Chris Cooks
Top 5 Tips for Cooking With Kids
This post is sponsored by Blue Apron While Chris cooks 99.9% of all the meals around here, he doesn't always do it alone. A lot of Sundays, when we all want time to go a little slower, he enlists Greta as his "sous chef" (tiny chef!) and they make the meal together. This past Sunday, […]
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October 25, 2016
Lifestyle
How We Paid off our Student Loans In One Lump Sum
This post is sponsored by Regions Bank. Did you have student loans while in college? How did you pay them off? Maybe you still are. A fresh fall semester just started here in the small university town where we live--which happens to be the same University Chris and I graduated from nearly ten years ago. […]
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October 10, 2016
Lifestyle
That Time My Family Got a Video Camera and We All Freaked Out
Without trying to jump any guns, there are just 11 weeks until Christmas (!!) And even less until all of my sisters are reunited again. I wanted to do something special this year for our annual holiday reunion, so we partnered with Legacybox to pull it off (and scored a huge discount for all of you, too, at the […]
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October 6, 2016
Decor
How We Decided on Window Coverings for the Home Office
This post is sponsored by Blindster.com Now that all the paneling in our home office is done (I keep calling it the "hardscaping" even though I know that's an exterior term), we're focusing on bring in furnishings and soft textiles to soften the space a bit. I wafted between curtains and blinds or a combination for […]
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August 30, 2016
Chris Cooks
Cooking for Family and Friends + Anolon Vesta Braiser Giveaway
Food is a central part of every culture, and I think that is because of the impact a meal can have on our relationships. Historically speaking, dinner time has been crucial to the formation of strong families, and I think it's all about nourishment. We all need each other to be happy. We are social creatures […]
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August 18, 2016
Toolbox
4 Reasons to Have a Garment Steamer In Your Tool Arsenal
We got a new toy, I mean tool--the CONAIR Turbo ExtremeSteam® Handheld Fabric Steamer--the most powerful handheld steamer on the market. Being someone that loathes ironing so much I only have a handful of shirts that need ironing ever, I knew it wouldn't get a ton of action in the laundry room. However, I'm still here to announce, […]
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August 16, 2016
Chris Cooks
How to Oil and Condition Wooden Spoons
Last week, for dinner one night, Chris made cheesy stuffed peppers from Blue Apron, the chef-designed meal delivery service we have used for the past two years!, and we were both amazed it was meatless because of how satisfying it was. We get their family plan (they also have a 2-person plan), which is two […]
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August 11, 2016
Toolbox
What's Your Most Prized Possession? Plus, a GetSafe Review!
This post is sponsored by GetSafe. What would you save in a fire? For Chris, he always says our piano that was once his great grandmothers. And then we laugh a little because, if, heaven forbid, our house was actually on fire, the chances of us actually being able to hoist the piano up two flights of stairs are […]
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July 13, 2016
Decor
Before and After: Little Girls' room goes Tween + a Bedding Giveaway!
My nieces, Anna and Elsie ages 12 and 8, have shared a room their entire lives and a queen bed for the past 6 years. It works well for them and their family of 6 kids. But lately, although their room was nice, they have been expressing to their parents (and to cool Aunt Julia […]
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June 28, 2016
Decor
28 Things for Your Home that Won't Break the Bank
We live in a very small city in the middle-of-nowhere Idaho. It's where Chris grew up and where we happily call home now. There are two grocery stores, about 15 fast food options, Brigham Young University-Idaho, countless potato fields and a Super Walmart. Everything else is about 30-40 minutes away so we're used to working with […]
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June 4, 2016
Art
All Flowers Remind Me of You, Mom + Free Printable!
Every year for Mother's Day, my mom always asks for a letter. It used to make me roll my eyes, Can't I get you a new purse or something!? But now I totally get it. She has a stack that she's collected from each of us over the year. And what a treasured collection that must be. […]
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April 26, 2016
Other Makeovers
Lowe's Spring Makeover Afters: A Modern Lake House Entry/Sitting Room
When we first saw the Freeman's application for the Lowe's Spring Makeover, we were immediately drawn to it. Although dark and dated, it felt warm and charming and there was definitely evidence that they had already poured their own sweat into the adjacent dining and tv room even though they had just moved in a […]
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April 18, 2016
Design
How To Organize Your Fridge Like a Pro
What does the inside of your fridge look like? We are the type of household that try to get the main part of our fridge as empty as possible every week. This system started shortly after we finished the kitchen renovation last year. We felt inspired to get our refrigerator super organized and I can't […]
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April 14, 2016
Decor
Disguising Air Returns With Paint! + A Giveaway!
This post is sponsored by FilterEasy, an unforgettable air filters service we've used for the past year that’s smart and simple. We're giving away free filters to 150 readers + a chance to win a Target gift card at the end of the post. We've had the downstairs painted for a couple months, but I haven't talked […]
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April 6, 2016
DIY
Sneak Peek at the new Front Door + Schlage Giveaway!
Update: Congrats to our winner, Avery! Hope you enjoy your new door hardware. :) Last week, our new front door arrived! We got it installed and trimmed out and it has totally changed everything. The facade of our house finally reflects more of what you could expect when you walk inside. We'll have more of those photos […]
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March 28, 2016
Lifestyle
How We Budget For Renovations
I know that talking about money is a little taboo and can be kind of uncomfortable, but renovating a home actually costs money (what?!) so we're going to make today's post a safe place to have a conversation about how our finances and budget have evolved to a place where we can afford to make […]
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March 15, 2016
Decor
Patio Zen
This year has been a growing year for me. I have taken on a lot of extra freelancing and started to work for a big interior-inspiration website nearly full time. About half way through, I was so overjoyed with all of the opportunities but also feeling a little overwhelmed, too. My sister, Victoria, who still […]
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November 23, 2015
DIY
Our DIY Reclaimed Wood Open Shelving + Fresh Flowers
This project tutorial is sponsored by The Bouqs Company--a new flower delivery service that’s easy, fresh, and beautiful. We hung open shelving in the kitchen this week! It was a decision I touched on in this post, and we're so glad we went this route. After living in a construction zone for the past 5 […]
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September 10, 2015
DIY
A DIY Raised Feeding Station for Charly + Free month to BarkBox!
We recently celebrated the second anniversary of having Charly as part of our family. (You can read about when we got her here and the 1st year here.) Our lives and home would not be complete without this big (150lb!) girl who is part St. Bernard and part Great Pyrenees. The most enjoyable thing about […]
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June 18, 2015
DIY
The DIY That Has Saved Us Over $2k in the past 18 Months
According to the Liberty Mutual Insurance New Beginnings Report, 71% of Americans have plans to tackle a DIY project this year, with cost savings being the main reason. More and more people are DIYing. It's a heart-warming and exciting statistic that we can relate to--afterall, that's how this whole blog really started. We just couldn't […]
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May 29, 2015
