My family has lived in Waco a total of 9 years (5 in the college years and then 4 years since our return to Texas!). Since we first moved here in 2004, so much has changed. Waco has recovered from decades of struggle and grown by leaps and bounds during our time here. It has become a destination town! I get asked all the time for recommendations of what to do during a trip to Waco and now with … [Read more...]
The Molly Weasley Method of Home Decorating
After my recent house freakout (We need to move! Wait! Nevermind, I love this house!), I’ve spent a good bit of time rearranging and tweaking our home. I’ve thought about what we need in each room, what improvement would make it what we need to be able to fit a six-person homeschooling family into this 3/br 1/bath 1250 sq ft house for the next few years. I’ve been reading about the concept of … [Read more...]
When Enough Is Found Through Your Own Front Door
I’m not moving. "Um, okay. I didn't think you were," you might say. The funny thing is, as of a week ago this statement would have been a huge surprise to me. Because I had this idea, see. Two weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night and decided we needed to buy a new house. One bathroom for six people is too hard. Three bedrooms and no where to host guests? Impossible. … [Read more...]
My New Year’s Goal: Peace in Our Home
2018, you were quite a year. (Don't believe me? Read the recap--book, baby, and so much more crammed into 12 months). I don't have big plans for 2019, but I'm thrilled it's beginning. I have book ideas simmering but no proposals or contracts in the works for a new book deal. We're not moving, changing jobs (God willing), or doing anything more crazy than homeschooling 4 kids on our little urban … [Read more...]
Our Chalk Paint Kitchen Cabinet Reno (And Free Stuff for You!)
We JUST put the finishing touches on our cabinet painting project! When we moved into our house in Waco two years ago the one thing I knew I HAD to change was the cabinets. They were an awful cherry stain that clashed horribly with the backsplash and floor tile. Ready for the before pic? See?! The bizarre combination of kitchen components made me wonder if the people who flipped the house … [Read more...]
The Great Carrots Backyard Farm Tour!
As my husband Daniel and I have been sharing photos of the bounty from our urban garden, I've gotten lots of requests for a backyard farm tour. Your wish is my command! One of the biggest selling points of the house we bought two years ago was the giant backyard. After a great experience doing an agricultural internship for a year on a working farm (yes, that farm where we lived with no … [Read more...]
How We Share the “Mental Load” of Homemaking
I was recently intrigued by this visual depiction of women's workload and this related article that describes the "mental load" that is carried by most women who are homemakers. While I'm not crazy about the underlying tones in these pieces of that infer mothering and maintaining the home are insignificant drudgery or that all men are clueless when it comes to homemaking, I think there are … [Read more...]
My Word of the Year for 2017
I really love the practice of picking a "one word" for each year. Some prefer choosing a word to making new year's resolutions. I like to do both because I usually lose steam with my resolutions (around March) and having a "one word" helps me re-focus on my goals. In 2015 when Daniel left his job in Florida and we were selling our house there to live at the farm in Texas for his livestock … [Read more...]
Five Favorites: Household Supplies (and a Gift for You!)
I'm linking up with Rachel today for #5Faves on this fine Wednesday. I almost never am on top of things enough to do link ups on the right day but here I am sharing my five favorite household products that I order from ePantry every month! Last fall as we were getting the house ready to put on the market, I was trying to figure out how to make my life easier and part of that meant not having to … [Read more...]
Goals for the New Year
So, we're halfway through January and I'm just now solidifying my goals for the new year. Clearly we should begin with with "stop being such a procrastinator, Haley!" Anyhow, I've never spent much effort on resolutions at the start of a year, but I've really been reflecting on what I want 2013 to look like. I've been very inspired by all the great posts about goal-making, particularly Mandi's of … [Read more...]
