I’ve said many times that having a clean home is very different than having an organized home and I will preach that from my soap box till my lungs runneth out. Apart from keeping my house organized and functional, it’s so, so important to me that my home is clean. Immaculate, it is not, but I really feel strongly that I’m happier when my house is tidy and maintained.But lately, with all these talks of VOCs, the risks and effects of harsh chemicals, and not to mention the exorbitant price of store-bought cleaner, I started to wonder about my means of clean. And of course – out in blog land and all over Pinterest, people are boasting home made cleaners for a fraction of the price that do just as good a job. So, after doing a little research and assessing my cleaning needs, I realized that I could not only use products in my home that were safer for us, the dogs, and the environment, but that I could save a boat-load while doing it. So I gathered my supplies and put together my own little cleaning kit – a simple caddy full of a few heavy-weight champions to keep my house sparkling-ish-kind-of. Things I felt better about putting on my floor that my dogs lick (no crumb is spared in this home…let me tell you), things that were easier on our monthly budget, and things that were more eco-friendly. Continue reading →

Summer has always been my favorite season. I’m a summer baby, I’m from Texas, I love the water, and iced tea is my jam.  Basically – me + summer = BFF. So when it came time to put a little Spring in my step after winter, I started first with putting summer in my shelves. We don’t have a mantel in this house. The fireplace wall is covered with rock and though I’m sure we could put a mantel in, I feel like it’s just not worth risking any structural integrity or risking the safety with the vent system of the chimney. Call me crazy, but I’m just not cool with fire hazards. Continue reading →

Happy Friday, all! And Happy three day weekend ahead! Was it just me or did this week just draaag?

Well I just wanted to pop in with a quick Friday post about a little update we recently finished to give our house some much needed curb appeal. Like I mentioned in my post on Wednesday, we are taking full advantage of the recent sunshine and warm temperatures here in Colorado after snow all through April and the beginning of May. We finally got around to planting some flowers in the front flower beds. But before I show you, I want to give you a brief background to this story. Continue reading →

Not to be confused with table dancing which is a totally different thing…. Repeat. This is not a post about table dancing. Sorry, boys.

Remember in my last post where I was blabbing about how busy we are? In the midst of all those words were some really great and random pictures – one of which was this: Continue reading →

Things in the Morris household have been getting a little cray-cray lately. As I mentioned in my last post, things have been really crazy for Tomas and I which is why SaraDear has a been a little spotty. All of the sudden, April ended and we went into hyper-drive, so here’s a timeline to let you all get a little glimpse into our lives and what’s going on. (Warning: it’s a long one…) Continue reading →

Before we just dive right in, I give you this disclaimer for my recent absence: Life has gotten extremely busy. I’m in busy season with work, Tomas is finishing up school, we’ve got family functions, holidays, plans for vacation, new jobs, etc, etc. I sincerely apologize and I’m very excited to be back here with all of you.

The bedroom should be cozy. I believe that out of all the rooms in the house, the bedroom should be the most relaxing, the most comfortable, and least fussy. I believe in clean lines, warmth, subdued light, and lots of texture.I want my bedroom to feel like a relaxing and comfortable space with as little stress as possible, for obvious reasons. One of the best ways to keep a bedroom comfortable and calm is to keep it clean and tidy. I think it goes without saying that less clutter is always less stressful and seeing as we breathe that air for 7+ hours every night, so it’s important to keep it clean. That being said, clean and tidy only goes so far. In trying to cozy-fy our bedroom, I’ve stuck with the philosophy that the decor should be simple and cohesive with as little visual clutter as possible. I’m fine with louder design choices in other parts of the house but, as any HDTV-er will tell you, the bedroom should be an oasis. Continue reading →

The first time someone commented on how much I keep in my purse, I took it as an insult. Yes, sometimes it gets a little out of hand, but my purse isn’t usually messy. I do keep a lot in my purse but it’s not THAT much, right? Well… I don’t think so. You may think so, and that’s okay. But when I said last week that I’m always that girl that is always prepared, I’m not lying. I’ve got what you need 95% of the time so I’m okay with being the girl that carries a ton in her purse. So now, when people say “Wow, you’ve got a lot in there!” I say, “Yep. And I’m always prepared!” When we go on vacation or when I’m out somewhere that I actually have to carry my purse on my shoulder for hours like amusement parks, the mall, etc, I have a smaller purse that I can carry just the essentials in but honestly, 99% of the time, when I “carry” my purse, I’m not actually carrying it. It’s in the shopping cart, a friend’s stroller, etc. That being said, I actually get asked a lot what all I keep in my purse and how I know what to have with me and what to keep at home. (Seriously, strangers in the store ask me alllll the time.) So this one’s for you, strangers in the store. Oh, you too, my lovely readers. This is what I keep in my purse at all times to make sure I’m always prepared for day-to-day life. Continue reading →

Those who know me personally know I’m almost always over-prepared for any situation. I’m the girl who always has a nail file, ibuprofen, female products, water, a snack, a broach (yes.. a broach), a coupon, and a jacket whenever you need one. What can I say? I like to be prepared. I really do carry all these things with me at any given time. That being said, I haven’t really had a system for these things. They are always floating between my purse, my car, Tomas’s car, etc so I figured it’s high time I get my crap together and put together kits. This particular kit is for the car – it holds all of my emergency items as well as some convenience items that are great to have – things that aren’t “necessary” but any girl out there would probably agree that these things are as close to necessity as you can get. Continue reading →