Once upon a time there was a girl that got her dream washer and dryer. And she lived happily ever after. The end. That's the story. And the girl... is me!
Read More
I remember at the top of 2020, I was in the middle of an on again & off again physical rollercoaster. I'd come a long way from where I was in 2019, but I was still adapting. Prior to the pandemic -- at the end of 2019 -- I'd lost about 20 pounds from the previous 6 months. For someone who was only occasionally consistent with working out, I was really impressed with myself. I was in a groove & even when I'd veer off track, it would only be for a couple of days.
Then the summer came...
Those days turned to weeks... then to months... and before I knew it, I couldn't even remember the last time I really worked out.
By the time my husband came home and we, shortly after, found ourselves gearing up to move, all my even halfway decent habits had gone out the window and had been replaced by constant stress eating & snacking. I was drinking more coffee & wine, but less water. I was only active because of having to haul things up & down the stairs. And sleep... well, what is sleep?
All of that only outlines the rise & decline of my physical wellness but truth be told it was simultaneously the rise & decline of my mental wellness too.
Read More
Dear Diary -- some days, I honestly can't believe that we bought a house. And since this is my diary and a safe place, I feel okay with saying that there are even some days I wonder if we made a mistake.
Do I regret buying our house? Not even close!
But... baby... I most certainly underestimate how much I didn't know about being a first time homeowner. There really is so much that no one ever talks about, and not just the buying process.
Read More
While ideating what Christmas in our new home would look like, I put together a round up of black, white, and gold Christmas decor. In our apartment, our white Christmas tree lived in the dining room, where I would also do light holiday tablescaping. Now having the options to have more than one tree + other trimmings, and tablescape — yay! — The Home Depot was an easy one stop shop for creating our Hygge Holiday Home.
Read More
I'm a shopper — like heavy! — but I'm reasonable in my shopping. There are a lot of things I've seen and/or coveted over the years that I never purchased because they didn't fit my life as a renter. I didn't need em so I didn't get em... plain and simple.
But now... it's a whole different type of situation.
I'm a homeowner... a whole homeowner!
Not to say I'm just out here buying all the things but now the way I shop has changed — the priorities have changed. Moving always brings on it's own shopping needs but moving into a home that we own has completely upended my shopping habits, bringing on new kinds of purchases.
So what have been my first, seemingly random — but necessary — purchases as a homeowner?
Read More
Admittedly I had a home on my vision board for the new year — our home buying conversations were becoming a thing and we found ourselves wondering about “what’s next” for our family…stay in Washington? …move back East? We weren’t sure but we knew renting in perpetuity was no longer an option. By the second quarter of 2020, personally, I was juggling being a “single mom” with my husband deployed, the beginnings of my second new job in a year, COVID-19 forcing us all into quarantine, and witnessing a modern day civil rights movement. One or two of these events may not have done much for changing my mind, but all of em together… well I quickly went from, “it’d be nice to own my home” — hence the vision board — — to “I want to own a home!”
Read More
Earlier this year, I'd made the decision to stop messing with my house — I literally decided to stop doing home projects, choosing to just focus on the day to day styling and organizing, but also (mostly) enjoying the home I'd created thus far. Paired with my husband being on deployment and not knowing where we'd be a year from now...yeah it was time to just chill.
But then 'rona came to town and, like everyone else, I was forced to appreciate but also reevaluate our home.
Read More
While an important conversation, it isn't always an easy one to have. Yep, we're talking about diversity & racism. Imagine, if adults can't bring themselves to have these difficult conversations, then it'll be even more difficult with a child. If your child is at the age where you're still reading to them and/or they're reading on their own, there are a countless number of books available — past and present — that make having the conversation of diversity and racism just a tad bit easier.
Read More
I'm sitting here, as we head into the fifth month of quarantines and stay-at-home orders from COVID-19, awaiting my 19th Amazon Fresh order this year. Yes, in the past 5 months I have placed 19 Amazon Fresh orders for groceries, but let's just go ahead and round up to 20. While a lot of states have been opening up and loosening up their restrictions, I am in no rush to go outside, so after having used it for most of the year, I am pretty confident in whatever comes next because at least I know we'll be fed.
So what has it been like doing my grocery shopping almost* exclusively on Amazon Fresh for the past 4 months?
Read More
While an important conversation, it isn't always an easy one to have. Yep, we're talking about diversity & racism. Imagine, if adults can't bring themselves to have these difficult conversations, then it'll be even more difficult with a child. If your child is at the age where you're still reading to them and/or they're reading on their own, there are a countless number of books available — past and present — that make having the conversation of diversity and racism just a tad bit easier.
Read More
Last summer I found myself in the middle of probably my biggest purge since moving — except we weren’t moving. I got to a point where I got tired of seeing “stuff” at every turn — from the clothes in my closet to the decor in my mantle — so I started pulling things out to trash, sell, or donate…
Enter Poshmark!
I was able to list small kitchen appliances, dinnerware, and decorative accents and I felt so much better about being able to pass these items onto someone who wanted em but could now get them at a fraction of the cost; and while I love being able to donate, it didn’t hurt that I could make a little play money in the process.
Read More
It’s not easy for me to admit that my character isn’t naturally a “calm” one and I don’t know anyone that would use the word calm to describe me either. I have always danced on the edge of worry and even occasionally tangoed with straight-up paranoia, and yet in the midst of a pandemic, I find myself probably the calmest person in my circle. Why is that?
Read More
Now that we’re all home for the foreseeable future, it’s so easy to not put in the same amount of effort when it comes to our wellness -- there are NetFlix shows to binge, piles of snacks to eat, and lots and lots of naps to be had -- but truth is, it’s probably more important now more than ever to stay on top of it. For me, working out is a welcome mental distraction from everything going on but also a way to ensure I’m not physically susceptible to any nasty viruses out there. Right now, health = wealth and I plan to look good for all of it.
Read More
Two years ago I made my very first Grove Collaborative purchase and I have to say, not entirely sure what to expect from a household subscription service. I was intrigued by the idea that I could get cleaning products for our home, especially now that my daughter was way more active and I was now full-time working from home. With spring cleaning around the corner, it was as good a time as any to try Grove Collaborative and two years later I still turn to them for many, if now all, of our household cleaning essentials.
Read More
For two years in my business, I tried to plan a brand shoot for Albie Knows…with no success. Whether it was finding the right photographer or having it in the budget or just liking the way I looked in the mirror, there was always something in my way.
Last year, one of my designer besties introduced me to Mariah Texidor. I was blessed enough to book her to shoot my One Room Challenge transformation. The photos were amazing, but more than that, the shoot was amazing. I knew that if there was ever an opportunity to work with her again — aka I’m back in NYC — that I’d jump at the chance.
Here’s what planning a last-minute brand shoot covers, from my perspective:
getting organized
having an awesome tribe
trusting life’s pivots
Read More
I basically live my life online — working, shopping, and even school — and one day it hit me that I was getting completely disconnected from the “real world”. As an introvert I will never complain about not having enough people interaction — I prefer it that way actually — but what I found was happening was that I was losing touch with myself and I was also losing my ability to connect with people — to communicate. It was almost as though I was losing a sense of reality that, if unchecked, would only get worse. So how do you unplug, take a real break, and slow down for more intentional & present living? Here are some tips that have been helping me unplug for more slow living.
Read More
People always ask me why I am so organized and while the answer is usually pretty funny, it’s the truth — I’m organized because I’m lazy. My life is filled with chaos and just a lot that is beyond my control, be it personally or professionally, so getting organized it my way of controlling the controllable… no matter how small.
Read More