French Farmhouse Haul from IKEA

Hello Friends! I hope this Monday is treating you well, and you are ready and refreshed for the week ahead! As our home renovation has progressed, we are finally moving in to the decorating stage (my favorite part of all). Due to my tendency to research things to a hilt, I often find the exact perfect piece for a room, but sadly it is usually out of our budget range. This past weekend, my mom and I had to pop into IKEA to get a few things. I hadn't been in a while, and they actually had some things that fit my style. Personally, I lean more toward traditional decor, however, Ian likes more rustic and industrial things. Those two blended falls usually in the french farmhouse style, and thankfully we usually have an easy time finding and arranging things. 

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie | Whole30 / Paleo / Dairy Free Recipe

On March 1st, I started my first round of the popular eating program Whole30. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a month long program of clean eating, designed to reset your eating habits, food mentality and taste. It can help you detect if any food groups are negatively affecting your overall health and gives you practical tools for eating real, whole foods. You can read more about it on their website, but this basically means no: added sugar, grains, legumes, alcohol, dairy, MSG, sulfates, carageenan or treats. Ian and I do eat pretty clean most of the time, but I wanted to sort of cleanse myself and get back into better habits, which I had deviated from due to pregnancy, moving and having a baby. There was an offer to join a group of gals for an online support group on facebook (I highly recommend this if you are considering doing the program.) so I decided to join in!

Dining Chair Renovation | DIY

Happy Tuesday! If you follow me over on instagram, you may remember this past fall I had posted about some dining chairs Ian found that I was refinishing. After two months, a move, and a baby, they are all done, and we have been enjoying them immensely!
When Ian and I got married we inherited a dining table from his sister. It was the one he grew up using and the perfect size for our little duplex. We thought we would use it until we could find a table and chairs we loved. Fat forward two years and we still had yet to decide on a table. When we bought our house Ian got rid of the chairs we had, and we thought it would be easy to pick new ones. Well, turns out we did find a table and chairs we love, but it is way too big for our current living situation, and we decided that Ian is going to build it after we add on a new kitchen. So that left us with a need for chairs. Do we buy four now (what we have room for), and risk not getting the same style a few years from now? Or buy eight and store some?

A Safe Place to Rest: Choosing the Best Mattress for your Budget

Several weeks after I found out we were expecting baby #2, I made a mental checklist of things I wanted/needed to do with and for Logan before she was born. One of the most daunting things on that list was transitioning Logan from a crib to a regular bed, since we would be needing the crib for our baby girl. About three months before we actually made the switch, I started researching mattress options.

Vanilla Extract: A Thoughtful Homemade Christmas Gift (+ free label printable!)

Even though we are just about two months away from Christmas, I have been dreaming about the most wonderful time of the year for months. I've always loved the time of year we can come together as family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Savior and enjoy traditions - old and new. Ever since getting married, this season has only become more special as we start our own family traditions and get to experience the holidays through Logan's eyes.