Have you been left wondering how to set up a home office? Keep reading for expert tips on planning and designing a work at home or personal use office that best suits your needs. How to Set Up a Home Office Setting up a home office for remote work or even for personal use isn't hard. It just requires a little thought and planning to create the best set up for focus and productivity. Home Office Planning The key to planning a home office is to remember it is a process. What you ... VIEW POST
How to Set Up a Home Office
A Self-Discovery Journey: Why Self-Worth is So Important
I've spent most of my life struggling with a low sense of self-worth. By the time I was in my early thirties, the lyrics to No One Is to Blame by Howard Jones had become my personal theme song. You can look at the menu, but you just can't eat You can feel the cushion, but you just can't have a seat You can dip your feet in the pool, but you can't have a swim It always seemed like everything good happened to and for other people. But one fateful evening, it was as if my soul ... VIEW POST
A Self-Discovery Journey: Facing My Dysfunctional Marriage
I knew I was struggling, but I didn't quite realize we were struggling. So, I buried myself in my role and hid in the shadows because I wanted to be a good wife and mom. (It sounds so counterintuitive now.) I remember when we first got married. I had dreams of being the perfect wife. I was going to blow Matt's mind with my cooking skills, home making abilities and willingness in the bedroom. Instead, I talked him through how to make dinner from the couch, nauseas from all day morning ... VIEW POST
A Self-Discovery Journey: The Long Way Home
I'd planned our itinerary for the next ten days, booked all the Airbnb's along the way, picked out every outfit, and was ready for our family road trip across the country. But, I couldn't have planned what actually happened. Hear the story of an unexpected self-discovery journey, and hopefully find your own self-discovery process. My Self-Discovery Journey I hesitate to even use the phrase self-discovery because it can come off as selfish and counter cultural to Christianity. But ... VIEW POST
11 Winter Self Care Ideas to Beat the Winter Blues
The gray skies, cold weather and shorter days can take a toll on our sense of purpose and self-worth. Fortunately, a good winter self care routine can help boost your mood. This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure and privacy policy here. Winter Self Care Tips I actually enjoy the first two weeks of January. I use the time to relax after Christmas, get the house back to normal, and settle into a daily rhythm. My days feel very intentional and ... VIEW POST
A Simple Winter Morning Routine
You expect yourself to get back into a routine after the holiday season. But you also would love some time to recover from the busyness of the past couple of months. Try starting small with this simple winter morning routine. It will give you a chance to catch your breath as you ease into a daily rhythm. This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure and privacy policy here. A Simple Winter Morning Routine I took a walking my dog one evening to realize what I ... VIEW POST
How Many Sheet and Towel Sets Should You Have?
With January white sales, this is a good time of year to toss worn towels and threadbare sheets. As you replace them, it's a good idea to decide how many sheet and towel sets you should have. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate I may earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclosure here. How Many Sheet and Towel Sets Should You Have? For our purposes today, I want to share a number to use as a good rule of thumb. The overall goal is to keep ... VIEW POST
13 Inexpensive Organizing Solutions
The idea of organizing your home can be overwhelming. If that's true for you, I've got several organizing solutions and pro tips to help you go from overwhelmed to organized. This post includes affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy here. Home Storage Solutions Before you buy storage containers, be sure to measure your space and have a general idea of what you will be storing. This will save you time, money and energy once you start organizing. How to Get ... VIEW POST
How to Stick to Your New Year’s Goals
How many times have you set goals for the New Year only to give up a few weeks later? The good news there is a better way; a way that will help you stick to your goals and make long lasting change. How to Stick to Your Goals The New Year often feels like a blank slate. And it seems to be human nature to want to fill that blank space with as much doing as possible. As it relates to goals, we try to change our behavior in every area of our life all at once which sets up to fail. ... VIEW POST
On Sundays We Reset: A Weekly Household Reset Day
"Moooom! I need some toilet paper!" "Babe, where do we keep the paper towels?" Sound familiar? Our days are hectic enough without these little interruptions. Fortunately, we can prevent them with a weekly household reset day. I call it the Sunday reset. My Reset Day Routine This post contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. How to Prepare for the Week Ahead Sundays are for rest and replenishing at the Hines house. As the clock ticks ... VIEW POST
Cherry Nut Drop Cookie Recipe
My mom has baked cherry nut drop cookies for Christmas as far back as I can remember. So, I carried on the tradition with my own daughter. Every Christmas when she was little, and even when she got older, we used to spend and afternoon chopping, mixing and eating cookie dough. We could hardly wait for them to finish cooling so we could sample these special cookies. They are so good! And I've always loved how festive they look. Even though my daughter has flown the nest, I ... VIEW POST
How to Beat Holiday Stress
Do you find yourself so busy in the days leading up to Christmas, that before you know it, the day comes and goes, and you didn't get to enjoy the holidays? This year is going to be different, because I'm sharing 9 ways to help beat holiday stress. How to Manage Holiday Stress Before we can manage holiday stress, it's important to understand what causes holiday stress. Common Holiday Stressors Extra responsibilities - We already have busy schedules which makes the extra ... VIEW POST
21 Clever Ways to Repurpose Glass Jars
I never throw away good glass jars. From candle jars to salsa jars to pickle jars, every time we empty one, I remove the label, wash the jar and stow it away with the others because there are so many ways to repurpose glass jars. Reusing Glass Jars in the Kitchen Measuring Cups - The jars with measuring lines are perfect to use as a measuring cup. I keep a couple on hand for measuring liquids, especially if it's a small amount. Food ... VIEW POST
How to Store Cloth Napkins
Oh how I wish that we still gathered together for dinner in the dining room every evening, Downton Abbey style... But, we don't. At least, not in the Hines house. Most of the time our dining room serves as a study/office, but I still like to have certain things close by, ready for entertaining, which is how I happened upon a clever idea for cloth napkin storage. Clever Cloth Napkin Storage So, when I was reorganizing the kitchen, I moved the cloth napkin storage to the dining ... VIEW POST