Our flat has access to a private garden for tenants. It has a keyed entry and is a pet-free area, which keeps it quiet and the perfect spot for picnics. Ironically, a family of foxes now lives in the garden, but they don’t seem to be as comfortable taking over a picnic. We were so…
Category: SIMPLE HOME LIVING
The Best Dresses for European Travel
I’ve had so much luck lately finding the best dresses for European travel, and thanks to lots of after school errands to run, plenty of time to test a few on the cobblestone streets here. The sun is out for spring, town is exploding with blooming vines and color and its time for shoulders and…
Estate Sale Shopping Tips
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Best Mother’s Day Gifts on Etsy
Y’all, the day is almost here. It’s not close but it’s not far off either, and I vote that we begin talking about it. Parents, like all humans on Earth, have had it rough for the past year. Moms have lost their jobs at the highest numbers in our economy during the pandemic while they’ve…
Kids Gifts on Etsy
One thing I really enjoy is being around children. Whether I’m getting to enjoy the company of children at one of my art parties in Dallas, getting to spend precious time with my nieces and nephew and, of course, being with my daughter, I find getting really present with a child reminds me that there…
The 10 Best Craft Supplies for Kids (& 33 Crafts to Try!)
At my daughter’s fifth birthday party, I was delighted to see that a friend of mine had gifted the birthday girl a craft kit. The kit included all of the art supplies for kids to make a “yarn llama,” which felt like a delightful intersection of our interests in art and animals. I threw it…
Our Family Chore Chart Template and How to Encourage Family Chores
A few years ago, I was facing burn out and took a much-needed sabbatical, leaving full-time work for a more rewarding part-time job and, with that, more open time to consider my legacy and the type of work I felt called to do. Quickly, the concept of open time became a fantasy. Like Cinderella being…