This Brand & This Sale Event

Hey friends!Hope you had the merriest Christmas and are enjoying the rest of this special holiday week! Chiming in with this blog post because this brand & this sale event are two things that you need to know about. Say hello to Everlane & their Choose What You Pay sale event. It seems like it is too good to be true, but it is real and it is happening now.Some of my favorite items are from Everlane. Their quality is incredible and their mission is admirable. Take a look at their sale event and find something that you will love now and always. These jeans, this top, these sneaks, this sweater and this denim jacket are at the top of my want list right now![show_shopthepost_widget id="3863835"]xo

Denim For The Holidays

I'm a denim girl through and through! Even during the holiday season. Of course there are parties that call for dressing up, and I love that, but for the day-to-day, you can find me in denim all year long. There is something about well-loved denim that is so comforting and always looks cool, casual-chic, and laidback in a classic way. Who else is a denim girl forever and always? Let me know in the comments below!

OUTFIT DETAILS

denim jacket (c/o) | jeans | tee | shoes (similar) | sunnies (similar)

CLICK TO SHOP

[show_shopthepost_widget id="3856103"]

Five Things On My Christmas Wishlist

I shared my gift guide recently of 100 gift ideas for those you love and hope that it has been a good resource for you during this season of gift shopping! Today I am  sharing a quick list of five things on my Christmas wishlist this year. Keep reading to find out what they are... 

CASUAL-COOL SWEATSHIRT

I love the Anine Bing brand and this sweatshirt would be one I reach for on repeat with denim or sweats

--

BEAUTIFUL CUTTING BOARDS

These boards would go perfectly in our new kitchen and not to mention, V useful

--

PERFECT FLEECE PULLOVER

I absolutely love to be cozy in the winter, especially when spending time in Idaho, so this fleece is a must

--

NEW POTS FOR THE NEW HOUSE

Must-have pots for home-cooked meals now that we are settled in our new home

--

A VERY PRACTICAL AIR FILTER

Pure air in the home is so important and these are the best filters out there

--

What are you wishing for this year? Let us know in the comments! 

New York City Trip Recap

I Love The Big City

This past week Jase and I went to New York for a work trip for him! He was promoting his new show- In The Room, which aired on E! this past week with an interview with Tom Brady. I am so proud of him!!

Whenever we spend time in NYC, I am so happy. After living there twice, something comes alive in me reminiscing on all the life-giving memories and experiences. We stayed in the coziest hotel, 1 Hotel, and I couldn't of been more content! Plus we visited some of my favorite restaurants when we were there, including Springbone Kitchen + ABC Kitchen.

Trips With Jase Are The Best

Jase and I love traveling together. My happy place is definitely with him whether at home or away, but traveling together is always so sweet. We had just been in Idaho with our families before going to NYC, so we had two memorable trips back to back. Yay for the holidays! Traveling well together comes naturally to us which I am just so thankful for.

NYC This Time Of Year Is Magical

If you haven't been to NYC during the Christmas season, definitely add it to your list of things to do! It is truly magical. There are so many bright lights in the big city as it is, but add Christmas decor and the entire city is glistening at all times.

The hustle and bustle of NYC is real, and during the holidays is even busier! But the energy is so special and really puts you in the Christmas spirit. The restaurants feel cozier, the shopping is exciting, and the Rockefeller Center is a must-see.

Our New Custom Closets

When someone asks what my favorite part of the house is, I immediately think the kitchen and the master bath. But I realized that the closet is very high up on my list! It is such a personal space and if we think about it, so much time is spent there! We have been remodeling our home for the last eight months, and I must say, amidst the excitement of seeing everything come together, what I looked forward to the most was closet install day by The Container Store.

You might also know that organizing is such a passion of mine, so partnering with The Container Store to customize our closets was a complete dream. The Container Store Custom Closets is made up of 4 closet lines that fit any size, style, or budget. The particular line we used in both closets is called Avera, and it not only helped maximize the space in each room, but it created a relaxing and organized atmosphere. We were drawn towards the clean lines and peaceful color + the choice of adding LED lights under each shelf was a game changer. My sweet friends from The Home Sort came to completely finish our closets with the drawer organizers, shoe boxes, and in Jason’s closet (hence the extra space), beautiful wooden hangers.As we are approaching the holidays and the new year, right now is the perfect time to invest in a custom closet by taking advantage of the Avera and Laren spend and save! The best feeling entering the new year is a fresh space, especially a fresh closet!

Thank you, Container Store, for partnering with me! 

Old Jeans Can Insulate New Homes

Y’all have probably seen that Jase and I recently moved into a new home that we are so excited about. The renovation has been quite a journey (updates + lots of blog posts coming soon!), but the one thing that struck me the most happened this week. #ad

We moved out of our home in February anticipating a month of living in a hotel while our renovation was in progress, so we packed a month’s worth of our clothing to prep for our time away. One month turned to eight, and this week I started tackling the clothes in the garage; doing loads of laundry (pun intended) and processing the need for another purge. My denim is in major influx and to be honest, it astounded me. It’s almost like it took living on a minimal wardrobe to realize how we definitely don’t wear all of what we have.

To get to the crux, I struggled with knowing what to do with my old jeans! Did you know that since authentic denim is made from cotton, a natural fiber, it can be recycled and used to create something new? I became aware of the Denim Stack Challenge by Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling program and was so elated! I had no idea that I could support sustainable living through recycling my denim + I never had any idea that my old denim could create natural cotton fiber insulation to help building efforts around the country.

-----

Want to join me? P.S. by participating, you enter to win a $150 gift card to Madewell.

• First, gather all of your unused denim, snap a pic, and share it on social tagging @DiscoverCotton with the hashtag #DenimStackChallenge.

• Tag your friends and encourage your peers to do the same.

• Drop off your old/worn denim for recycling at one of the many participating Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™program brands or retailers, or mail it in for free by downloading a prepaid shipping label from Zappos for Good.

• Any type of denim apparel can be contributed for recycling so long as it’s at least 90% cotton so be sure to check your labels.

Happy recycling! 👖

& thank you, Cotton, for partnering with me!

Tips For Traveling Light

For travel plans and just everyday life, tips for traveling light are always greatly appreciated. All it takes is overpacking one time or lugging too much in your tote to understand the value of traveling with less. Eliminate the extra stuff, stick to necessities, and your load will be lighter. The less you are carrying allows you freedom to be more present, explore more easily, and go with the flow of the day more fluidly.Jase and I travel often, especially now with a place in Idaho! When it comes to packing light for those trips, here is what I stick to...-Work out clothes: bike shorts, tanks, cropped tees, leggings, and sweatshirts-Casual vibe: denim, sneaks, boots, tees, and sweatshirts-Comfy clothes: this is a must for all vacations. I have to be comfortable in order to truly relax, so athleisure is the name of the game-Layers that mix & match: the more that you can wear together, the less you have to take!-Hats of all kinds and sunnies: for all outdoor activities and let's be honest, the hats hide the hair that won't be washed too often on vacay.Sticking to these necessities have made packing for Idaho a simple strategy that I return to each time we make the trip. Not only does packing simply keep my physical load light, but it keeps my mental load light too and that is KEY for joyful travel and a rejuvenating time spent away.

WHAT I'M WEARING:

jacket | top (c/o) | pants | sunnies | shoes ( c/o | similar)

 [show_shopthepost_widget id="3787578"]

The Process Of Moving In

Hi friends!Just wanted to chime in with a quick update on our process of moving in! If you follow Jase and I on Instagram you will have seen that it has been a lot of work with a lot of stuff (especially pillows...!), patience, time, help, energy, understanding, and LOVE. We are so thankful for this new home and cannot wait to see the chapters of life that unfold within these walls.The main words I keep thinking about during this move are patience, grace, and gratefulness. My acupuncturist a few weeks ago talked to me about the act of “reframing,” which is taking a situation and turning it into a positive perspective rather than a negative. I keep saying that I am so grateful that I get to unpack and create a space for my family.For instance, the dust has been a nightmare for me, and it’s somewhat helpless to avoid it at the beginning of the move and after a renovation (no matter how much you clean). The stores and dusty boxes bring in more dust, the items in the box that have collected dust do the same, and the foot traffic brings in all the things too! We just keep cleaning and continue being grateful for the progress!I am the type that diligently finishes every project I start. And y’all probably know, my home reflects the Marie Condo theme that everything has a place. Organization, creating a home, cleaning, and feeling settled is in the heart of who I am so this process can be mentally tough. I keep reminding myself that this is a process and I am so grateful for this space now and what it will develop into. It’s such a parallel for life. We often want something to be complete, but the time of work and waiting is often times a struggle.My parents came in to help and it was a game changer. My dad literally did over 30 hours of laundry (he is a pro!), and my mom is the best organizer of coordinating the rooms. She also set boundaries for us to stop when we were tired and to rest when we needed it so we didn’t fully exhaust ourselves every day. I could not be more thankful on how well we work together and how much they sacrifice for us, even though they just view it as a gift to help!Our method in unpacking was to unpack everything first, and then organize it into categories in the appropriate room. We also first vacuumed and cleaned every cabinet thoroughly. And P.S. we are only using Branch Basics in our clean up! Then we organized drawers and cabinets + write a list of organizers we needed to order to make it fully complete.It’s so nuts to me because we purged so much before the move, and so you think you are good to go with purging when you move, but this was not the case for us! We are continuing to purge items, which is the best feeling in the world.Other keys to a successful move-in: blasting music throughout the house, laughing, making sure you get enough food and water, rest when you need to, and HAVE FUN!!Also, last but certainly not least, I have been praying over our house as we unpack - such a special and powerful thing to do, inviting Jesus into the process.Thanks for reading and share this post with anyone who is preparing for and praying over an upcoming move themselves!xo, Lo.

Serena & Lily Bedding: A Guest Room in the Works

Moving brings up so many feelings, right? It’s so rewarding yet so overwhelming, and project manager mode goes into full gear (at least for me!). But the biggest blessing after a tedious renovation is that the furnishing and decorating process starts now.

I have realized over time that one of my favorite things to do is to make a house a home. I learned so much from both my mom and dad about how to make your house a sanctuary; extra cozy, personal, and full of peace!

Another thing I have realized (and definitely got from my parents) is the love of hosting someone in our house. The main goal? Making them feel so at home and covering every need they may have (hi, Puracy toiletries, essential oil diffusers, coffee and tea, and Boll & Branch robes just to name a few). And on that note, a comfy bed is the KEY.

All that to say, one guest room is getting started. This process is just at the beginning since we are only ten days out from moving, but it’s so fun to already start to see little spaces coming together. We used Serena & Lily bedding for the guest rooms in the past, and we (and more importantly, our friends and family) couldn’t have loved it more.

My favorite part about it besides the comfort is that it is Oeko-Tex certified and free of harmful chemicals! And P.S... the bedding right now is 30% off until Monday! It’s the perfect time to invest in some bedding refreshments!

*Thank you Serena & Lily for gifting me this beautiful bedding!