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

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

Thank you TaxSlayer for sponsoring this post. Get simple pricing with no surprises when you e-file with TaxSlayer this tax season!Taxes are just one of those things you have to do as a grownup, but contrary to popular belief, they don't have to be stressful.Each year, our tax situation has changed--sometimes slightly, usually dramatically. We only recently "settled down" in Alabama, so there's always been something new to account for at tax time. Graduate school, income fluctuations, relocating, starting a home business, and becoming parents are all things that have threatened to make tax time complicated.Nevertheless, we've ... Continue Reading

Maintain a tidy home and streamline your daily life by repeating these tiny decluttering projects every month. None of them take more than 20 minutes!Sometimes decluttering sounds and feels like such a capital "P" Project that you have to write it on your calendar or your New Year's Resolutions if you ever want to get it done! And it's true, there might be some pretty clogged areas you need to simplify--like your closet or the garage. But for a quick zip of productivity look to small, lowercase "p" projects that won't be more than a blip in your day.There are certain small decluttering projects that I like to do every month. A ... Continue Reading

Ready to get organized? The right tools and storage solutions can have a huge daily influence on your home's functioning and productivity!This organization-themed gift list is for any homemaker who wants to streamline her daily life and conquer clutter in her home. Put a few of these items on your wish list, or gift them to someone who shares your interest in home management! Books about organization and home management Sometimes the right books are the best gift of all, because if you read them--and implement them--you can effect change that impacts your home for decades down the road. These are my favourite books on home management ... Continue Reading

"This woman is inside my head!" I said this to myself about a dozen times while pouring over my advance copy of How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind. As someone who studies the art of homemaking and decluttering, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Dana White's brand new book. (You might know this author from the popular blog A Slob Comes Clean.)Dana has years of trial-and-error housekeeping and organizing advice, and she's put her best content into this humorous, super practical book that will change the way you think about home management.She's says she's writing to slobs and people for whom normal housekeeping advice ... Continue Reading

What do you resolve for your home? Make "House Resolutions" and remind yourself of them often, whether you plan to live in your current home for one year or twenty.You don't have to go to the woods to live deliberately.Traveling the world or living off-grid à la Thoreau have a certain glamorous appeal, but how you show up for the mundane is the real test of intentional living.Hopefully, life will afford you many opportunities to experience adventures outside your door, but I believe that the rhythms of an intentional life are mastered day in and day out in your commonplace surroundings. As George Washington Carver said, "Live ... Continue Reading