12 Things I Want to Do with the Time That is Given Me
Every year I write a contemplative “birthday post” with either some personal reflections, or some fun points of interest for my readers to get to know me better. What follows…
Recovering the Lost Art of Writing Letters
Time to stop letting junk mail and bills monopolize our mailboxes! Let’s bring back the lost art of letter writing, one lovely piece of snail mail at a time. I…
Books and Reading | Declutter and Organize | Homemaking Philosophy | Housekeeping and Decorating | Your Home | Your Self
Essential Reading for Homemakers: 10 Books to Cultivate a Beautiful, Simple, and Purposeful Home
These 10 books will make you a better homemaker! I’ve read many homemaking books, and these are some of my favourites for decluttering, decorating, routines, and intentional living at home….
Simple Living in the Suburbs
My family is pursuing a simple and slow life in the suburbs. This ordinary suburban life doesn’t always match up to the lofty dreams I once had, nevertheless, we’ve found…
A Flexible Daily Planner for Homemakers (Homemaker’s Friend Planner Review)
Are you a homemaker in need of a good, flexible planner? Here’s my review of the Homemaker’s Friend Daily Planner, which I’ve been using for the past five years! This…
My 31 Favourite Movies (more or less)
Need something good and worthwhile to watch for your next movie night at home? This list of movie night suggestions has something for everyone, no matter what genre you love….
20 Ways to Live Simply in Your 20s (The View from 30)
Want to pursue simple living in your 20s? Here are 20 smart ways to live simply and intentionally in your 20s that will set the foundation for the rest of…
Recovering the Lost Art of Solitude
In today’s world we’re too busy and too plugged in to enjoy the art of solitude. We should embrace solitude, but many of us avoid it–wrongly equating solitude with loneliness….
19+ Old-Fashioned Blogs You Should Follow
Old-fashioned blogs are alive and well…you just have to know where to look! In spite of social media and other forms of content like podcasting and video, it’s clear that…
Recovering the Lost Art of Old-Fashioned Blogging
Let’s bring back old-fashioned blogging! It may have changed a lot in the past decade, but blogging isn’t dead. It’s just time to revive it a little. Old-school, unpretentious blogs…
Recovering the Lost Art of Analog Living
Do you miss the analog days of the past? This isn’t just about nostalgia, though. Analog living has value for anyone who craves a simple, slower, more old-fashioned pace of…
My 15 Go-To Skincare and Makeup Products
I’ve been searching for the perfect makeup and skincare products for years! Now I’m finally starting to find what works for me and what items will be keepers…maybe for the…
Recovering the Lost Art of Taking a Bath
Taking a bath is a simple luxury and a lost art. But it’s such an easy and fun way to relax! Here’s why you should make time for baths, plus…
Recovering the Lost Art of Porch Sitting
Want to slow down your hectic life? Practice the old-fashioned habit of porch sitting! Here’s how to embrace a more intentional life by enjoying your front porch, + ideas for…
Spring Bucket List: 15 Ways to Make the Most of the Season
These 15 springtime activities belong on every spring bucket list! Here’s how to enjoy spring so you can shift into the slow lane and live intentionally in the season. I…
Recovering the Lost Art of Dressing Up
Today I’m beginning a new series on old-fashioned habits and practices that I believe deserve a comeback. Because with all of the improvements in technology and convenience that our society…
How to REALLY Save Money (because you’ve already skipped the latte)
In a noisy world where it feels like everyone wants you to spend your money, today I’d just like to tell you how to save more of it. Here are…
2017 Highlight Reel, Blog Reflections, and Reader Survey!
Each year, I take a few moments to share a personal update, highlight the top blog posts from the previous year, and share the new Reader Survey! Here’s the 2017…
29 Habits, Recipes, and Things That Simplify My Life
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…
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…
The Busy Girl’s Guide to an Intentional Summer
Don’t waste your summer. For all my fellow busy homemakers, here are 5 practical ways to make the summer months run smoothly (so you can enjoy this season)! Are you…
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:…
How to Live a Luxurious Life (your income has nothing to do with it!)
Practice the art of luxurious living to remind yourself that you’re richly blessed, regardless of your bank account. Here’s how to cultivate luxury in your everyday life! Remember how I…
10 Signs You’ve Become a Responsible Adult
Have you grown up? Here are 10 signs that you might have turned into a responsible adult! Hello Adulthood, when did you get here? You kind of sneaked up on…
Top 10 Posts of 2016 (+ a Short Blog Update)
Ready for the highlight reel? These ten posts were the most popular posts this past year on RichlyRooted.com! Thank you for your reading, sharing, and loving these posts…I hope you…
An INFJ vs. the 21st Century: 4 Modern-Day Trends You Don’t Need to Subscribe To
Do you recognize these 21st-century cultural trends? The INFJ personalities of the world want to remind you that you don’t actually need to subscribe to any of them. I used…
How to Make More Time for the Things You Love
It’s important to create space for the things that make you come alive. If you miss doing all the things you love, here’s how to manage your time so you…
15 Ways to Simplify Your Life and Home
The sound of your life should be a hum of vibrant activity, not the jarring frenzy of a jackhammer. Here are 15 ways to simplify + streamline life and home. Simple…
I’m Not Jo March (And other shocking things I learned before my 28th birthday)
Do you ever think you have yourself all figured out, only to find things aren’t so cut and dried as they seemed? That happened to me when I re-read Little…
Don’t Wait to Be Debt Free to Enjoy Your Life
Student loans and consumer debt are no fun. Unfortunately, you can’t make all the debt just go away. But what you can do? Learn to enjoy your life NOW, no…
20 Good Period Films for Your Next Girls’ Movie Night
Need a good period film to watch? Here are 20 romantic period dramas to choose from for your next girls’ movie night! Although they make good “chick flicks,” all of…
I Choose Less (The Day I Realised All I Wanted Was Green Gables)
All my life I thought I wanted more, but what I really needed was the sweet, simple life of Green Gables. Here’s how I’ve chosen to go against cultural norms,…
40 Things You Should Experience Every Summer
Your summer isn’t complete until you’ve experienced all of these summertime essentials! Put these on your summer bucket list and enjoy an intentional summer all season long. Of all the…
The Jane Austen Cure: Why Women Need Fiction to Replenish Their Souls
Smart women like Jane Austen know that novels should have a place in every woman’s life. Here are five reasons why we desperately need good fiction…even when we think we’re…
How to Conquer the Sunday Night Blues
Sunday night depression doesn’t have to be your norm. Here’s how to beat the Sunday night blues for good, so you can actually look forward to Monday morning! Do you…
The Secret to Organizing Your Lists, Once and for All
If you love making lists but have never found a way to keep them organized, this post is for you! This simple method of “list journaling” keeps your lists orderly…
What to Do on Your Summer Staycation
Don’t want to travel this summer? You don’t have to! Here are 15 ideas for a great summer staycation, right in your home town. These ideas for a family staycation…
79 Ways to Practice Self Care
Here are 79 ideas for practicing self care. No need to break the bank doing it…many of these self care suggestions are free! Relax, refresh, and enjoy. You might be…
5 Old-Fashioned Habits That Are Due for a Comeback
Look to the wisdom of your grandparents–and great grandparents–and revive some of these old-fashioned habits that still deserve a place in our modern society. These habits may be old fashioned,…
How I’m Overcoming My Biggest Homemaking Distraction
I realised I had a HUGE distraction to my homemaking, and it was time to set some serious boundaries. Here’s how I’ve gotten more intentional in fighting my distractions so…
9 Things to Do with Your Evening Besides Watching TV
There are better ways to spend an evening than vegging out in front of the TV! Here are nine things to do with your evening that will cultivate your self…
25 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own
Building a wardrobe of classic pieces is the key to looking put together! Here are 25 wardrobe essentials every woman should invest in, whether you’re building a capsule wardrobe or…
6 Young Adult Novels That Will Make You Fall in Love with Reading Again
If you want to get back in the habit of reading, why not start with some quality young adult literature? Here are six YA novels adults will love. Do you…
Eat Simply: How to Declutter Your Diet and Dine Like a French Woman
French women know that food is meant to be relished and enjoyed! I’ve decided to ditch dieting and eat like a French woman instead, following a few simple principles that…
The Four Simple Pleasures I Enjoy Every Single Day
Simple pleasures are all around you. Notice them and you’ll find that even mundane days can be beautiful. Here are four ordinary rituals I’ve come to relish and enjoy. What…
How I Purged Half My Wardrobe
I recently decluttered my closet and purged about half of my wardrobe! Now my wardrobe is so much easier to manage and I love what I wear more! Here are…
6 Ways to Be a Better Homemaker When You’re Waiting for a Better Home
You might not live in your dream house, yet, but here are some practical ways to improve as a homemaker while you’re waiting for a better home! I want to…
How I’m Reading Now More Than Ever (Even Though I’m a Mom)
There comes a point in your adult life when you really miss reading. If you were a bookworm as a kid, but now you can hardly find the time to…
Greatest Hits: Top 10 Posts of 2015
These are the “greatest hits”; the top ten blog posts of the year from RichlyRooted.com! Enjoy this highlight reel, and take a look back over the changes on the blog…
How to KonMari Your Christmas
Do you long for a simpler Christmas season? Here’s how to simplify Christmas and the holidays with a few borrowed techniques from the KonMari decluttering Method. Have you read that…
Why Every Homemaker Should Dress for the Job She Wants
What you wear matters. If you want to improve your homemaking, try this experiment and get fully dressed, every day, in something you love. Getting dressed really does change the…
Work While You Work, Play While You Play
Want to manage your time better? A simple poem, “Work While You Work, Play While You Play,” may hold the secret to more productive days. These are my “words to…
My 27 Favourite Heroes, Heroines, and Villains from Classic Lit
These famous literary heroes, heroines, and villains are some of the best fictional characters ever created! They’re well developed, memorable, and inspiring. (The heroes and heroines, that is. The villains…
Two Reasons to Wear Amber Jewelry
Amber is a fossilized resin often made into unique, gorgeous jewelry like the pieces from Spark of Amber. It’s also said to have have calming, soothing properties as well. Here’s…
Abundant Living Takes Introspection (and an Action Plan!)
If you’re feeling overwhelmed in life right now, this post is for you! It’s time to pare down, focus in on priorities, and take some time to create a new…
Why I’ll Be Taking Fewer Pictures From Now On
Are you too attached to your camera? Forget Instagram: Stop taking so many pictures and start living in the moment! Here are four ways to live more intentionally and take…
How to Build a Summer Bucket List That Rocks
Creating a summer bucket list is a smart way to help you live intentionally in the season! Here are the five categories every bucket list needs, plus ideas for what…
Finding Simplicity in a Complicated World: 10 Strategies for New Moms
As a new mom, it’s more important than ever to keep things simple! Here are 10 ways to find simplicity in the newborn season, so you can savor this time…
A Peek At My Minimalist Maternity Wardrobe
Want to see what a minimalist maternity wardrobe looks like? These are the 27 staple pieces currently in my simple maternity wardrobe! Last week when I shared my top 6…
6 Tips for Building a Minimalist Maternity Wardrobe
I’m not being the least bit sarcastic when I say that I’ve loved being pregnant! However, there have also been a few small challenges–the difficulty of staying fed and full,…
Greatest Hits of 2014 (My Top 10 Posts)
This past year was a biggie. My husband completed his Master’s degree in Kalamazoo, Michigan (where that snowy picture was taken!) and in July we headed south to Alabama for…
Why I’m NOT Giving Up on Presents this Christmas
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. Some families are skipping Christmas gift-giving this year. Tired of “rampant consumerism,” “materialistic gain,” and “unnecessary stress” they decide it would be best…
7 Simple Ways to Live More Abundantly, Right Now
Here are 7 simple ways to live more abundantly so you can thrive in everyday, normal life. These are things you can enjoy on any budget, with any schedule–you just…
26 Things I Need to Nail Down Before I Get Any Older
Twenty-one days ago I turned twenty-six, and my life was forever changed. But not much. I’m still loving life as a mid-twenties girl who’s finally pretty much okay with living…
Rule of 10: An Easy Formula for Simplifying Your Wardrobe
Want to declutter your closet but aren’t sure where to begin? Use the “Rule of 10”! This formula for simplifying your wardrobe is easy…and it works! I’ve simplified the clothes…
Crafting Morning and Evening Routines
When I became a teacher, I learned how important it is for students to have routines. Instead of trailblazing the challenges of every new day, routines carve a course that…
16 Summer Reads for Young Adults
Around age 11 or 12, I starting tailoring my reading material to the weather. I read mystery stories and Gothic novels on dark and stormy nights; quest stories on April…
Busyness is Not a Sin
Dear Busy People Everywhere, Being busy is not a sin. So if you’ve been too busy to do the dishes lately, make doctors’ appointments, or call your friends (sorry, friends!),…
7 Ways to Stop Being Yourself
“Just be yourself.” It’s one of those phrases that’s sorta true but irksomely trite. “Just be yourself.” How is that helpful? What does it even mean? What I want to…
10 Gmail Hacks to Optimize Your Email Inbox
This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book, Your Simple Home Handbook. The series began with 10 Reasons to Start Simplifying Now. Sometimes we…
7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Travel
If you loathe adventures, whatever you do, don’t step outside your front door. That first step may eventually lead you off the edge of the map of everything you know…
In Summer We Play, In Winter We Stay: Living the Rhythm of the Seasons
Creation follows a sustainable rhythm, year after year, but we charge on in cycles of our own making: productivity, busyness, stress, burnout. The pulse of the land beats undetected while…
Taming the Email Monster: How to Simplify Your Email Inbox and Eliminate Virtual Clutter
This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book, Your Simple Home Handbook. The series began with 10 Reasons to Start Simplifying Now. Welcome to…
How to Create Margin in Your Life for a Simpler Schedule (2 Methods that Work)
Margin. We all need it, but we’re too busy to slow down and carve it out. Here are two methods for creating margin in your life so you can breathe…
A Year in Review, and My Most Popular Posts of 2013
This blogging year was rich with God’s blessings! Admittedly, blogging has taken up far more of my time, creativity, and emotions than I ever thought it would, but it’s been…
Being an Early Riser Means Giving Some Things Up
I wanted to write a post on sleep, but instead I went to bed. I’m completely okay with that irony, because the whole point of my last two Wellness Wednesday…
Becoming an Early Riser
The Wellness Wednesday theme for December is sleep! Last week I shared 20 Ways to Induce Sleep Naturally. 6:00 a.m., the alarm goes off. Am I seriously going to do…
How to Celebrate Christmas When You Don’t Have Kids
I enjoy reading about my blogging friends’ Christmas activities, but I feel like I don’t have many good ideas to offer in return. You see, a lot of times holiday…
20 Ways to Induce Sleep Naturally
Sleep better at night with these 20 ways to induce sleep naturally and get well rested. If you have trouble falling asleep, these natural sleep aids will do the trick…
My Minimalist Makeup Routine
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book, Your Simple Home Handbook. The series began with 10 Reasons…
Saying Goodbye to the Over-Stuffed Handbag: Simplify Your Purse
This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book, Your Simple Home Handbook. The series began with 10 Reasons to Start Simplifying Now. Today’s simplifying…
Watching the Days: A Michigan Fall Bucket List
My goal was to hold sacred the last, long days of warm summer. I drank iced tea and wore flowery skirts and swam in the lake–but somewhere, in the middle…
Simplify Your Accessories
This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book, Your Simple Home Handbook. The series began with 10 Reasons to Start Simplifying Now. Today’s simplifying mission…
Simplify Your Shoes
This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book, Your Simple Home Handbook. The series began with 10 Reasons to Start Simplifying Now. Confession: I’ve never…
Simplify Your Wardrobe…So You Can Feel Fabulous Every Day
Simplify your wardrobe and love what you wear–any day of the week! This post is part of the Monday series on simplifying that inspired my book,Your Simple Home Handbook. The…
Top Books and Devotionals for Spiritual Health
Spiritual health is just as important to our lives as our physical or mental health, but often when life gets busy it’s the first thing we push to the back…
25 Things About Me
Today I turn a quarter of a century old! Just for fun, I’m sharing 25 things about myself. Sometimes it’s nice to know a little more about the person on…
Eating for Pleasure: The Beauty of Balance in "French Women Don’t Get Fat"
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Mireille Guiliano’s French Women Don’t Get Fat made quite a splash a few years ago. I remember hearing about it, but never pursued reading it….