I haven't tallied all of the results from our Reader Survey just yet, but a clear trend is that you want to see more posts about our home. We're scheduled for some winter weather here in the south and the girls are out of school, so we're all cuddled up around the fire, watching for snow. While we're at it, Sophie and I have been doing some internet browsing for inspiration for her room. Wanna see? Sophie has wanted a "pink" room from the very beginning, but I was skeptical. I really want the girls to love their rooms, but I also want something that will grow with them and can be easily transformed down the road. I happened to be browsing the Matilda Jane website over the holidays and saw this beautiful line. Sophie is a big MJ fan and I thought this might be the perfect fit for her new ...
The Monthly Report | January
January?! What in the fresh heck? After thirteen days of pajamas, movie marathons and breakfasts made to order, we're finally sticking our heads out of the fog and joining the real world again. As I type this, the laundry is all caught up, the girls are already tucked into bed and we have everything laid out and ready for tomorrow. As much as I dread putting actual pants on tomorrow, I'm looking forward to curling my hair and feeling like a human again. I've been trying to work on a new schedule for the blog and decide what posts to keep and which ones aren't as effective. I have a tendency to share multiple monthly recaps but there just isn't a way to consolidate all of that into a single post. I'm excited to add some monthly goals and a progress report into this post each month, but ...
What I Read in December
Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. I wish I could tell you that I read exactly 52 books in 52 weeks, but it didn't quite shake down like that. Does it count that I started 52 books this year? I might not have met my goal exactly, but I'm pretty happy with myself. I do wish that number could have been a little larger, but I know this was a pretty big accomplishment for a crazy busy working mom. I debated whether to increase that number for next year or whether to set a different kind of reading goal altogether. I'm planning to share a bit of a reading recap for 2016 on the blog next week, so I hope to have that goal hammered out before ...
2016 in Pictures
Dude. How is it time for another year in review post? Just as in years past, this is one of my favorite posts of the year and I had such a great time going back through all we've shared this year and finding the posts and photos that best represent this year for us. Enjoy! January always feels so good, right? We turn the final page on another year and have the opportunity to be and do whatever it is we want! Everything about 2016 was a new adventure for us and the blog felt no different. We shared a letter to our favorite holiday ever, talked a lot about creative inspiration, started receiving monthly fixes and finally unveiled the new blog design. In February, I finished a month of Whole30 and shared some reflections on how things were going, along with this new recipe and a ...
Holiday Recap | Christmas Day
Also known as the Christmas where I took terrible photos. Bear with me, because we had a great time despite the blur and grain. This was an interesting Christmas. I felt equal parts at home and unmoored. We are loving the new house and the space to stretch out and living with my parents, but it's weird not having your own things around. My mom told me a hundred times in November that I should get all of our decorations out and do whatever I wanted inside, but without our own furniture, art and accessories -- it still felt foreign. We pooled a few of our decorations that worked well together and made it work, but I can't wait to decorate next year. Even though it will be our second holiday in the log house, it will feel like doing it all for the first time. I wouldn't change a ...
Collaboreads | The Lovely Bones
Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. This is one of those months where I was insanely excited about the prompt for Collaboreads. I remember seeing the hard copy of this book when we packed up the house in October and thinking that I wanted to read it again soon. That was before I realized Josh would hold all of my worldly possessions hostage in the pod or I would have saved a stack of books to read over the next few months. As it stands, I used an extra Audible credit to download the audio version and only later realized that Alice Sebold herself, reads the novel. That, my friends, is what we call a happy accident. I read this ...
Holiday Recap | Christmas Eve 2016
Also known as the Christmas where I took terrible photos. Bear with me, because we had a great time despite the blur and grain. I had grand plans to blog yesterday, but I seriously never moved from one spot. It was the best day ever, but starting today I have to be a little more productive. Notice I said little. On Christmas Eve, we celebrate with Josh's parents and his brother's family. It is very laid back, so we wore pajamas and brought all of our favorite breakfast foods. The kids were ready to open gifts from the moment we arrived, so as soon as we could scarf down breakfast, it was time to rip into gifts! They are completely and totally spoiled and got all of the fun interactive gifts that we refuse to buy. Isn't that what grandparents are for?! Ella's big gifts were ...
Holiday Card | 2016
Can you believe we're a mere 48 hours from Christmas?! The holiday always speeds by way too fast, but I feel like this year has gone at warp speed! We are looking forward to spending lots of family time together over the next few days and remembering to focus our hearts and minds on the real reason for our celebration. Today is one of my very favorite days of the holiday season -- we'll be joining our very best friends and family for A Highland's Christmas, a candlelight Christmas service at our church. Then tomorrow kicks off three days of non-stop celebration and we can't wait!! Consider this post a hand-delivered Christmas card just for you, friend! We love sharing this little slice of the internet with you all and are looking forward to sharing lots of new memories over the ...