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Our week in five

// ONE //

Well it actually felt like fall this week. Texas-style Fall, at least. By my definition, that means that the temperature stayed under 90 for most of the days, and it got down to the 70s (and lower) at night. It’s my favorite time of the year. We took advantage of the nice weather and spent as much time outside as possible.

Lamborghini had a blast carving pumpkins. He’s a bit timid about putting his hand in the “pumpkin goo,” as we call it. But he did a great job getting most of the seeds out.

Carving pumpkins outside

I finished up the job and carved the pumpkin with my set of pumpkin-carving tools:

pumpkin carving tools

Pumpkin Carving Tools

These are a game-changer for anyone who is serious about pumpkin carving or who, like me, is afraid they will cut themselves with the go-to butcher knife. I used the large scraper to get the remaining seeds out of the pumpkin and whipped out a cat design in about 15 minutes. Lamborghini requested a traditional face on his smaller pumpkin.

The Dot was not a fan of the pumpkins at all. I kept asking her if she want to help, and she would yell “Mo!!!” and run away. She did come around for the finished product, although the candle aspect of the jack-o’-lantern confused her because she kept singing happy birthday.

Pumpkins outside

// TWO //

Lamborghini had picture day at school on Wednesday. I must admit that I spent about two weeks curating his outfit. A few weeks ago, I earmarked a page in the Vineyard Vines catalog that featured its Boys Grovedale Gingham Whale Shirt. The outfit looked like this:

Vineyard Vines Grovedale Gingham Whale Shirt

Very classic. My plan was to pair the gingham shirt with khaki shorts and cute Sperry topsiders that I bought used and have been holding onto forever. However, the practical person in me could not fathom spending $52 on a shirt for my three-year-old. That’s half of his entire annual clothing budget. So I went on a hunt.

I found this cute gingham shirt at The Gap on sale for $15. But I decided to check out our local children’s resale shop before committing to the full-price item. And I was in luck! I found an adorable Janie & Jack gingham shirt, which goes for the equally-astronomical price of $36 new, on sale for a whole $6!

Anyway, long story short, this is what he ended up wearing:

A school photo outfit with a gingham dress shirt and sperry topsiders

I realize these are just pictures of clothes. Unfortunately, Lamborghini was not in a photo-taking mood that morning and we had to take off the nice clothes before hitting the park after school. But the outfit was documented by a professional on Wednesday. I’m really excited about seeing how it turned out. It will be a miracle if the photographer got him to keep his shirt tucked in for the picture because I certainly couldn’t. To be continued :).

// THREE //

What I did not mention in the above discussion of Lamborghini’s school photo outfit was that two of Lamborghini’s closest friends walked into school on Wednesday wearing almost the exact same outfit as Lamborghini. Surprisingly, all three kids were in different colors of gingham. In my mind, I thought, “Ok, good. We are on point.” But now I’m not so sure.

Mr. L and I have been watching old Twilight Zone episodes on Netflix at night. Last night, we watched an episode titled “Number 12 Looks Just Like You,” which is about a future society that forces their young-adults to undergo a “Transformation” in which they must select a body to change into so they can be physically attractive. The end result was a society made up of people who looked exactly the same. Mr. L and I kept talking about what a great episode it was and how poignant the message is in today’s world. But then I realized that I had a Twilight Zone moment on Wednesday when I took Lamborghini to school wearing the exact outfit that everyone else ended up wearing. Doo-doo-DOO-doo, doo-doo-DOO-doo. Let’s just say marketing works.

// FOUR //

We decided to go out Thursday night with the kids to listen to live music in town. The live music was in a busy area of town, so we had to park on the roof of the parking garage. This ended up being a fortuitous event. First, Lamborghini and The Dot were thrilled because we were able to listen to both the 7:00pm and 8:00pm church bells, which happened to be playing right next to where we parked. (The church bells are a weekly event for us because Lamborghini is obsessed with the Westminster Chimes tune. I usually drive the kids to the church on Thursday so we can listen to the 10:00am ring. I never realized that the parking garage is actually the perfect listening spot). Our parking spot was also quite nice because we saw the most beautiful sunset from the roof.

sunset on roof

Of course the photos never do it justice, but we snapped a million.

// FIVE //

On Saturday we drove about thirty minutes north to a small, but highly-recommended, plant nursery. I have been searching for a variegated ginger plant for our front garden bed but haven’t been able to find one at our local garden stores. I was incredibly thrilled when I found it on Saturday at Growers Outlet.

Variegated Ginger Plant at Nursery

The kids had a lot of fun at the nursery too. I never thought about a plant nursery as a kid-friendly attraction, but it is.

pumpkin patch

The nursery set up several pumpkin patches and arranged a darling table in their store for painting pumpkins. The flowers were covered with butterflies and bees. Plus this nursery had tons of old broken tile on the ground, which entertained the kids for a long long time. We actually had to carry them away protesting. Lamborghini stated that he was “making a broken pot,” and The Dot naturally worked on her “pat” as well.

Broken tile at plant nursery

My favorite thing about the nursery is that they have a lot of the plants they sell growing in the center of their garden area. You can get an idea of the ideal growing conditions for the plants you end up buying.

growers outlet plant nursery

I may have added one of those pink salvia plants to our cart.

And that’s what our week looked like! I’m hoping the weather is nice next week too so that we can continue our outdoor trend. But that’s the thing about Texas-style Fall. You never know how long the “cool” weather is going to last.

 


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🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I 🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I didn’t decorate for Easter this year because the house is in shambles and I can’t imagine adding more things to the chaos (new baby and teething toddler are a tricky combination). However, I did manage to put together a small bunnyscape on our kitchen table. Looking forward to Easter brunch with the family tomorrow ❤️🐰

#easterbrunch #easterbreakfast #tablesetting #easter #easterdecor #eastertablescape #eastertable #eastertabledecor #tablescape #tablescapestyling #bunnies #herecomespetercottontail #familytime #springtablescape #springtabledecor #springtable #entertainingathome #neutralstyle #neutraldecor #neutralhome #carrotcake #mywoodlandslifeblog
Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Texas. Sixty-four degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The kids went to the park, had a “hot dog fire” outside for lunch, and are playing in the backyard this afternoon. I stayed up late last night finishing up a blog post on one of my favorite projects: my Serena and Lily inspired modern coastal coffee table. We took an inexpensive Ikea Lack coffee table and wrapped it in textured vinyl peel and stick wallpaper to get a designer look for less. Check out the link to my blog in my bio for step by step instructions and sources.

#springisintheair #firstdayofspring #blueandwhite #coastaldecor #moderncoastal #mytradhome #ikeahack #ikeahacks #ikealovers #ikeaideas #topiary #coffeetable #coffeetabledecor #coffeetableideas #grasscloth #grassclothwallpaper #removablewallpaper #lightandbright #chinoiserie #chinoiseriechicstyle #blueandwhitedecor #classicdesign #diydecor #diyprojects #mywoodlandslifeblog
Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Amazingly this was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve done, and I loved the immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the Amazon price on removable wallpaper. Click the link in my profile for sources. 

#stpatricksday #wallpaper #peelandstickwallpaper #removablewallpaper #myhome #myhomevibe #myhomestyle #mytradhome #greenandwhite #homedecor #diywalldecor #diyprojects #diyhomedecor #wallpaperwednesday #amazonfinds #herringbone #brightasthetic #brightgreen #wallpaperdecor #diy
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About me

Hi! I'm Lauren. Welcome to my blog, where I write about DIY projects, home decor, and decorating on a budget. With 3 kids under the age of 5, my house not always as neat in real life as it looks on the blog, but I find a way to embrace (and organize) the chaos.

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INSTAGRAM FEED

🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I 🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I didn’t decorate for Easter this year because the house is in shambles and I can’t imagine adding more things to the chaos (new baby and teething toddler are a tricky combination). However, I did manage to put together a small bunnyscape on our kitchen table. Looking forward to Easter brunch with the family tomorrow ❤️🐰

#easterbrunch #easterbreakfast #tablesetting #easter #easterdecor #eastertablescape #eastertable #eastertabledecor #tablescape #tablescapestyling #bunnies #herecomespetercottontail #familytime #springtablescape #springtabledecor #springtable #entertainingathome #neutralstyle #neutraldecor #neutralhome #carrotcake #mywoodlandslifeblog
Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Texas. Sixty-four degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The kids went to the park, had a “hot dog fire” outside for lunch, and are playing in the backyard this afternoon. I stayed up late last night finishing up a blog post on one of my favorite projects: my Serena and Lily inspired modern coastal coffee table. We took an inexpensive Ikea Lack coffee table and wrapped it in textured vinyl peel and stick wallpaper to get a designer look for less. Check out the link to my blog in my bio for step by step instructions and sources.

#springisintheair #firstdayofspring #blueandwhite #coastaldecor #moderncoastal #mytradhome #ikeahack #ikeahacks #ikealovers #ikeaideas #topiary #coffeetable #coffeetabledecor #coffeetableideas #grasscloth #grassclothwallpaper #removablewallpaper #lightandbright #chinoiserie #chinoiseriechicstyle #blueandwhitedecor #classicdesign #diydecor #diyprojects #mywoodlandslifeblog
Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Amazingly this was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve done, and I loved the immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the Amazon price on removable wallpaper. Click the link in my profile for sources. 

#stpatricksday #wallpaper #peelandstickwallpaper #removablewallpaper #myhome #myhomevibe #myhomestyle #mytradhome #greenandwhite #homedecor #diywalldecor #diyprojects #diyhomedecor #wallpaperwednesday #amazonfinds #herringbone #brightasthetic #brightgreen #wallpaperdecor #diy
So very excited about St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow So very excited about St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow!! We have a well-stocked supply of green food coloring and drinks. Plus I have a lineup of activities for the kiddos that I think they will enjoy. The kids and I made this St. Patrick’s Day themed snack board a few weeks ago as a test run for the blog, and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. Totally tricked the kids into trying cauliflower (they were not fans). But they ate everything else. Cookies first of course 🍀. 

#stpatricksday #stpattysday #stpatrick #snacks #snackideas #snacktime #snacksforkids #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #fruitandveggies #charcuterieboard #holdthemeat #shamrock #rainbowfood #partyideas #appetizers #foodart #stpatricksdayfood #stpatricksdaydecor #fruittray #veggietray
Playing a bit of catchup on Instagram this week an Playing a bit of catchup on Instagram this week and realized I never shared how my daughter's purple bedroom turned out. While it pained me to paint over her blush flower wall, her love for purple won me over. She is thrilled with the final result and is so excited to have her big girl room just the way she wants it. All the details are on the blog (just click the link under my profile to go check out the post). #purplebedroom #nomorepink #purplebedding #bedroomdecor #purpledecor #popofpurple #catart #homedecorlove #bedroomrefresh #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #kidsroomdecor #kidsroominspo #girlsroom #kidsfurniture #toddlerroom #purpleroom #benjaminmoore #lavendarice #mywoodlandslifeblog
When I made this flower arrangement a few weeks ag When I made this flower arrangement a few weeks ago, little did I know that all of the camelias would freeze. I'm thankful to have this winter storm behind us. We lost power for 12 hours and luckily do not have any damage to our pipes. But I know a lot of people who were without power and water for days. Praying for Texas's speedy recovery and so very grateful for all of the linemen and other field personnel who worked tirelessly to restore power.⁣
⁣
#prayfortexas #staysafe #flowerarrangement #flowerpic #blueandwhite #diyhomedecor #entrywaydecor #camelia #pinkandblue #flowerlove #flowerpop #flowersofinstagram #chinoiserie #gingerjar #chinoiseriechic #palmbeachstyle #readyforspring #springinspo #springinthesouth #touchofpink #springflowers #traditionalhome #mywoodlandslifeblog
Now that 2021 has officially begun, I’m starting Now that 2021 has officially begun, I’m starting off the week with fresh linen. Have downsized decorative pillows to three, which makes the husband happy. Drawback to bedding refresh: getting out of cozy bed every morning is a challenge. 

#whitebedding #whitebedroom #neutralbedroomdecor #newyearnewbedding #dontwanttogetup #mypotterybarn #pickstitch #serenaandlily #percaleduvet #diyeurosham #whiteandbright #bedroomrefresh #beddingdecor #beddinginspo #homedecor #brightbedroom #mywoodlandslifeblog
Just finished putting together our mini holiday ho Just finished putting together our mini holiday home tour on the blog and realized that while Christmas is almost here, it is almost over too. I will miss all of the ornaments and reindeer and excuses to eat Christmas cookies. I’m looking forward to spending the next few days with family and especially with the kids. I’m also looking forward to 2021 and am hoping it brings some peace and resolution to this confusing year. I hope too that everyone has a safe and joyful holiday and a Happy New Year. 

#merrychristmas #happyholidays #christmasishere #enjoythemoment #holidayhomedecor #vibrantchristmas #blueandwhite #flocked #christmaslivingroomdecor #mywoodlandslifeblog
What’s for Christmas dinner? I have no idea, but What’s for Christmas dinner? I have no idea, but we will have a cute table setting 😂. I made these pink, green and red charger plates out of $2 plastic chargers from Hobby Lobby and acrylic paint. Check out today’s blog post for more detailed sources/instructions. I’ve also uploaded a step-by-step to my story highlights. 

#christmastablesetting #christmastabledecor #diychargerplates #diycharger #handpaintedchargerplate #christmaschargerplates #pinkandgreenchristmas #worldmarketlinens #holidaycharger #holidaytable #holidaytablesetting #agapanthus #hollyberries #decoratefortheseason #merryandbright #pinkchristmas #mywoodlandslifeblog
I made these little Santa cookies today to go with I made these little Santa cookies today to go with the trees and couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. Packaging them all up with some #traderjoes chocolate covered pretzels to deliver to the neighbors as Christmas goodies. 

Cookie cutters and design inspiration from @hol_fox 
She has the cutest Etsy account with such clever cookie ideas. 

#christmascookies #royalicingdecoratedcookies #santacookies #neighborgiftideas #diyholidaycookies #cutoutcookies #holidaycookies #sugarcookiesfromscratch #hollyfox #christmasgiftidea
A few years ago, I made these piped Christmas pill A few years ago, I made these piped Christmas pillows for our master bed. Well the husband won the pillow battle, and I will humbly admit that having 11 pillows on the bed is a bit much. I think the pillows look cuter on the couch anyway.

#plaidchristmasdecor #plaidpillows #stewarttartanplaid #diypillowcovers  #howmanypillowsistoomany #neutralholidaydecor #redandgreenandwhite #whitecouch #diychristmaspillows #pipedpillows #livingroomdetails #christmasdetails
Tree confession: Not only does our tree have the p Tree confession: Not only does our tree have the party in the front, naked in the back thing going on, it’s also rocking the high water look. The baby (now toddler) keeps absconding with the lower ornaments. Plus our three and five-year-old wanted to show us how tall they are by putting the ornaments as high as they could reach. So we have some nice ornament clumps at arm’s length 😂. Wouldn’t have it any other way though! 

#christmastreedecorating #christmastrees #silverandgoldchristmastree #neutralchristmasdecor #christmaswithtoddlersismagical #treesofinstagram #christmastrees #christmastreedecoration #homedecor #neutralstyle #stockings #boxwoodwreath #mywoodlandslifeblog
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