Christmas tree hunt

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

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.

Source: hairstylesolution.net via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: stylebistro.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: andredavishairstylist.com via Olivia on Pinterest

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

Source: spreadhisword.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

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

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!?

Source: turbotwister.ru via Olivia on Pinterest

ode to nate

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

Source: Uploaded by user via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: nateberkus.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: styledesignlife.blogspot.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: shopsweetthings.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: nateberkus.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: home-decor.hsn.com via Olivia on Pinterest

who are you inspired by in interior design?

the holiday spirit

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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Source: odessamay.blogspot.com via Olivia on Pinterest

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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

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

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:

Source: nfinteriordesign.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: ikeafamilylive.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: restoredstyle.com via Olivia on Pinterest

it's wednesday

so naturally I wish that I was here.

Source: woodennest.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

what about you?

i feel like i have a new favorite animal

Source: society6.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: dontcallmebetty.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

our dining room

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:

Source: thenletitbe.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: restoredstyle.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: news.evrtstudio.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Source: designed-for-life.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest