Main Bathroom Design Plan: A Weird Style Mix and A Crazy Faucet

August 21, 2017 in Design Plans

We officially started our first fall renovation this past weekend by demoing out the main bathroom. We took the summer off so our budget and our backs could take a break but we are ready to hit the ground running all the way up until Christmas…I think. The debate for the next renovation project was between the kitchen and the main bathroom but due to our minimal budget the bathroom won over. I started on a design plan and laid out a budget and a timeline. To be honest, I was pretty proud of myself. For the entire bathroom (tile, grout, supplies, and decor) I only had to budget a little over $1400.

The Current Bathroom: Before Photos

This bathroom isn’t quite as bad as our master bathroom (see master bath design plan and before photos here.)  It is fairly large and has the matching tile that we have throughout the kitchen and master bathroom.

We debated on keeping the vanity and changing up the doors and/or the knobs and replacing the sink. Our love of our master bath vanity and the new/clean vibes won out and we decided instead, to get a vanity from IKEA that matches the one in the master. The tile is formatted around the current vanity so we may need to work around the size and possibly add in some trim pieces to make it work.  Read more…

Coeur D’Alene, Idaho – A Travel Guide: Your Next Lakeside Vacay

August 18, 2017 in Travel

So this is somewhat of a guest post in that I only got to spend a day in Coeur D’Alene before we headed off to Spokane and Seattle. But I interviewed my mom and sister who spent a week there and got the low down on the best places to go on your Idaho vacay! To start off Coeur D’Alene is a little lakeside town in the upper skinny portion of Idaho. They suffer (in my opinion!) through 7 probably awful months of winter but in the summer it is a stunning place to visit. Julianne Hough actually got married in Coeur D’Alene this past summer! If you are a lake junkie, a golf addict, or love vacationing in new exciting places (this girl!) then Coeur D’Alene, Idaho should be on your travel list! Read more…

Currently Obsessed: Pink Puppy Chow, Insta Goalz, and A Vote

August 16, 2017 in Currently Obsessed

Camp has his surgery this morning so I am a little on edge. I get so nervous and I just want to be done with it already and have him back home and healing up. I thought I would do my weekly roundup (but actually not so weekly) of a few of my recent favorite things.

I made this frosted animal cookie puppy chow recipe for the lake this weekend and it was a total hit! I think I would change the recipe a bit so maybe I’ll take a whack at my first recipe post!

I purchased this Kristen Ess shampoo and conditioner since we were on a tight budget a few weeks ago and for the cost – I really like it. It is $20 total and is an exclusive at Target. Read more…

That One Time Our Dog’s Tooth Almost Cost Us $2k

August 14, 2017 in Stories

To say today has been the Monday of all Monday’s would be quite accurate. I debated on whether or not to blog about this because honestly I feel super sensitive about it – as a dog mom and since it deals with finances. But after struggling to find resources today I figured if this post helps at least one person in my situation then it was worth it. And I just kind of needed to vent…

The last photo of our non-hillbilly pup.

So we went to a friend’s lake house this weekend. We had a blast and it was so unbelievably nice of them to let us bring Camp along. Seriously, not a lot of people would do that. He behaved really well, played with the other dogs, and for the most part stayed nearby. I took a few photos of him and JR when we were hanging out on the dock and then we penned him up inside the homeowner’s wire kennel and went out on the boat for a few hours. When we got back we let him out and noticed a huge chunk of his lower canine tooth was chipped off. I went into full on dog mom mode. First I looked at the photos I took on the dock earlier and sure enough both his pearly whites were intact so it for sure happened while he was in the kennel. Probably gnawing on it to get out. Then I started googling, panicking, and making every attempt to not start crying. What was left of the tooth was completely cracked in half and it was sort of bleeding – it looked like it HURT! I researched a few options but figured there wasn’t much we could do about it immediately and tried to just make sure he wasn’t in pain. It didn’t ruin our weekend – he kept playing and running around fine and we had fun and enjoyed the rest of the time there. Read more…

Affordable Office Chair Roundup – 24 Options Under $200!

August 10, 2017 in Design Plans

My brother and his girlfriend are both starting their sophomore year of college this year – cue tears! How can they be this grown up already? Jackie, my brother’s girlfriend, is moving into her sorority for the first time. I’m so ecstatic for her – these first two years of college are such a fun and exciting time. She purchased a new desk similar to this one and is in need of a fun desk chair to match. Obviously she texted her boyfriend’s cool older sister and I threw together a roundup of 24 affordable desk chairs for her to pick from.

The goal was to stay under $200 for all 24 chairs. Personally, my go to store for a fun chair would be Homegoods. But, since they don’t have an online store I picked out some favorites from Amazon, World Market, Ikea, and West Elm. I also tried to include a good range of colorful options, comfortable options, and neutral options. If you sit at a desk all day like me then sometimes comfort outweighs style. (GASP! I can’t believe I just said that!) Fingers crossed she picks one of the crazier options – nothing says go with fun and color like living in a sorority house! Read more…

Our Whole30: How I Got My Husband to Eat His Vegetables

August 8, 2017 in Stories

We did it! I started this blog post the day after Memorial Day. Before starting I took down a bunch of notes on how I was feeling and prepped for the 30 days ahead and guess what? We did it! We made it 30 days and I won’t say it was easy but we did learn a lot, changed a few habits, and definitely plan on doing it again. I have a few posts planned around Whole30 since it is a super tough program and I was constantly scouring the internet for resources. Be sure to check back for a list of must have ingredients, signs that Whole30 may be for you, and tips on getting through the program.

What is Whole30

To start out Whole30 is described as not being a diet program but more of a lifestyle change/food challenge. For 30 days you cut out all sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, carrageenan, MSG, sulfites, and cannot consume any baked goods or “compliant” junk foods.

Compliant is a word that is used often in the program. It essentially means that a food is approved to eat on the program. 

You are pretty much narrowed down to fruits, veggies, meat and eggs, and healthy fats. There isn’t any measuring of foods or specific times you need to eat, although they do encourage to eat 3 times a day with no snacking in between. There is also absolutely no cheating during the 30 days. If you go off program you are supposed to start over completely.

If you are a big reader I have also heard it helps to read “It Starts With Food.” This book is referenced in the Whole30 book and is written by the same authors so if your up for it order both! 

Our Experience

We started out right after Memorial Day weekend and made it through the 30 days to the end of June. We had to power through JR’s 10 year high school reunion, a backyard cookout, and skip a beerfest but we did it!  I started by journaling through the first 8 days and then sort of got into the flow of things and forgot. On the Whole30 timeline they state that you are most likely to quit on day 10 so after we got over that hump we really got into the groove and it got so much easier. Read more…

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