HI Friends!

I shared on my last post that we are in the process of purchasing a new home!  We’re so excited for this next chapter and for Boden to finally get his own room.  When we brought him home from the hospital he obviously slept in our bedroom in a bassinet, as he out grew the bassinet we set up his crib in the corner of our master bedroom.  With out space for him to have his own room in our current house, this set up worked…until about the last two weeks.  He started waking up a lot at night and nobody was getting any sleep.  I had a few nights on the sofa in the living room and Ben in Griffin’s bedroom.

Now that the weather is warming up, we moved him into a pack and play in our office/closet over the garage (it always stays a little cooler over there than the rest of the house).  Since we made the switch  of putting him in our office, everyone is sleeping so much better.   Now that he doesn’t hear us coming in and out of our bed room, he sleeps mostly through the night and is starting to self soothe himself back to sleep.

All this to say that having him in his own bedroom will be amazing.  Since he is napping and sleeping in the office/closet we aren’t really able to get in there for some stuff and Ben is working in the kitchen again.  It is a big game of musical rooms.  Moving to a new home in early May will give us the space we’ve been desperately needing.  Today I thought I’d share Bo’s nursery mood board.  First I started taking inventory of the items around the house we have that I’m going to merge into his nursery.  I’ve always been a lover of country music and all things country western.   So I decided it could be a fun inspiration for his new bedroom.  In a modern and cool way of course.

Here is a photo of Bo’s new room:

As you can see it is a great size bedroom for a nursery.   Bo’s room is a north facing room so it won’t get a lot of light through the day which means I’ll probably paint it a light color for now.  I’d love to do a board and batten treatment at some point but for now just painted and set up/decorated.  He has two corner windows and a slope ceiling will make furniture set up interesting.  I have some ideas for furniture layout.  I’m thinking the rocking chair will go in the corner and his crib on the right flat wall or in front of the slope wall on the left side.  He also has a small dresser changing area that I’m thinking will go on the right wall when you walk in but it isn’t in the photo.  I’m sure once we move in I’ll play around with the lay out a bit.  I do love to see the crib and rocking chair when you walk in as focal points of the room.

These are the items I already have that I wanted to incorporate together in his nursery.  As you can see it definitely gives a modern western vibe to his space.  To fill in the blanks I found some adorable wall art, another layer for beneath the faux cowhide, black out curtains.  I’ll most likely add cordless shades as well.  Anyways let me show you the decor I added to these foundational pieces to really give it a fun modern country boy feel.

Where to begin?!  I’m so obsessed with this modern western nursery for our sweet Bo!  I decided to do a jute rug under the cowhide for a layered look.  The windowpane black out curtains bring in that modern farmhouse feel.  The leather stool to kick up our feet when we read books together.  I’ll also add in some fun pops of color, most likely on a book shelves with toys for him to play with.  Of course his dresser with changing stuff, mirror and cute accessories will be in there too.  I just didn’t have enough space on the mood board for ALL the cute things I wanted to add.

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Let me know what you think of Bo’s new room! I can’t wait to set up this adorable space and just start to settle into our new home.  Thanks for stopping by!

Jordan

Hey!

This post has been a long time coming.  We’ve been in process of selling our current home and purchasing a new home since January.  Hence, my lack of posting for awhile.  Our little baby Bo’ is 6 months and he’s the sweetest little guy!  He’s been keeping us very busy and a bit lacking on sleep 😉  On top of caring for a new baby and selling our house, it has been crazy around here.  We are so excited to share that we are officially under agreement on a new house and the sale of our current house.  If all goes according to plan we close on our old home April 13th and we will rent back while we finish closing on our new house April 29th.  Originally we planned to rent our home back until the end of the school year.  We didn’t think we’d find a new house so quickly, but the stars aligned for us!  Our official move out date is May 6th.   Between April 29th and the 6th our plan is too do a bunch of painting, more measuring and to slowly bring some stuff over, set up all new beds for the kids, etc.

Everything just worked out so well, this really all came together so perfectly and quickly.  I still keep pinching myself.   Our new home is in one of our favorite neighborhoods and has been completely renovated so everything is updated.  We just need to furnish and add our own personal touch, which as  you all know that is my favorite.  But if you followed along on our Arched Chalet project you know we do get into renovation as well too.  I’m happy that with this new house we won’t need to be gutting any bathrooms or kitchens any time soon.

If you are wondering where we are moving to, thankfully we aren’t moving far.  Our main goal was to keep our kids close to their friends and family.  We are so so happy that we were able to find something with in close proximity to our current home.  The home we are purchasing is from the early 1900’s it has a lot of charm and much more space which we were so desperate for.  With the new baby and two growing kids it was really time to increase square footage.   The other good news is the new home has an in-law so my parents are actually selling their condo and moving in with us!   They have a home on Cape Cod they plan to use as their main house once they retire but since we are near Boston and they both still work they want a place that is close for when they travel off Cape.  We aren’t sharing the new house exterior or location just yet for privacy reasons.  We’d like to wait for everything to settle and for the listing to be removed for the sake of privacy and peace of mind.  However, today I’m sharing Autumn’s bedroom e-design with you!

I wanted to share Autumn’s new big girl, dare I say TWEEN room, today because I think we finally settled on a new bed for her.  She desperately wanted a loft bed and I just didn’t think it would work in this space.  Loft beds are cool and great for small rooms when you need to maximize space.  In the new house she is getting a great size bedroom and we can’t wait to update her to a bigger bed, larger rug and reuse some existing furniture.  We can use the wall desk we currently have and also create a hang space for when her friends come over.  My goal for this new house is to mix in things from the old house with some new items to really give us a fresh new look.

Autumn’s New Bedroom

The plan for Autumn’s room is to paint it a nice fresh white, add some curtains/blinds and rugs.  I’m hoping I can work the canopy bed in between those two windows there on the left wall and her current campaign dresser under the windows straight ahead.  I’d like to eventually update her ceiling light with a chandelier to add more personality.  We will use the wall desk we have currently have in the kids little hang room at our house now.  It’s going to be a nice mix of some new items and things she already has.

Autumn’s Tween Bedroom Design

Shop Tween Bedroom Decor:

Thanks for stopping by!

Jordan

Cue the Boyz II Men song “It’s so hard…. to say goodbye…to yesterday…”

We recently decided, after giving it lots of thought, that it’s time to say goodbye to our home and list it for sale this spring.  The house you’ve watched us over the years (here and on Instagram) lovingly fix up, renovate, and decorate, most importantly raise our family in.  Now that we’ve welcomed our third child, we are feeling very limited on space.  The big question I’ve been getting is “Have you thought about adding on?” the short answer is, YES. The thing is we’ve been through renovation before and we know what that entails and with the supply chain issues and prices being so high on building materials we just feel like it would be a big hurdle to get through for us right now. We need the space as soon as we can get it, like yesterday – ha! We also feel like given the lot size and layout it would eat into a lot of our yard space and that just isn’t something we want to give up either.

Since it is a seller’s market and interest rates are starting to rise, we want to take advantage of the market for selling purposes. We feels like it’s the right time in many ways to move on to our next adventure.   Let’s just hope we can find a place to purchase ASAP!  Selling our home will help us be cash ready so that when something does come along we are in the best position to make the strongest offer possible. 

Today I wanted to share some of my tips for getting your home ready to list, things that we’ve been busy doing for the last few weeks.   I also asked my followers on IG what their top tips for selling are and I’ve compiled a list that I think will be very beneficial to anyone about to sell their home.   Listing your home to sell can be overwhelming.   First we contacted a trusted realtor and brokerage to help us get started.  They are working with us to determine listing price and how to approach the market given our situation in that we haven’t found a place to buy (move into) yet.  We feel like we are in very good hands and are looking forward to moving forward with listing in the next couple of weeks (if we can pack and declutter fast enough). 

Things to Do When Listing Your Home To Sell:

• Rent a storage POD to declutter (Once POD is full we will send to their storage facility)
• Donate, sell and dump items to clear out your home
• Do paint touch ups or hire painter to neutralize wall colors
• Start packing early
• Use a notebook to label and code boxes so you know what they are in storage container once you arrive at next home
• Focus on clearing out basement, closets, cabinets and drawers of things you don’t use daily to free up space. 
• Hire a cleaner for a deep clean
• Remove family photos
• Get free boxes by looking on FB marketplace sites
• Stage your home by cleaning, adding fresh flowers, minimal decor on every surface and let all the blinds open for lots of natural light.

More Great Follower Tips:

• Dumpster to declutter 
• Start packing you’re going to have to anyways
• Get great photos
• Depersonalize Items
• Clean windows
• Clear off counters
• Hide everything dog related
• Cosmetic Updates (plumbing and electrical repairs etc… )
• Remove everything off walls (paint touch ups)
• Touch up trim/ scuff marks

Next, one day we dedicated to JUNK REMOVAL, we went through our stuff to determine what we wanted to sell, donate and dump.  We had a junk removal company come and take away all the items that we couldn’t donate.  I almost took a photo of this but didn’t because it was ugly but so satisfying. Between all of this we purged a great amount of stuff we no longer needed.  For the remainder of the items we ordered a POD and the packing process began.  We started by clearing out everything else from the basement and all items from closets that would not be needed for awhile put into boxes or storage containers and moved to the pod.  

Depersonalizing a home you’ve lived in and made your own for almost a decade feels very strange at first. But think about how it will help the next owner envision their family with in the four walls. So i’m taking down all the family photos and only leaving up some art pieces that I think blend well with the home and rest of the decor. I’m going to use bubble wrap and tissue to wrap up and carefully pack all of our family photos.

My favorite product for patching all the nail holes and touching up paint is THIS:

It’s so easy to use as it has everything you need in one, the top smoothes the excess putty and the bottom cap has sand paper on the bottom which makes smoothing the walls very easy. I have all the little touch up paints cans that I’m going room to room touching them all up.

Going through all the kitchen and bathroom drawers to organize and declutter has been a big task but finding great storage solutions like THIS plastic bag organizer has made it fun and satisfying! Going through this process has forced me to eliminate a lot of stuff we don’t need or just clutter that has been building up. I did the same thing with our linen closet removing all the old blankets and towels (donating them to local animal shelters) and leaving a few towels and changes of sheets has made our linen closet look very empty and spacious.

SHOP THE POST:

I hope these tips have been helpful. We are having the listing photos taken in the next couple weeks so I’ll update this post with some of those photos once that happens. It feels like there is still a lot to get done but I know that it will happen. I’m a bit anxious to see what happens with our home and where we end up. Ideally we’d love to stay in the town we are in but are open to surrounding towns too. We just have to cross our fingers and hope that the right one will pop up soon. Thank you for taking the time to read my post today and I hope these tips help you when you are about to sell your home! Best of luck!

Love,

Jordan

PIN FOR LATER:

We recently received our photos from Bo’s newborn photo session done by the talented Chickey Little Photography and I thought I’d share a few today on the blog!  Chelsea is a local mom friend of mine that has a thriving photography business and focuses on newborn and family lifestyle sessions, she has an incredible eye for them, too.  Chelsea also recently opened a studio space and will be offering photo sessions there as well.   We’ve done in studio newborn sessions before with our oldest and loved that direction.  However, this time around with three kids in total, we liked the idea of simply staying at home.   Another amazing thing about Chickey Little Photography is that Chelsea just began offering packages that include either a cleaning service or a hair/makeup service, so you truly feel pampered and less stressed about your in home photo session.   Is that not genius or what?! 

Chelsea’s approach is very hands on through the entire process from the initial concept consult, to the actual session, to her follow up meeting.    You can go into her studio to see all the images from your session and she helps you select them and guides you through the process of ordering products and/or creating an album.  Chelsea’s thoughtful involvement makes the entire process much less overwhelming especially when you are looking at dozens of images you love while very sleep deprived. 

Chickey Little Photography Studio

 

Surviving an at Home Newborn Photo Session starts with letting go…

Let go of your expectations of perfection.  Baby’s are going to get fussy, toddlers will have their meltdowns and big kids will be goofy and sometimes uncooperative, too.   It most likely will be a little bit of a juggling act for all involved.  Trust that your photographer has done this plenty of times and can handle all of the chaos.  Be sure to have the baby fed and changed before the start of session, we had the baby “shoosher” and paci on stand by too.   Try your best to relax and be in the moment.  

My dress linked HERE

Thank you for stopping by and reading my post!  We are thrilled with our images from our photos session with Chelsea.  I hope this helps calm you if you are preparing to welcome a new baby and set up a photo session.  I can tell you that the images are absolutely priceless and worth every penny.  I’m excited to replace the photos in our home with our most up to date family photos, including our new family member, baby Boden.   

Love,

Jordan

Chelsea also creates Family Films so you can see your photo session in film format.  I absolutely loved viewing the images from our session this way, the music and all the images she captured were perfect!

A week ago today on the morning of September 20, 2021 ( 8:13 am to be exact) we welcomed our son Boden Nicholas to the family!  I’ve never written a birth story before, with my other two kids I didn’t even have a blog!  Leading up to Boden’s birth I found myself googling and reading other bloggers’ birth stories.  I really enjoyed reading other peoples stories to get into that mindset.  I also love how each birth story is unique and truly so special.  Bringing life into the world is one of the most exhilarating experiences.   I’m so blessed to have had a healthy baby and successful birth story. I thought I’d write up the story of Bo’s birth while it is fresh on my oh-so- blissfully-sleep-deprived-mind.  I hope you enjoy reading how our little baby came into the world.  Also I wanted to share some of the things I tried to jump start labor that weekend prior to Monday Morning.   

The Weekend Before Birth

The weekend before he was born I was feeling really uncomfortable.  I had a lot of pressure and knew the baby was very low.  I was dilated 1cm and was 75% effaced according to my check the week prior.  I knew things were starting to happen as I was also having some contractions on and off but nothing consistent.  I was trying ALL THE THINGS that weekend because I was a little grumpy that I was still pregnant.  He was due 9/25 so I still had a week to go but I just felt SO ready.  If you know, you know.  I tried everything from spicy food, long walks, bouncing on a ball, foot massage, pressure points, and then I had my acupuncture appointment booked on Monday because if nothing else worked over the weekend I knew that acupuncture would be a great last attempt to get things going on their own.  I never made it to that appointment!  On SUNDAY afternoon I was visiting my cousin and she offered me some raspberry leaf tea to drink.  I had HEARD that this tea was another old wives tale but it was one I hadn’t tried yet.  I got home from her house and drank a cup and then before bed I drank another cup.   If you are wondering about red raspberry leaf tea here is an article you can read, I would definitely say check with your doctor always before trying anything.  This is just my experience!  I honestly didn’t think it would do anything and maybe it was a coincidence. 

Contractions Begin

 At 2:00 am I woke to feelings of strong cramps.  These were different then the Braxton Hicks or even other ones I’ve had, they wrapped around my back and felt stronger.  I timed them in bed on my contraction app and they continued for an hour before I woke Ben.  When I told him that I’d been having contractions for an hour and they were about 5 minutes apart he jumped into the shower and into complete “it’s go time mode” I was still unsure.  I was so nervous that it would be false labor and that we would be sent home from the hospital.  So I stayed in bed and kept timing them.  Finally by 3:45/4  Ben begged me to call the doctor and ask if I should go in.  So I did.  They recommended my Mom come over for the older kids and since it was my third to probably make my way into the hospital.  My Mom came over around 4:45am and I was still timing them on the sofa.  They weren’t getting longer or closer together, still very consistent.  As Ben, my Mom and myself chatted in between contractions deciding when I should leave I suddenly felt a pop and a gush.  

My water never broke with my other two pregnancies so I’d never experienced that sensation before.  But I knew exactly what it was!  My mom did too!  We all just looked at each other and knew it was time to go NOW.  Ben rushed up to get the bags and I got myself together.  I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening, there weren’t any more doubts or questions.  I was about to have a baby today!!  My other two labors were very long and I expected to be in the hospital most of the day with maybe an afternoon baby.  Oh was I wrong.  This little guy was ready to make his debut!

As we drove to the hospital around 5:15am in the dark, the largest harvest moon lit up the night sky.  Yet another potential helper in this labor happening so quickly?  Maybe?   We arrived around 5:45 and I was admitted. They checked me and I was fully effaced and at 4.  Contractions were getting really intense, much longer and closer together.  They got me right into labor and delivery around 6:15. I was just trying to breathe and stay calm.  I had Been pull up pictures of the Griffin and Autumn on his phone so I could look at their beautiful faces and focus on them.  By this point I was begging for an epidural.  The contractions were so intense and happening so quickly.   Thankfully I was able to get an epidural but I was still experiencing intense contractions.  It wasn’t kicking in.  The nurse checked me and said that his head was right there it was time to push.  The doctor came in and by 7:50 we were getting ready to deliver our baby. 

A Few Pushes Later!

My other two kids’ deliveries took hours… I expected the third to maybe be a little faster but nothing like this.  I couldn’t believe that it was time to push already.  The doctors and nurses were like “he will be here in a couple pushes” and I just couldn’t believe what they were telling me.   How could this be happening so fast?!  The epidural was just starting to kick in which meant I was losing feeling of those contractions and knowing when to push.  Thankfully I could still focus and feel a subtle sensation of when it was time, that with the cue of the nurses I gave it my best. 

I can’t tell you exactly how many times I pushed but it wasn’t many.  He made his way earth side at 8:13 am which was such a short amount of time from when I initially started.  They placed him on my chest and it was such an incredible feeling.  I looked up at Ben and saw the tears in his eyes as he looked at his son.  I felt the warmth of our baby on my chest and relief through my entire body that he was here and healthy.  I was so proud of myself in this moment for bringing him into the world.  He sucked his tiny thumb instead of crying and looked around.  Boden weighed 6lbs and was 19″ long, he was a little guy and perfect in ever way!  Since he was so small they monitored him pretty closely those first 24 hours checking his blood sugar levels and he passed every test.  

Our First Day with Boden

After his birth we were able to spend the day taking in his every feature.  We noticed he has the tiniest little dimple on one cheek.  We analyzed everything about him and if he looks like our other two kids.  It was so magical and amazing to just take him in on that first day. Visitors aren’t allowed at our hospital right now due to the pandemic so we did a lot of facetime calls with family and friends.  The most special moment was having our kids pulled into the nurses office at school to facetime them so we could tell them all went well and they had a new brother!!

We really can’t believe we are parents to three now!  Bringing him home that Wednesday was the most exciting day.  Have the kids meet him for the first time literally brought tears to my eyes.  I’ve been full of so many emotions!

Thank you for stopping by to read about Boden’s birth.  I so appreciate all your love and well wishes on the birth of our son.  I truly loved reading each and every comment/message.  You have all been with our family over the years as I’ve shared my love of family and of course home decor.   I’m so excited to share yet another chapter with you!  If you are expecting I’m thinking of you and wishing you the best!!  Each and every birth story is unique and such a miracle.  I’m so happy I was able to share ours with you today.

Love,

Jordan

Happy Friday!  I’m 34 weeks tomorrow so I thought I’d share and start to organize what I want to pack for myself and baby for the hospital.  While it’s been almost 8 years since we last I was rolled up to Labor + Delivery, I do remember some things from the last time that really helped me and I want to have again.   Now that I’m on my third, I feel much more relaxed this time around.   I know what to expect and just feel a sense of excitement bringing our little boy into the world vs. the first time with Griffin, it was more an anxious anticipation of the unknown. 

 If it is your first go around or third, trust in your body it will know what to do and that you were made to do this!   I’m always so curious what people pack for different things, whether it is a trip to Mexico (always fun) or even to the hospital to have a baby!  Trust me when I say that usually I’m an over packer for everything but when it comes to the hospital bag less is more.

 

 

My Hospital Bag Must Have’s:

Small Carry On Suitcase:  A duffle bag, weekender bag or large tote also works.  I just love the ease of wheeling my small suitcase.  Especially when we leave with baby and carseat.  I also like how I can easily unzip and see everything I have vs. digging through a weekend bag.  I already have this small carryon suitcase so I’ll probably just use it.

Robe and Nightgown:  I have several of these maternity night gowns right now that I love and I plan to bring one or two for sleeping, they are so light and comfy.  For warmth and an additional layer I love bringing a robe it makes me feel a bit more pulled together as well.  A zip up sweatshirt or button down layer is great too if your nursing and get cool easily. 

Toiletries:  This is my travel toiletry case that I’ll throw in as well.  I love my own hair and facial products, lotions, eye creams etc… yes I could go a couple days with out them but if possible I like to have the items that make me feel refreshed.  I’ll also bring some make up remover wipes too!  I had both my other kids in the midnight hour so getting washed up after was not what I really felt like doing after hours and hours of labor.  So having just some make up wipes to freshen up after delivery is so helpful.  As for makeup I’ll be minimal; concealer, tinted moisturizer, mascara and some lip gloss/chapstick is a must (my lips are always dry!).

Flip Flops/Slippers:  Since we are having baby #3 in September I think I’m going to skip the slippers and just bring my waterproof Birkenstocks for showering, wearing around.  I’ll also probably wear a pair of sneakers or my elastic converse to and home from hospital.  

Cozy Socks:  I love these socks with the fun sayings on the bottom, they are also slip proof.  I definitely ordered a pair!

Sound Machine:  Lots of noises in hospitals at night, nurses in and out all the time.   Our kids love white noise or sound machines when they sleep, myself and Ben included too .  This little portable sound machine will be used in the hospital when baby arrives and we are all trying to get some rest and block out the hospital noise. I like THIS one because its portable and clips on baby’s carseat. 

Postpartum Underwear: This is another item that I wanted, the hospital provides a lot of postpartum care/necessities but I wasn’t a fan of the underwear.  These are specifically made for after you deliver.  Same goes for having some comfortable nursing bras as well.  I really like these ones. 

Sleep Mask: For the same reason as the white noise machine, it can be hard to get rest in a hospital and having a sleep mask provides a little darkness.  I remember all the different lights and nursers coming in and out it was hard to get shut eye, which I guess is par for the course.

Water Bottle:  I love having a big ice cold water with crushed ice close by.  I remember being so thirsty with my other two and this would be a nice “extra” to have.

Speaker:  Another thing I remember from my last two births was having a relaxing playlist that Ben and I listened to while I was laboring, it kept me chill.  We love music and always have music going in the background at home.  We have this little Kove speaker.  Don’t worry we won’t be blasting it through out the hospital!

Long Charging Cord:  This is just a no brainer, having a longer cord is a must.  We take so many photos and videos with our phones and having a cord that can reach is so key!   I of course has to get the blue for baby boys arrival

Other items to consider:

For Baby:

Packing for baby boy goes below are some of the things I’ll be adding to our diaper bag. I’ve been back and forth and all over the place with diaper bags. As of now I’m using my MZ Wallace Bag (size Medium) and I’ll be keeping things simple with a Tote Savvy Insert for organization.

• Car Seat
• Burp cloth (or two)
• Swaddles
• Pack of onsies
• Sleeper gown that ties on the bottom for easy changes
• Going home outfit in two sizes
• Hand mittens to protect from face scratches
• Paci, paci clip
• Blanket/hat incase it’s cool the day we leave hospital
• Lotion, diaper cream, and a couple diapers (hospital usually supplies them while there)

Memory Makers: If we can decide the name before we head to hospital, I’m hoping to have a cute acrylic sign made for a cute hospital introduction photo. Otherwise I’ll order a couple stickers that say “Hello My Name Is…” and I’ll add a sharpie to this list so we can write in his name if we need more time to decide! I also like to bring a tiny mini canvas so that the nurses can get a tiny foot print for me. I may even bring one of our kids polaroid cameras so that we can take some cool vintage photos as well!

I hope you found my packing list helpful! I like to try to keep things as simple as possible and planning ahead always makes me feel a little more calm and stress free.

Love,

Almost momma of three… Jordan

*this post contains affiliate links. Thank you for shopping through my links which helps support my blog

This past weekend we celebrated my sister and her upcoming fall wedding with a bachelorette weekend on Cape Cod.  My aunt has a beach house on a lake in Mashpee (C.C.) and graciously offered to host a group of girls for the weekend.  As we was brainstormed and planned out the weekend, I thought “what would be a nice way to kick off the weekend with guests arriving later on Friday that felt different from your typical restaurant dinner out?”.  I’ve seen these lux style picnic dinners on beaches popping up all over Insta and Pinterest.  I knew this would be the perfect setting and occasion to plan an event like this.  Also, I knew it would be a memorable evening for my sister one that she wouldn’t see coming and that she’d really love!   .

Before I share photos of the magical evening, First let me share some of the decor that made the evening vibe and vision come to life.  What we purchased vs. what we rented from local rental companies.  The boho vibe is a style that consists of lots of layered neutrals and greenery.  Very muted but greenery or very light shades of either pink or teal or rust can be added depending on your preference.   You can absolutely build and DIY a boho (low to ground) picnic table with wood, pallets or plywood (covered of course with linens) but we had such a large group that building three of them and transporting to Cape Cod seemed a bit challenging.  Renting three kids tables was so easy.  If you can find a local rental company check to see if they carry small children tables.

Boho Beach Picnic // Decor List

To Rent:

• Three children height tables (perfect amount of space for a group of 17)
• Dinner and salad plates
• Cutlery
• Table linens (3 long table cloth as well as napkins)

To Purchase (click the affiliate link to go to similar or the same item):

• Two painters drop cloth as base layer for picnic set up
• 3-4 scatter rugs to layer over the drop cloth (mine from 5 Below) 
• Mix of pillows in varying textures in 18×18 and 20×20 sizes to scatter around tables
• Table runners
• Woven Lanterns
• Faux plants 
• Gold candle holders/votives
• Pampas grass in vases or pre-made (mine from T.J. Maxx)
• Vintage style outdoor cups
• Boho Umbrella
• Yeti or any cooler full of beverages for guests
• Woven vases
• Floor pillows

*A few extra long white curtains or sheets incase you need to drape more fabric is also a good idea to cover the sand or to layer over the tables if table clothes don’t cover completely. 

Food:

My aunt’s home is close enough to the beach that family style food could be cooked and brought down to the beach.  I knew that I could handle the decor and set up but for food I didn’t want the pressure of also cooking, so we hired Chef Adam Munroe and his team with Perfect Strangers Boston to help us come up with a delicious menu for our boho beach picnic.  We also used him last year for my Sister- In- Laws Backyard Bachelorette (aka during pandemic) which you can see here.  Other food ideas; you could also get the event/picnic catered from a local restaurant.  If you don’t have a large guest list keep it simple with some fancy charcuterie boards and pre-mixed cocktails. 

Boho Beach Picnic // The Set Up:

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You can see the drop cloth makes a great base layer for the picnic. If you have less guests you could probably just use one drop cloth. Next we set up tables (bring a broom to sweep off the sand as you go. We then added the linens to the children size rental tables. You can see how the ends of the tables were showing the metal legs (vibe killer) so we had some extra white sheer curtains that we tucked under the ends to hide the metal legs. We then layered the runners down the center we used two but definitely could have used a third.

Boho Beach Picnic

I used blades of long beach grass and tied the napkins for a free napkin ring and to tie in some of those green tones. The chef and his team created a wonderful menu for us that was incredible!

We spread out the centerpieces which was a combination of pampas grass, candle, ivy and lanterns/woven vase at the center of each table. You want to be sure there is room for the food to be set down so I didn’t want to go too crazy with the centerpieces.

If you have any neutral pillows add those to the drop clothes and scatter rugs and of course if you have a pop of color in your theme incorporate that as well for example a pale pink velvet pillow or floor cushion would be so pretty amongst all the creams and whites.

Thinking of hosting your own boho beach picnic?! I hope this post helps you achieve the look and gives you the tips to host an event like this. Between hiring a chef and renting some items it really made it so easy. Finding the decor and collecting the items was fun for me and I’m hoping to repurpose them all in our Vermont house. However the thought of renting it all out has crossed my mind too! Pin this post for later if you want to remember all the details.

Happy Decorating!

Jordan

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I’m so excited to share this teeny tiny space for our teeny tiny new person (baby boy) coming this September.  I really wanted to get a head start on this because the summer is so busy.  Plus the further along I get the more tired!  If you are expecting or trying to figure out how to make a small space/home work for a new addition I hope this inspires you.   We have a home with three bedrooms currently all occupied, because our two older kids are exactly willing to give up their bedrooms or share with a newborn (I don’t blame them!).  I wanted to get creative with our master bedroom and make a little nursery nook for this baby.  Since we usually keep our babies in our room for the first few months anyways this will give us time to evaluate sleeping arrangements and if we decide to add on to our house (aka another bedroom) or maybe move.  We don’t want to rush our decision right now. 

Nursery Nook Design Inspiration:

 

 

As you can see my initial design was very neutral with white and wood tones.  Once we found out it was a boy however, I decided to go with the greens and grays since they flow so well in our bedroom.  We still don’t have the bassinet or crib set up, that will be next!  I decided to add a peel and stick wallpaper that I found HERE to accentuate the recessed dormer in our master.  I wanted it to flow with the rest of our master bedroom which I like to think is a soothing spa atmosphere. 

Our master bedroom walls are Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams, the peel and stick pattern I selected brings out those sea-foam gray/green tones and adds some pattern into the baby’s nursery nook.   Let me show you how it looked before with just an antique trunk that stored our extra bed linens and pillows.  Now it will serve as a place to change baby as well as keep his tiny clothes tucked away.  I’m sure he will end up with a lidded storage basket under our bed too!   

Nursery Nook Before:

Nursery Nook After:

For the nursery nook makeover we ordered a new dresser, changing pad and an adorable felt baby mobile with colors to tie into the organic fern wallpaper.  I made sure to find a dresser that fit this spot perfectly and wanted something simple in design.  I measured five times just to be sure I had the exact measurements then looked for something a couple inches less.  I was looking for a dresser with specific size requirements which narrowed things down.  I also didn’t want to spend a fortune on something.  I was able to find a great deal on this one and I love the sleek lines and three big drawers.  I’ll share how I organize them with bins in another post soon.  You can see how the peel and stick paper picks up the colors in our bedroom wall color really nicely.  The pattern is understated yet gives this area its own personality.  I love the softness the curtain adds which we already had here.  I don’t move it as we have a black-out blind.

I decided to splurge on the Keekaroo peanut changing pad because I loved the sleek modern design plus the idea of not having to change or do extra laundry with the changing pad covers was so appealing.  This wasn’t an option my last pregnancy and it just seemed so cool.  We have the strap that we will attach on to it and if its cold for the new baby at first I’ll throw down a swaddle blanket it.  I really just love the look of it as well as the convenience of easy clean ups.  Since it takes  up majority of the space on top I put all the changing supplies inside the drawer which I actually prefer not looking at all that stuff anyhow.

Nursery Nook Details:

 

Two wooden shelves on the inside wall are just perfect for adding little books, pictures and accessories to display and makes me feel like this nursery nook is it’s own little nursery!  I used these years ago in Griffin’s bedroom to hold all his books and I still love them.  I went with the raw wood to break up the white and bring in the natural tones.  The custom baby mobile is the perfect little accessory to finish off this tiny space.  I worked with Wooly Sheep Dots to choose custom colors that would match the peel and stick wall paper.   I love that I was able to incorporate two etsy shops into this design.  Once we know baby’s name I have a few more shops I want to order from as well!

 

 

I decided to hang a little pegboard set of hooks to hang some baskets for more storage.  The trick is to find ways to add storage wherever we can in a smalls pace.  I can use it to hang up some clothes for the week, little jackets of his or changing/feeding supplies. I’m sure things will move around a little bit.

*this post contains affiliate links which help support my blog at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for shopping through my links!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how our nursery nook turned out!  I’m really happy we have this ready for September.  The next couple months are so busy with kids out of school for summer that I feel good knowing it’s all set.  I still need to figure out the bassinet/crib situation.  My sister has a Snoo that I’m thinking I might borrow.  She had amazing luck with hers.   I’ll share how the rest of the little area looks once we finish it up.  I can’t believe in just a couple months we will be sharing this room with our sweet baby boy.  We are so excited to meet him.  Thanks for reading!

Love,

Jordan

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Like many of you I’ve spent the last few weeks anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring.  Finally those bare trees are starting to form their first buds and empty spots of garden beds are sprouting purple crocus.  Watching winter fade and the renewal of spring, is one of the most amazing things to watch.  While nature is having its own rebirth, we’ve got our own little one blooming!!  In early January I found out I was unexpectedly expecting #3!  We weren’t planning for another child.  However, this surprise blessing gave me a whole new appreciation for what my body is capable of and a reminder that the ability to create life is so miraculous.   Keeping this little secret from my friends and Insta community was tough.  I had the usual early pregnancy sickness which is now starting to go away.   It’s the only time in life that feeling sick is for a good reason.  Ben took over a lot of my household duties so I could rest.   He is such a great Dad and Husband.  We are really looking forward to this next chapter about to unfold.

I shared our pregnancy news over on Instagram with a little video, I still cry when I watch it.  I just can’t believe we will have another member of our family this September.  Our kids are so excited for another sibling!  We told them on Valentine’s Day with cookie announcement boxes from Lindsay’s Cookie Jar.  The kids were a little confused and it took them a few seconds of reading all the cookies before it started to click.  Griffin finally said “Are you having a baby or something!?”  It was so cute and they just had so many questions (as you can imagine!). haha

With Easter approaching this weekend and spring in full swing (we have 5 yards of mulch getting delivered today!) I’ve been slowly starting to get my energy back and I thought I’d share some little pops of spring decor I’ve been adding around our home.  I haven’t been up to tackling any big projects but doing small crafts and table settings has helped my creative itch.  I hope some of these images give you ideas for decorating for spring even in small ways.  I love bringing the outside in with seasonal branches and florals either real or faux! Let’s start outside with our front door!  (I’ll link a bunch of items at the end).

Spring Front Door:

A spring front door is so fun!  I usually start by selecting a bright and cheerful accent color.  Yellow seemed to be my first ideas!  Adding some fun pops of yellow to our new green (Yorkshire Green by Ben Moore) door worked so well for a spring accent color.  I love how the yellow branches look so effortless in this woven basket.  I decided to add a little welcome sign and move our house numbers above our door.  I still need to find something for that pot to the left.  A fun stripe gray door mat adds a fun pattern under the “hello” mat.

Easter/Spring Tablescape:

I decided to keep the pops of yellow in our dining room.  Let’s start with this DIY centerpiece with faux florals and greens from Michaels.  I cut some twigs from outside and also added those into the tulip/floral mix.   The base is a simple wood crate that I filled with floral foam.  It was so fun and easy to make.  It was also inexpensive $25 compared to some retailers selling similar for over $100!   

I found these yellow chargers and this yellow runner and I love how they just had such a fun pop and cheery vibe to the table.   Plus tie in with the front door as well!

In The Details:

Woven chargers at a great foundation layer for the yellow plates.  I kept it simple so you could get the idea of a non cluttered table.  I imagine I’ll be keeping things very simple this year as not burn out too quickly.  I threw the silver ware into this cute watering can.  I love using unconventional items on a tablescape.  The bunny ear napkin ring holders are just the perfect finishing touch!

Spring Decor Tip:

My best tip for spring decor in a pinch is Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods floral section, grab some spring branches and fresh flowers and place them around your home and let all that natural light in.  Nothing will make your space feel more fresh than fresh simple florals and natural light!! 

After a long winter and even a longer year… there is just so much hope on the horizon.  So many wonderful things to look forward too, celebrate and appreciate once again.  I feel like we are about to step into the life we once knew, albeit perhaps in a new form.  But after a long isolating pandemic, seeing light at the end of the tunnel is like watching winter fade to spring.  An uplifting feeling for sure.  One I can’t wait to watch fully blossom.

 

With Love,

Jordan

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We are just getting back from a few days up in the White Mountains in a town just outside North Conway, New Hampshire.  A little family getaway and change of scenery was much needed after the holidays.  It’s not our first trip to this area.  It’s fun in many different seasons and loved it each time.  This was the first time we rented a dog friendly cabin right after Christmas with plans to spend our NYE celebrating 2021 in a little home away from home in Bartlett, NH.  I had a few requests from my friends on INSTA to share the spot we stayed and some activities we enjoyed. 

During this winter getaway we packed the skis + my snow board and hit up both Bretton Woods and Mt. Cranmore.  Bretton Woods had stunning views of Mt. Washington and great grooming snow making.  Mt. Cranmore which is right in downtown North Conway is perfect for kids and beginner skiers.

What I loved about our Cabin in the woods was the proximity to Jackson, NH which has an adorable downtown with a cute puzzle shop and gorgeous bakery and cafe called Autumn Nomad.  We love the Wild Cat Tavern for a delicious dinner, we didn’t go this time but have in the past- it’s such a fun vibe!  You’ll also enjoy the many hiking trails, as well as the lower falls and Glen Ellis Falls.  It is also near kid friendly attractions like Story Land which we’ve done in the summer when the kids were little (Santa’s Village is also great in the summer just a little further away)!

If you’ve never been to North Conway, there is SO MUCH to do!  North Conway is also just a 10-15 minute drive from this cabin where you will find breweries and our favorite country store Zebb’s. Be sure to grab lunch at Horse Feather’s and you must try their Horsefries!  The crunchy chicken salad was amazing!  The little downtown is full of local small shops and of course the outlets!  Also as far as eating out this time around, we cooked in and ordered take out.  Red Fox Grill was a repeat and was SO GOOD just down the street from the Cabin we stayed at! 

One of my favorite activities we did this past week was the Nestlenook Farm (definitely make reservations) we chose a nighttime horse driven carriage ride through the woods.  I would highly recommend it!  We brought our own blankets and did the private tour which came with champagne and hot chocolate for the kids!  They also have ice skating as well.  It’s a really beautiful property with lots of fire pits and Christmas lights.  

We were hoping to do some snow shoeing or even snow mobile rides but there just wasn’t enough snow cover for those activities this time around. 

HERE is the link to the cabin, I had multiple requests for sharing.  I hope you are able to book a little getaway and enjoy some time in the White Mountains.  You won’t regret it!

Happy Travels!

Jordan

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Hope everyone had a great weekend!  With an eye for decorating, I’m always bouncing from room to room in our house, looking to see if any space needs a little tweaking or TLC.  On occasion so much time goes by and I’ll look at a room and I’ll realize “wow, I’ve really let this one go!” better a room then myself, I guess.  The latest room needing a little TLC was our daughter’s bedroom.  One morning I went to make the bed and was like “WOAHHH, this room is not good”.   Looking at the furniture layout and decor I realized that moving things around would open up her space and also make her room feel a little more “big” girl.  Sometimes a tired looking space just needs a few small adjustments to make it look new and fresh.  In this post I’m going to show you how I did that!

Girls Bedroom Refresh Before:

Where do I even begin with this before?  At one point this room looked cute and maybe months and months of “time at home” sent this space into its downward spiral.  Whenever I’m about to refresh a space I look through it with a critical eye. What is bothering me? What isn’t working? What could be improved?  When I look at this photo I immediately can’t believe that I’ve taken up the entire room with the bed.  She has no space to play.  It suddenly occurred to me that the bed would fit perfectly to the left of the window which would open up the room.   I also decided the rug was lacking personality.  I still loved the wall color and pops of pink but the desk on the right side of window was taking up a lot of room and getting no use.

I got to work, selling items and rearranging everything!  Then once I was happy with the lay out, I only purchased the following items:

• More interesting Rug
• A fun accent lamp
• A cute dresser accessorie
• Duvet set to pull the dusty rose color from rug
• A shelf for above bed

Everything else I either owned already or just relocated to a different place in her room!

I also painted a scallop accent wall using a paper plate as a stencil which I documented over on my Instagram It’s very subtle but I love how it adds a little interest to that wall separated by the window.

Girls Bedroom Refresh After:

As you can see I relocated these floral decals from one wall to this one. They are so easy to peel off and remove. These are from Rocky Mountain Decal

The faux wood panels are from Ez_Wall and they really are so easy to install. I love that it adds a little something fun to this wall, brings in some rustic charm to the space. Click HERE for the faux wood panels.

I added this simple shelf with brass brackets and then purchased a white piece of shelving from Lowes. It cost $25.00 total! I added a couple plants, a new print and then a letter “A” for her name. LInked at bottom of this post

Below you can see that I painted the top half of the wall Simply White by Ben Moore then used a plate to trace half circles which I then painted in with the wall color which is Italian Ice by Ben Moore. Super simple and adds a little interest.

The butterfly table is a Homegoods purchase. I’ve tried to find similar to link but haven’t had any luck. Her bed is a FB marketplace find from a few years ago. I think I paid $30 dollars for it!

There you have it!! One very cringe worthy before and a much better lay out end result. The most important part is that my daughter was beaming at the sight of her “new” big girls bedroom! I think it is perfect for her at this age. It’s not too babyish but it also isn’t too grown up. I hope she never does! Plus, with all this extra time at home it really makes a big difference loving your space. I hope you enjoy seeing how I breathe new life into spaces with only a few little updates. Do you have any favorite changes? What room in your house could use a little TLC?

Happy Decorating!

Jordan

(this post contains affiliate links which help support my blog, at no extra cost to you! Thank you for shopping my links!)

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I thought I’d put together a last minute little wish list for Mother’s Day. I honestly don’t need much but it’s fun to put together some items I’ve been loving and wishing for. I’m sure hubby will appreciate the ideas too! As I’m pretty sure he hasn’t even realized it’s this weekend. (Wink, Wink, Ben)

Workout outfit- I have really been enjoying going to my local Studio Barre class and everyone always dresses so cute. I’m LOVING these animal print leopard leggings for spring/ summer and I need to have the Cool MOM shirt because, well I feel like I am one 😉 right?

Jewelry Storage– Whenever I travel I always put all my jewelry into a little pouch or canvas bag and it get’s all tangled up. I love these beautiful leather cases that you can get monogrammed. I would absolutely love to have something like this for traveling.

Stacking Rings– I love the look of dainty stacking rings. I’ve been wanting to start collecting them, real gold and vintage would be ideal. I found this set and thought it would be so pretty to have each of my kids birth stones in one.

Bangle Bracelets– I just can’t get enough of the stacked look I guess. Especially when it comes to simple and delicate jewelry, it’s my favorite. These are super affordable and look chic.

Pots & Pans- Ok this is me being practical. Our pots and pans are looking SO BEAT UP. I like cooking with things that look pretty and inspire me in the kitchen. Currently what we have is not doing that. This white set is so beautiful and I’d love to cook with it.

Luxury Handbag– Ok this is me being completely impractical. I’m just a girl that likes the occasional splurge, k? Actually I don’t own many luxury handbags. I own a couple decent bags. I’d love to some day own something classic and timeless like a Louis Vuitton. I wouldn’t even argue about which style! I love the white though. A girl can dream right?

Beauty Sleep- I’ve been wanting to try one of these beauty sleep pillow cases for SO long. I hear that they are amazing for your skin and hair. Plus, keep wrinkles away. I’m all about that! I really like this one.

Those are a few of the things I’m loving right now! Are you hoping to receive something practical or impractical? Something you need or something you just loveeeeee. Sometimes the best gift is just to have time to yourself or to spend time with friends. Whatever it is, I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Love,

Jordan

More Gift Ideas:

*This post contains affiliate links. I always appreciate when you use my links because they help support my blog and doesn’t cost you any extra. I only share products/brands I truly love.

As Mother’s Day approaches, I can’t believe that I’ve been a mom for 8 years now. Almost to the month. One of the most powerful and surreal moments of my life was when the Doctor handed me my baby boy, our son Griffin. The weight of him on me, his unexpected blonde head of hair, tiny wiggly body and helpless scream is a moment I’ll never ever forget, as I’m sure is the same for most mothers.

The moment he was born was such an intense life changing moment, one I had always wished and prayed for. Yet in that moment I was naive to the way our life would soon change, the way I would change. How my heart would grow to love something more than it ever had before. My day to day would no longer be about me, or Ben and I, but about him, his safety, well being, health and happiness. You feel this new energy that you would give your own life for this tiny precious miracle.

As a new mother you aspire to have it all together, you think it will be easy to be home and be your babies caregiver. What no one tells you is that, it can be hard, real hard. No matter how many books you read or how much a baby person you are, you can never prepare for the life altering job of motherhood. As high as the highs can be, the lows can be pretty low too. Finding that balance in the early stages of being a mom was a struggle for me, in a way it was like my old self was no more, my carefree youth, that I didn’t even know I was saying goodbye to was officially gone.

The trade off for saying goodbye to that part of me, was entering into a new place of enlightenment, suddenly I was so super aware of my unconditional love for this child which in turn made me see my mother in a whole new light. Something I had never truly understood before. The love a mother has for their child is so powerful. I had this new appreciation for everything my mom did for me and my siblings. I realized all the life changes she sacrificed to make sure we were taken care of, going back to nursing school at night so she could have a better job to help provide for us. Not easy with two kids at home, then working nights at the hospital so she could be home during the day. From childhood to adulthood she was there for it all, even the moment of my son’s birth. She was literally there, full circle, to watch me become a mother. Something I can only pray for one day experiencing.

When our second was born she was a surprise. We didn’t find out the gender, so for the birth it was just Ben and I in the delivery room. It was so special to experience the birth of our second just the two of us, not knowing what the gender was, it was a totally different experience and I couldn’t even believe it when the doctor announced “it’s a girl”! I thought for sure it was a second boy. Sharing the news with everyone and her name was the most joyful experience! With the second child you kind of already have an idea of what’s to come and know what to expect. At this point Motherhood is much more me and completely a part of my identity.

8 years enjoying my babies turn into big kids has been such a gift! I loved the baby years so much but now, I have the pleasure of watching them develop into these little individuals, too. They’re discovering so much about themselves and the world. It’s so fun to watch! I feel like now, is where I should drop a big words-of-wisdom-moment. The truth is, as we enter each stage I’m still learning how to be the best mother I can be for my kids. I think that you never know what anyone, who might be trying to become a mother or is a new mother or a mother with older kids is or has been through, we all have our own journey’s. We are all just trying to do our best and enjoy our children, let’s be kind to remember that as we walk our paths.

I asked my Mom her favorite part of motherhood (having 4 kids) up until now and she said that it’s

“watching you all grow and becoming happy productive adults.”

I asked my grandmother her favorite part of motherhood (having 5 kids) and she said it was

“having 4 girls in 3 1/2 years, it was crazy but so much fun.”

I come from a long line of amazing mother’s so ultimately my goal is try to just be half as good as they are. My personal goal as a mother is to help my kids grow to be comfortable and confident in themselves and kind to others. Ok so here it is, the wisdom I have for new mom’s that I discovered as motherhood settles in. You will find yourself again, you were never really gone just lost momentarily. You were so busy loving on your new littles that you took a break on you. Once your kids get a little older, you will find yourself again and you’ll be amazed at all that you’ve done and continue to do for those important people in your life. Now it’s time to take a day to put YOU first.

This Mother’s Day I just want to take a moment to thank my mom and my grandmother for all they’ve done for me. Huge props for every mom out there that juggles everything, and I mean EVERYTHING.

To help make your day special below I included some gift ideas that my friends on Instagram shared with me and that I think would be great to give to a Mom in your life. If Mr. Ben is reading, he can always use ideas as well 😉

Thank you all for stopping by and reading my motherhood journey!

Jordan

On Mother’s Day some of my mom friend’s are wishing for:

• Spa Day
• Salon Day
• Hair Appointments
• Special Brunches
• Sleeping In
• Breakfast in Bed
• Mani/Pedi’s
• Plants/ Day Gardening
• Solo Movie Trip
• A house cleaner for a day
• Facial
• Massage
• Shopping Alone Day

More ideas…

Jewelry For Mom:

Gadgets for Mom:

Clothes/Decor for Mom:

*This post contains affiliate links. These links help support my blog and cost you nothing extra. I always appreciate when you purchase products through my blog that I love, suggest and have/wish for in my own home.