations but exterior Christmas lights.…
Glacier National Park with Kids: 21 Chill Ideas & Activities!
Looking for the ultimate list of what to do (and what to avoid) in Glacier National Park with kids—or without? We're sharing the 20 best ideas with you here, along with lodging and airport tips! Years ago, the owner of the company I worked for strolled into my office. He'd built a successful company and had "semi-retired"...which meant he still popped in every week. Eventually the conversation turned to travel, and he talked about his…
Italian Home Search: Step #1 (a.k.a. Sometimes Jess Has Fun Being Unrealistic)!
OK, so we're planning a "slow travel" trip to northern Italy, because it's one place in Italy we haven't explored much of yet. (We're going other spots too but I'm just talking about northern Italy today.) I've enjoyed visiting various areas of this country over several different trips with different people each time (the last time was with Matt so he knows the dealio), but never before was northern Italy able to make it onto…
Packing & Moving to the Beach: Here’s What Downsizing Looked Like For Us!
You've all seen the beauty shots of our home. You've maybe even seen the photos I shared of what our house looks like on an average day with chilluns. And if you've been following us this year, you've seen how we staged our house for sale! But have you seen how our house looks like when we're moving out of it? And—given that we've moved a lot (by choice!)—how do we do it? And how…
TV Bookshelf Wall: 15 Genius Hidden TV Ideas for a Living Room!
Looking for hidden TV ideas such as how to hide a TV in your living room, or how to hide a TV on the wall? Do you do a TV bookshelf wall unit or hide it another way? If you have a fireplace, should you do it above or to the side of that? Today I'll help you figure out the direction that's best for you! 😊 I'll also answer popular questions such as "How…
5 Smart Steps to Organize Kitchen Utensils (Both In a Drawer or Without Drawers)!
This is a "5 Step" guide for beginners on how to quickly organize kitchen utensils—whether in a drawer or without drawers! We'll also address some of the most common questions we get about how to organize kitchen utensils, like "Can you teach me how to organize cooking utensils in a drawer?" "What about how to organize kitchen utensils without drawers?" "Where should kitchen utensils be stored?" "How to organize kitchen utensils in a deep drawer?"…
Laundry Cabinet Plans: Can You Make It? Yes, You Can! (Download)
We've told the story about how we ripped out our original laundry room and turned it into an uber-functional mudroom entryway! We then found space for it on the other side of the original wall, and I shared my 7 wildest laundry room fantasies come to life in a relatively small spot! (By no means do we have an entire room dedicated to laundry--it's basically just a laundry wall with every inch maximized!) I then…
Kitchen Appliance Cabinet Storage: 3 “Hidden” Benefits!
Everyone these days seems to be about transparency and "getting things out in the open"—but we're not convinced that's always a good idea! We're huge fans of kitchen appliance cabinet storage and believe this is one of the most brilliant solutions ever! Why? We're sharing three of our favorite reasons here (plus the cabinet style we did, not the garage style!). We'll also tell you how to plan out the exact details of your own…
