A friend of mine recently started shopping for a home renovation and wanted to know if I would share my estate sale shopping tips. Would I ever! It’s the perfect time of year for a beautiful morning driving around and rummaging for great estate sale finds! For me, there’s nothing quite as exciting as a…
Author: lilly
Gifts for Mom from Etsy
I have to be honest that, once I become a Mother myself, I discovered that my favorite gifting holiday is Mother’s Day. There’s something about seeing what my family puts on the breakfast tray for me – from a card made at school to a bauble or handmade coupon for an experience – that really…
Amsterdam Craft Classes, Vintage Shopping and Gluten Free Finds
Have you been to Amsterdam lately? (I mean, as a 30-something “grown up?”) There’s some of the general reasons we all flocked to Amsterdam on college study abroad trips, but beyond the obvious connotations with the city, I was amazed at the culture and beauty of this gorgeous European town on the water. I had…
Easter Gifts from Amazon That Make It in Time
I try to get an early start on holiday shopping so I can be as intentional and generous as possible. Nothing makes a holiday feel commercial like running around feeling rushed! But life goes on, and it’s always nice to have some leads for Easter gifts on Amazon that will make it in time, whether…
The Best Leather Travel Backpacks
Around 13 years ago, I was 2009 recession college graduate. As a side income project, I helped one of my Mom’s friends with an amazing design and fashion closet clean out sale. Going through her closet, we came by a beautifully worn brown leather backpack. With some great stories of its travels around the world,…
Easter Gifts on Etsy
After a beautiful but gray winter, it’s been a treat to begin to see cello wrapped chocolate molds and bright candy displays in the shop windows for the upcoming Easter season. As I plan our first Easter living in Germany, I’m getting easter basket gifts from Etsy. I love how Etsy celebrates handmade gifts and…
Tips for Moving with Kids from a Children’s Therapist
This weekend is three months since we moved to Freiburg, Germany as an American family. The number one question I’m asked is how our little one is handling the change. To which I’m always tempted to respond with, “What change do you mean?” The truth is, our second grader hasn’t had much of a normal…
What to Pack: A Winter Trip to Europe
It’s hard to believe that last November I said goodbye to my American closet. I rolled a single suitcase per person out of our house as we handed over the key and, since then, have tried to buy as little as possible. We’re still moving around a little as we settle in as Americans living…
Therapy or Coaching: The New Ways We’re Surviving These Times
My early 2022 energy feels like being very ready for change, but struggling with knowing where to begin. What’s missing from my care plan? Therapy or coaching? A massage? Or just one day to only nap? Before the pandemic, I was the self-care queen – pre-outfitted with a circle of practitioners, healers and support. But…
Learning How to Self-Parent
For a couple years in my mid thirties, I thought I had it all – everything that I understood to mean success, accomplishment, and external happiness. Lots of things looked good on the outside: I was a junior partner at a growing engineering firm and we had a nice house in a great neighborhood. I…