JoaS

There are so many celebrations going on right now: back to school, off to college, birthdays, anniversaries. We are heading into Fall and the holiday season will be upon us before we know it. Not to mention, it's Labor Day weekend and there are so many sales going on and many great deals to be enjoyed. I am someone who loves to get an early start on holiday gifts, and thought I would go ahead and share my thoughts on gift giving. Gifts is my second love language and I love thinking about the perfect gift for a certain person and the best way to stretch my limited resources or funds the furthest. One way I love to "give far" is to support small businesses . As a small business owner myself , I know just how much every single purchase means to the person behind the shop. It's one more drop in the bucket that fuels the dream, and it is particularly encouraging to those who sell their handmade wares. It's another vote of confidence for their craft and talent. Not...

I try to post once a month, consistently, more if I have something worth sharing. This is the first post for April because IT'S A BIG ONE! And I couldn't share before. But now I can, so here you go: On top of learning the meaning of "sanctuary" this year--untainted and reliable--I've also been made a literal sanctuary--a place of refuge or safety. 2019 is officially the year we become a family of four! Margaret Elizabeth Hardee is scheduled to arrive in November 2019, and for obvious reasons this has eclipsed the vast majority of my thoughts, energy, and time. I literally could not think of anything else to blog about because our little gummy bear has pretty much eclipsed our lives already but it was all pretty hush hush until now. The beginning was the most difficult, but things are sort of settling now. My food aversions are STRONG. And ever changing. It's very difficult on a tight grocery budget, but will be very worth it in the long run. I...

I love shoes. It seems like there are so many great options and uses for every element and season, there's always another good reason to buy a pair. These are some of my favorite shoes I've found in the past year and intend to wear a ton this Fall. OTBT Womens Lunar Sneaker Tennis shoes are both practical and (for now) trendy. Thank goodness. Because I am not an uncomfortable shoe wearer. I have many pairs of slip on sneakers, New Balance and Adidas classics, and a pair of Asics for walking or running. These OTBT Lunar Sneakers were a huge splurge for me. I love this great floral pattern in subtle tones that's interesting but not juvenile. There is a line. I think these shoes are appropriately adorable for my age. And supportive. Which is equally important at my age, if not more so. Asymmetrical D'Orsay Open Toe Flats I. love. these. shoes. They are easily the coolest shoes I've ever owned. Like, I may not be cool enough to wear them. But I...

First and foremost, I feel the distinct need to cover Fall decor, since that is on the brain at present. I just need those cooler temps to roll on in so can stop feeling like a fool with my cozy candles lit when it's 100 degrees outside. Anyway, here's a lovely picture of our fireplace to inspire cool thoughts: The truck in the first photo and the pumpkins in the lower left hand corner of the above photo are both new from Hobby Lobby this year. Pretty much everything else you see pictured above or below came from my mom, Michael's, or Marshall's over the last decade or so. I usually root through and get rid of old cheap decor and buy only one or two new things a year--one always being a seasonally scented candle (on which Michael and I both have to agree). The pumpkin banner is actually from Amazon, and it was under $10! This year's seasonally scented candle is this Rose and Currant candle in the most beautiful ruby jewel tone and smells divine. ...

My absolute favorite season is Fall. I love Summer, but Fall has football, crisp breezes, pumpkins, squash, caramel apples, and my birthday. Hard to compete. I also absolutely love to wear sweatshirts and boots. I've done a teeny bit of Fall shopping this year (not that I needed a single thing) and I thought I'd share some of my favorite, and somewhat unexpected, finds. This sweater was at Walmart. Walmart . For under $15! They have several colors, and it's so. soft. Women's Tier Sleeve Sweater I also found these great staples that I've somehow been missing the past several years--a simple grey cardigan and festive plaid shirt. I couldn't find the exact shirt, but there were many from which to choose. Both under $15! Women's Open Front Cardigan   Long Sleeve Plaid Woven Shirt I also did a bit of shopping at Shein , kind of for the first time. I've ordered the odd item from them here and there over the Summer, but found my...

As a Type 2 woman--learn about energy profiling here --I am soft and subtle by nature, so I choose not to wear black, stark white, or other pure hues. They don't suit my blended coloring, so blush or taupe and grey have been my standard go-to neutrals these past few years. These are my absolute favorite shoes that I have found for those occasions that require a bit more than a comfy sandal. They are reasonably priced and have withstood the test of time and wear for me (which is admittedly less than some people as I am a much more casual person and have not proven very hard on my clothing or other belongings--very unlike my husband, which is another subject, entirely). First up,  DREAM PAIRS Women's Moda Low Heel D'Orsay Pointed Toe Pump Shoes  from Amazon I've owned more than one pair of dress heels from this brand, but these Nude Nubuck ones (pictured above, left) are my favorite. They are neutral, but still pretty bright and light. I love them for ...

I love shoes. They are fun and the right pair can make the difference between feeling comfortable and confident or ready to just go barefoot. I've rounded up a few of my favorite shoes for Summer--the comfortable, the classic, the cute, and the easy. All are quite affordable and good quality for all your Summer shoe needs. Perhaps my favorite dress shoe, almost year-round, is a cute peep toe wedge. You'll probably notice that all of my choices are in a neutral, blush tone - it's my favorite and I won't apologize - but these are great in fun prints or a bright color for Summer, too. These have been my favorite, from Amazon, and only cost $25.99: OLIVIA K Women's Comfort Espadrille Platform Buckle Sandal My most worn shoe this Spring has been this classic sandal from G.H. Bass & Co. If I could only shop at one shoe store for the rest of my life, it would be Bass. It's always been my favorite, and they have great deals at their ...

I will be the first to admit that it is not always easy to stick to a budget, especially a really strict one. There are certain times of the year I can pretty much count on myself breaking our budget due to stressors or circumstance, like holidays or vacations. No matter how much planning or prep or saving I may do, it always seems to be just too tempting to spend more than anticipated. I've gathered a few of the tips I've picked up over the years of setting and breaking budgets to hopefully provide some encouragement to anyone who may find themselves in the same boat. Give yourself grace.  This has been a HUGE life lesson for me in general, but particularly when it comes to budgeting. I believe Dave Ramsey says that messing up with money doesn't make you bad with money, it just makes you human. Humans mess up. We can't help it. It happens. But every time I splurge a little or mess up with money, I make a plan to get back on track and I do my best to fol...

I've mentioned before that gifts is one of my love languages, and it's one of the ways I most like to love on others. I love finding the perfect gift that reminds me of a certain person and watching their face (hopefully) light up as they appreciate it. My husband's love language is not gifts and my brother is not very demonstrative upon opening presents, either, but the point of a gift is to convey my love to them and I believe it does just that. Some of my favorite gifts to put together are gifts for couples. It doesn't even have to be a wedding gift, though with wedding season upon us that was the inspiration for this post. The past few years I have loved getting to think about what the couple might be doing for their honeymoon, or what they might enjoy doing together on a regular basis as they begin their life together. Living at the beach, one of my absolute favorite gifts to give to new brides is a monogrammed baseball cap for her to wear on the boat...

I am very excited to announce that my Etsy shop, JacobJewelry , is officially up and running with many handmade earring designs to choose from and purchase! The Etsy shop has been a long time dream of mine, and I've attempted it in the past without success. It was not the right time and I was not doing it for the right reasons. I recently "retired" from Preschool Teaching Assistant and getting to be creative and offer fun products that can hopefully spark as much joy for others as they do for me in creating them is a dream come true. So if you're in the market for some new jewels for the Summer or for gifts or just because, check out my shop ! Best, Emily

My first love language is quality time, but my second is gifts. I love to get myself gifts, I love to receive gifts from others, I love unexpected blessings in the form of a free drink from Starbucks or a free medium fry from Chick-fil-a. My mom refers to this situation as a "sursis." The literal French translation is a "reprieve," but with her it was usually just a small surprise she'd leave on the end of our bed or on the kitchen table for us to find when we walked in from school. It can be a real test in restraint for me to have to go too long without picking out a gift for someone else, something for our home, or a treat for myself--usually clothes. Today, I'd like to share specifically where I tend to shop for what I consider to be quality, affordable clothing. My style has changed over the years, as have the standards and requirements for my wardrobe. Since I don't exactly have the luxury of tossing my entire closet at the conclusion of a se...