Organize [by] Olivia

it's been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:03:00 +0000

I decided to fall off the face of the blog earth for a while friends. I was spending too much time in my day on the computer and worrying too much about my internet life and not enough about my real life. I was measuring my outfits, photography, thoughts, weekends and outings based on what would look best in a blog. Trying to keep up and make it better all of the time wasn't for me.

Also, I've been doing this...

...growing a sweet girl inside of me. My daughter. These last 27 weeks have been an incredible journey. God is teaching me so much about His control on our lives from before we were born and how He desires the reigns for the rest of it. I'm merely the vessel that He is using to form my sweet Reese Katherine inside of me. He is making her perfect, not her, not me, not Brian, He is.

Here's to letting Him have that kind of control forever on her life and mine as He is better at it than I ever could be.

Sometimes I miss blogging so maybe I'll be back every once in a while to share about how an ordinary person can be organized or with thoughts on what I'm learning in this life.

xoxo

spring cleaning // make up brushes

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:58:00 +0000

I never think to clean my make up brushes because I just assume I'm using the same make up on them right? But when I start to think about all of the places I've set them down, bacteria on my face, sweat etc, it started to gross me out. I bought this Laura Mercier brush cleaner for $18 because I'm pretty sure this bottle will last me the rest of my life.

Step 1 // Lay out your brushes and throw away any that are too old or that you don't have a specific use for anymore

Step 2 // Take out your brushes one by one, spray on the cleaner, wipe it on a towel or tissue until you don't see anything coming off

Step 3 // lay out to dry

Step 4 // Put back in a cute container

a DIY

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:19:00 +0000

Love this idea! This is great for any drawer that needs things to stay in place. I love drawer organizers but sometimes you can't find the right sizes for what you want and let's be honest they aren't always cheap for what they are.

Step 1: Measure the depth of your drawer
Step 2: Find any box top, measure & cut
Step 3: cover with cute paper or paint it or use magazine by gluing it down
Step 4: arrange and enjoy!

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Olivia on Pinterest

office alternatives

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:00:00 +0000

We all need a space for "office stuff"- bills, calendar, mail etc. but we all don't have an extra room to hold that in our homes. I love these alternatives that hold everything necessary but don't take up a lot of space! Would you ever try something like this? I love how you can make it these also look decorative as well.

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organize my day

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:53:00 +0000

If you work part time or are a stay at home mom, like a lot of my friends, you have a lot to accomplish in a week around your home. Some days you have too little and some days too much time to do it in. How do you get everything done in a week without feeling overwhelmed and give up?

Step 1: Make a list of all of the items you have to complete in a week
EX: laundry, fold & put away, clean bathrooms, pick up & organize, vacuum, pay bills, mop (etc.)

Step 2: Make a list of the things you'd like to do in a week
EX: work out, crafting, read a book, blog

Step 3: Write out your current schedule to find the holes
EX: 8:30-12:30 Work
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-3 Free Time
3-5 Social Time

The holes I've created are 1:30-3 and 3-5 - what makes the most sense to me would be to have the "have to do's" 1:30-3 and the "want to do's" 3-5

Step 4: Make a schedule for each day of the week so you get everything done but it's spread out and doesn't feel like an overwhelming task.

1:30-3 3-5
DAY OF THE WEEK HAVE WANT
Sunday Laundry time with husband
Monday Fold & Put Away work out
Tuesday Clean Bathrooms read & blog
Wednesday Pick Up House work out
Thursday Vacuum see a friend
Friday Mop work out
Saturday Pay Bills craft

Step 5: Display this somewhere in your home to motivate you. Stick to it but give yourself grace if it doesn't work every single day!

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Do you struggle organizing your day or getting things done?
Take 20 minutes to do this for yourself and see what you can come up with!

Christmas tree hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:41:00 +0000

one of my favorite things about living in Oregon is cutting down our Christmas tree every year. There are a ton of farms just 15 minutes from our house out in the country. The last few years we have gone with some of our best friends and made a fun day out of it!

Do you get to cut down your Christmas tree?

warning: shallow post-needed a change

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:36:00 +0000

I decided on a whim last week that I needed a hair change. I've had the same cut for a few years now and was ready to try something different. I love short hair on other people but have always hated it on myself because I feel like I look like I'm 10. I was inspired by these pictures of Olivia Palermo and her long bob and thought I'd try it.

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here is a little before and after from yesterday. I look super tired but that's ok.

Now it's going to be a challenge styling it in a way everyday that makes me look mature as opposed to immature. This morning I used my Hana flat iron to curl a few pieces. Any short hair styling advice?

a different christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:12:00 +0000

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Our family has decided to do Christmas a little different this year. The burden has been on my heart for the last few years but I haven't quite had the courage to stand up and say it. The stress of buying presents for so many family members around the holidays has me feeling a little bit insane. The need to find just the perfect gift, make sure I'm spending the same amount on them that they are on me, spending money that I don't have to spend all takes away from the real reason Christmas is celebrated.

God gave us a gift, a sacrifice of himself, when we are rushing around we miss the biggest detail of it all. This year we've decided with some of our family members to not purchase gifts for each other but to just be together. Christmas is a time to celebrate what God has done for us by sending His one and only Son to be humbly born into this dark world to pay a price for us so that we could live. He wants us to live our life as a blessing to others and slowing down to spend quality time with those around us is just that.

How do you keep yourself focused on the Creator?

wish I was here wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I started "wish I was here wednesday" back when I was working a desk job that I hated. I would dream, mid-week, about being somewhere else. It's been a fun thing to look back at all the beautiful pictures I've found or from my actual life. If you'd like to play along, link back here and put your url in a comment, I love to look at where you all wish that you were on a wednesday, it's fun to dream right!?

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ode to nate

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:17:00 +0000

kind of love most everything he does.
his decor inspires me.
see anything you love??

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who are you inspired by in interior design?

the holiday spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Thank you all so much for your kind, sweet and encouraging comments on Friday. Glad a lot of you can relate and that we encourage each other towards authenticity always!

I'm really getting in the holiday spirit after seeing the Nutcracker and dressing up fun this weekend. How are you getting into the spirit?!

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Some of my plans include:

blast Christmas music
~~watch Home Alone~~ (&2)
make hot chocolate
~~watch Christmas Vacation~~
see the tree in Pioneer Square
~~watch Elf~~
~~cut down & decorate our tree~~
drive around and look at Christmas lights
bake a holiday treat
watch White Christmas
~~decorate the house~~
watch Nativity Story
buy a new holiday dress
get some holiday fuzzy socks & pjs
watch A Christmas Story
walk around down town bundled up with a warm drink

why my blog is for me

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:03:00 +0000

I started this blog almost 3 years ago out of a need to create and to have a voice. I titled it 'For Me' as a constant reminder that I shouldn't blog just for others. I blog stalked for a few months before I started mine and it made me sad to see people write things like "I'm sorry for not posting lately..." as if they were not enjoying it and being forced to post. I also wanted to always remind myself to stay true to who I was.

For blog success, I've been told to do many things, but I don't necessarily want blog success, I want to be me, isn't that why most of us start blogs? So that we can share a bit of ourselves with the world? Learn from each other? Grow together? I never wanted to do otherwise. I'm writing this post for myself right now as another reminder.

Lately I have been bored with my blog, over it, not feeling it. I don't really know if anyone is still reading, I don't get a lot of comments, I haven't had new followers in months, my photos aren't done very well because I don't have photoshop, I don't take pictures all of the time because my life is really busy and hectic. I realized that this list of things was the reason that I wasn't "feeling it" when really all of those things shouldn't matter if I'm blogging just for me.

I have an audience of One that I'm trying to please, Galatians 1:10 and I shouldn't let those things make me not want to blog.

Part of the beauty of this world of blogging is the community made within it. I delight so much in comments on my posts and interacting with readers as well as being inspired by content on the blogs of others. However, if I don't get comments or new readers, I don't want to think that I am failing. Or if one blog has grown a lot in the last year and mine hasn't, I don't want to feel any ounce of jealousy in it. I am not going to stop blogging, I just want to remind myself the reason I started in the first place. Thank you to all who have been following along in my journey, I hope we continue to inspire one another.

Do any of you struggle with comparison, jealousy, blogging for others and not yourself? I hope this is an encouragement to keep blogging things you love, share your heart and personality and if people enjoy it and find value in it, that is just a bonus!

the room we live the most in

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000

the before:

the after:

couch & pillows : Pacific Lifestyle Furniture // standing lamp: target but found at goodwill // black lamp: target // coffee table: Potterybarn (from our old house)

mirrior: Crate & Barrel // black frames: Potterybarn with instagram artwork printed using Prinstagram // silver frames: Crate & Barrel // love sign: thrifted

fire basket: Home Goods // Map: Urban Outfitters // Frame: ikea

end table: home goods

ottoman: target but found at goodwill // chair: hand-me-down // lamp: target // gray shade: ikea

still need to:
//get another end table
//get a new coffee table
//possibly get different seating than that white chair

my inspirations:

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it's wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:00:00 +0000

so naturally I wish that I was here.

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what about you?

i feel like i have a new favorite animal

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:07:00 +0000

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our dining room

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Our house is finally just about put together. I wanted to share with you all the progress!

The dining room before:

We found a dining room table from Ikea. The dining room space is somewhat small but we like to entertain so we found a table that holds 6 people but can expand to hold 10. We went with the brown to make a cheap table look a little nicer. We also found the white chairs at Ikea and decided to go with them for a more modern look. The gray chairs we found at World Market to add the elegance back into the room.

My moms friend got this mirror from Ballard Designs but it came broken so she sent for a new one and gave me the broken one. I just put the broken part at the bottom to hide it. I decorated it with my grandparent's crystal decanters.

We still need to find drapes for around the window and eventually change the chandelier but it works for now!

A little bit of my inspiration:

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holidays rule

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 05:18:00 +0000

Hope you all had a great holiday! Ours was very successful. Brian and I both took most of the day off of work Wednesday and had a fun tim getting the house clean and getting the last of our family room put together (he even vacuumed the whole house for me!! :) )

Having everyone bring a dish made it not too stressful for us. We did the turkey, which my parents taught us how to do- pretty easy actually. We had 20 people, multiple sides of the family which was good.

How was yours?!

my sister and our wonderful guys

My aunt, me, my cousin and my sister

All the women in my family- my mom and her 2 daughters and her sister and her 3 daughters and my cousin's 2 year old. We had lots of fun growing up together.

sitting at the adult table

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Brian and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving this year now that we have a house big enough for everyone! Thank goodness for parents who help us out. Brian and I are blessed that our families do Thanksgiving all together, including his sister's in-laws as well! My mom helped me organize all of the prep so we created a timeline:

3 weeks before// invite everyone and has them to RSVP
2.5 weeks before// gather RSVPs & inspiration
2 weeks before// create menu and share with everyone what they can bring
1.5 weeks before// grocery shop for what you can
1 weeks before// set table
week of// clean house & shop for & prepare everything else

Have you hosted Thanksgiving at your house yet? Any tips?

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NYC Day 3: Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I'm pretty much obsessed with Brooklyn and wish it was in Portland so I could live there.

wish I was here wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:38:00 +0000

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NYC Day 3: Brooklyn Flea

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:00:00 +0000

WE LOVE BROOKYLN. It took a little while to figure out how to get there but the trip was worth it. We had a blast and the flea market in Fort Greene, it was so fun. We all got a thing or 2 and took lots of pictures of things we wish we could afford.

I want to own this

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:19:00 +0000

Bargain shopper over here splurged big time yesterday to buy a nice new pair of jeans from Nordstrom to last me more than one winter season. I hate going to the mall because I just see lots of things I want but don't have the money to spend on them. If I were to have kept shopping yesterday, these are the things I may have bought:

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the truth

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Our Pastor's mom writes a beautiful blog and a post captured me the other day and has been stuck in my heart. As a follower of Christ I feel very embarrassed to share that spending consistent time in the word has been one of my biggest struggles as a believer. There have been seasons were I faithfully get up every morning and spend quality time in the word but it has not been a fluid season for the past 10.5 years that I've been walking with Christ. I've prayed to God asking for that struggle in my life to be gone once and for all, that every day for the rest of my life I would wake up and first clothe myself in Christ, wrap my heart up in his armor to tackle the day, the appointment I never miss. I've prayed for discipline, for it to become habit...

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But discipline and habit aren't the answer. Those aren't the things that will draw me close to God's heart and His love; desire will. When my heart longs to be with Him enough, I will make the sacrifice to get out of bed earlier. Lord, I pray for desire to be close to you daily, to know that my life is nothing without you first in it.

What did you think of her blog post? Do you feel this? Agree with her thoughts?

embrace november

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:17:00 +0000

people.. it is not December 1st it is November 1st. Why must we rush the year? I love Christmas and the winter season just as much as the next girl but I'm just not ready to celebrate it yet! It's the same reason we don't eat our dessert first, dinner is usually just as good as dessert but we'll never go back and eat the dinner once we've rushed off to dessert will we? Christmas has it's time my friends, let's enjoy fall all the way until the day after Thanksgiving, yes?!

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how I .. pack

noreply@blogger.com (Olivia) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Going to NYC you have to travel light as you have to haul your bag around sometimes more than you'd like to. This trip was a little tough to plan for weather wise as it was going to be a little different each day, cold and raining and sunny and humid all packed into 5 days. I tried to pack a mix of items with different weights and material as well.

Jewelry that goes with everything plus 2 statement pieces:

//6 outfits with a few modifications that could be made (1 more than days I'd be there, knowing I had 2 girls to share clothes with and that I would probably be buying a few things).
//cross-body bag so your shoulder doesn't get tired and everything is safe and secure

extra basics that go with anything and everything and add to an outfit