Happy Halloween & Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!!

How was your week?

Ours seemed to fly by, with Monday, I could have sworn, being just yesterday. But it’s Friday, which means only two days until Halloween!! Matt & Beau are here from New Orleans to spend Halloween with us (since we always talk about how big it is in our town) and we’re so excited to see them and Fox again. They got in late last night and we stayed up a little too late drinking wine and eating popcorn, so much so that when 6 o’clock came this morning, I texted my mom telling her I wouldn’t be able to make our morning walk. I was just too tired.

In other news, Allan got to wear his costume to school today and he looked so adorable. PJ did his hair in a Mohawk: super pointy and sticking straight up. His teacher sent me a photo of him at school today in his costume, posing for the camera with his hand on his hip and his leg turned sideways. The sass coming from that pose and that photo was overwhelming and I loved it.

I can’t wait to see all three of them in their costumes on Sunday. I’m mentally preparing myself now for the candy coma they might be in that night. Maybe they’ll just pass right out after the day’s festivities. There will be people stopping by and lots of chili and pizza to be eaten. I friggin love this time of year so much.

I hope you have a great one, and stay safe! Happy Halloween!!! xoxo

PS: Our next Weekender Newsletter goes out tonight!!! Click here to sign up and receive it!

Falling in Love All Over Again

Yesterday was another perfect fall day here in Tennessee and I have the photos to prove it.

Things are finally cooling off around here, meaning there are no more days scheduled to be in the 80’s for the foreseeable future! Living in the south, I dream of the days we are being able to wear sweaters outside without sweating the moment we walk out the door, and that day is here. We’re a little late to the fall game, per usual, but that’s okay. The colors of the leaves is always worth the wait.

The kids had fun hearing the leaves crunch beneath their feet. They love this season as much as we do (though some of that may be because we talk about how great it is nonstop).

Forever wishing I could freeze perfect moments like this in time.

I suppose that’s what this blog is for.

A Breezy Fall Day & Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

How was your week?

Ours was filled with a bunch of…sickness. By that, I mean Riah threw up a few times at 3a the other morning and, after taking care of him, we both decided we couldn’t go back to bed so we just stayed up for the day- bad choice. Also, PJ brought home Jet (as in, Jet Black), our brand new little black lamb (remember when Maud had triplets a few weeks back?) because he wasn’t getting the milk he needed from his mom, as the other two were hogging it all.

So, PJ brought him home and has been nursing him back to health! He was so frail and weak and PJ wasn’t sure if he was going to make it (he wasn’t eating or drinking anything PJ was giving him at first because, well, he truly didn’t know how to eat), but after a few days, and as of this morning, he is eating and drinking and running around the house baaaa-ing and it’s the cutest thing ever!! Way to go, PJ!!

In other news, today is the first official, OFFICIAL fall day of the year. I’m declaring it. It’s cool, crisp, breezy, and wonderfully beautiful out. We have had the doors and windows open all morning just letting the air in, which is something I look forward to doing every year. With all the animals and kids and just all the living things in our house, it always feels so good to open everything up and let the fresh air come in and breathe new life into our home. Do you know what I mean?

Meanwhile, there will be no Weekender Newsletter this week as we’re shooting two big campaigns over the next few days. There will, however, be a new YouTube vlog premiering Sunday all about our anniversary and this whole week in general. Speaking of, thank you so much to everyone who sent love and well wishes on our anniversary the other day!! So sweet. It’s been a wonderful 6 years of marriage, filled with ups and downs and so many firsts (even after all this time!) and many, many lessons learned. I am grateful for it all. Especially my husband’s love of animals, particularly farm animals. Hence all the photos with Jet Black that have been taken over the last few few days since he’s been staying with us. So stinkin’ cute.

Have a lovely weekend!!!

Looking for a New Hobby? Here Are 17 Great Ideas

After discussing our hobbies the other day, PJ and I determined I don’t have many that require anything physical of me (something I desperately want and need!). So, we talked about it for a while and we came up with something fun I could do every day that's would also get my heart-rate going: walking.

I started walking in the mornings with my mom two weeks ago, and while we’ve had to miss a few mornings due to appointments and scheduling, we are absolutely loving it. It’s quality time together, just the two of us, to catch up and talk about everything and nothing. We usually walk around two miles and the days I’ve done it, I’ve felt better, more confident and ready to tackle the day.

I am still looking for more hobbies (PJ’s list, we found out, included too many to count), so the other day on Instagram, I asked what hobbies you have! In an effort to inspire others, I’m sharing a few of them below. Maybe you’ll take up a new one of these. It’s never too late, is it?

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I did a sip and script class last night and learned how to do calligraphy! -Erik

Quilting, sewing, reading, DIY and about to take up bookbinding! -Jeffery

Karate. Both body and mind get something to do :) -Jan

I like to crochet! Nothing super complicated, but it’s fun and relaxing for me. -Josh

Taking my pup to the park after work every day. -Mike

Yoga. Jessica Richburg has an awesome Youtube channel with all levels. -MD

Writing, baking, I’m also now learning how to knit. I want to create things. -Sue

Researching my family on Ancestry.com -Patti

Tennis! -Samuel

Watercolor painting. It’s so cathartic to me. -Anonymous

Drawing! It helps me ease the COVID anxiety. I draw happy things like flowers with color!

Gardening, nothing too big. Flowers and vegetable. During the winter I plant starters inside. -Casey

Get to know your local birds and flowers! You’d be surprised how much you see once you know. -Austin

Hour-long walks each day. -Scott

Editing Family videos into cinematic short films. -McKay

I bake! Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pies, etc. -Laurie

Writing. I love it. You would be amazed at how incredible and stimulating it is. -Javier

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Thank you so much to everyone who submitted!!

The Most Beautiful Home I've Ever Been In & Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

How was your week?

We toured a house yesterday and it’s official: it’s the most beautiful home I’ve ever been in. The wallpaper! The kitchen! The historic details! We both agreed we wouldn’t change a thing about it; the furniture, the finishings, the design choices, all of it was completely our style and so very beautiful. It’s one of those houses that you dream about living in one day. Sigh. Maybe one day.

In other news, our weekend newsletter is going out tonight! Make sure you’re subscribed (below) and you will receive an email from us this evening. If you’ve already signed up and haven’t received one in the past, check your junk folder; sometimes they go there by mistake.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!! xoxo

18 Addictions That Society Treats As Normal

The truth always hits the hardest, doesn’t it?

After coming across this list on Buzzfeed the other day, in which people shared what real addictions they think society treats as totally normal, my mind was buzzing. I couldn’t help but wonder: How many of these do I do on a regular basis, without giving them a second thought? And why have I never thought about these as being addictions before now?

Here are some of the real-life addictions submissions that stuck out to me the most:

• Caffeine

• Phones

• Materialism

• Working too much

• Sugar

• Hustle culture

• Health & weight obsession

• Approval

When you stop and think about each of them, it’s the damn truth, isn’t it? And a sad one at that. But reading these, and the accompanying explanations, gave me some perspective and allowed me to take a look at myself and see what I can change and work on, for myself and for my family.

I could always spend less time on my phone (can’t we all?). I could absolutely without a doubt cut down on my sugar intake, and maybe stop stressing so much about how much weight I’ve gained this past year. I’ve started drinking 3 cups of coffee a day because I’m so damn tired all the time, so cutting down on that would be nice (but I would need to make other changes, like going to bed earlier and eating healthier foods that don’t make me sleepy).

Just thinking out loud today. We can always make small (or big) changes here and there, can’t we?

Click here to see the entire list.

5 Fall Flannels to Stay Cozy in All Season

It’s just more fun getting dressed during the fall isn’t it? One of life’s greatest little pleasures is putting on a warm flannel as the weather starts getting cooler.

I’ve been into oversized flannels the last few years (I love how big and cozy they feel), so I usually order a size or two up. Here are 5 that caught our attention this season:

How comfy does this scotch plaid flannel from LL Bean look? It gets bonus points because the name of this color is “MacBeth Old Colours”. $49

This traditional flannel shirt from Land’s End is currently on sale for only $29 (!).

The question currently on my mind: can you ever go wrong with a classic J. Crew flannel? Especially when it’s on sale? $74.50

It’s almost more of a light jacket, but this might be my favorite of the season. This check wool-blend overshirt from Mango makes a strong case for neutrals as a fall color palette. $119

Speaking of color palettes, is this stretch flannel from Bonobos the most perfect fall flannel of all time? $99

Stay warm, friends!! xo

An Afternoon at the Chattanooga Zoo

While Anna was visiting my sister and her family in Georgia this weekend, we took the boys to the Chattanooga Zoo for a fun family day out.

Last week was a doozy. The boys were on fall break, so they were home all week, which meant plenty of time to hang out and catch up (though, side note: Riah was home the entire week before because someone in his class tested positive for covid so they all have to quarantine for 10 days). Anyway, the only problem was that it rained every single day last week. I’m talking cats and dogs. And normally I love nothing more than a cozy rainy day at home, but when you have three kids sitting inside all day every day, suddenly a cozy rainy day at home turns into a challenging, uphill battle that no one wins.

On top of that, we had two huge deadlines with very big dream brands of ours that we absolutely love working with, so we were swamped with those the entire week. In fact, we’re still working on them in some form today, so yes, very very time consuming but very very fun and exciting.

For all of the reasons mentioned above, we thought it would be so fun to take the boys to the zoo for something different and to get them out of the house! Allan had been before with his aunt and grandma, but we’re 99% sure this was Riah’s first time.

They had the whole zoo decked out in Halloween decor, which of course the boys loved. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a nice breeze. It was a little hotter than I would have preferred but overall it was gorgeous!

We all agreed giraffes and magical and mythical and fairy-tale like. There’s just no other way to describe them.

The boys kept saying “Ew! Look at their butts” when they saw the primates, which made us laugh maybe way more than it should have.

If you haven’t been, I highly recommend checking out the Chattanooga Zoo if you’re local or passing through. Such a fun day!!! Only next time, we’ll make sure sis is with us when we go. She would have gone crazy over the little monkeys :).