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Living

NEW BEGINNINGS

WOOOOO to the SAHHHHHH. No matter how difficult, no matter how much loss, remembering all that went wrong, and cherishing what went right, if you are reading this we are still standing. The stance might be ragged, it might be with tears in our eyes but we made it to 2021.

I’m not telling anyone what they should feel about 2020, cause I’m not sure I’ve fully wrapped my head around it and likely won’t for years to come but I am simply grateful and am looking forward to what’s next… hoping it’s better than what is behind me.

Through 2020 I found a few things in myself that I think only the grittiness, and ugliness of life can polish into something pretty, and I’m really excited to see how that manifests itself in 2021.

I’ve pondered over my intentions for 2021 to include my word as well as my place as a content creator and what I plan to do with this space on the internet. As inconsistent as I’ve been I’ve still managed to grow and maintain an audience and I figure I’ll never close this place until I’ve seen it be what I have always envisioned it to be. I think this year might be the year… knock on wood.

Ten years in the game, I’ve seen content creation change in a major way, and I feel there is a huge void in the space that doesn’t include content geared toward individuals in their late 30s and up who are transitioning to parenting tweens and teens, who may not have children but are figuring out how to maneuver in a new era of life, those that aren’t necessarily interested in “luxury” but want to look good, those that want to find ways to get good food on the table daily, and figure out how to fit in exercise.

Let’s not forget those that want to figure out how to run a business, work full time, tackle a home DIY, and not feel bad about not giving in to hustle culture and recognizing the power of rest. I see you.

There is a gap. I feel like I want to do my part to fill it.

There is so much of the same, so many experts, so much of look at what I have. Honestly, I’m not interested in being in that space. Life is messy, I don’t want it to look like I have it all together, I want to continue to build this community as a collective of folks who are trying their best daily and have nothing to prove to anyone but themselves and those that matter.

I want you to join me. This year I plan to share things that I hope are attainable by everyone, things that create a comfy, beautiful life full of all the things that matter.

“WERK” is my word for the year. I’m focusing on my goals while taking time for myself unapologetically. I’d love to see you do that for yourself as well, however that may look like for you

At least two times a week I’m planning to create some type of content. I would love it if you shared the content that resonates with you with others you think would gain value from it. I’m asking you to continue to engage with me, so we can build this community into one that has a little of something for everyone.

I don’t know what your 2020 looked like, but please know I am wishing you the very best in 2021.

Happy New Year, and thank you for being here!

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Food

Upgrade your Cupcakes with this Easy Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post.

As we head into the holiday season, baking is kind of the thing to do… well at least for me. While I do love whipping up something from scratch, sometimes I don’t, and I am not above using a box mix and elevating the taste with homemade icing.

Cream cheese icing is really easy to make and will easily turn your basic cupcakes into something that tastes like it came from a bakery. To really get the best-tasting icing you need to use a good cream cheese product. I use Tillamook Farmstyle Cream Cheese Spread, which you can find at your local Publix grocery store.

cream cheese icing recipe

Tillamook Farmstyle Cream Cheese Spread is extra creamy, rich, and doesn’t include any fillers, or preservatives like some of the other cream cheese products on the market. Good ingredients make for great icing!

During the holidays, we bake a lot of cakes and cupcakes. Although I haven’t perfected getting my bundt cakes out of the pan perfectly, I do love a good bundt pound cake drizzled with my homemade icing. 

If you want to add a little festiveness add a few drops of food coloring while mixing. The icing also pairs perfectly with other holiday treats like cookies, and cake pops.

cream cheese icing recipe

I just love that the seal has sayings on them! This icing recipe is super easy, and decadent. Perfect for holiday treats!

Easy Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

  • 1 7 oz container of Tillamook Farmstyle Cream Cheese Spread
  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (butter should be room temperature)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  1. Add cream cheese to a mixing bowl

  2. Use a mixer to beat cream cheese until it is smooth in texture

  3. Slowly add in the butter and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth, and blended all together

  4. Add in the powdered sugar and vanill and continue to mix until smooth

  5. Note: Make sure not to overbeat or it will be too thin to pipe. If you find that you've overmixed it put it in the refrigerator to firm up

Don’t worry yourself about making sure your treats are picture-perfect, have fun with it, even let the children get in on the fun! I don’t use fancy piping bags, I take plastic sandwich bags, add the icing, and cut a small hole in the corner, and squeeze the icing out. 

‘Tis the season for joy, and sharing! Now go forth and make the bomb box mix cakes and cupcakes with this super easy icing recipe.

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Décor• Home

Children’s Room Flooring Inspiration | The Benefits of Carpet

This post is sponsored by The Carpet & Rug Institute

When it was time to start considering new flooring for my children’s rooms, for a very short time we tossed around the idea of putting a hard surface option in their rooms, and then when I put some thought into how my children live in their rooms it was evident that carpet was the best choice. My children sit on the floor a lot, both of them for different reasons even though they have chairs and desks in their rooms. With both of them doing remote school during this season, I often find my son laid out on the floor doing schoolwork, practicing his instrument, lifting weights, and talking to his friends on the phone. As a budding ballerina, my daughter spends a lot of time on the floor doing her ballet stretches, in addition to her hair and practicing her makeup application skills in front of her mirror.

When choosing the color, I decided to go with a longer pile than we had before, as well as a darker color to add more contrast. I like to think I offered them a more comfortable option for when they are sitting on the floor and a color that worked well with the styling throughout our home for a cohesive look. 

In addition to the style and comfort, I wanted the house to feel cozy and warm during the winter months, not to mention the noise reduction it offers when my son goes to strumming on his viola and my daughter decides that her workouts need to include jumping jacks and a few other dance jumps that she works on. The most important benefit to carpet is it increases indoor air quality by filtering and trapping dust, pollen, and other particles in the air, removing them from the breathing zone.

I just recently replaced the carpet in my office as well, and I am in love. Carpet serves so many purposes, and style is just one of them. Our master bedroom is long overdue for new flooring and will get new carpet at the top of the year, once we repaint and scrape the ceiling. Stay tuned to see what we do with our master bedroom!

If you are looking for more advice about the benefits of carpet visit CRI and enter their Beauty of Carpet Sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 Visa Gift card by visiting www.beautyofcarpet.com

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Living

Keeping My Son (Smelling) Clean + Fresh

This post is in partnership with Unilever, all opinions are my own. 

My son is quite particular about the way he looks and grooms himself. He also manages to keep his room and personal items completely organized. If only he carried on that behavior in other areas of the house… I digress.
It’s not lost on me that I don’t have to stay on him about his grooming habits, because I’ve talked to other moms of teen boys and it looks like I might be living with a unicorn. In addition to keeping his things extremely neat, he likes to have his own personal care items, as he doesn’t like to mingle his things with ours. So he keeps his things in his room and brings them into the bathroom as he needs them. Maybe he’s preparing himself for college, this drives me crazy, but whatever floats his boat.

Starting high school was a big deal for him, and while he isn’t going to school in class, I made sure to reiterate to him the importance of keeping up a schedule to include getting dressed daily and keeping up his grooming skills. He’s taken it a smidge too far talking about he has to show up for his Zoom classes looking fresh and clean, cause the girls can see him.

My response? “Whatever son.”

I don’t know about you, but sometimes something as small as ending or starting your day with a good smelling soap or body wash can be a total mood-lifter. I purchased my son the Axe® Body Wash for Men – Phoenix 2-pack from Sam’s. It has a fresh and clean masculine smell to match his mantra! I also picked up the Dove Men + Care Extra Fresh 3 pack for my husband, it’s one of his favorites, he and I both enjoy the menthol smell. The formula is specially formulated for male skin, and with winter coming he will need the MICROMOISTURE technology in the product because his skin gets extremely dry. 

Since they are both kind of territorial about their things, purchasing these multi-packs are the perfect way to provide them each with their own personal stash of body wash options. I mean if I can have a plethora of body washes to choose from, I think the men in my life deserve the same.

Even though you are staying home, and social distancing, that doesn’t mean you can’t smell good for yourself, and the folks you live with. I promise a good shower that leaves you feeling refreshed is the best way to get yourself into a routine, not to mention being fresh and clean can allow you to log into your Zoom classroom, or office feeling good! #TackleYourGrooming

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