• Home Decor,  Lifestyle

    planning our forever home

    So the time has come for us to start prepping to build our forever home.  We built our current home in 2014, back when we had 1 small child and dreams of having another or even 2 more.  Fast forward 8 years, and we now have 4 kids, 2 dogs, and lots of new ideas of how we’d like our forever home to look.

     

    While we have loved living here, and are blessed to have a safe, warm place to call home, we have known for quite some time that the house we built in our 20s would not the be the house that would carry us into our 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.

     

    We have been plotting our style ideas on Pinterest, House, iPhone Albums, etc. for as long as I can remember. Our style has shifted over time, from more traditional style colonial homes, to the rustic farmhouse, to now even more Nantucket/Cape Cod style.

     

    Some of this has been influenced by our time spent at the beach house and proximity to cedar shakes, some by our desire for a nice, inviting, open living space, but none of our design is more driven than by the desire for light.  From day to night, we’d like wide windows, bright sunshine, and light abound.

     

    Our options are most likely limited to finding a country lot, or finding a current home, demolishing, and then building to suit.  The latter actually sounds like a decent option as that allow out to use the prior footprint without additional storm water management considerations with can runs 10s or  thousand or more for compliance.

     

    Our wish list is high, with proximity to Tom’s office, girls activities, close to a good school, proximity to everyday staples like Target, Starbucks, various eateries, etc., but still have privacy, some acreage, and most impotently, southern exposure for abundant light.

     

    We have been in talks with several builders, along with some auction houses, and also on constant monitoring on sites like Zillow & Realtor.com.  There have been some possibles, but none that have met all our criteria.  

     

    You can check out my recent Instagram story to see our attempt this weekend to see a demo/rebuild land situation which did not make the cut.

     

    As we carry on this journey, we plan to keep updating the progress here with photos and text.  Feel free to ask questions, comment, and we will talk with you soon!

    jess & tom

  • Fashion,  Home Decor,  Kids Fashion

    shop.my.look

    it’s no secret that fashion has always been a passion of mine.  From shopping trends, to nails, hair, and makeup, fashion & beauty have been a big part of my life.  One of the reasons I decided to start a blog and go public on Instagram was to share some of that passion and knowledge with the world. 

     

    As luck would have it, in addition to this blog, I have a terrific new outlet for this:  Like to Know It, now known as LTK.  Started as an influencer tool, LTK allows me to post my looks, like the on above, and link it to the actual products (or if not available, the closest ones we can find) with stoppable links.  This provides for a quick, seamless process for you to see the same brands I am wearing and even make purchases.  

     

    You can get to my LTK page via the “SHOP.MY.LOOK” link at the top of this page, and be sure to check back often for app exclusive content.  In addition to my outfits, I will be posting stoppable links for decor, makeup, and also family/fitness oriented products.  Even though I may earn small commission from purchase made through the site, the main reason I started this whole endeavor is not driven by monetization, but instead an outlet for a passion and skillset of mine that gives me great joy to share.

     

    So go ahead, check out my LTK page: here.  And be sure to check back daily for new fashion trends, home decor, and chilren’s/men’s fashion.

     

     

  • Home Decor

    christmas.decor

    Deck the halls!  As you can tell, Christmas is magical time for us. Included are some snippets from our home this year, which include homey touches, clean lines, and bright whites contrasted with earth tones of green, red, and saffron.

     

    Like what you see?  Stop on by my shop at LTK:  here :   to shop these looks.  More looks added daily.

     

     

  • Home Decor

    home.decor.

    Home decor is my thing.  I started decorating our first home while still in nursing school, and the bug has never let go.  This is the first of many posts around decor – I decorate rooms in our homes each season, and will continue to document and update with images, tips, and also my favorite spots to land unique, exciting items.