autumn sky

inspired by them. 

designed by their mama. 

made with love + care.

the house is quiet. all my people are sound asleep. it's late night. more like really early morning. soft music is playing and there is a gentle tap of the keys as i try to write up this post. one that i feel i am writing way better in my head than right here.

these girls are my heart. little flowers in bloom running wild with the wind. i think, will i still be pinching myself even when their grown? how is this life with three little ladies actually happening? how are these visions and dreams now my reality? life is truly something, isn't it?

i have always been a big dreamer. a creative at heart. ever since i was a little person, i found things to keep my mind and my hands busy. if i wasn't fantasizing about living on a farm with horses and a large family or working my dream job at McDonald's --because how fun are those drive thru windows?-- i was designing clothes for my dolls, crafting them alongside my mom, and making houses for them that were easy to transport and take along with me on my adventures. no matter what i found myself doing, one thing was true, i simply loved to watch things become useful. functional. and beautiful.

and i still do today...

inspired by my three little ladies, you can find the new autumn sky collection here.

surrender + restore

these past few weeks have left me feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and filled with anxiety. these three driving forces alone are enough to create a path of destruction if not attended to or cared for. at least for me anyway. overtime i have learned a few things that help when i find myself feeling all the feels and the heaviness that it tends to create.

first and foremost, s u r r e n d e r. surrender to the feelings. the process. everything. just simply surrender. i find when i fight the feelings, stuffing them and not admitting to what is going on, the harder i fall. the harder things are for me and the outcome is painful because i know that i am not being my best self.

once i've surrendered and come to the realization of it all, i am able to r e s t o r e and bring myself to a space where i can take action. here is what i do to help in times that i need to slow things down and settle the storm inside. i made this list about six months ago because working from home with my  littles present is messy and it tends to leave my head spinning. it's a constant juggling act but it is possible and can be done with the right support and care. i keep this list by my desk. i even made one small enough to tape on my computer so i always have it near by because i need the constant reminder.

-  S U R R E N D E R + R E S T O R E   - 

01.  catch your breath. BREATHE. take a few minutes to practice a slow breathing exercise.

02.  re-evaluate your list of to do's. BE REALISTIC.  take 2-4 things off the list. if you end up with nothing on the list, that may be a sign to give yourself a break. 

03.  pull out the schedule for the week. is there anything you can take off or push of to a further date?

04.  set the timer to do your work, emails, chores, etc. once the timer goes off, walk away and revisit again during quiet time.

05.  blend something calming in the diffuser // for those looking calming essential oil blends; peace + calming by young living is a favorite. lavender + orange is another. peppermint and orange. bergamot is yummy too.  yang-lang, frankincense, geranium, cedar wood, and roman chamomile are all wonderful too!

06.  put on your  S U R R E N D E R + R E S T O R E  playlist and let the music calm your soul.

07.  if you haven't yet been outside, GO. get out there. feel the sunshine. take in the fresh air.

08. REPEAT on the days you need it

toy storage

when it comes to your children's toys and things the struggle is real, am i right? i remember when kaia was born and suddenly feeling like we needed a bigger home because, hello space hog! babies and small children can tend to fill up a room pretty quickly if we allow them too. between books, toys, stuffed animals and the like, things can get out of control fast.

what i have learned along the way is less is always more. and two, finding beautiful ways to store the sometimes annoying objects you may find yourself tripping over during the day, helps. making things pretty always helps. in my opinion anyway.

"so where do you store your kids toys... "

i get a lot of messages asking this very question and so i thought i'd share it with you here. i must say however, we have a finished basement where we have the girl's designated "play area" if you will. i hope to have a follow up post to this one for you soon, but i thought i would share that piece of information with you. that area is where we have their little kitchen, dresses for playing dress-up, and various other things. but for now i will show you a little bit about how we do things our main level because honestly it's where we tend to hang out most of the time.

1.) favorite picture books filled with family pictures placed on dresser

2.) a variety of toys in basket that is switched out every couple weeks

3.) books for bedtime and learning

4.) where little coats + cardigans + carriers hang

5.) a basket bedside for books and current favored things

6.) a basket that holds crayons + small jar with colored pencils that are easy to access for quiet time and arts + crafts.

7.) the bench underneath the windows serves as a place to sit but also has large drawers that we use to store extra place settings, flower faces, china, etc. we have designated a drawer for paper, coloring books, and the like so it's within reach whenever we need.

8.) this is a closet space underneath our steps that we converted to a reading nook and toy storage
center

9.) baskets that i keep near by in the living room that hold wooden blocks and babies among various other things.

creating a shared office space for mama + her girls

i've shared a little bit about this new space on instagram that we created in partnership with Big Lots. i think this collaboration was the push that i needed to make good use out of the nook space in mine + aaron's bedroom. the room overall feels much like a loft space featuring what most lofts do, a little nook for whatever one may dream it to be. over the years it has housed a dresser, a cozy chair for late night feedings, a beautiful fort space, and various baskets of books and toys that i kept near for the girls whenever we found ourselves lounging around in mom and dad's bedroom. while all uses were great and served their purpose when needed, it was time to change things up again and try to create space that could carry us a further distance.

kaia has been asking for a desk in her room since kindergarten but unfortunately there just isn't the space for it without making things feel cluttered. in addition, i too have been wanting a space to work but one that didn't require working in the family room or at the dining room table. while there is nothing wrong with either of those spaces, i wanted a space that offered peace and quiet and privacy when needed while at the same time gave my girl something she's been wanting too. 

we now have a functional office space that houses both mine and the girl's things to do what we need to do. we added the built in shelves and cabinet door to give the space more function and coziness. the cabinet door is actually the access to our attic but there is enough room to store my camera and camera lenses in there, which i love. it's a perfect spot to hide from curious hands and i love that it's not sitting out for all to see. 

outside from a few vintage pieces, we were able to snag most of what you see from Big Lots when they had their friend's and family sale. this space is so budget friendly and honestly didn't take much work or effort other than the built-in because "hello, old house with crooked walls!" 

some of the accessories you see are actually from Big Lot's "back to campus" collection, which kaia took a strong liking too. i love the "love u babe" sign which is also a light. it's a neat way to leave notes or messages to/for each other as well as serve a good learning tool for the girls. i opted for fake succulents because let's be honest, real ones wouldn't survive with my younger two around and went for canisters/jars found in their kitchen section to hold things like pencils, paperclips, letters for the letter board, etc.

i am giddy over this new space and find myself coming here after bedtime just to sit and dream. i was telling a sweet friend of mine that i met through instagram that it only took us 9.5 years to find this space's function. she reminded me that "sometimes it takes that long, but that's okay!" 

. . . . . . . . . . . .  i am happy to report, it was worth the wait.






* thank you Big Lots for the help in designing this space as well as sponsoring this post. all opinions are my own as well as the overall design of this space. thank you reader for the help in supporting brands that help support this space. 

a spring promise

it seems in Minnesota we wait and wait for spring to show up and when it finally does, it rolls right into summer. after all these years being a Minnesota native, you would think i'd be used to this phenomenon. simply not the case, however. i love this season for all that it is, even if it's short lived from where we live. so before it passes us right by, a few things i love about spring.

I love spring for it's cool brisk mornings in light layers and cozy knits. i love it for it's warm sunshine and dappled light.

i love it for the glorious gift of blooming trees and the wonder that it brings. i love spring for the beautiful smell of it's wind and the linger it leaves behind in our windblown hair.

i love spring for it's promise of growth and change. 

i love spring for it's gift of longer days and playful smiles and new adventures. 

* photography by Kadi Tiedi Photography + stroller by Silver Cross US