Travel Diary: Asheville, NC

January 24, 2017

I am not the best at spontaneous travel. It’s easy to talk myself out of going anywhere with 5 children, let alone a long car ride and a weekend trip to an unfamiliar city. However, Gabe and I both want to take advantage of any opportunities to spend time as a family, show our kids parts of this country, and encourage adventure and curiosity. So I am learning how to keep things on the simple side with packing, and say yes before thinking too much (hello melancholic). So to be ahead of the eight ball and forgo January squirrely-ness, we headed to Asheville, NC…
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Mini + me: Best shops for knitwear.

January 19, 2017

I tend to stuff my babies in sweaters and knitwear for my own viewing pleasure. I myself have been living in the same stack of sweaters all season, and I thought I would share with you all some of the best shops for knitwear for ladies + little ones.

(Wearing: Sweater, sneakers, denim from AE)

I wait till January to pick up sweaters since that is when they all go on sale. I will just get an item or two that I know I will wear to death, and that will last over the years. Here are the places I always look first…
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Master Bedroom Makeover

January 18, 2017

The master bedroom…..a place we spend little time, but the time we do spend there is valued. It is the place we unwind from the day, and re-charge for the next. In recent months it has been filled with boxes from our move back in May due to our downsize in closet space. It was actually a welcome change considering it forced us to get rid of anything we didn’t use or need. Our bedroom wasn’t a priority when we first moved in, but we soon realized the disheveled clutter that was consuming it was not contributing to a peaceful day’s end. It was doing quite the opposite. Every time we walked into our room our anxiety levels rose from the clutter. So we decided to bite the bullet and make it a focus.

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DIY Animal Planters

January 12, 2017

DIY Animal Planters
You have probably spotted all kinds of planters across our home over the last year. I love every kind, but especially ones with character. I wanted to provide more ideas of ways to make use of what you may already have for home decor. I was so tempted to scoop up a few ceramic animal planters I had seen recently, but it occurred to me that this quirky option could be a fun alternative. These DIY animal planters take about ten minutes to create. I hijacked a few forgotten dinosaurs from the bottom of my son’s toy basket and transformed them into succulent planters and/or bookends. Here is the easy how-to….
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A Southern Snow Day

January 8, 2017

It snows about once a year in Georgia, but even then rarely sticks. I didn’t know quite how to explain to my little ones that their Christmas wish for snow wasn’t probably going to happen this year…

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The best of 2016 and moving forward.

January 5, 2017

I wanted to jump into a new fresh start on the blog this week, and not even take the time to look over and evaluate the past year. I realized, however, that I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the highs and lows of the year in order to move forward in the right direction. Each of you readers that visit IHOD are the reason I am able to keep going this year, and it is important to me that I keep an honest dialogue with you because if you are going to invest time in IHOD, I want that time to be an uplifting part of your day. I apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but these things need to be addressed!

I ended the year pretty burnt out as I do almost every year, and welcomed the extra time with my children and husband at home. I could have used two more weeks, but I decided the number one rule/resolution/goal whatever you want to call it, is not to force anything. This will apply in all areas of my life. Regret, bad moods, stressed relationships, missed moments….all of those things are a result of forcing good to happen. I just want to BE this year, and allow myself the ability to experience each day as it comes without self imposed expectations. Still with me? Okay good.

Let’s start with a look back on your favorite posts from last year shall we? Some of these surprised me, but others I quite agree with you on ;)….

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Happy 2017!

January 2, 2017

(NYE inspo from my friend Studio DIY, and found most items at Party City)

(my favorite party guests)

(4 out of 8 of us sisters!)

(Azelie’s first New Year)

My sister Maria flew in for the New Year to surprise my family, and so a New Year party was in order. We all dressed up, danced, and toasted champagne in gratitude for each other. Every new year brings with it a well of gratitude for my family as I realize more and more how valuable of an imprint they have left on my life. These are just a few snaps from the iphone roll of the evening. How was your New Year? Did you stay in pjs? Celebrate with your friends? What part of the world were you in? We had one sister celebrating across the globe in Hungary!

I have so much to process from 2016….one of the tougher years in motherhood, but one in which I could feel so much inner change for the better. I wouldn’t go as far to say I welcome the tough days, but I am thankful for what they have brought to my perspective on life. I want more of that this year….

More one on one dates with my kids.

Less expectations.

More organization.

Less clutter.