Home Life

December Cozy Things Giveaway

December 18, 2020 by Rachel

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I wish I could send these three items to everyone who commented on my Instagram giveaway post…thanks for participating!

Here are the sources in case you’re interested in collecting them for yourself (the coffee scrub makes an excellent stocking stuffer, I might add!)

The mug is hand lettered by Gale Nation. I love her work! This exact mug isn’t available any longer but you can find her other products here.

The coffee scrub is one I first tried from Grove Collaborative-a home essentials delivery service I’ve used for years and love. It’s gentle and moisturizing. {full disclosure: following my Grove link and placing an order gives you a free gift set and me $10 per referral}

If you can’t find it at your local store that carries Yes products, you can also order the scrub from Amazon, and right now it’s on sale for $8.86 plus a coupon for 15% if you add it to your subscribe and save order!

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Six ordinary summer favorites

October 8, 2020 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

Here are some random things that brought great joy to my life this past summer. Can a cheesy hashbrown casserole actually do that, you ask? Yes, yes it can. Here is the proof which I first made for Father’s Day breakfast and will probably become a fall favorite as well:

∇ Easy Breakfast Casserole with Potatoes & Ham

I owe everything to food bloggers.

∇ Free Panera coffee! If you never signed up over the summer, you can still do so and get your first month free. {Not recommended for coffee snobs; best for frugal ambivalents like me.}

∇ Reading in general and my new-from-Goodwill book Lilac Girls: recommended by literally everyone I asked about it. {It gets over 4,500 FIVE STAR reviews on Amazon, I checked!} I did find this historical fiction piece fascinating. It’s based on real people and is a well researched story of what happened to a group of women who survived concentration camp “experiments” and those who waited for them back home and became their voice, their advocates when they had none. Have you read it? I’m always behind on the popular books as well as basically everything in pop culture.

∇ Our new Target outdoor sectional that I waited and watched for and bought on sale and which we all love so, so much. (it’s frequently sold out-just click the “notify me when it’s back” option!) At least two people nap on it daily. I call it our Napping Couch.

∇ Postable-for when you don’t have just the right card on hand and want to skip the store and send something immediately. In addition to sending cards throughout the summer, I’ve been using Postable for years as an online back-up address book. They have a great selection of cards to personalize and they print, stamp, & ship for you because you don’t have stamps, either! Postable tells me this about referrals: “Send your friends your personal promo code MRQ85DUI and when they sign up and spend $20 you’ll both get $5 of credit!” Also of note: they frequently offer discounts.

∇ Being outside: camping, canoeing, hiking, walking with a friend regularly, and did I mention just simply sitting outdoors on comfortable furniture and reading a book?

These are a few of my favorite things!

Bidets & Such

March 20, 2020 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

Over on Instagram,* we’ve been snickering about using a bidet during this time of toilet paper crisis but if you know me in Real Life, you’ve seen my bidet (and perhaps even dared to use it?) and know that I am COMMITTED. {Also, yes, a few people have walked out of my bathroom with Questions or spoke in hushed tones to their children.}

I wrote a lot of words on why I have a bidet and how to use it, but then it all sounded weird so I erased it.

via GIPHY

We have one small bathroom in this house, and a few months ago Tom (with much eyebrow-arching, admittedly) installed an add-on bidet to the toilet at my most humble requests.

Like what can I say? It’s an easy, eco-friendly way to clean one’s nether regions. Using a bidet wastes less toilet paper (and therefore saves money which can be spent on coffee); it’s eco-friendly and kind to our septic system. You may be rolling your eyeballs right now, but HAVE YOU TRIED IT? Here is the one we have from Amazon, which gets excellent reviews:

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Flu Prevention & Treatments

March 5, 2020 by Rachel

(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)

Hello from your friendly neighborhood mom! *waves awkwardly* *spills coffee* Let’s get a few disclaimers out of the way, shall we? This is not medical advice; nor is it intended to diagnose and treat whatever ails you. Please seek the advice of your preferred healthcare professionals. I am not a doctor, I’m a mom doing my own research and making the best informed decisions I can for myself and my family.

With flu bugs hitting hard and the coronavirus (aka COVID-19) cloud looming over everyone, I thought I’d share some of the things we’ve done in an effort to boost our immune systems and hopefully prevent or lessen the impact of illnesses we’re exposed to.

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Letter 41 {A Week of Monday}

September 1, 2018 by Rachel

Dear Candace,

Monday morning, this is how it went:

I drop Caleb off at his Algebra 2 class. Not wanting to spend unnecessary driving to and from home, I plan on spending time at a nearby Starbucks to do some work before picking him up. After settling in, I learn their Wifi isn’t working, and hasn’t been for a week. A WEEK. This is the modern age! That’s simply inconceivable (and yes, I do know what that word means). I do a quick maps search and realize a St. Louis county library branch is within a mile. Perfect. I can use a study room there. I show up at the Library only to learn-it’s closed, for some reason I did not investigate.

Okay Monday, I get it. You’re having fun with me. But guess what? I am young and adventurous and also behind on email, and I can find another Starbucks since St. Louis is literally littered with them. They can’t all be out of wifi.

I am not ashamed of carrying my iced americano from Starbucks #1 into Starbucks #2. Starbucks understands.

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5 Favorites From July

August 6, 2018 by Rachel

July was a month of illness for our family, which shouldn’t be allowed in summer yet here we are, still blowing our noses and coughing up unmentionables. Thank you, modern medicine, for your merciful assistance. Thank you, essential oils and Vitamin C, for making me smell like an apothecary but also feel better.

Here you are, my five favorites from July!

∇ Essays on The Art of Simple. It’s where I go for self-help direction (ahem-always need more of that), life encouragement, and recommendations on all sorts of things. Here is one that I really needed to read: Transform Your Relationship With Your Teen…

∇ Birkenstock sandals. Up until this spring, I thought Birkenstocks were an ugly relic from the 70’s, but I was young and naive and now I am still young but also wiser. Wiser because apparently there are many styles of Birkenstocks and you don’t have to wear the kind your hippy aunt is still wearing from her flower child days, if you don’t wanna! My sisters Naomi & Keturah each bought their own pair and since they loved them so much and I want to be like them and do everything they do, I bought my own to try. I’d been wearing super flat sandals which just aren’t meant for constant wear and were causing my feet and legs to hurt. My Birkenstocks are a world of difference in support and I literally wear them constantly. {The first link is to the exact pair I purchased as an online-only special, but you can also find a variety of styles on Amazon.}

∇ Trendsend by Evereve. This July I received my fourth (fifth?!) box and while I’ve kept an article of clothing from each one in the past; this time it was a simple tassel necklace I adore.

∇Sniffle Stopper from Plant Therapy: this {kid-safe} essential oil blend has long been a favorite; everyone notices an improvement in their breathing when we diffuse it. LOVE

∇ Old favorite, often on repeat, thank you Ingrid dear:

You can find my June favorites here.

Photo by Brittany Neale on Unsplash

Morning Routine, Condensed

April 11, 2018 by Rachel

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a good morning cup of coffee to me.

{The wordy version: My Morning Routine}

In the event you are curious, and because this is great accountability for me, here is what I do most mornings these days (though the actual times will vary somewhat depending on the day):

“Think Cheerful Morning Thoughts,” is my motto

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Monday

April 9, 2018 by Rachel

Mondays get all the memes and exasperated sighs for a reason. It can be haaard to get back into a work routine any day of the week after a little rest, a tiny wee siesta for your nerves. Even if you love your Monday work! You may be rolling your eyes about all the #Monday drama. Of course I make fun of it, too, until I find myself having one of those Mondays.

Looking at pictures of succulents brings calm and peace to my Monday soul

It’s like quicksand at times, over here on Monday. In which you are doing stuff, but getting nothing done. Everyone else is seemingly on top of their game, making headway on the productive work week of your dreams, and you’re just standing there trying to remember what math is and wondering why the dishes are never done and knowing you have 4 appointments to make but talking on the phone can be weird….

Easter Dinner Menu {Version 03/18}

March 31, 2018 by Rachel

Every year Easter weekend looks different for us. In recent years we’ve had some variety-traveled to visit family, shared a meal with church friends who graciously invited us into their home, hosted our own extended family gathering, or kept it simple with just our group of five.

I rarely dye eggs. My interest level in that is a 0.5 at best. I may plan our spring outfits in advance, or, more likely, survey closets the day before and wonder if I can pull off a new, fresh spring look with whatever we have and minimal effort. I love Resurrection Sunday and all it represents; I’m ambivalent about everything else. {Or lazy. You could also say that.}

I do care about FELLOWSHIP and FOOD, and this year I get to host a smallish family dinner, which is perfect.

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My Morning Routine {Version 03.18}

March 20, 2018 by Rachel

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m not and never have been an early morning person. {And to my brothers-in-law who came knocking on our trailer door before 9am those first few years I was a young bride and mother, no I have not forgiven you.}

I’ve always regularly needed at least 8 hours of sleep, and when my babies were little I needed at least 10! I used to wonder if I was missing out on some sort of holiness game-up, in which rising before dawn would not only improve my productivity but more importantly, my spirituality. Like, didn’t the Proverbs 31 woman get up while it was still dark? I always thought that if I had servant girls, they’d be making ME breakfast, not the other way around.

What I really want to wake up to every morning.

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