Now that we have made our official announcement, it's time to get down to business and prepare for this cross country move! What you may not know about me, is that this will be my 9th move in less than 10 years, and is my 5th long distance move. I would say I could crown myself with the title "moving expert", or something along those lines.
With each of those moves, the majority of them have been PCS moves, and for those of you reading this and thinking "speak English please!", that's basically just military terms for you have no choice in where you are moving, have weeks to prepare to uproot your life and find a house. While I have done moves of all kinds in the past 10 years, this will be my first civilian cross country move. In the coming weeks, I plan to share all about our military moves and tips and lessons I have learned along the way. And oh have I learned a lot of lessons when it comes to moving!
One of the biggest things I have learned, is that long distance moving (or moving of any kind) doesn't have to be complicated. If you search Pinterest at any given point for moving binder printables or moving checklists, you will find pages and pages. You can easily be overwhelmed with what seems like the never ending to do lists when it comes to preparing for or being in the process of moving, but trust me, it really can be made simple.
*This post is sponsored in collaboration with Homes.com - all thoughts and ideas are my own.
I am a planner and a worrier. I plan and plan and then worry, until the plan is carried out perfectly. I have spent years (basically my entire life) making to-do lists. I even schedule when I need to relax. Yep, I'm that kind of crazy. On top of that, I hate change. Say what? Someone who has moved 8 times hates change? Yes, it stresses me out beyond words. But here is what I have learned; I have learned that moving can be exciting, and not stressful. It is all in your outlook, no matter how much time ahead of time you have to prepare. Our last cross country move, I had just 2 weeks to prepare! So having anything more than that is a luxury in my book!
Moving made simple:
Below I have created a series of printables for you to create your own moving binder. These printables will help to keep all of your moving information organized in one space, and includes all of the basics that you need. I spent time compiling all of the things that I really utilized in our past moves and only included those, leaving out all of the extra, overwhelming tasks, that in my opinion, really don't need to be done.
Each month I will release a new monthly moving countdown checklist for you to print and add to your moving binder. This month, as we prepare for our own move, I have included the 4 to 6 month checklist. If you have longer than 4 months to prepare for a move, this checklist will be so helpful in setting the foundation for your move.
(click on photos to save images)
Moving: 4 to 6 months out
It is now that you can start to really prepare for what is to come. Being able to plan for a move further in advance is extremely helpful in an organized move. This allows you the chance to take your time and prepare little by little each month leading up to moving day.
1. Start by emptying out the junk drawers. Go through and really purge all of the unwanted/ trash and try to pair down to only what you use on a daily basis.
2. Take a look at your closet. Do you have clothing items you haven't worn in months? Maybe years? Take inventory of what you have and think about what you could maybe let go of, sell, or donate.
3. Start a KEEP - SELL - DONATE pile in your garage (or in a corner if you don't have extra space). Use large boxes and title each of them. Daily, as you open drawers, closets, cabinets, as you notice things that may be trash, or things you can sell it donate, place them in the boxes. As the SELL box gets full, start a new box. As the DONATE box gets full, take the box and donate at the end of each week. As far as the KEEP box, this is for those items that you may not need or use on a daily basis, but want to take with you to your new home. Place them in the KEEP box until full then start a new box. This allows you to pack over time, without all of the stress. Designate a corner or a room to start stacking the keep boxes in. If you do this, the only things you should have to pack on the week of your move date, are the things you use daily! How easy does that sound? I plan to do an entire blog post just designated to making packing easy.
4. Start your research. Start taking a look at desired neighborhoods, school districts, home styles you are drawn to. Start looking into moving companies for quotes and give yourself time to compare and make your finial decision.
Searching for a home: 4 to 6 months out
Right now, is the perfect time to start dreaming of your desired neighborhood & style of home. I have been using Homes.com for our home search and utilizing their website and app tools to narrow down our search for our perfect rental. I have loved how user friendly their app is, being able to search for and save my favorite homes. So far we have narrowed down our desired area and have saved a handful of homes. As far as rentals, the market is scarce lately, so finding a home this far out is difficult. A home saved today could be gone tomorrow. My advice, start your home search as early as possible and get a good feel for your budget and home availability in your desired area. Homes.com makes it so easy to find exactly what you are looking for.
Keep an eye out (or subscribe to our email list) because I will be sharing a new monthly printable to add into this collection!
And if you didnt catch our moving announcement, [CLICK HERE]
Fall is here! Well... here in the south we still have 90 degree days and bugs swarming outside,but inside it sure feels like fall. Kicking the fall season off, I wanted to start by bringing warm and rich colors into my home, without breaking out ALL of the pumpkins (just yet).
It is September after all, and I just don't think I am quite ready for the pumpkin explosion, at least until October. So, when planning my first fall tablescape of the season, I wanted to create a warm and inviting table, that wasn't overdone, and all put together on a budget!
The whole starting point of inspiration came from my two favorite signs and fabric pumpkins from DETAILS2ENJOY. I knew I wanted to play on the black accent along with bringing in blush and burgundy tones.
To ground the table, I started off by laying down 2 sheer white curtains as a table runner, yes curtains! I found these as a set of 2 from Home Goods for only $16. I then created a beautiful faux floral centerpiece to set on top of the runner. Are you surprised? Of course not. You know me and my faux floral obsession. Followed by velvet burgundy place mats also from Home Goods, topped with white goodwill dinner plates & plaid salad plates from Pier1. The candle sticks were a thrifted find & finished off with my favorite silverware from my Grandmother.
This just goes to show you that you really don't need much to create a beautiful tablescape for your fall dinners that will really wow your guests. With a simple change of the salad plates, florals and the shelf decor, you could have an entirely new look as the season progresses and can even carry the blush and burgundy tones into Christmas.
Below I have linked all sources for you to shop, or similar ones:
(keep in mind most of mine is thrifted/ goodwill)
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
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As a busy mom, I don't have much time for myself most days, let alone time to spend on beauty and self care. I am far from a beauty blogger and will never claim to be one, but I wanted to share 10 of my favorite beauty products that I use and swear by on a daily basis.
I am a small budget shopper, and while shopping drug store brands worked just fine for years, after hitting 30, I realized it was time to up my beauty & self care game just bit. I learned the value in investing in the right products and when doing so, you reap the benefits. Dont get me wrong, I do still love a good bargain drug store haul when it comes to other products!
*This post contains affiliate links, this in no way affects the total price that you pay, it simply is a way for bloggers to make a small commission from the linked brand for the time we put in sourcing items to make shopping easier for our readers.
Once I knew I wanted to invest a little bit more into worthy products, I began my research, because this small budget mama wants every penny to be worth it! So research I did... and after reading many reviews, these were the products that I dropped in my cart and was eager to try.
bareMinerals barePro Liquid Foundation
bareMinerals Stoke Of Light Concealer
Living Proof Shampoo - Frizz
Living Proof Conditioner - Frizz
Living Proof - Perfect Hair Day
Philosophy - Renewed Hope In A Jar Skin Tint
bareMinerals Stoke Of Light Concealer
Living Proof Shampoo - Frizz
Living Proof Conditioner - Frizz
Living Proof - Perfect Hair Day
Philosophy - Renewed Hope In A Jar Skin Tint
Before writing the full review, I wanted to test each of these out to give my true and honest opinion. Because if you are on a small budget as I am, I want to be sure that you know the good, bad and ugly before investing your own money.
My 10 Favorite All Time Beauty Products
No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 9 | No. 10
My Top 10 & Why I Love Them:
Josie Maran Body Butter
Why I Love It: This whipped argan oil body butter is by far the most hydrating lotion I have ever used. I can feel and see the difference of using this product even hours after applying. I started using Josie Maran's body butter 3 years ago after purchasing a limited holiday set that was featured on QVC, and I have been hooked ever since. What I have loved about the body butter that came with the tanning set is that it is tinted! It is perfect to use in between tanning oil applications, keeping your skin glowing.
Josie Maran Self Tanning Oil
Why I Love It: It is by far one of the easiest self tanners I have ever applied. It is an oil, so a little goes a long way. The application mitt evens the oil out perfectly. All you need is a few drops, apply it to the skin and work it into the skin until you have even coverage, working in small sections. Once one section is complete, repeat. One of my favorite things about this self tanner is that it is gentle enough that it is safe to use on your face, plus, it doesn't have the usual self tanner odor. It is just the right amount of color to even out your skin tone and give you that summer glow all year long.
Living Proof Hair Care
Why I Love It: My hair is naturally curly, but I never ever have worn my hair in it's natural state. Meaning, I have used a lot of heat and a lot of hair care product over the years. After my pregnancies and hitting 30, I noticed my hair become even more curly and frizzy, plus living in the south doesn't do my hair any favors. After searching for a product that would tame but also repair and protect my curly hair situation, a friend recommended Living Proof to me. I have heard many others love it and bloggers recommend it as well, so I gave it a try. I have been using this trio for about 2 months now and have to say, I have seen a huge difference in how my hair looks after a full wash and blowout!
Bare Minerals Foundation & Stoke Of Light Concealer
Why I Love It: I have always been a bareMinerals girl. I started with their powder foundation years ago and it worked great for me through my 20's, then I hit 30 and suddenly my skin started to change in big ways. I now have dry spots, dark under eye circles and more noticeable freckles to cover. I needed a foundation that would help with all 3. I gave the Bare Pro foundation a try. Coming from a girl who has never been a liquid foundation lover, this was a little scary for me. I had to learn how to apply foundation in a whole new way than I was used to. I paired the foundation with the bareMinerals stroke of light concealer and what a difference this combination has made. It gives me full coverage with still feeling light on my skin. After all, I am a mom chasing after young kids on the daily, and don't need a full glam makeup look from day to day.
Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Skin Tint
Why I Love It: I discovered this product when watching QVC one day and was instantly intrigued. While I love my bareMinerals, I rarely ever apply makeup when I am home during the day with the kids, and a quick run to the store to grab milk doesn't require full foundation, but... I do still like to be put together when I leave the house and in s hurry. This foundation is perfect for those that want just a little bit of coverage to even out your skin tone, but don't want a full face of foundation. I can apply it in just seconds with the applicator brush that came with it, and I am ready to go! I also found myself wearing this foundation more than the bareMinerals because of the humidity here in the south. I hated applying a full face of foundation and then sweating it off anyways... this foundation only requires that you use a tiny amount, meaning less product wasted!
T3 Single Pass Wave Styling Wand
Why I Love It: For years I have just been using my flat iron to curl my hair. Until one day, after spending 45 min on curling my hair, I decided it was time for an upgrade. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a research queen. And shopping for a new curling iron was no exception to read ALL the reviews! Time after time, I kept coming back to the T3. I ordered this one on QVC and used the easy pay option, since this is a higher ticket item that I really couldn't afford to spend the amount of money all at once on. I love that feature about QVC! After using this wand for over a month, it has cut my hair styling time in half, and as a mom, my time is valuable! It heats up in no time at all, comes with a heat glove for easy use and love how pretty it looks! (yes, pretty-ness is a deciding factor for me) Overall, I would say the reviews lived up to the expectation I had of this product and would highly recommend.
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This may come as a surprise to many.
We sure didn't see this in our plan a year ago,
but things change and we are so excited to share our news with you!
This post may not be what you think, so keep reading on...
So, it's not another baby.... so what could this exciting news be?!...
Shirts gifted from Cheerily - Emmalyn's Shirt - Madisyn's Shirt
Yes, it's true! We are moving (back) to CALIFORNIA!
Over the past year, we have done a lot of thinking, praying and planning. While the military sent us to Georgia almost 5 years ago, we always knew that this wouldn't be our forever home. But before we jump into our future plans, lets take a trip back down memory lane and recap all that has happened to bring us here, to this point:
We actually had always planned that once D was out of the military and we could settle down roots in the place of our choice, South Carolina would be home for us. A few months before ending his 10 year career with the marine corps, D began applying for jobs. We knew basically where we wanted to be, but were open to moving wherever the best opportunity lie. Applications were sent out to everywhere from South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee and yes, even California. We were down to the wire, his EAS date approaching and no job in sight after dozens of applications sent. After 10 years serving our country, he received email after email rejecting his resume, explaining that he wasn't "qualified". Not one opportunity for an interview. To say transitioning out of the military is tough, that's just the tip of the iceberg!
We actually had always planned that once D was out of the military and we could settle down roots in the place of our choice, South Carolina would be home for us. A few months before ending his 10 year career with the marine corps, D began applying for jobs. We knew basically where we wanted to be, but were open to moving wherever the best opportunity lie. Applications were sent out to everywhere from South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee and yes, even California. We were down to the wire, his EAS date approaching and no job in sight after dozens of applications sent. After 10 years serving our country, he received email after email rejecting his resume, explaining that he wasn't "qualified". Not one opportunity for an interview. To say transitioning out of the military is tough, that's just the tip of the iceberg!
So, there we were, on the verge of a huge life change and nothing set in stone. The amazing hard-working man that my husband is, he took 3 local jobs just to make it and provide what we needed to get by. He found a local opportunity working at UPS as a pre-load supervisor in the mornings from 3 am to 7 am then would leave that job and head to work as a sales manager at a local tire shop from 7:30 am to 7 pm. To top it off, any days off he had, he worked for a local landscape company. How he did it, I have no idea... But I have never met anyone else as hard working as this man of mine. After 7 months of working 17 hour days, 7 days a week, he knew something needed to change. He put in an application for our local county's police department. Working in law enforcement has always been a dream of his, and is honestly what he was made to do. After a long wait and screening process, he was accepted! He passed through the academy without a hitch and has now been a police officer for nearly a year. While he loves his job, we again always knew, this was not our forever home. We always knew at some point that we would move and likely have him transfer. Granted, we did not plan on that for at least a few years...
That brings us to now. You may be wanting answers to many questions, especially if you personally know me. So let me try to dive into the questions we had to ask ourselves and how we came to this decision for our family:
Q: Why California? Isn't the south more affordable?
A: Yes. Anywhere is cheaper than southern California (where we plan to live). But also, while the cost of living here is much cheaper than California, the housing market prices are rising, but the income and job opportunities are much less. This makes it very difficult financially. This was honestly one of the main deciding factors behind why we have decided to move. Of course everyone knows that a police officer's salary is extremely limited. We sat down and wrote out what our "live on money" is here, after all of our bills are paid, vs. what our "live on money" would be with D working for a police department in California. We took a hard look and questioned many of our friends who live back in California currently what realistic financial living expenses would look like. After all bills would be paid, our "live on money" would be double what it is currently based off of the salary he would bring home. That was a huge factor for us.
Q: What was the main deciding factor that made you want to move?
A: Does Mexican food count as a main deciding factor?... (Seriously though, give me all the burritos, tacos, salsa and guac.) In all honestly, this wasn't a decision that we just came to overnight. This decision has been talked about, prayed about, and planned out for almost a year. There is so much that has gone into making this decision, and it wasn't an easy one to come to, especially when you are basically deciding where you are going to live the majority of the rest of your life and raise your children. As I explained above, finances are obviously a main deciding factor, but that honestly wasn't the biggest one. For me, it was to be able to provide my girls with more family time. To have a support system. To have my children have a grandparent in their life day to day. Living military life, we don't get to choose where or how far away from family we live. We have to move at a moment's notice and start our whole lives over, likely in a place we have never been. For 6 years, I have been a solo parent. Every second and hour of the day, it is all me. I haven't has a husband who has come home at 6pm and is there to help me put the kids to bed, or to share the parenting duties with. I haven't had a parent to babysit my children for the weekend or give my husband and I a date night. And while these may sound like selfish reasons to want to live near family, I assure you, it's more than that.
After losing a parent, you really cherish the relationships you do have in life. The fact that I lost my Mother, but still have time on this earth left with my Dad, I want to spend as much of that time with him as I can. I want my children to have their Grandpa at their soccer games, dance recitals and school plays. I no longer want to have a long distance relationship with the only parent I have left. I don't want to look back one day and think "what memories could have been made?"
Q: Where in California do you plan to live?
A: Our target is Temecula, California. We feel that it is one of the best and more affordable family communities just north of San Diego county, with a great school district. Temecula is located inland about 45 min. from the coast in south Riverside county. We have always loved Temecula, and being located on the far side of Camp Pendleton, many of our military friends still live there, along with it being not too far of a drive from family. UPDATE: We have now also expanded our home search to San Marcos, which is located in north county San Diego, much closer to family and shorter commute times, but also within our price range.
Q: What will your husband do for work?
A: He is working on a lateral transfer to a police department near the area that we are planning to move to. Also, in his spare time he will be joining forces with me. Moving back to California allows us to dive back into our furniture building and explore other sources of income with our creative business ventures rather than just his law enforcement salary.
Q: Do you plan to work?
A: While the blog is and always will be my "work", being in California will allow me to branch out to do so much more and work towards the personal dreams I have always wanted to dive into. And again, having a support system in place to help with the kids will allow me a little more freedom to work outside of the house a few days a week, doing interior design work, photography, & all of the things my creative soul craves!
Q: Do you have a move date set?
A: As of now, our move date is set for mid-February 2019.
Q: Do you have any concerns about moving?
A: Of course. I have 3 pages of pros and cons that I made before coming to this decision. But overall, the pros outweighed the cons.
(This one is for the ones that know me personally!)
Q: I thought you said you would NEVER come back?
A: I have had to eat my words, and never say never...
(This post is sponsored in collaboration with Homes.com)
I plan to take you all along with me for this entire journey! Each month, I plan to share updates as we approach closer to our move date, along with sharing tips on how to make a cross-country move easier (because after all, I should be an expert at this by now - I have moved a total of 9 times in my adult life!) and take you along with us as we search for our new rental home utilizing Homes.com and all of their website features to make finding a home (from across the country) a breeze! If you are planning your own move or are just in the search for a new home, whether renting or buying, their site is by far the easiest I have navigated, take a peek [HERE]
So, there it is... the secret we have been keeping is finally out! And while it isn't a baby (at least for right now), we are so excited for the future and what is to come for our family...
Today I am sharing the sweet little farmhouse baby shower that I hosted for my best friend Ashley, and would you believe that I hosted this whole entire party for less that $60?! Want to know how? Keep reading along...
First off, let's start with the theme: Farmhouse style is "the thing" and it's everywhere you look, Joanna Gaines put it on the map and it's taken off like a rocket ever since. Everyone wants to shiplap their builder grade home walls and dream of living in their very own white farmhouse. My friend Ashley though, has a real farmhouse, and one everyone dreams of. Below are a few photos that I took of her home during my recent visit, isn't it just stunning!
Last Fall I received a face time call from Ashley unexpectedly, she then said "I have something I want to show you..." and held up a baby outfit! I was over the moon excited for her. We became friends 2 years ago after bonding over home decor when she came to my house to buy something I was selling on Facebook marketplace. We exchanged numbers and became instant decor buddies then best friends. When Ashley was nearing the last few months of her pregnancy, she still hadn't mentioned a shower, and regardless of this being her third boy, this baby needed to be celebrated too! Working on a very small budget and a tight timeline, I threw together a little baby shower with the help of her mother and sister. Together we brainstormed a simple and classic farmhouse baby shower that fit Ashely's home and personality perfectly.
To host this shower on a small budget, I utilized what I already had and made the focus more on the decor details rather than "party supplies". When you choose a theme that is focused more on the details rather than a specific theme, you can use the decor around your home and just add touches to make it feel like a party. For example. With the florals, I used my faux florals that I decorate with seasonally to make the arrangements, placed them in tin buckets and the only things I had to go out and buy to add in a touch of blue were the faux blueberries and linen ribbon from Hobby Lobby.
The sign that I used in the entry was one from my daughter's nursery. We didn't think of it at the time, but we realized after the shower, how cute it would have been to have a sign out like this one (with enough white space) for everyone to sign and write their well wishes on for baby. The cow is a creamer from my kitchen, which I just placed more faux berries greenery in.
For the mantle, I wanted to create a cute backdrop for where presents were going to be opened and wanted baby's name front and center when you walked through the front door and looked into the living room. The cardboard letters are from Hobby Lobby in the paper craft section for only $2.99 each, buy wait and buy them when they are 50% off. The greenery again is the seasonal greenery that I use for almost everything, also all from Hobby Lobby in their garland section. White florals were found in the stem florals. Onesies were also from Hobby Lobby and came in a pack of 3 for $9.99 but used my 40% coupon for those. I opted to keep the onesies plain for a clean look, but it would be so cute to have those personalized with baby's name or tiny farm animals on them! To add in more touches of blue but on a budget, I created my own tissue poms out of tissue paper. This cost all of $12 to create 12 of them in various sizes.
For the main table, we used a mixture of candle sticks that Ashley had around her entire home, bringing them together to create a "centerpiece" along with the greenery.
For a focal point in the kitchen, I used one of my favorite cotton wreaths and hand lettered onto a thick poster board from the dollar store, then cut to the circumference that I needed it to fit, hung it on the vent hood and that was it.
The cake was such a perfect touch to the farmhouse theme and was made by a friend of the family. The sweet little mama and baby lamb on top was purchased by Ashley's mom and is something baby can play with as he grows. The greenery embroidery hoops in the window were ones that I had created for another photo shoot, so the cost to use them here was free. But, they were so easy and affordable to make, if you are looking to get a bang for your buck when it comes to party decor, embroidery hoops are where it's at! You can add greenery and florals, add lace for a boho touch, or fill them with colorful and bold patterned fabric. Layer them together on a wall or hang in front of a window as I did here.
Let's talk food! Again, keeping it low budget and simple, we went with handmade tuna salad and chicken salad sandwiches cut into a lamb shape, fresh veggies, cheese trays, jalapeno cheese poppers and crackers. Not shown is the amazing mac & cheese bake that Ashley's sister made... it was like heaven in your mouth! Again, very budget friendly. Lastly, for the favors we made our own fresh popcorn and added the handmade tags that I water colored and hand lettered on to them.
So are you curious as to the overall total to host this baby shower?...
Let's break it down:
Paper Favor Tags: $3
Favor Bags: $4
Tissue Paper: $12
Paint For Water Color: $2
Linen Ribbon: $6
Poster Board: $1
Onesies: $7
Cardboard Letters @ $1.99 ea: $12
Clothespins + String: $5
Cake (Box Cake Mix + Icing): $8
Bringing the total for decor to: $60!
Plus: Overall Food Budget + Paper Plates/ Plastic Silverware: $100
Still, for less than $160 you can host a fabulous party, one that looks like you spent hundreds more than you actually did! Don't think that you have to break the bank to create a Pinterest worthy party, and let this post be the proof.
1. Think of a theme that fits your honoree
2. Utilize what you have around your home or borrow/ trade decor from friends
3. It will take some creativity, but DIY everything
4. Plan ahead and buy items that you need on sale
5. Get friends and family to pitch in to help with crafts, cooking or baking
But the most important reason that this post exists is because of this friend of mine and her sweet baby Keaton who we showered with love!
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