The Cat Lover’s Aromatherapy Bangle is a flexible bracelet (which twists to fit most wrists) and features just enough bling to draw attention to its delicate cat cutout. The bangle also serves…
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Nineteen Pups!
From the Facebook page of Kingman Animal Hospital in Arizona: The staff of KAH (11 of us) successfully delivered 19 Great Dane puppies this morning by C Section! All live and healthy! Mom doing great! These puppies do not belong to KAH or any of the staff. Thank you all for the kind words and […]
Our Family Room Redesign Reveal!
This post is in partnership with Joybird.
As most of you likely know, after an excruciatingly long process, we finally bought our first home about a year ago. We were so thrilled with the neighborhood (and also so exhausted from literally years of searching) that we made an offer within minutes of seeing it for the first time. I have no regrets, but I don’t think we fully realized at the time just how much remodeling and redesigning we’d need to do to make it our own. The house itself was in wonderful condition for the most part, but it was a little dated and a very different style than we personally like in terms of paint, decor, etc. The past year has definitely been an ongoing process of making our house a home (with lots more to go), but we’ve done every single aspect of it ourselves, which has been rewarding on so many levels.
The first thing we did after getting settled in was to makeover our backyard with a new stamped concrete slate patio and DIY slat wood wall. Next, we completely redesigned and remodeled our laundry room into a functional, beautiful space that we absolutely love. After that, we painted and redecorated both kids’ bedrooms and remodeled our downstairs bathroom. But our most recent overhaul is my favorite, because it’s the main room of the house, and the space in which we all spend the most time – the family room. And today, I’m revealing the finished product with you!
Side note: I wish I’d taken some “before” pictures, rather than just this process shot directly above, but I was so pumped and motivated to work on it that I was sort of lost in the moment – which is actually kind of great when you’re doing something creative.
Now to be fair, this was not a massive remodel like the laundry or bathroom (or what the kitchen will be if we ever stop avoiding it). The space itself was fine; it just wasn’t our style. And after a year of spending everyday in it as a family, we decided it was time to make it our own. We knew that with a few coats of paint, some lighting and decor changes, and, most importantly, some new furniture – specifically a new sofa and coffee table from my favorite furniture company, Joybird, that could serve as the focal points of the space – the room could be our dream come true. So we got to it.
The first thing we did (after replacing the wood toned blinds with white ones and getting an area rug) was to change the wall color from a sort of dusty turquoise to a fresh white. I know white has been super trendy for years now (as much as a truly neutral, classic paint color can be), and truth be told, I’ve always avoided it for this reason and went for grays instead. But I knew I really wanted the furniture and decor to pop in this room, and I am so glad we went for it because I genuinely love how it looks.
After painting, we focused on the details around the fireplace. We removed the sconces (which were faux pillar candles) and replaced them with simpler, more industrial looking black/brass designs. We also added simple wall-mounted shelves on either side where I could display some of our favorite books and decor items, along with some plants.
The next step was to add some artwork to the walls (the pieces you see over the sofa are actually 1:1 scale drawings of both my babes on the days they were born), along with a beautiful fiber wall hanging, and some plants throughout the space (because almost nothing makes me happier than a room full of lush green life!).
Finally came the most important detail of our updated family room – the sofa and coffee table. For me, these items represent the focal point of a living room or family room, so I spent a lot of time making a decision about exactly what I wanted in terms of beauty and function. I’d been drooling over Joybird‘s furniture for years (if you like mid century design and/or are inspired by designers like Frank Lloyd Wright or Eero Saarinen, their furniture is heaven on earth), and knew I wanted pieces from their collections. They just have so many options and so many gorgeous styles that it took us a while to decide which pieces to get!
In addition to the variety of styles they offer, one of my favorite things about Joybird is the fact that is each piece is fully customizable – so you are truly able to get exactly what you want. And they make this process easy, by offering a free swatch kit that allows you to see (and feel!) the different fabric options in advance. (They also offer a 365-day trial and will pair you with a personal design consultant to help you with everything from design to delivery schedule and more, all the way through your trial – which is undeniably awesome.)
For the sofa, we were smitten with the look of the Eliot Reversible Sectional, and knew it was perfect for our space. (We also loved the fact that it can easily be changed from a sectional to a regular sofa with the quick switch of a cushion!) Deciding on a fabric was a little more challenging though, so we ordered a swatch kit. Just a few days later we had it in our hands and narrowed it down to a few, ultimately choosing the Sunbrella Premier Fog – a gorgeous light grey from their Safeguard collection. (We did a test of this stain resistant fabric by pouring coffee on the swatch and watching it wipe right off. As a house with two rambunctious little ones, we were sold.) We were also able to view photos of the different wood options for the legs and ultimately went with Mocha, a rich brown.
Next came the coffee table, which was a little easier, only because the Webb design was love at first sight for both Robbie and me. We also both agreed that the Walnut option would create a lovely cohesiveness with the Mocha legs of the Eliot, so that was a no brainer as well. We were also big fans of the fact that Webb Coffee Table has extra storage, with a large drawer and built in shelf.
We waited just a few weeks for our new of Joybird furniture to be custom created by hand just for us, and when they arrived, it was like Christmas morning. The delivery company brought them inside our house and set them up for us, and instantly, the new the room was complete. I’d never ordered a sofa without actually seeing it in person first, so I was admittedly a little nervous. But my fears were diminished the moments I saw it in the room. It is beyond stunning. The quality and attention to detail is unsurpassed. Truly. I was also a little hesitant about ordering Safeguard fabric because sometimes stain resistant fabrics can feel stiff, but this is soft and cozy. The sofa itself is as comfortable as it is attractive, and it takes the look of the entire room up a notch. I genuinely adore everything about it. The coffee table is equally as lovely and functional. It looks like a show piece, but the drawer and hideaway area make it practical, which is a big one for us. It’s by far the most beautiful coffee table I’ve ever seen.
I can honestly say that aside from the vintage 1960s credenza (also in our family room) that belonged to my fellow mid century design lover and beloved grandmother Maggo (my daughter Essley is named after her maiden name, by the way), the Eliot Reversible Sectional and Webb Coffee Table from Joybird are my all time favorite pieces of furniture. I absolutely treasure them, and have no doubt they will become heirlooms in our family. I’ve also become a huge fan of the company itself and what they stand for. With every item that Joybird sells, they are committed to planting more trees than they used to make the items, with over 300,000 trees planted so far. I love this so much.
Unlike the other spaces in our home that we’ve redesigned or remodeled which took days or weeks at most, it was a slow, steady, several month process for our family room. But I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. We tried to mix elements of everything we love when it comes to design – from beautifully minimal mid century lines to the texture and pattern of bohemian style to earthy elements – and created a room that is 100% us. It’s my very favorite place to be.
Thank you for letting me share our family room design with you, and for allowing me to profess my love for Joybird! I have been recommending them to my friends and family incessantly since we received our sofa and table, and I highly recommend them to you guys as well. Did I mention they have a limited lifetime warranty? It just gets better and better.
If any of you have done a family or living room model too, I’d love to hear more about your process or see photos! It’s so inspiring to be able to share recommendations and bounce ideas off one other when it comes to home design and decor.
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Mashed Potatoes and Other Small Victories
Thank you Idahoan® Mashed Potatoes for sponsoring this post. Idahoan® Mashed Potatoes are real potatoes, real easy, delivering homemade taste on demand.
One of the greatest lessons in parenting I’ve learned over the last five years is that you need to celebrate the small victories, because very little goes as planned. Sometimes a small victory can mean simply getting the kids dressed and out the door in time for school, even if they’re wearing mismatched clothes and have knots in their hair. When my kids go right to sleep with limited fussing or fighting (key word being ‘limited’ rather than ‘no’) that’s a small victory. Sometimes a small victory can mean watching my kids stop in the middle of a major sibling fight and hug each other. Other times it just means getting to go to the bathroom by myself.
When it comes to small victories though, I don’t know if it applies anywhere in my life with little ones quite as much as it does to meals. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was absolutely certain she would only consume the uber health conscious foods I provided her, and that she would eat exactly what we were eating, just in smaller portions. (I was a phenomenal parent before I became one.) Well, that did not work out. Then I had a son who actually loved eating what we did, enjoyed trying new foods, and preferred fruits and vegetables to sweets. Unfortunately, that only lasted until about year two, and then he followed in his sister’s footsteps. Not only do my kids almost always want to eat different foods than we do, they also want to eat different foods than each other. So when we find a food that we all love, it kind of feels like a miracle.
There are only a few foods that every single person in our house loves to eat: black bean tacos, cheese pizza, smoothies, Thai food, apples, and mashed potatoes. For me, mashed potatoes is probably the winner of all of these, because it can be served along so many other dishes and therefore made multiple times per week. There is a slight problem with mashed potatoes though – they take a lot of time to make, and time isn’t something we have before weeknight dinners. This is why I was so stoked to discover Idahoan® Mashed Potatoes. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Idahoan Mashed Potatoes are not just a small victory, they’re a huge one.
Idahoan Mashed Potatoes are made from 100% real Idaho® potatoes, so they have incredible taste and texture. They even earned the title of “America’s Favorite Mashed Potatoes,” which was well deserved if you ask me. But here’s the best part – they are ready in just minutes. I mean like prepared and on the table in less than ten minutes from start to finish. So whether I’m serving a perfectly prepped, elaborate meal (which let’s face it, maybe happens once every other month) or whipping up something simple in just a few minutes, it’s easy to make Idahoan Mashed Potatoes a part of it. Even when my kids complain about the rest of the meal, I know they’ll love and happily eat them. And obviously, my husband and I will too. (I like eating them alone for lunch or a snack too. Mashed potatoes forever!)
Having kids is admittedly much different than I envisioned before I became a parent. It’s awesome and wonderful in ways I could not possibly have imagined, and I am incredibly grateful for every single part of it. It’s also hard. Really hard. It’s exhausting and dirty and sometimes feels a little soul sucking if we’re being honest here. But that is part of what makes it great, because it allows us to so deeply appreciate those small victories. And whether it’s getting a toddler to take liquid medication without barfing, realizing your older child’s barely worn soccer shoes fit your younger kid, or discovering a food that everyone in the family loves that can also be be made quickly and easily, a small victory is reason to celebrate.
If you’re looking for a super convenient way to serve up a small victory in your house via the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had, go grab yourself a bag of Idahoan Mashed Potatoes. We love the Buttery Golden Selects (so rich and tasty), but they’re also are available in Buttery Homestyle®, Butter and Herb, Bacon & Cheddar Chipotle, Roasted Garlic, and Four Cheese. Yum!
Have you had any small victories in your house lately?
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5 Benefits of Whitening Teeth with Charcoal
This post is sponsored by Crest. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible.
Over the final months of 2018, I talked quite a bit here about dental health. Health and wellness in general were sort of a theme for me last year, in my real life and here on the blog, and taking care of my teeth/gums/mouth were a part of that. After talking to my dentist and reading all sorts of studies, I learned just how much dental health is connected to the health of the rest of our bodies, which prompted me to take my teeth and mouth health very seriously.
Admittedly, the holidays were a time of indulgence for me (as they are for many), and I let my healthy eating habits and fitness routine slide in a big way. But it is important to me to continue the healthy journey I was on last year throughout 2019, and I’m starting to get back on track. I just cut out sugar again a couple of weeks ago, and have slowly begun to amp up exercise again as well. And while I’m happy to say that I continued to make mouth health a priority even when I was neglecting the rest, I’ve been looking for even more ways to keep my teeth in the best shape possible, inside and out.
Enter charcoal. You’ve probably heard about activated charcoal for whitening teeth. It’s been pretty trendy recently, and as with anything that’s trendy, I definitely had my doubts. I had to try it though. And I was impressed by how well it worked, but turned off by the mess it left in my sink and in my mouth (and even under my nails). It was suggested that I try Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy with Charcoal toothpaste instead. I picked some up at Walmart, and you guys, it was a game changer. There was no mess, and I’ve been beyond pleased with the results. I’ll get into that more in a minute, but for now, I wanted to share some of the benefits to whitening your teeth with charcoal, from my own experience and from research I’ve done.
1. Charcoal can whiten surface stains without harsh chemicals.
If you’re looking to whiten your teeth in a more natural way, charcoal is a great alternative to chemical treatments.
2. Charcoal is an affordable way to whiten.
Getting your teeth whitened at your dentist’s office can be seriously pricey. Using a charcoal toothpaste like Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy with Charcoal instead is an affordable way to remove surface stains at home, resulting in whiter teeth that don’t cost a fortune.
3. Charcoal has natural antibacterial properties.
Charcoal can help remove bacteria from your teeth and mouth, resulting in a cleaner feeling and fresher breath. When combined with an invigorating mint flavor like in Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy with Charcoal toothpaste, my mouth feels the best it ever has.
4. Charcoal toothpaste works quickly.
It took me less than a week brushing with Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy with Charcoal toothpaste to notice a difference, which is much less time than most other whitening toothpastes I’ve tried.
5. Charcoal can benefit the body beyond the mouth.
Activated charcoal has benefits that go beyond just whitening teeth. It can even help with detoxing your digestive system by absorbing toxins. So cool, right?
All of this said, there are some disadvantages to brushing with pure activated charcoal, like the mess I mentioned earlier, and the fact that it can be too abrasive on enamel when used straight. That’s why I choose (and my dentist recommends using) a toothpaste that contains charcoal instead. I am loving my Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy with Charcoal so much, and can’t wait to continue to see results with time. Just like regular charcoal, it whitens surface stains, but it actual strengthens enamel rather than weakening it, which is a huge bonus. Brushing with it is fun too! The charcoal ingredient creates a sparkly grey striped toothpaste that creates a grey foam that lightens when combined. That means no mess! The minty flavor tastes great and leaves my mouth feeling ultra clean too. I’m smitten.
And while not a charcoal toothpaste, I also feel the need to mention another new toothpaste in Crest’s 3D White line that I have been loving: Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy with Coconut Oil. I use coconut oil throughout the day everyday, so I was really excited to try this. The vanilla mint flavor is everything, and it also does an incredible job removing surface stains to whiten teeth while strengthening enamel.
These babies are my newest secret weapons in my dental health journey! I highly recommend heading to your local Walmart and picking up one of each. Then let me know what you think.
Have any of you brushed your teeth with charcoal?
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8 Tips for Bringing Your Dog to a Pet Expo
Spring is just around the corner here, and we’ve been looking at pet expos and vendor fairs for booths for our PawZaar gift store. We’ve already signed up for POPCats Austin in May but…
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GIVEAWAY: What do YOU carry when you walk your dog?
The favorite part of my day is dog walking time. Every morning and every evening, I head off on a dog walk, usually 30-45 minutes in length. When we’re on a day trip or overnight getaway with…
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Happy Love Day!
From all of us here at Bubby and Bean, Happy Love Day!
I know this day isn’t for everyone, and I get that – it’s admittedly very commercial, it often excludes those not in relationships, and love should be celebrated everyday, not just reserved for one day. But I personally am, and always have been, a fan. It’s never been about romance for me. In my mind, the ideals that surround Valentine’s Day – kindness, friendship, compassion, generosity, and good old fashioned love – deserve to be celebrated. I also adore seeing my little ones get so excited to make cards for their friends and family and to learn more about the importance of loving and being loved.
I said this last year too, but it may be even more relevant today: I hope that the love that is shared and felt on this Valentine’s Day spreads abundantly throughout our country and the world, where I think we can all agree, it is very much needed. Happy Love Day, friends. I love all of you!
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Pig Ears For Dogs
Just like humans, pets deserve a special treat every so often, and times like these call for dog owners to go out of their way to do something their dogs will love. Surprises of this nature go a long way in showing your canine companion that you appreciate them for all the unconditional love they give you.
Dog owners have all …
Dog’sHealth.com Blog
Westminster 2019: Best in Show Results
Without further ado, tonight’s winner of Best in Show at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is… Wire Fox Terrier King (I think they should make them have their own show – they’ve won so many times!) And Reserve Best in Show goes to Havanese Bono. Congrats to all the competitors!
