Welcome to The Weekend Edition where I share everything from design ideas, home decor inspiration, and DIY, to life happenings, products I am loving, organization tips, health and wellness, and really any other topic as it comes to mind.
An exciting new thing for 2020 is that I started home design related articles on City Lifestyle, an online publication! Click here for my first article about styling your mantle for winter after the holidays are over and here for my simple tips on decluttering your home. It would mean the world to me if you read the articles.
Sarah’s living room remodel for the One Room Challenge is nothing short of stunning.
This article hits home to a continual conversation Nathan and I keep having. What is our path? How do we take a path that is less traveled in life? Risks are scary, but necessary.
We are in the process of getting estimates for our master bathroom renovation since we plan to hire most (or all) of it out. We are anxious to get more estimates back, so far we only have one, but I do plan on sharing the whole process start to finish of working with a contractor, getting estimates, the renovation process, and how much it all ends up costing us!
WORD OF THE YEAR
Do you pick a word of the year for yourself? I did last year and really like that it gave me a single word to help center myself and what I wanted for the year. Last year I chose the word believe. It was (and truthfully) still is fitting, but I decided to go with a different word for 2020: quality.
Sometimes goals and everything that we are flooded with during the start of a new year can feel overwhelming to me. We can’t do it all, no one can and no one should, in my opinion. During this next year I want to focus on quality – I know I can’t do it all, but the things I do I want to do with quality, as defined for myself. While I do have specific goals for our house projects and a few goals for the blog – they help keep me motivated from a business perspective and remind me what I am working toward, I like having one overall theme for the year that I can keep coming back to, one that applies to most aspects of my life. An anchor of sorts that can help guide my decisions and reminds me what is important.
QUALITY FOR THE BLOG
Focus on creating quality content that you want to read. Continuing to improve my photography and editing skills. Learning additional Photoshop skills to create printables and other helpful information.
QUALITY IN HOME PROJECTS
I don’t like to admit it, but we have been known to cut a few corners to make some DIY projects we’ve done a little easier. Or I’ve rushed the design of a project in our home because I just want it to be finished – living through renovations can be draining. Often, I end up regretting these decisions. For 2020 I want to be better about being more thoughtful during the design and execution phases of our home projects. This may mean projects go slower since we do most of them ourselves, but that’s alright.
QUALITY PURCHASES
I am a recovering impulse buyer. I used to buy clothes, shoes, and home décor because it was on sale or was the latest trend. This is something I’ve been working on for the past few years, but really want to be more intentional about it in 2020. I want to focus on buying quality pieces that feel classic to me and waiting to purchase something until I find what I truly love and am looking for and not buy temporary fillers.
QUALITY FOOD FOR MY BODY
I was on a strict Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet (AIP) for the first half of last year in hopes that would help prevent another miscarriage. That did not work out the way I hoped. Even though I felt really good on AIP, after my third miscarriage I revolted and filled my body with foods that did not make me feel good because I didn’t care. Didn’t think it made a difference. My skin and head really paid for it. My cystic acne reared its ugly head and migraines came back with a vengeance. I was tired all the time and just didn’t feel good. Shortly after Halloween this past year I changed my tune. I realized even though I was eating really well for my body and still had a third miscarriage earlier in the year that food did matter. It makes all the difference for me. I completely cut out caffeine, gluten and whole eggs (all I think are migraine triggers for me) and greatly reduced the alcohol, dairy and sugar I consume. I have not been “strict” paleo as I was before, but I am simply avoiding the things that make me feel bad, and eating mostly paleo when at home. Instead of eating a certain way because I feel it is “required”, I am eating in a way that makes me feel good. It feels freeing and truthfully I don’t feel restricted because I know, at least with the things I have cut out completely, there will be consequences if I do eat them – either a migraine or a face full of painful cystic acne, or both. Remember, everyone is so different. What works for me may not work for you.
QULIATY RELATIONSHIPS
The past 2 years I have been on an anxiety and depression roller coaster and I know I have not been the best at maintaining my relationships – I do not beat myself up about this, I just know it was the reality and that is alright. Truthfully, the rollercoaster is still very much in progress, but I spent the last few months really focusing on myself and now feel able to still give myself the attention I need, while also giving my relationships what they need. I want to focus on spending quality time with my loved ones and friends. Carve out time for individual relationships. Be the first to reach out and plan a get together. Be more intentional about reaching out to people spontaneously (text, call, card).
I am looking forward to seeing what 2020 brings.
Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
