Show and Tell 03.18.26

Back with another installment of my Show and TELL series – here’s what I’m trying, eyeing, loving and learning this spring.

TRYING

My Southern Kitchen recipes | If you follow Southern Living on Instagram, you’ve seen Ivy Odom’s videos. I ordered her cookbook, My Southern Kitchen, a few weeks ago and ended up bookmarking about 2 dozen recipes I want to try this year. As I was poring over the text, Andrew said “Are you… reading? A cookbook?” But her write-ups for each recipe are so fun and nostalgic! This cookbook is more for get-togethers and occasions, not so much for simple weeknight dinners, but I’m excited to challenge myself in the kitchen and try some things out of my comfort zone. Plus, there are some twists on some southern classics that I want to become more familiar with. Fried chicken, banana pudding, homemade sweet tea – there’s no excuse for me not to have at least attempted some of these at this point in my life.

These last few years I’ve really forced myself to try more things in the kitchen and it’s been so gratifying, so I’m excited to make my way through these recipes and hopefully have a few more excuses to host friends in the process.

Growing herbs and cherry tomatoes | We’re trying our hand at some different herbs this year, along with some cherry tomatoes from seeds. Attempting to not overwater things this time around (my biggest gardening downfall) by remembering a little nugget from Joanna Gaines’ children’s book We Are the Gardeners – herbs have manners. They like to sip, not gulp!

EYEING

For the first time in our entire marriage, I actually sent my husband links for things I’d like when he asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I know – huge. I’ve always been a birthday minimalist but this year, I’ve got my eye on a few things and wouldn’t mind opening any of them for the big 3-6! I sent him these earrings, this cap (so I’ll quit stealing his), and this velvety Jo Malone perfume. I haven’t worn perfume since high school, and especially not since I’ve been trying to be more conscious of what I put in and on my body, but this smells so good I don’t even care.

Speaking of gifting – I needed to get a gift for a friend a few weeks ago, and it was someone I’d never bought a gift for. I texted her sister for gift ideas and she sent back a screenshot of a Note on her phone: Gift Ideas for ___. It had things she likes and is into (baking, gardening, champagne), things she’s not into (coffee, for example), things she does for hobbies and relaxation – it was just ten or so things but it pointed me in the right direction and was SO incredibly helpful. I think everyone needs to keep a list like this! Especially for kids, too. I love when I text another parent to ask what their child might like for their birthday and they say “They’re really into ___ or they would love ___ toy.” THANK YOU. We’re gonna give the gifts anyway, so let’s just make it easy on each other and get what we actually like and will use!

LOVING

Home finds | A new living room rug that finally feels like the rug we should’ve had in there all along, and vintage Texas coffee table books I found at a precious little antique store in Johnson City when I stopped on a whim on the way to Fredericksburg. Things that make our home feel more us!

Hilmy Cellars winery in Fredericksburg | Speaking of Fredericksburg, when I went with my girls in February I stopped by this winery on my way into town. Andrew and I had done a tasting at Hilmy Cellars back in 2018 and both agreed their wine was the best of any we’d tried that trip, so I wanted to stop in again and grab a few bottles to take back home for him. When we opened a bottle of their cab after dinner and poured ourselves a glass, we both just sighed that sigh when something’s almost too good for words.

I don’t know what’s different about their grapes or their process, but the difference is stark. I already can’t wait to go back for more (or maybe I’ll just join their wine club?) plus now they have a full kitchen – with a shakshuka pizza on the menu! We started making shakshuka at home a few years ago – a pizza version sounds amazing. If you’re in Fredericksburg anytime soon, make a stop at Hilmy.

Entering my baseball mom era | I’ve looked forward to being to be a baseball mom since the day we found out it was two boys! And somehow they’re already four and a half, starting their first activity of their own after sitting on the sidelines (a.k.a. the dance studio waiting room) for most of their lives. It’s finally their turn! I had to laugh – after our first t-ball practice, Hayes saw another little boy drinking a Gatorade and said “Hey, what’s that?” Ohhh, sweet boy. Many Gatorades are in your future!

LEARNING

How helpful it is to only keep half of my closet in sight at a time | I recently swapped the fall/winter clothes in my closet for my spring/summer wardrobe, packing up the cold weather things and leaving only warm weather things hanging up. Keeping my out-of-season clothes packed away, out of sight/out of mind, has been more helpful than I ever realized it would be when I started doing this a few years ago. Obviously for visual clutter purposes – it’s easier to see my options when clothes aren’t crowded and bunched together– but there were times as I was grabbing things from my spring/summer bin to hang up again that I thought “Oh, I forgot I even had that and I'm not that excited about it” (to the donate pile it goes) AND there were things that I thought “Oh I'm so excited to wear this again this spring!” Not seeing things for a while really changes your perspective. Same thing as I was putting my fall/winter clothes away– as I folded up each piece I thought “Did I even wear this at all this season?” Seasonal swapping really forces you to edit your wardrobe and be intentional, and it’s helped me keep my closet so much more manageable!

How much I need His mercy | I started Paul David Tripp’s New Morning Mercies devotional last year and have really been enjoying the simple, straight-to-the-point, way he reflects on God’s unending mercy. It’s just one page a day, with an accompany Bible chapter that goes along with each devotional, but his words have helped me look at the gospel from different angles and what it means for my life in new ways. I recently heard a clip from a podcast with Lauren Akins and she was asked “What is God teaching you right now?” I considered the same question for myself and in this season, I think it’s that He’s helping me to realize that I need the good news and mercy of the gospel more than I thought I did.

Growing up in church, I remember many sermons and discussions about grace, but I don’t really remember the flipside of that conversation. There was a whole lot of grace and goodness talk, but not a lot of sin and inadequacy talk. The gospel was framed as more of a nice thing than a necessary one. It was more just “God loves you so much and He loves you exactly the way you are.” Which sounds great, and He does love us endlessly. But it leaves out an important part of the equation – the depravity that we cannot overcome and the fact that we are not, in fact, good enough for Him, exactly as we are, because He is a just and fair God. If we were good enough on our own, if we were adequate, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to die. The gospel wouldn’t be the gospel.

So as an adult, wrapping my mind around the innate terribleness of humans, wrestling with how that works with us being made by God in his image… it took a little while for me to get there, mentally. But realizing how much I need God’s grace because I truly don’t deserve it and cannot do a single thing to earn it anyway… it makes the gospel so much more integral and meaningful for me.

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That’s a wrap for some springtime show and tell. Thanks for reading!

Show and Tell 01.21.26

I told myself I’d start blogging more after saying goodbye to my photography business and going back to my roots here on The Big and Bright, which began in 2014 as a blog. Well, that was August and this is January, and the posts have been few and far between. After running a business for ten years that required me to show up online and consistently be creatively polished, a break was much needed. I haven’t been in as much of a sharing mood in general these days, embracing all things homeschooling, homemaking, and homebody-ing… (a homebody always, but the other two – who woulda thought??). But I do miss blogging just for the hell of it, writing just to write, and I really miss the freedom to share whatever I felt like without worrying tying it up in a pretty little bow for Instagram.

After a conversation with a friend about the rise of Substack and how it reminds me of the days of Xanga (lol) and the early blogging days, when blogs were actually blogs, before Instagram and influencing, I was inspired to start sharing on here again. Honest thoughts and snippets of life, but with the structure of a series to help keep me motivated. So, here’s the first installment of what I’m calling Show and Tell, or T.E.L.L. (because I can’t resist an acronym), where I’ll be sharing hopefully monthly about things I’m Trying, Eyeing, Loving, and Learning.

TRYING

Walking | What a novelty, I know! For the last 2 years, I’ve been pretty consistent with strength training (using the Moves app – can’t say enough great things about it!), but after the holidays I felt like my body was really craving some gentler movement again for a while. I’ve been walking just for 30 minutes 4 or 5 days a week and it’s been so refreshing! I love my walking pad for colder days.

Film camera | I’ve had an old Canon film camera for years, but hadn’t used it since high school and was a little bit intimidated to start again. I needed to reteach myself how to load it and use it and I just wasn’t ready to re-commit, but after I got on a disposable camera kick last year, I wanted to keep that going without having to keep buying disposables. A few YouTube videos later, the old Canon is back in business and I’m excited to see what I can capture this year on film!

“When you get a chance” | Working for the last few months on making this phrase a go-to in our house, especially with the boys. They’re getting better at prefacing their requests with “Mom, when you get a chance, can you please ___” and it’s so refreshing to hear. They’re learning that most of their requests aren’t as urgent as they think they are; they’re pausing to notice and recognize what I’m in the middle of, they’re interrupting way less often… if you’re feeling snappy with your preschoolers amidst the million requests and demands each day, add this one to their repertoire.

Rowe Casa Hair Spritz | 35 has not been kind to me in the hormone or hair department, and in my desperation last fall, I dropped some $$$ on Divi’s scalp serum in hopes to combat some thinning spots around my hair line and part. Unfortunately I haven’t loved anything about it – it makes my hair super greasy and I was having to plan my hair wash schedule/hat-wearing days around applying it, it drips everywhere, and I just looked like a wet, greasy mess. I kept seeing ads for Rowe Casa’s hair spritz, essentially for the same purpose, and thought for $39 it would be worth trying. So far, so good! It dries really nicely. Wish I would’ve skipped the Divi mess and gone with Rowe Casa in the first place!

EYEING

Swimsuits | I love my Summersalt suits but I’m in serious need of a couple more options to add to my rotation before this summer. Must have decent bum coverage (why is this so rare?!). MUST come in Long Torso. I was ready to invest in a Hunza G after seeing them for years, but then I walked into Walmart the other day and was SO impressed by their cute spring swimsuit collection. Two totally different ends of the quality spectrum I’m sure, but the Walmart selection is still intriguing. Might have to do both – Hunza G for a one piece, Walmart for a two piece since the long torso part doesn’t matter there. Going back to try some on asap!

Gallery wall finds for the boys’ room | This has been a long time coming, but after finally finding the perfect red rug (proud of myself for choosing COLOR!) for their room, I’ve started collecting things for their walls and can’t wait for their room to feel complete. Savage Sam is one of Andrew’s favorite childhood movies and the boys love it now too – I found a Golden Book of it from the 60s that I can’t wait to frame alongside some very special pieces.

LOVING

A slower homeschool pace this semester | Last fall was our first semester of homeschooling. Figuring out our groove, tweaking our schedule as we went, and learning SO. MUCH. along the way. I started out the school year trying to approach things from a “if we finish we finish, if we don’t, whatever” more loosey goosey mindset, and honestly, that’s just not me. I am Type A through and through, and while I feel like that’s not represented as much in many of the homeschool spheres online (like maybe it feels frowned upon to be a more rigid homeschool mom? Because flexibility and ditching “norms” is one of the main benefits of homeschooling in the first place?), I’ve learned that for us, having clear plans laid out brings more peace to our days, and a lack of structure brings the opposite. I love our open-and-go books, but sometimes I need more open-and-tell-me-when-to-stop. Over Christmas break I mapped out our entire second semester in more detail, setting objectives for each month and each week, still with wiggle room but with clear stopping points for each day, too.

The other factor in our pace dilemma was figuring out that Kindergarten wasn’t the level she needed for Language Arts and Math. One of those things you don’t know until you dive in and give things a little time, but a few weeks into the fall, I knew she’d do better with first grade curriculum. That’s the beauty of homeschool – being able to meet her where she’s at! Then it was a matter of bridging the gap, figuring out exactly which parts of Kindergarten to skip (most) and which parts she still needed to review (some), and then purchasing/getting into a new groove with first grade books. But we’re all caught up now, doing just one short lesson a day in each subject, feeling relaxed, unhurried but knowing she’s exactly where she needs to be, on track to finish in early May and start again in August working a full grade ahead. I’m absolutely blown away by all that she’s learning and capable of already, and it truly is one of the greatest joys of my life to have been able to teach her at home this year and savor our days spent together.

Aura Frame | Truth be told, I’d never had any desire for a digital frame until this one. I just didn’t think they did photos justice. If a photo was worth displaying, it was worth doing it “right” in a real frame, with a mat and some intentionality behind it. Enter: the Aura Frame. My sister-in-law got one for my in-laws for Christmas, and as soon as she set it up at their house I went to the website and bought one for my parents. The app interface/photo sharing features and the smart photo pairing are so cool! My brother and I both have the app and can easily send photos to our parents’ frame – it’s a fun way to stay connected. After seeing my parents’ frame all set up, I couldn’t resist getting one for our house too, and the kids have been loving it (to the point where we’ve had to turn it off during meal times because they’d sit there asking a million questions about each photo, not eating - lol). We have the Carver 10” mat frame in Clay, which shows one landscape photo at a time or two portrait photos at a time at whatever interval you set.

Our family yearbooks are wonderful, and I’m still always team #printyourphotos, but we’re not flipping through those daily and I hated that we have so many beautiful photos that we don’t get to see every day. I’m reminded of so many more sweet memories now – our wedding photos, vacation photos, everyday moments with the kids – and it makes me smile all day long!

Valentines day tags | I couldn’t resist some DIY tags after seeing ideas for animal cracker and pirates booty valentines. Canva for the win!

LEARNING

How to cook on stainless steel | Andrew (the real chef in our household) had been wanting stainless steel pans for years so we splurged on a set in 2024 – and then I spent most of 2025 hating them. Everything stuck and it just pissed me off every time I cooked until I FINALLY learned how to use them correctly. Turns out the missing ingredient was patience (lol) and if you just give the pan a few minutes to really heat up on medium before turning things down to low, adding your butter or oil and then giving that a few minutes to get nice and hot, things don’t stick at all. I don’t dread washing pans anymore and it’s so nice!

It really is your screen time | There’s a reel going around along the lines of – “Your house isn’t ugly, your screen time is just too high. Your clothes are fine, your screen time is just too high. There’s nothing wrong with your face, your screen time is just too high. You’re not doing a bad job as a mom, your screen time is just too high” etc. etc. etc. and you know what? They ain’t wrong. All these things we devote so much time and energy to, that I’m sure we wouldn’t care HALF as much about if not for constantly being bombarded with comparison and noise. I feel like there’s been a shift lately across the board, a general feeling of disenchantment with all the overconsumption - the hauls, the houses, the links upon links upon links.

Don’t get me wrong, I like sharing the things I love too. I’m not completely against it all. So I feel a little hypocritical saying all this, but even as someone who just enjoys sharing things with my friends, not trying to make an income from it, not sharing (or buying) hauls for the hell of it, it’s still just… a lot. And we have the choice to not engage with so much of it.

We’re a generation trying not to raise iPad kids but never far away from our own devices and I’ve been feeling the tug of it all – community and creativity vs. privacy and peace… It had been weighing on me and I really started thinking a lot about what my kids might remember about me and my phone usage (going back to one of my favorite writings on motherhood – what are the “always” statements your kids will say about you some day?). I just really, really don’t want them to say “she was always on her phone.”

Since the start of the year, I’ve cut my average screen time down significantly… like, by hours a day, which is so embarrassing to admit but also probably not uncommon. These are the main things that have helped make habits easier to break:

1) Mass unfollowing and blocking of the big-time influencers. It’s weird to me that some of us have been following some of the big names for over a decade now. We’ve watched their children grow up, we’ve watched them all build beautiful homes, we’ve watched haul after haul after haul… at the end of last year I just decided that as much as I liked these accounts, devoting my mental energy to them, spending so much of my TIME tuned into all of it and feeling annoyed or inadequate for whatever reason just wasn’t serving any fruitful purpose in my life. I unfollowed pretty much all of them, and to get my algorithm to quit showing me so much of those types of things, I blocked them too. Even ones I liked following! Sounds like overkill, maybe, but there’s a fine line between being inspired and coveting, and I found myself on the wrong side of that line too often.

2) The Brick. Probably my favorite purchase of 2025. The LIFE it’s given back to me, my gosh. My phone stays Bricked for 20-ish hours a day now, which means I’m locked out of certain apps until I physically tap my phone to the Brick device (it’s magnetic so mine lives on the fridge), and it is THE BEST. I block myself from access to all social media apps, the internet, email, shopping apps, even Zillow – anything that steals my attention in little pockets of the day, keeps me from being fully present when I need to be, or tempts me to scroll or shop. The rest of my phone still functions like normal and mostly I love that it takes self-control out of the equation. Bricking really does get addicting! A lot better than being addicted to the opposite. If you’ve been considering one, this referral link takes $10 off and let me tell ya, the ROI makes it absolutely worth every penny!

3. Putting the screen time widget on my home screen. That’ll humble ya REAL QUICK. A recommendation from @siececampbell who has a ton of helpful ways to rely less on your phone and embrace a more analog life.

4. Having plenty of alternative activities close by – @siececampbell recommends a small analog tote bag to make those things as accessible as your phone. I try to bring one or two things with me anytime I know I’ll have downtime, like waiting for Steele at dance or in the preschool pickup line. I got myself a book of crossword puzzles and the Q-Less game, and also love to toss a sketchpad or journal in there, plus books, devotionals, etc. Things to keep my hands and my mind occupied when I might otherwise want to scroll. And I love Emily Lex’s watercolor workbooks for nights at home!

5. Being okay with not being in the know. I’m not even talking Instagram things or trends, necessarily. I used to whip out my phone for anything and everything, just so I could KNOW. What does that word mean? Where is that plane going? What movie was that guy in? What’s the data on XYZ? What is so and so’s opinion on such and such? Is there anything on sale at ___ right now? Those little things added up to so much extra screen time for me and I finally decided I needed to be okay with not knowing all the answers to all the questions. And not knowing has been just fine so far.

It’s wild (although not surprising) how much more productive I’ve been and how peaceful I’ve felt lately. So many things I kept saying I didn’t have time for or just couldn’t get around to – no, I just wasn’t stewarding my time as well as I should’ve been most days. Still a work in progress but I’m so grateful for the shift.

I don’t really do resolutions or words of the year, but if I had to narrow it down, I think “slow and steady” and “kindness” are the words I’m going for this year. Slow and steady at home, being content and present, embracing an unhurried pace, and being kind to myself, my kids, and others. Cheers to 2026!

Keepsake Organization Part III: DIY Family Memory Boxes

Last on my list for organization projects to kick off 2024 (along with family yearbooks and file boxes for each child) was finding a good storage place for some of our most special family keepsakes. Our wedding memorabilia, mementos from our dating and newlywed years, and our family’s small keepsakes and loose photos all needed a home, and this set of archival storage boxes is perfect!

I got this idea from listening to Nancy Ray’s Work and Play podcast. She’s a former wedding photographer and a huge advocate for treating your family’s photos (professional photos, camera photos and iPhone photos alike) as what they truly are – your family’s legacy. Her approach inspired my giant personal photo overhaul, changing the way I approach, manage and store our family’s digital photos, but she also encourages safekeeping of printed photos and tangible memories. Her Legacy Photo System involves five boxes, but that was a little much for our family’s needs. Two is perfect for us now, and we can always get more if we need to.

These acid-free archival boxes with metal-reinforced sides prevent photos and papers from damage and from yellowing over time and while they’re obviously not fireproof or waterproof, they’re lightweight and an easy-to-access place to store things for generations.

As I was gathering photos from various places to put in these boxes, I realized that most of them have the file name and/or year they were printed in fine print on the back; however, that info isn’t really helpful if it doesn’t match up with when the photo was actually taken.

So I took a sharpie and wrote helpful information on the back of each one – date taken, ages, event if applicable. It made this project take a lot longer, but I know I’ll be glad I have those notes in many years when my memory gets fuzzy. You think you’ll remember, but I could barely remember things about photos that were taken 5 or 10 years ago, so I know it’ll only get harder!

In our wedding box, I put our save the date, stationery from our wedding, letters we wrote to each other, mementos from the day we got engaged, a handmade banner my then-7-year-old cousin sewed for us, the USB with our wedding photos, and all of our loose printed photos from our wedding. Essentially, anything pre-children goes in this box.

Our family box will house all of our printed family photos that aren’t in our yearbooks or in frames, along with any other small mementos from trips or events that we want to hang onto over the years.

The cut sides on these boxes are on purpose, in case you want to slide out something on the bottom out from the side instead of having to pick everything up. Shop these exact archival boxes HERE or via the widget below – I did the 2-pack, size 11”x15”x3”, which will hold years and years’ worth of photos for us, even 11x14 prints.

This was one more of those projects that allowed me to breathe a deep sigh of relief once I finished. The peace of mind from having these precious keepsakes organized, easy to access and in a safe place – it’s priceless!

Keepsake Organization Part II: DIY Kids' File Boxes

Along with getting caught up on family yearbooks and photo boxes, one of my organization projects for the beginning of 2024 included getting a system in place for our kids’ papers. They’re still just in a Mother’s Day Out preschool program right now, so it’s mostly handprint crafts and coloring pages in our house. After they get their spotlight on the fridge, I don’t just want to toss them, but also don’t want them to pile up. I want to keep them in order and from getting damaged.

Enter: these DIY kids file boxes. They’re the perfect solution for keeping school papers worthy of saving, along with other paper things like birthday cards, letters, photos and more, organized and contained all in one place. When they leave the nest some day, they’ll have this to take with them and everything will be easy to access and revisit.

I have to give credit for this idea to Francie Outlaw and her Filing System for Childhood Memories – I followed her steps pretty closely, just tweaking and adding a few things along the way.

These DIY kids memory boxes are really pretty simple. A clear file box for each child, one colored hanging folder per year (we color code pretty much everything in this house), with 2 manila folders in each. Starting with Pregnancy/Before You Were Born, First Year, 1 Year, 2 Years, 3 Years, 4 Years, 5 Years, and then Kindergarten all the way through 12th Grade – even a College folder if you want to include that.

The first manila folder for each year holds documents – things like report cards, certificates, notes from teachers, class photos, birthday cards and letters. The second manila folder holds classwork and artwork. For the pregnancy and first year sections, I put things like ultrasound photos, baby shower cards, birthday cards, and their baby book in those folders.

What I Used to Make Our Kids’ File Boxes

For each box you’ll need: one legal/letter file box, 21 colored hanging folders, 42 manila folders, 42 labels, and a name decal.

You can shop everything I used to make these DIY kids file boxes by clicking here (everything is from Amazon) or using the widget below. The only thing I purchased elsewhere were the name decals from Etsy. She has tons of font and color options. I ordered the 2.5” size for the front of each box.

Each box took me about an hour to put together, mostly because I used my label maker (if you can use a printer to print file labels this will go much quicker!). Little bit of a tedious project on the front end, but this will set us up for ease and success going forward. If you’d rather buy a box already put together, here are a few premade kids file box options from Etsy!

Tips for Storing Kids’ School Papers and Memories

WHAT TO KEEP: Paring down these kinds of things is harder for me than paring down my own keepsakes. There’s a painted handprint for every holiday, things they colored, precious papers with their name in giant, carefully drawn letters. To each their own, but during these MDO/preschool years, I’m trying to keep 3-4 handprint things, 3-4 things they wrote/colored, and 3-4 other crafts per year.

For crafts when they’re small, I like to hang onto things that are actually their handiwork – not things you can tell the teacher mostly did for them. For cards and letters, I try to only hang onto ones that have more than just a name signed – any with sweet notes they’ll really love to go back and read later on! The goal is to keep the folders from being stuffed to the brim, so I’ll put things in there I think I might want to keep, and if/as they get full, I can go through and pare things down even more. We’ll see how things change as they get older and are bringing home different things, but this is working for us right now.

DATE. EVERYTHING: You think you’ll remember when something’s from, but it’s tough! As I started going through our kids’ storage bins and moving all the papers into these file boxes (they each also have a big bin where I put other keepsakes like clothes, memorabilia and bulkier things), I was finding so many cards, papers and pieces of artwork with zero way to know when they were from. I’ve made it a habit now to jot down the month/year/their age on the back of things as they come into our home and I know I’ll want to keep them.

Again, if you’d rather not go the DIY route and would prefer to have one of these ready made for you, there are several fully assembled kids’ file box options available on Etsy!

Personally, I enjoyed putting the boxes together myself and being able to choose the colors of the folders, customize the name decals, and add the extra folders where it made sense. Again, HERE is the shoppable post with all of my supplies. And if you’d like to print my yearly About Me template, right click below to download.

If you’re overwhelmed by the influx of school papers and not sure what to do with it all, this is a great starting point. Happy filing!

Keepsake Organization Part I: Family Yearbooks

What a labor of love and a long time coming. Our family yearbooks are finally here! I set out to make these happen a few years ago after seeing my friend Melanie share hers, but I knew I needed to get caught up after doing a complete overhaul of my digital + iPhone photo organization, changing my mindset around taking photos of my children, and really getting serious about those photos being our family’s legacy – not just taking up space on my phone.

Twenty years from now, our kids won’t be scrolling through our phones to revisit their childhood memories. We NEED tangible memories – and to narrow it down so they’re not burdened with an overload of photos.

I cover all the details of how I manage and store my personal photos on this blog, so I won’t go into too much detail here, but part of my system includes copying my iPhone photos onto my external hard drive (and a backup drive and the cloud) at least once a month. As I’m doing that, I go ahead and pick some favorites from that set of photos to save for our annual yearbook. This makes it super easy at the end of the year because we already have our very favorites saved and ready to go.

Why I Chose mPix for Our Family Yearbooks

After lots of research and even starting an account to test things out on four different websites (Artifact Uprising, Milk Books, Blurb, and mPix), I ended up choosing mPix to create our yearbooks. Artifact Uprising’s products are gorgeous but a book the same size and same number of pages was more than twice the cost of mPix. I also very much preferred mPix’s layout options and the ease of their drag and drop features over any of the others.

TIP: If you do an mPix book and want the most easily customizable pages, choose “Empty Page” as you’re building out your spreads, then drag and drop the photos you want onto that page, then change the layout if needed. Way faster!

Product Information for our MPix Family yearbooks

I went with the 11x8.5” Premium Linen Hardcover photo book, in the color Sand, with silver foil debossing on the front cover, and a dust jacket. I really would’ve preferred our last name and year foil stamped on the spine itself, but that option was super hard to find on any website in my price range. I ended up loving the dust jackets anyway! I chose a photo from the beginning-ish and end-ish of each year.

Doing a landscape layout meant I could fit more portrait-oriented photos on each page, plenty big but still with plenty of white space so it’s not too overwhelming. I did 3-6 photos per page for the most part.

These books come with 20 pages – ours ended up with 35-45 pages each (about 250 photos per year), so the extra pages, plus debossing and dust jackets made them about $120 a piece. I think these are WELL worth the cost. The quality is incredible – the cover is gorgeous and the matte pages are beautifully printed on sturdy cardstock. Plus, mPix usually runs a 40% off sale sometime in January, or you can get 25% off your first order any time.

Helpful tips for creating family yearbooks

Double check that whichever website you’re using has an auto-save feature and if not, save your work after each page – mPix does not have auto-save and I learned that the hard way, unfortunately!

Beware of issues with HEIC images (what your iPhone probably defaults to). None of the websites I tried accept HEIC photos, so you’ll have to convert to JPEG (use this website to convert several at once, or you can open one in Preview on a Mac and Export it as a JPEG). HOWEVER – when you convert from HEIC to JPEG, the image loses its original date taken info, so keeping things in chronological order was a complete mess. From now on, I’ve changed my phone settings to capture everything in JPEG (Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible).

Another tip – make a Shared Album with your spouse to house your favorites/best of the best, so their favorites from their phone get included. I’d been keeping track of my favorites all along but getting caught up on five years’ worth of books meant Andrew had to go back and look through five years of photos on his phone and pick out his favorites, too. Having him put them in our Shared Album will make things easier from now on.

We’ll also do a Shared Album for videos that’ll make our yearly family movies even easier, too. For these, I just drag and drop all of our videos from each year into iMovie and it automatically puts them in the right order and makes a compilation. No transitions, no fancy editing, just all of our favorite videos from the year strung together to make one long movie. It’s so easy but such a treasure!

Thoughts on Quality over Quantity

Honestly, I haven’t been taking as many photos of my kids these days. They’re little busybodies, and while I want to remember these days, I also want to cherish them as they’re happening and not have my phone or my big camera in their face constantly. I took about 650 total photos and videos on my phone in 2023 and about 1000 in 2024 – there’s no magic number, but narrowing down 250 favorites from those was tough enough, and we still ended up with beautiful yearbooks full of photos that make us smile.

No Matter What – Print your Photos

These yearbooks are incredibly special to us and I know will be cherished for a lifetime, and hopefully beyond. Whatever you do, no matter how you choose to do it, whether it’s monthly Chatbooks, big yearly albums, a combination of both, or even just regularly printing 4x6s of your favorite iPhone photos and putting them in an old-school album – print your photos. It’s so worth it!

How I Organize Our Important Family Documents

If you know me or you’ve followed along for a while, you know how deep my love runs for all things organization. Today I’m sharing how I organize our most important family documents – things like legal documents, taxes, insurance, and medical bills. Everyone has their own system for this – just sharing what’s worked for us and what’s helped keep the paperwork under control over the years.

My Filing Rules

When it comes to important papers, I have two rules. One: do something about it NOW. Whether that’s paying the bill (when feasible of course), calling customer service, filing away a paper where it actually should go – don’t put it off. Deal with it as soon as possible as things come in.

And two: if there's also an email/online copy (utility bills, most receipts, etc., something I could print if I needed to) I don't keep a paper copy. Sign up for e-statements and auto-pay, auto-archive those bills to an email folder so they never even hit your inbox, and read/toss the papers that come in the mail. There are rare instances where I do like to have paper copies, or multiple copies, of things, but for the most part, I want these things on auto-pilot so I’m NOT wasting time messing with actual papers.

Our Fireproof File Boxes

I keep our important family documents in a fireproof file box like the ones below (scroll through the widget below to see options - our heavy duty one is from Walmart, another great fireproof option with extra pockets is on Amazon), with colored hanging folders and tri-cut manila folders. We actually have two boxes – one is not quite enough room to hold everything for our family, but the peace of mind from having these things safely tucked away is worth it.

How I Color Code Our Files

A pack of hanging file folders with FIVE colors (like these!) makes it so easy to color-code these things. Here’s how I handle ours!

BLUE = LEGAL

This section includes things like passports, birth certificates, immunization records, social security cards, wills, powers of attorney, advanced directives, and business formation documents. This may sound morbid, but having an attorney for a husband and a funeral director for a father-in-law (they’ve seen some drama when it comes to these things), I cannot emphasize to you enough the importance of having an estate plan, which includes things like wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives in place – especially if you are married and ESPECIALLY if you have children. The complications your family members will have to deal with (or fight over) if you don’t have specific plans in place… just not something you want to burden your loved ones with. You do not have to have a large or complicated “estate” to be worthy of having an estate plan – these things are for EVERYONE.

Texas friends – if you do not have these things in place, Andrew and I highly recommend our attorney friend Marley Elliott! She’s helped us with all sorts of things, from estate documents to business formations. She’s super great at explaining things in an easy-to-understand way, very fairly priced, and can do everything remotely.

GREEN = FINANCIAL

This is where I file anything credit card-related (disputes/payoff records, but not statements – opt for e-statements, always), retirement/investment account documents, 3 years of tax returns, and any loan/line of credit documents.

YELLOW = HOME

The yellow folders house anything related to our home, including property taxes (these could also go in Green but since these are more “active” tax documents, I put them here), lease/purchase/refinance documents and anything real estate-related. I save home repair invoices here and receipts for major purchases (furniture/appliances). I also keep a couple of copies of a recent utility bill, as these are needed occasionally. Otherwise, all utilities are handled online!

RED = INSURANCE

All things home/life/auto/health insurance go here! I have a separate file for each family member's medical bills and explanations of benefits (EOBs) for the last 3 years. Definitely keep your EOBs for a while (this is one thing I do prefer to keep hard copies of, in addition to online copies) – I’ve learned hard and expensive lessons there.

Always, always compare your medical bills to what the EOBs said would be covered, and do not be afraid to call and advocate for yourself. Doctors’ offices make billing mistakes (intentionally or not, at the expense of patients who aren’t paying close attention) ALL. THE. TIME.

If any family member has a significant medical procedure, I keep all documents and bills related to that in a separate file. And on that note, I keep all pregnancy/delivery-related bills and EOBs in a separate file for each baby.

I only keep the current and one most recent previous car and home insurance policy – if our coverage changes, I like to have one previous record to compare it to, but that’s about it. No need to keep years’ worth of those things.

ORANGE = OTHER

This is where I keep things like job records (offer letters, contracts), vehicle purchase and maintenance records, charitable giving records, veterinarian records, and hobby-related things like membership documents and large purchase receipts. School records (report cards, transcripts, etc.) are kept in our kids’ personal keepsake file boxes. Read more about those HERE!

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If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending influx of paperwork, I hope this was helpful! Obviously every family’s will look a little different. Just having a specific place for things to GO makes a difference in keeping clutter under control so it doesn’t pile up, on the counter or on your to-do list. If you’re on a decluttering mission this year, taking care of tasks related to these things and safeguarding this kind of documentation would be my number one place to start.

Shop all of our important document organization items, all in one place, HERE.

My Deep Cleaning Rotation

Keeping things organized is just part of my nature. Always has been. Keeping things clean… not so much. I’ve never cared as much about cleanliness as I have about edited and simplified spaces, but as a mom with three little ones and a big dog running around creating messes all day long, clean is a higher priority now.

Of course we have our daily cleaning routines — running the dishwasher, doing a load of laundry, sweeping, wiping down surfaces. Other tasks I’ll do as needed - vacuuming, cleaning toilets, etc. But when it’s time for a deep clean – when I want things to feel CLEAN clean, I’ll set aside a bigger chunk of time. I’d rather clean a space from top to bottom all the way than doing a little bit here and there.

I was inspired by Francie Outlaw to create a set of deep cleaning lists for our home. When she first shared hers, admittedly, I didn’t get the hype. I thought “Who needs a checklist for cleaning? Just clean!” But the more she shared them, I got on board and appreciated having a checklist for each area of our home to make sure I’m really being thorough and not forgetting anything.

While she has physical notecards, I realized I prefer the lists as a Note/checklist on my phone, so I can mark things off as I go, easily add a notation for when that particular deep clean was last done, and I don’t have to worry about cards getting dirty. Plus, I can edit the lists as needed, as our kids grow and things look different, and as the items in our home change. So far it’s worked great!

For my lists, I grouped certain spaces if it made sense to knock them out together. From start to finish, each area takes about 1-2 hours and I’ll complete them as needed. I’ve made it a goal to get through the entire list a few times a year: early summer, pre-holidays, and hopefully once more. Feel free to copy these lists and tweak to make your own set!

MASTER BATH

• clean sink + bar keepers friend

• clean window + lights + mirror + decor

• clean shower

• clean toilet

• disinfect tub

• disinfect counters 

• wipe down cabinets

• wipe out drawers

• baseboards

• empty trash + clean trash can

• sweep + mop

• wash bath mat

• wash linens

• refill soap

• inventory

MASTER BEDROOM + CLOSET

• wash sheets + pillowcases + duvet cover

• all dirty clothes in hampers

• dust furniture + fan + shoe shelves

• wipe down decor + TV + mirror

• clean windows

• clean under furniture

• vacuum curtains

• baseboards

• tidy dresser + nightstand drawers

• make bed

• sweep + mop

LAUNDRY ROOM + HALF BATH

• dust shelf + decor

• tidy cabinets + inventory

• wipe down washer + dryer

• clean inside washer + lint trap

• clean window

• clean toilet + stool

• clean sink + bar keepers friend

• refill soap

• wipe counters + decor + mirror

• baseboards

• empty trash

• sweep + mop

• iron clothes

KITCHEN + DINING

• clean appliances inside + out

• purge + wipe out fridge

• dust all lights

• clean + disinfect sink

• soak silverware

• wipe down coffee area + refill machine

• refill canisters

• refill soaps + clean soap dispenser

• refill centerpiece candles

• clean windows + blinds

• clean trashcans

• wipe out drawers + cabinets

• wipe down cabinets + backsplash

• tidy + disinfect countertops

• wipe down table, chairs, buffet + decor

• disinfect booster seats

• wipe pantry shelves + inventory

• wash linens

• baseboards

• sweep + mop

LIVING ROOM + Stairs

• tidy + rotate toys

• wash pillow covers + blankets

• wipe down coffee table

• dust lamp, decor, mantle, tv

• wipe down picture frames

• clean + vacuum out fireplace

• clean windows + blinds

• vacuum curtains

• vacuum couch + under cushions

• clean + sweep under couches

• sweep stairs

• sweep coat closet, tidy + wipe down shelves

• baseboards

• sweep + vacuum + mop floors

• wash Ruggable

KIDS’ ROOMS

• wash linens + make beds

• tidy bookshelves + baskets

• dust furniture + decor

• dust fans + lights

• clean under furniture

• tidy closets + dust shelves

• baseboards

• vacuum drapes

• clean windows + blinds

• vacuum floors

• empty + clean vacuum

UPSTAIRS BATH + HALL

• sweep upstairs hallway

• dust hallway frames + windowsill 

• clean sink + bar keepers friend

• disinfect bathtub + tidy toys

• disinfect non-slip mat in tub

• clean toilet

• dust lights

• wipe down counters, mirror, decor

• wipe cabinets

• wipe out drawers

• refill soap

• baseboards

• empty trash

• vacuum rug

• sweep + mop

• wash linens

• inventory

GARAGE

• tidy toys

• rotate seasonal things to/from attic

• tidy + wipe down counters + cabinets

• wipe down workout bench

• wipe freezer + fridge inside and out

• put donations in car

• break down boxes + take out trash

• inventory

• sweep floors

OUTSIDE

• leaf blow

• pick up dog poop

• wipe down chairs

• clean windows

• clean grill

• shake out and sweep around door mats

• sweep porch + patio

• sweep doorframes + cobwebs

• clean dog bowls

• disinfect patio table

• wipe down tv

• water plants

A quick note on cleaning products — at the beginning of 2024, I started fresh with all new cleaning products. We now use Branch Basics for everyday cleaning, wiping surfaces, etc., and Force of Nature as our disinfectant. Both are completely non-toxic and fragrance-free, and I’ve been so impressed with their effectiveness. The Force of Nature link above will get you 40% off and earns me extra capsules for sharing. I recommend the Year’s Supply — it’s a really great value and should last you closer to 2 years or more!

Hopefully this was helpful to you, even just to articulate what exactly it takes do a true reset in each area of your home when it comes to cleaning. Whether you’re frequently hosting or in the thick of motherhood with young kids, it feels good to know that even as the daily messes pile up, your home functions at a baseline of cleanliness, with an extra fresh slate when you need it.

MVPs | Most Valuable Purchases of 2022

2022 in the rear view and whewww — I feel like I’m still in the middle of a giant exhale after a year of being in straight up survival mode, stretched so beyond thin. I’m finding my footing and seeing the light after a tough, refining season.

2022 required some downsizing and I’ve been open in sharing our simplification journey and the reasons behind all of that — and as a result, the way I approach making purchases big and small. The goal is intentionality and practicality, to end up with things that don’t make me feel like I’ve settled.

So in no particular order, I’m sharing some favorites that come to mind from 2022. My MVPs if you will - Most Valuable Purchases. Things I truly adore, have found useful, use all the time and think you might, too!

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Bogg bag

Am I totally late to the Bogg bag game? Yes. But oh my gosh, this thing got used so much this past year. I snagged the Olive You color I’d been eyeing and it went everywhere with us all summer. Is it a lot to spend on a bag that looks like Crocs? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. So nice to not worry about wet towels or swimsuits, dirt, crumbs, etc. Just wipe or wash it! And it’s been great for bringing toys, books, and bulkier things on the road with us if we need to - the structured shape means it doesn’t fall over or collapse like a normal tote and makes it easy to toss things in.

Black sneakers

I’d been searching for shoes to wear with athleisure and wasn’t necessarily looking for a darker pair, but when I tried these on with my favorite leggings, I ended up loving the black-on-black look. Comfy, classic, versatile — these neutral Adidas shoes are my new go-to for everyday wear. I’d go a half or full size down on these, fyi!

6 for $16 undies

2022 was the year I finally broke up with Victoria’s Secret — we had a nice 20 year run (WHAT! for real though - circa 2002) but the price had gone up and quality has gone down and it was time. I found this set of lace trim thongs from Amazon and wish I would’ve made the switch sooner! The lace doesn’t get stretched out, they wash great, feel great… love.

Luna oil

When I tell you this stuff has transformed my skin… I had been sleeping on this retinol face oil, until I was gifted a sample size and fell in love, and now I’m literally sleeping on it every night. I legit look forward to putting this on every night before bed (it smells divine) and you only need a few drops - the smaller bottle lasted me 7 months. I’ve pared my skincare products down to just a few products and this one for sure made the cut. It’s so good!

American Cowboys book

This American Cowboys coffee table book is a treasure. It’s BIG and gorgeous inside and out – incredible photography, beautiful short stories, and essays by Taylor Sheridan. So happy to have this in my collection!

My Kader Boly print (also a gift from andrew) should’ve made this list too, but i feel like it’s in a league of its own. it’s a stunner and the sentimental value behind it makes it stand out from the rest.

Matted frames

2022 was also the year I got my crap together and finally got more photos displayed throughout our home, using these 16x20 matted to 8x10 frames. Seriously, I have nine of these in various spots in our house and am contemplating a few more. I have Rustic Brown and White but they also come in Walnut and Natural. They’re beautiful. If you don’t want to spend Pottery Barn money but appreciate the Pottery Barn gallery frame look, these are what you’re looking for.

Jennifer Zeuner hoops

In my blog about purging our home and prioritizing simplicity, I talked about paring down my jewelry collection and essentially starting over, slowly rebuilding with timeless pieces. These Jennifer Zeuner 2-inch gold hoops were my first post-purge purchase and I couldn’t be happier with them. They’re big enough to be eye-catching but so lightweight and versatile — they pair perfectly with a casual outfit just as much as a dressy one and the cost per wear makes these more than worth it.

GreenPan set

After lottttts of research on non-toxic, non-stick cookware, we finally ditched our old, scratched up pots and pans this past year and replaced everything with this GreenPan stainless steel set. The sizes are perfect, they’re durable but not too heavy, and cleaning them is a breeze. Money well spent, for sure.

$15 sunglasses

Last but not least, these $15 Amazon aviators had to make the list. I’ve been so impressed with these! They come in several colors.

It’s been refreshing this year to approach purchases with intention - if that means researching, I research until I’m sure. If that means waiting, I’ll wait - because at least I’m not settling or adding things to my home that won’t be staying for the long haul. Hoping to do more of the same in 2023!

Living with Less and Prioritizing Simplicity in Our Home

It’s been a big year around here! As we’re approaching the boys’ first birthday, I’ve been thinking about how we’ve adapted to life with 3 under 3 - shifts we’ve had to make in our routines, our perspectives and our home.

One recurrent theme from this year has been SIMPLIFYING - born out of necessity but then very much an intentional shift. Three littles comes with a LOT of stimulation all day long and requires so incredibly much of my energy, both mental and physical. I could not afford, time-wise or mental health-wise, to also be stressed out by clutter and disorganization in our home, and I’ve really done an overhaul on not just the things we own, but the way I view them.

The goal has never been minimalism. I don’t desire to live with as little as possible. I do desire to only have things in our home that I love and that serve a purpose though, and I’m keenly aware now that every single thing that makes its way into our home 1) is the product of a decision and 2) requires ongoing mental energy. Maintaining it, cleaning it, storing it, inventory - the more you have, the more that effort multiplies.

Mental Prep Work Before Starting to Simplify

Probably important to mention that by nature, I don’t have sentimental attachment to very many things - maybe to a fault. I’ve always been pretty minimal too when it comes to products (makeup/skin/hair etc.) - I know what I like and I stick to it. I don’t have workwear for an office job. And I’ve never been into holiday decorating - outside of our Christmas tree and stockings, our home decor doesn’t change from season to season. These factors alone helped give me a head start on downsizing.

So let me preface all of this with the classic - “you do you.” Let your home reflect your life and the things you love. This is what has worked for us and the methods I’ve personally used to bring more peace, calm, and TIME back to my life in the midst of a very chaotic season. A lot of it probably sounds harsh or extreme, and it is! I had to do some major perspective shifts to get the ball rolling and let go of certain things, literally and figuratively. These were the big ones:

• Certain things serve a purpose for a season. We get to decide when that season is over.

• Not seeing things as what you paid for them. It can be hard to look at something and not see dollar signs, but sometimes you just have to chalk it up to paying for a lesson learned.

• Is it a likely what if? Or an unlikely what if. If keeping something hinges on a what-if, assess the probability. Is the risk really worth the keep?

• Letting go of guilt and feelings of obligation. Once an item enters your home and your possession - you and you alone are in charge of what happens to it.

• Self respect. Say it with me: “I owe myself the respect of not settling.” Things you wear, use, give your energy to… if you look at something and feel hesitation, there’s a reason. And you don’t have to justify that reason to anyone else.

Live Simply by Annie has really insightful, helpful tips (and tough love/hard truths) for working through these things, getting over the hump and letting go of the fear, obligation, and guilt we associate with certain belongings. It’s an ongoing process for me and she’s been a great resource!

Focus Areas for Simplifying Our Home

EXPIRED. Anything expired = gone immediately. Food, medicine, beauty products, cleaning products. The easiest places to start! 

EXTRAS. What are all these extras actually for? What purpose are they serving? 

-Extra towels (not designated guest towels, but extra towels in general). Why? I have one set of favorite towels and a few other sets that sat in the cabinet for 7 years. I held onto them because I thought, “We registered for these. They’re nice. We might use them someday.” Except we really haven’t. I’d always just rather have my favorite set out. If you wash/dry your towels and hang them right back up, what are the extras for? Goes for sheets too.

Everyday use. Fancy. Guest. Fancy Guest. Uhhh - eleven?!

-Dish towels. Hand towels. Beach towels. Kids’ towels. Washcloths. All. the. towels. Keep the ones you really love. Save a few old ones for big spills and messes. Let go of the rest.

-Tote bags. Travel bags. All the bags. Pare it down. 

-Kitchen stuff. Duplicates, damaged, dingy… get rid of or replace.

-Extra cups. Water bottles. Yetis. Mugs. Koozies. Sippy cups. Kid plates. Toddler utensils. Bibs. Oven mitts. It was out of control, and we reach for the same ones over and over anyway. I edited these things ruthlessly. 

-Extras in the junk drawer. You know.

-Manuals. If you’ve ever had an issue with something, do you really go find the manual? Or do you consult Google or YouTube?

VISUAL CLUTTER

We’re working with about 1600 square feet for 5 people and a big dog, and as a mostly-stay-at-home mom, I spend a LOT of time in this house. In order for it not to feel cramped or for me not to go stir crazy, I’ve learned to appreciate decorating with WAYYY less and reducing the visual clutter on walls, shelves, tabletops, etc. We don’t have a lot of trinkets out or little things displayed - less to look at means less to think about + less to keep clean and right now, that’s where I want to be.

One thing I’ve reminded myself over the years as we’ve lived in and decorated a few homes is that not every wall or surface needs something. Don’t settle and buy something just to fill the space. Wait for something you truly love, or decide that it’s fine without anything at all.

TIP — I think a big contributing factor when there’s a cluttered feeling with decor is the scale. It’s hard to go too big. It’s easy to go too small, and then feel like you need more to visually fill the space - whether that’s on a wall, shelf, or table. Art and framed photos, especially. I’ve trained my brain to think “less, but bigger.”

TOY ROTATION

We started a toy rotation system last fall to keep the living room toy situation manageable since we don’t have a playroom. Three baskets total downstairs - Steele’s toys and books on the stair landing (behind the baby gate so brothers stay out of her stuff) and the boys’ toys by the sofa. The rest of their toys stay out of sight, out of mind in clear storage drawers in their closet upstairs, and I rotate things every couple of weeks. It’s a win all the way around! More focused play, less decision overload, easy clean up. Plus when I rotate different toys and books in, they get excited about them all over again. I try to limit things with lots of pieces to a few at a time downstairs, and we pick up once before nap time, once before bed. It’s worth it to me to spend a few minutes a few times a day to have a more peaceful space, and it makes the end of the day pickup more manageable.

WARDROBE

We’ve all done the closet clean out that feels productive for a while, but then you’re still finding shirts you bought in college and jeans you wore 2 pregnancies ago you just can’t seem to part with. I was determined this time to not just make a dent, but pare things down to the point of almost starting over — focusing on quality over quantity and rebuilding a wardrobe that really feels like ME. 32-year-old me, not 25-year-old me.

If I wasn’t sure about something, I physically tried it on and asked myself Does this make me feel confident? If I was shopping right now, today, would I buy this? If the answer to either was no, it was gone. No exceptions. That didn’t leave me with a whole lot - truly, anything I felt meh about, I got rid of. But what’s in there now are all things I truly love wearing. I can see what pieces I could really use now and take my time finding/investing in those things, and put together new outfits with versatile pieces in the meantime. I’ve also learned to be ok with being a repeater and I’ve embraced the idea of having a “signature style.” I know what I feel best in and what looks best on me — colors and styles — and I don’t feel the need to stray too far from that.

The extent of my hanging clothes on a 5 foot raCk. Jeans below and A 24-pair shoe organizer With room to spare, a 4-drawer Bin for swimsuits, hats, shorts, and workout clothes — socks, underwear, pajamas and t-shirts are in our shared dresser.

The extent of my jewelry, aside from my wedding rings, Aggie ring and the dainty gold jewelry I Wear every day.

As for jewelry - again, a ruthless edit. If it’s not something I’d pass down to my daughter or something truly timeless and classic that I reach for on a regular basis, time to go. Even if it was expensive. I got rid of probably 90% of my jewelry, packed certain things away to save for Steele, and invested in a couple things I’d had my eye on for a long time that I now wear day in and day out. 

For anything in my closet or dresser, I asked myself - do I feel any hesitation here? Why? Not in style, not MY style, uncomfortable, doesn’t fit quite right, worn out, tarnished, dingy… if any of those are true, I need to have the self respect to not wear something I don’t feel good in anymore. 

The other side of simplifying

Throughout this process, I’ve gotten more and more honest with myself. If I made a mistake and shouldn’t have bought something when I did - live and learn. Move on from it. Doesn’t mean I need to keep it. Loved it then but don’t love it as much now? It served me for a season and it’s ok for that season to be over. Never really loved it? Not worth your mental energy to hang onto, and now you know better. Over time, the simplifying process started to snowball into other areas - digital spaces (culling/deleting emails and iPhone photos daily, digital photo organization + regular backups, social media follow purge, etc.), our paper filing system, our pantry, our drop zone by the door - less, less, less.

For me, the greatest tradeoff is the headspace and mental capacity I have now to focus on more important things. To buy things with intention and patience and to be EXCITED about what’s in our home. To spend way less time picking up and organizing. To be able to breathe deeply and feel happy when I open my closet or walk into the living room every morning.

The size of our house used to stress me out - when we first found out we were expecting twins, I was overwhelmed thinking about the STUFF that would come with 2 more kids and worrying how we were all going to fit. How would our home not feel cramped 24/7? But after a year of taking intentional steps to simplify, I don’t feel like that any more. We have less in this house now than we did before our boys came along. Our home brings me joy. It’s a place I enjoy spending our days and I really don’t want to leave it anytime soon.

One year into some big changes and it feels GOOD. If you’re feeling stuck when it comes to living with less, decorating with less, or simplifying - message me! This is something I’m really passionate about and I’m always happy to chat.

Bullard Boys | Newborn Photos

The Bullard boys are HOME! Hayes McCall and Harrison Shepler (Shep) joined us September 3, 2021, at 9:25 and 9:26 in the morning, weighing 5lbs 9oz and 4lbs 11oz. Both boys needed a little help maintaining their body temps, taking full feeds without wearing themselves out, and making sure they were breathing steady without any apnea episodes. Our two-week NICU stay wasn’t fun (especially with a one-hour commute to the hospital) but they’re home at last and we’re living in a state of exhausted bliss, still not quite believing these three kiddos are ours. Big sister has had a little bit of a tough time adjusting and doesn’t love when mom and dad are holding the boys and don’t have any free hands left for her, but when either of her brothers cry she’s sure to let us know. I think she’ll warm up to them before long.

I was trying to remember if I ever even blogged Steele’s newborn photos and discovered I blogged a few of them here, along with our picks for must-have baby items. So far, this list still holds true with twins, too!

Without further ado, here are our boys and their sweet big sister. How lucky are we to call them ours.