Have you ever 'swiped up' on an Instastory to see where a product was from and it was an $88 Christmas doormat? No? Just me? If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm not interested in spending $100 on a holiday doormat. ha! Decorating for Christmas on a budget is possible and with a little ingenuity, it can even look good. Whether your decor comes from Target, Studio McGee, or somewhere in between, I hope you'll find these ideas useful.  Here are my favorite ways to use what I already have to decorate for the holidays.

I love advent. I love the anticipation of Christmas and how advent calendars and activities help us focus on the reason for the season. When you've grown up as a Christian, sometimes extraordinary matters of the faith, become all too ordinary. Advent helps refocus me (and my kiddos) on how extraordinary the birth of Christ truly is. While we do all of the usual stuff- shopping and eating and gifting and decorating and SANTA and the elf, I want my littles to look back and have clear memories of celebrating Jesus at Christmas time. While not all of these activities have a spiritual focus, they can all be tools to refocus your family and to anticipate the most wonderful time of the year.

Do you have a small playroom or even corner of a bedroom or living area that serves as a play space? Do you have toys--possibly too many-- that you need to organize? Do you have a modest budget? Do you love realistic design ideas that you can pull off? If the answer to any of these is yes then this small playroom makeover post is for you! We made over our small playroom- about 10 by 12 feet- into a stylish, fun, and functional space. Here's how.

I'll be the first to admit that when fall hits, it makes me want to buy all the things. All the new lines come out, the new colorways, and suddenly my bright and cheery home seems, well bright and cheery. I want to toss the fern in the garbage, throw the pink pillows in the closet, and go all moody and cozy. While I typically buy a thing or two, I try to keep it simple and mostly use what I already have to create a warm vibe for fall. Here are a few ways to infuse fall into your dreadfully bright and cheery home. ;)

You guys I've been trying hard to focus on one space at a time. Home size is relative so I hate to say "our home is not big," but in my world, it's a modest size. ha! Nonetheless, it's about double our old home so filling it seems daunting. Because every space "needs" something, focusing on just one is so hard! Which is why I came across these cane headboards while searching for beds on all the sites.

Raise your hand if you scroll Instagram drooling over all the home design eye candy? Also, raise your hand if you've noticed that 97% of them have amazing vintage rugs that either A) cost a fortune or B) the lucky owner scoured eBay or Etsy for hours and at just the right time snagged one for an insane price? Unfortunately, many of us don't have the time or the budget for scenario A or B. But clearly we have the great taste exhibited in both scenarios and can't buy the rug that comes with a 6 piece living room set from Bob's Discount Furniture (by the way, don't ever buy those). We could just grab a great non-vintage rug but those can also cost a fortune. So what's a stylish homeowner to do?! Well, look no further because here I am with a FUN roundup of affordable vintage-inspired rugs.

Dax turned 4 last week and we threw him a last-minute Batman party with neighborhood friends. Dax and Nadia's birthday are just one day apart and every year I try something different but whatever I try- September always seems crazy!

One afternoon last week, I admitted it: I couldn't wait for school to start. We've had so much fun (#summerwithmytrio on Instagram as proof!) but

If you follow PRB Instagram stories you might know I was on the hunt for affordable modern nightstands. This is no small feat when you buy giant furniture like we are in the habit of doing (eye roll). Our king-sized bed + oversized headboard (similar to this one) dwarfed every affordable option out there. (And I ordered like 5. No joke). Here are two modern wood and brass nightstands I came across after the fact and I am in love with both. Take a look:

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When I heard the advice "feel the fear and do it anyway," it resonated so much so that 9 years later I think of it when goal setting, procrastinating or conquering. I love it because it reminds me to give myself permission to feel the way I feel, but motivates me not to stop there. I've tried to be a bit braver these past few years--taking incremental steps to conquer fear. I wouldn't necessarily say I struggle with fear but then when I look at some of my choices, I see just enough hesitation to make me pause and evaluate that statement. Most often it's the fear of failing, but it's also fear of what others think, fear of the end result not being 'worth it,' and most common the fear of realizing I just don't have what it takes.

Summer- who else has a love/hate relationship with it? It's mostly love, but the boredom, bickering, and constant eating kiiinnnnd of drive me bananas. The key is to keep the little crazies busy. It doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to fill up an entire day. But just a few fun and not-so-ordinary summer activities here and there can make a world of difference. If you don't know what to do with your kids this summer, here are 25 more summer activities for kids. You can see the 50 fun summer activities from last year here.

For years the girls' art ended up in a box in the garage. I knew I couldn't keep it forever but didn't know what to do with it after its week in the hall of fame (aka hung on the fridge) so my indecision led to clutter. I don't know if I've ever talked here about how ridiculously cluttered our old house had gotten but, well YIKES--like beginning stages of hoarders. So yeah trying to avoid that by having a place for everything. Cue Chatbooks. They make it quick, easy, and inexpensive to preserve your child's artwork sans-clutter. Here's how I do it.

I've always been enamored with thrift shopping. The whole 'used' factor doesn't creep me out one bit and lately as I learn more about clothing waste and ethical shopping (mostly from my rock star friend Molly) I'm even more motivated to shop second hand. Add to that a 'cause,' and well I'm a goner. In this case, the thrift store is Recovered Treasures and it supports an organization called Healing Transitions. Healing Transitions is a nonprofit recovery facility for homeless individuals with alcohol and other drug problems. Their mission is to break the cycle of poverty and addiction by providing a peer based recovery program, at no cost to participants. One of the things I love about Recovered Treasures is that 100% of the proceeds from my purchase, helps support Healing Transitions. If that's enough to convince you to hop aboard the thrift store train, today I'm sharing what to look for at a thrift store!

Thank you to the Chinet^® brand for sponsoring this post.


I've realized something about myself. While I love to entertain, I sometimes worry about the details. Often, I put off getting together with friends because I'm worried about how things will turn out. Will the food be good enough? Will our guests have enough in common? And a big one for us: will the kids derail the whole thing? ha! I'm here to say that I've finally come to the place where I can anticipate what will keep the kids happy so that the adults are happy! Turns out, it's not the number of toys you have or the size of your home. Nope. There are a handful of simple things you can do to throw a kid-friendly, easy summer party, ensuring that your grown-up guests have a great time. And here they are:

I loved Dax's nursery but with the addition of a big boy bed (it's this one and we love it!), it was time to transition his room. I always imagined a cozy and calm reading nook as part of his big boy room. I try to keep the kids' bedrooms calm by adding soft textures, lots of books, soft lighting, and eliminating all most toys. See how Dax's nook came together plus my 5 must haves to create a reading nook of your own.

This hardly constitutes a blog post but I'm obsessed with strawberry syrup lately so I thought I'd pop in and share an easy recipe.


We eat pancakes every single weekend and sometimes it gets old. Adding fresh fruit syrup, caramelized bananas, nuts, chocolate chips, or sprinkles is a fun way to mix it up. I decided to make strawberry syrup on a whim one weekend and there's no turning back now! You can use the same recipe to make blueberry syrup.

Besides pancakes, I've mixed this strawberry syrup with seltzer to make better-for-you soda and used it to top vanilla ice-cream. It's delicious.

I don't always eat my pancakes with strawberry syrup, but when I do, I also add a huge scoop of whipped topping.

I've been working on Dax's big boy room little by little. When I began planning its refresh, I decided to skip a theme. Since he's still little I know his interests will change. It feels like he was in his nursery just yesterday so I want to make sure this room can easily grow with him. For now, I'm incorporating all of the things he's into at 3. From truck bedding and vintage football decor to animals and superhero capes, it's all the stuff he likes we like. ;)

My big girl turned 8 in November. Each year I have so much fun choosing her theme. Even on years when she chooses something I wouldn't (Lookin at you Minnie Mouse), it's still fun to get creative while she watches the party come to life. I planned this party in a few days with a trip to Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and an Amazon Purchase. Sources and tips to throw your own simple party are at the end and throughout.