Wall Organization Inspiration

Now that we are back in the swing of a new school year and Fall activities, I am desperately trying to get my busy family organized. I constantly feel we are living a groundhog's day version of that moment in Home Alone. You know the one I'm talking about? The panicked rush from the house through the airport scene?  

We're all running around in different directions, with different activities, and my husband and I have a mostly well coordinated afternoon activities pick-up/drop-off routine that luckily hasn't left any poor child behind or forgotten. 

Somewhere along the line I realized that I was the keeper of all the things. The four other people were constantly asking me, "Where are we going today?" or "What time is practice today?" or "What are our weekend plans?". 

I've been eyeing this wall organization system from Pottery Barn for forever, but for some reason I've never pulled the trigger. I love the idea of having everything written and available in a central location so that my kids and husband all know what our schedule is or where they need to be without asking me. Because bless them if I suddenly go missing one day. 

I think part of my hesitation is that the wall system is on the pricier side. I know there are less expensive options out there, but it is nice this one is all packaged up and ready for you in one click. I also remembered last year Carrie Beth did this same thing for her family and found a super cute chalkboard wall calendar that she loves. 

{acrylic weekly calendar}

After looking a little deeper, I realized our faithful shopping friend - Amazon - has some great options available. I still haven't decided what to do, but.... I am planning on getting this done by the end of the week. Here's are some of the fun wall organization options I've found so far in case you are thinking you want to organize your family too! 

1. Oversized Framed Monthly Calendar - Love this option! It comes in a variety of wood frame options as well as different backgrounds aside from the traditional white board option (ex: chalkboard, galvanized tin, etc.). It's the perfect calendar to mix and match other organization pieces with. 
   
   
2. Hidden Chalkboard/Corkboard - What a great way to keep everything nice and organized while still being decorative. Love this option - especially to hide away messy pinned projects and invitations. 
   
   
3. Custom organization board - Am I the only one who didn't know Amazon offered personalized items too?! The minute I saw this customized framed white board I fell in love. It comes completely customized and every section/name/frame color/etc. can be something tailored to organize your family. And it's a steal! 
   
   
4. Framed White Board w/Notes - Similar to the one above, but slightly larger without the customization. I love the fact that it has a "notes" and a "to do" section included. 
   
   
5. Get Things Done - I thought this framed "Get Things Done" white board was the perfect addition to a wall organization system. I like the size of it as well as the fact it has a ton of different frame and background options (it even has a galvanized version!)
   
   
6. Galvanized Framed Monthly Calendar - Speaking of galvanized things, I thought this galvanized monthly calendar was perfect for all the farmhouse decor lovers we know. It is also magnetized as well!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Acrylic Calendar Options - Acrylic decor is having a moment right now and there are so many on trend calendar options on Amazon as well as accessories to make your own complete wall organization system. I like this monthly version with gold detailing (comes with matching gold accessories and a weekly option!), but I thought this square one was cute too!  
   
   
8. Hanging Burlap Organizer - I thought this framed organizer was genius! It has burlap wrapped pockets that can also be used as a push board with pins. It's dual purpose makes it a great mix and match piece with the wall calendars! 
   
   
9. Hanging Basket Organizers - Almost all wall systems I looked at had some sort of hanging basket organizer to hold mail, magazines, etc. There are SO many great options on Amazon, but these triple tiered wire ones that come in various color finishes were some of my favorite - especially at that price! I also like this little trio of baskets. 

I'll follow up with what I pick soon! But let me know if you have one of these and what are your favorites! 

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Book Club: August

We hope everyone is enjoying your Labor Day and soaking up the last bit of summer.  This post is about a week late, but we wanted to make sure we shared our book club picks with all of you! We can hardly believe we've made it September, but we are here for it.  Football games, (hopefully) some cooler weather, and pumpkin spice everything has us excited for fall! 

WHAT WE READ...

CARRIE BETH

I have been pretty absent here the past month and that hasn't been intentional, but rather because I am barely keeping my head above water.  All three of my kids started on-line school a few weeks go and it has been all consuming. I've even had a hard time getting my daily walk in which means I've had a hard time getting my daily Audible fix. I did finally finish one book in August thought and I loved it!  

Earlier this year I read The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan and really enjoyed it. You can see my full review HERE, but it is about an American girl who falls in love and marries the heir to the throne in England.  I was so excited to learn that there was a sequel and listened to it this month!

The Heir Affair is the sequel that follows the couple as they navigate being newlyweds in the public eye.  They uncover some secrets the monarchy was hiding and it makes them question everything they had ever known to be true and could change life as they know it.  If you read the first in this series and love all things royal, I definitely recommend this one!  

JEN

These days I feel like free time is less and less, but I've tried to make it a point to read at least ten minutes a day just to unwind. I'm also logging 4,538 hours a week in the car pool line since everyone is driving their kids to school this year instead of riding the bus. So...Audible for the carpool win. 

I really enjoyed all the books I read this past month. Two were from our Summer Reading List and the other two were at the suggestion of a friend via another blogger. Gotta love the internet. 

First up for the month was The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I loved the plot of this book, and it was one of those that stories that kept unraveling secrets and kept you guessing the whole time. The story takes place on a remote luxury island off the coast of Ireland. Two rising stars are getting married and it's the "it" event of the season. Each chapter follows a different point of view of someone on the island - the bride, the groom, the wedding planner, the maid of honor, the best man, etc. On the night of the wedding you learn one of the attendees is missing/possibly dead, and the book flips back and forth to the events leading up to the wedding to just as the person is found. You don't know who it is, or what happens until the very very end. And even then I didn't see it coming. I will say I didn't love any of the characters that much, but the ending got me. I couldn't believe how it tied up all together! This would be a great read for Fall! For all our mystery lovers - put it on your list! 

I lightened it up for my second read of the month with Emily Henry's Beach Read. Okay, the title of this book does not do it justice. This book was everything you want in a beach read/romantic comedy. Instantly I loved all the characters, there were tons of fun parts, and the ending was perfection. It also had a little more substance to it than the cover or the title lends to it. I was pleasantly surprised and already can't wait to read more by Emily Henry! 

So a friend of mine read The Simple Wild and told me to read it. Not only because she loved it, but because she knew I would love it. And she wanted someone who could read it quickly and talk about it with her too. Well friends...now I'm paying it forward. I read it, and devoured the sequel too. And now I want to talk about it. 

The Simple Wild follows the story of Calla Fletcher. Calla lives in Toronto with her mom and step-dad. She works a corporate job by day and at night hangs out with her bestie/Influencer partner by night. Life is going great until she loses her job, her boyfriend, and her estranged dad contacts her from Alaska. They hadn't spoken in years and now she finds out he has cancer. On a whim she decides to visit him in Alaska. The story moves from there and from page one I was instantly sucked in. The book is a romance, coming of age, and family drama all wrapped up into one. I fell in love with all of the characters, the banter, and the story so much I couldn't wait to read the second book. 

Wild at Heart picks up where The Simple Wild leaves off.  I don't want to give away too many spoilers from book one, but this book follows Calla back on a return trip to Alaska...a trip she might not come home from. (That's all I'm going to say until you read it! Or message me so we can chat about it!)

I liked The Simple Wild just a little more than Wild at Heart, but both are really really good. You cheer for Calla, her relationships, and her growth.

I also want to visit Alaska now. ;) 

Read them and you won't be disappointed.  

WHAT'S UP NEXT...

CARRIE BETH

Sticking to the royal theme I am so excited to start Majesty by Katherine McGee.  

It is the sequel to American Royals, which I named as my VERY favorite book that I read in 2019!!!  

You can see my review HERE, but it is written as if America has a monarchy and granted George Washington a crown instead of the presidency.  It's full of pop culture, a peek into what royal life is like and it was just so clever. I have high hopes for the sequel!  

JEN

For just a little while longer I want to linger in Summer mode with a good beach read. So first up for September is Elin Hilderbrand's 28 Summers. She never does me wrong, and I've heard great things about this one. 

Now what should we read next? We need some good suggestions to get us through September! 

BOOK CLUB 2020

| January | February | March | April | May | SUMMER READING LIST | July | 

Follow along with us on Goodreads!

HAPPY READING! 

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Summer Recipe: Hawaiian BBQ Chicken with Pineapple Coconut Rice

Labor Day weekend is here! For some this is the official end of the Summer. However, for us in the South it will still be going strong for at least another month or so. But we aren't mad about it - that just means more poolside fun and yummy dinners on the grill. 

The BBQ chicken recipe and rice side dish are some of our favorite summer grilling recipes. They are both easy to whip up and have just a hint of tropical flavor. We decided to save this tasty little combo from our Summer Recipe series until the end, so you could savor one last little bit of Summer. Kind of a go out with a bang situation. 

A yummy bang in this case. 

HAWAIIAN BBQ CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

- 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 cup of barbeque sauce

- 1 cup of pineapple juice

- 2 tsp of soy sauce

-1 tsp of garlic

- 1/4 cup of olive oil

- Optional garnish: pineapple slices

DIRECTIONS

1: In a bowl, whisk together barbeque sauce, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and garlic. 

2: Pour half of the mixture into a large resealable bag. 

3: Add oil and chicken to the bag. Seal and chill for 30 minutes (or overnight if you are prepping ahead). Cover remaining mixture until ready to use. 

4: Remove chicken from bag and discard contents (do not use any portion of bag's mixture). 

5: Grill chicken breasts on preheated grill for approximately 8-10 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked. 

6: Brush chicken with remaining chilled mixture and serve.

7: Optional: Grill pineapple slices for garnish!

This recipe pairs well with this yummy Pineapple Coconut rice (recipe below) and the Mango Slaw recipe we shared a few weeks ago! 

PINEAPPLE COCONUT RICE

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups of cooked rice

- 1 8oz can of sliced pineapple

- 1/2 cup of flaked coconut

- 2-3 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1: Cook rice according to package directions. 

2: Grill pineapple on grill or pan until charred. 

3: Chop grilled pineapple and green onions. 

4: Toss pineapple, onions and coconut with rice. 

5: Optional: Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

6: Serve and enjoy!

In case you missed it - here are the other recipes in our Summer Recipe Series!

Mango Slaw Recipe

Blue Hawaiian Drink Recipe

Pineapple Mimosa Recipe

Happy grilling friends! 

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Mini Fall Porch Refresh

 

We know it's August and still 110 degrees out, but we officially have Fall on the brain! Fall looks a little different this year in terms of football, holidays, etc. But we are making the most of it and have decided to concentrate on celebrating even the littlest of joys. Because joy is joy and right now we need more of that in the world. 

What brings us a small joy? 

Fall decorating! 

Even more joy? 

Fall decorating for someone else who deserves it! We decided to spread a little cheer and surprise a teacher friend with a little Fall front porch refresh. Because if there is anyone in the world right now who deserves a little surprise in their life - it's a teacher! 

We had the best time putting this little project together, and found some fun Fall decor in the least likeliest of places - Lowe's! Not sure why we never think of Lowe's for decor, but they had a great selection and most of it under $50! 

We found some great items! Tons of fun things that match her current porch decor and furniture so it was easy to seamlessly add them in. Here is a little peek at how the project turned out and links to all of the items! 

| Buffalo check pillow covers | Lantern | Checked mini pumpkins | White Reusable Pumpkin | 

| Pumpkin Door Mat | Buffalo Check Rug (in store only, similar linked) | 

| Lantern | Mini gingham pumpkins (in store only - similar option linked) | 

Other items not used, but we loved!

- Pumpkin Pillow 

- Gingham Check Pumpkins multi-sizes (in store only, similar linked here)

- Gather sign

- White Pumpkin Wreath

Are you excited about Fall? When do you start decorating for all the Fall things? If you could surprise someone with a Fall porch refresh, who would it be? 

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It's official - all the kids are back in school (in some capacity)! But it still feels like Summer. Cross over the two and we feel like that deserves a little something to celebrate. 

Or at least a little something to take the edge off both the heat and re-learning algebra. 

We present to you...

...the Pineapple Mimosa! 

This is the next recipe in Summer Recipe Series and it's the perfect easy cocktail for this time of year. Baby showers, ladies brunches, Sunday mornings by the pool...it has you covered. It's also the one our friends like to recreate most whenever we break out the Mom-mosa Bar. 

If you've missed the other recipes over the last few weeks, here they are: 

Mango Slaw Recipe

Blue Hawaiian Drink Recipe

And now for the main event. 

PINEAPPLE MIMOSA RECIPE

Ingredients

- 3 oz of champagne

- 1 oz of pineapple juice

- Optional garnish: pineapple slices

Directions

1: Fill champagne flutes with chilled champagne. 

2: Add pineapple juice. 

3: Serve & enjoy!

See we told you this one was easy! 

Cheers friends! 

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Back-to-School Prep with Findlay Rowe

Back-to-school prep looks a lot different this year than any other. Whether we like it or not we are still living that pandemic life. Your school district might be planning to go back virtually, give face-to-face a go, rock a hybrid schedule, or you've thrown all caution to the wind and decided to homeschool. Either way school in some form is going down and we all want to be ready. 

Last week I popped into one of my favorite local boutiques - Findlay Rowe in Roswell, Ga.  

(Who now can be your local boutique too! Because while 2020 hasn't produced many great things, it has produced some of our favorite local stores going online. While we love browsing in person - we love getting fun surprises in the mail too!)

Y'all know we are long time fans of the Findlay Rowe ladies and their adorable shop. All through this stressful year they have been a bright little light. If you don't know what I'm talking about - tune into their weekly Live they do Thursday's on social media. Not only have these ladies made sure to stay positive through the last few months,  they've done a stellar job to support their customers and local community. 

When it came time for back-to-school shopping, I knew they would have tons of great items to help get my little ones prepped for the year as well as a little something for the teachers (because Lord knows if anyone deserves a gift right now - it's them!). 

I brought one of my shopping partners with me and we were easily and safely able to get the job done! No matter what capacity you are going back-to-school in, or if you are sending off your biggest littles for the first time - Findlay Rowe has a little something for everyone to be covered. 

Here are some of my back-to-school favorites that I found. 

BACK-TO-SCHOOL MUST HAVES

PLANNERS

I know we are all digital and have phones, shared Google Calendars, Siri and her BFF Alexa, and apps galore to keep our schedules in order, but I'm old school. I still need to write everything down. I think on a school year calendar year these days, so August is usually when I get a new one. This year there might not be something to write in it, but at least she's pretty! 

There are a ton of great planner options at Findlay Rowe when it comes to planners, but the Lilly Pulitzer ones are my favorite. 

MASKS

If I could go back in 2019 and do one thing - It would be to open a mask making business. I'd be on my own self-quarantined private island by now. With a person solely dedicated to bringing me fruity cocktails. But alas, I'm just a professional mask-wearer these days like everyone else. 

Findlay Rowe not only had a stylish selection of mask options for adults, they also have a great selection for kids too. They carry ones from Scout, Gretchen Scott, and more!

LUNCH BOXES & COOLERS

One of the things our kids look forward to most each school year is picking out a new lunch box. Well since eating out isn't as much of a thing any more, whether you're at work or at school Findlay Rowe has a lot of fun lunchbox and cooler options for the whole family. Including a wine backpack made by Corkcicle that mommy has her eye. (Okay, it can be a regular backpack too. But really, it's insulated and fits wine. So...)

CUPS & WATER BOTTLES 

We've heard one of the biggest conversions at school is that there will no longer be water fountains. In lieu of water fountains there will be water bottle stations where kids can refill their water bottles throughout the day. Whether working from home or at school staying hydrated is important. And so is purchasing a during cup. Because kids. And their need to destroy. 

Findlay Rowe has a great selection of insulated water cups and durable water bottles. Corkcicle, Swig, Lilly Pulitzer - just to name a few. We loved these flip top ones from Corkcicle. 

And if you already have one, Findlay Rowe carries the conversion top as well as the straws! 

This pink tie dye one caught my eye too, and was an instant hit with my girls. 

I also was a huge fan of these reusable stainless steel straws in their own carrying case from Swig. Perfect to just throw in your book bag or purse for use. 

STICKERS & NOTEBOOKS

VSCO girls can rest at ease - FR has you covered! 

Stickers, scrunchies, Teleties, lip gloss pens, oversized key rings, cute notebooks...need I say more? 

SOAP, SANITIZERS & WIPES

Listen, if 2020 is going down as anything - it's the cleanest year ever. Sanitizers, soaps, and wipes are the hottest back-to-school items amongst any teacher (homeschool and face-to-face alike). Findlay Rowe has some of our favorite luxury hand soaps and lotions. 

These ones from Michel Design Works smell ah-mazing, and make for great teachers welcome gifts. 

Another top choice is the Capri Blue combo. It smells like our favorite Volcano candles we are addicted to. And we were excited to find they carry a multi surface cleaner too! 

These wipes from Well-Kept are also a great back-to-school idea. Have you seen the studies recently on germs and cell phones? It's not for the faint of heart. 

These wipes are perfect for tweens and teens to throw in their book bags for a daily clean down. 

LOUNGEWEAR

Listen, if I'm going to be teaching my kids from home I want to be as zen and cozy as possible. Light my favorite Capri Blue candle, fill my Swig cup with some "mommy juice", and give me all the Findlay Rowe cozies. 

The Barefoot Dreams selection is dream worthy and totally worth the price. Common core math and long division approved. 

COLLEGIATE GEAR

I almost held off on including college team gear to my must-have list, but listen - some friends have rising college Freshman who had a rough end to their senior year. What better way to get them hyped for their first year of college with some theme gear. This year looks nothing like what the class of 2020 predicted but we can try to make it as fun as possible in little ways. 

As for the rest of us...it's the South. There will always be a team to cheer for. Even if there isn't. May your homegating be on point, and your ESPN Game Day Classic subscription be strong. 

SNACKS 

What's back-to-school without the snacks? We love the unique snacks that Findlay Rowe carry, and the  Dots Pretzels are usually one of the first they pull off the pantry shelves. 

From delicious treats to adorable snack time dishes, Findlay Rowe has a little something for everyone to make snack time special. 

The Happy Everything Line is the perfect way serve a snack to your little student!

I had a blast catching up with the team from Findlay Rowe and checking out everything they have for back-to-school season. Stop by and say hi or if you aren't local give them a visit online! They make it so easy for you! 

What are some of your back-to-school must haves this year? 

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