It's that time of year again: birthday time.Actually, since I have been on birthday time I'm a little late in posting this! I began the 29th year of my life on September 1st. Only 12 months until 30. Can you imagine/remember? Sometimes I can hardly believe I'm not 15 any more--I just blinked and here I am with a husband and a little boy full of joy and a prowling cat.What pretty much sums up how I feel about life right now is this quote from my beloved Anne of Green Gables: “'Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.'”Life is fast, but it's beautiful.As is my custom, I'm sharing ... Continue Reading
How to Use Your Influence to Help Your Family Flourish
Want to have a thriving family? Here's how you can use your influence as a homemaker to help your family flourish and live intentionally.Intentional living should begin within us, and then it should keep on going.We can make a million choices to live more intentionally, but if they're all aimed solely at making our own lives more beautiful then we're actually missing the beauty of intentional living, aren't we? Live intentionally not just to flourish yourself, but to help others flourish, too.Start with your own family.As homemakers, we have tremendous power over both the atmosphere in our home and over the people who live ... Continue Reading
20 Ways to Use a Silicone Stasher Bag
I finally found a good alternative for plastic storage bags! Here's my review of Stasher's silicone storage bags, plus 20 different ways to use them. This post is sponsored by MightyNest. I love recommending them!A new tool has found a spot in my kitchen, and it's one I've been looking for ever since I began managing my own home.I dove into natural living shortly before I got married six years ago. Reducing waste and finding reusable household goods was one of my first pursuits. We bought glass drinking straws and replaced most of our paper towels with microfiber cloths and Swedish dishcloths. We used cloth napkins, glass water ... Continue Reading
5 Important Things You Can Do to Feel Less Stressed and Overwhelmed All the Time
Do you feel stressed and worn thin all the time? Here are 5 effective ways to say "goodbye" to the hamster wheel and become a calm, joyful person again.Imagine you could look at your to-do list without your blood pressure rising.Imagine you could take breaks for family time without feeling like you were neglecting something urgent.Imagine you could handle interruptions in your day with grace instead of panic and grouchiness.Imagine you could look forward to the calendar season ahead and not feel suffocated by your schedule.Doesn't that sound amazing?Most of us are so used to feeling stressed, worn thin, and ... Continue Reading
A Simple Guide to Using Essential Oils in Your Beauty Routine
Essential oils aren't just for home remedies or cleaning. Did you know that you can incorporate essential oils into your beauty routine--with great results? Here's how to get started.This post is sponsored by Oils by Katelyn. Katelyn is a wonderful resource if you want to learn more about using essential oils to improve your health! Smart women know that what you put on your skin doesn't necessarily stay there. It's true that your skin acts as a protective barrier from your environment, but it's also extremely porous. Chemicals in your body products can enter your blood stream, tissues, and organs via absorption through the skin, ... Continue Reading
5 Old-Fashioned Ways to Nourish and Moisturize Your Skin
Old-fashioned skincare never goes out of style! Here are 5 natural ways to nourish and moisturize your skin that are a throwback to simpler times. This blog post was sponsored by Wilder Supply Co. All opinions are genuine and are enthusiastically my own.Do you want to be like the average American woman and spend over $200,000 on skincare over the course of your life? Or would you like to opt for a simpler, more frugal route?I vote the latter.In a society with a dizzying array of skincare options, I'm glad that we always have the option to choose simplicity. Women have been showing their beautiful faces for thousands of ... Continue Reading
The Busy Girl’s Guide to an Intentional Summer
Are you ready for a summer break, but concerned because your plate is just as full as ever?We don't always choose to be busy, and there are some seasons when life whirls us along and we simply have to do our best to take it in stride and live as intentionally as we can.But whatever's on your plate right now, take a deep breath before you plunge into summer. An hour spent planning and resolving will re-calibrate you for the season ahead so you'll enjoy it more and get more out of it.You should never waste something as magical as a summer. So, for all my fellow busy homemakers out there, here are 5 practical ways to make the summer ... Continue Reading
How to Clean Your Home Naturally with Essential Oils (+ 6 Recipes!)
Improve your cleaning routine by using essential oils for simple, natural homemade cleaning products that are easy to customize! Here's everything you need to know to clean your home naturally with essential oils. This post is sponsored by Oils by Katelyn. Katelyn is wonderful to work with and has taught me so much about essential oils! I’m glad to pass on to you what I’ve learned!When I initially switched to natural cleaning supplies, I was uber minimalist in my approach. I got rid of the toxic toilet bowl cleaners and the fake fragrance all-purpose sprays and instead used...basically nothing. White vinegar. Baking Soda. Castile ... Continue Reading
8 Things Intentional Homemakers Do Every Day
Do you want to flourish in your home? Be intentional in your everyday, mundane routines! Successful homemakers practice these habits on a daily basis.I have good news for you: you can flourish as a person wherever you are! Any house (even if it's not ideal), any state, any financial situation, any life season. You can experience joy, you can grow, you can bloom where you're planted.The key to a richly rooted life is not to let life merely happen to you, but to be specific and intentional in how you approach it.I love exploring what intentional living looks like on a practical, everyday level--because it really can permeate ... Continue Reading
How to Simplify Packing (So You Can Enjoy Your Trip!)
Get ready for family vacation or a weekend getaway with these tips for simple packing! This post is sponsored by EzPacking, a company which I'm so excited to introduce to you! All opinions are mine.A successful trip begins before you leave home. And no matter what's on your pre-trip to-do list, everyone has to pack at some point.Are there ways to simplify the packing process--and your suitcase--so you can set yourself up for a good road trip or a relaxing vacation?Why yes, yes there are!With thousands of miles, dozens of states, and several countries under my belt, here are some of my favourite and most effective ways to ... Continue Reading
