Small Fry

FRYday

HEY-O! Are we all alive? I am in the thick of Spring Break with my kids and we, gulp, stayed home.

ANTICIPATING: We have Bijou Market next week (the handmade, vintage, curated show I run three times a year!) and every weekend after that we have a wedding at State House so we are wrapping up the last of our renovations — adding a kitchen, a bride’s room, redoing all the bathrooms (and making one a big ol’ dressing room for the groom’s crew, more cosmetic changes, adding lights, sliding doors on the storage rooms, trying to decorate a bit and a few other things!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be done with this reno. Writing check after check really starts to hurt the soul but we are SO close!! So if you’re local and want to come see the space without having to set up an appointment come to Bijou!!

SHOPPING:

Did a quick little blitz online shopping trip to get some Spring faves I had been eyeing. I need jeans really bad, I’ve worn out several pairs this past year when I wasn’t shopping for new ones. Zara always fails me after awhile. They’re cute and comfortable but they RIP every time. H&M is just sturdier so I am hoping they pull through!

Here’s what we picked up – I’ll be sure to do a try-on on stories as!

Jeans // My all time favorite TEE OF ALL TIME EVER. They add a few colors each Spring but get white and black for sure. Not see through, doesn’t cling or show sweat, washes wonderfully. // Pocket Tee “Shirt” Dress – Zara styling is hilarious and whack. I am hoping this works as a nice Summer dress, it sure seems long enough. Comes in several colors too! // Orange Mules – a little out of the norm for me but I needed an orange shoe option and a little feminine touch wouldn’t kill me, right? // These black ankle wrap thongs are SO pretty on the foot. Just an upgrade from you Summer flip flop. // I’ve been eying these boots since Winter and they’re $50 now! I can never find a brown boot I like — these would go with a girly dress or skirt, skinny jeans or a boyfriend fit. With an all black look to break it up.

LISTENING: Found Liza Anne and am obsessed. She’s so raw, but still upbeat. You wouldn’t know the lyrics were dark AF+ funny too without really listening. Small Talks is my fave. But with songs called Anxiety Attack, Paranoia, Fine but Dying — there’s something for every nut job. Give it a whirl!

READING: I am still stuck on a book club book FROM THREE MONTHS AGO. Trying so hard to finish so I can move on– it’s good (highest ratings ever) it’s just LONG. The Way of Kings you’re ruining my life.

But we were sent The Heart of a Boy and it’s such a sweet read. So happy when my boys pick it up and flip through. It’s all about reinforcing the good and wonderful things about boys, showing all types with all kinds of interests, abilities, outward appearances, struggles, illness, etc. Very cool!

alt summit 2019

Alt Summit was such a good time. So eye opening for me personally + in business and I hadn’t seen so many of my favorite people in the industry for SO long, catching up was amazing!! Just wanted to put a few thoughts down and share my links in one place!

My packing strategy was zero this year — I have been working on styling other people for Alt for the last couple months and didn’t have the time to even really think about mine. I knew it was going to be hot so I just stuck to dresses. And put one order in to Uniqlo because they do classic pieces so well. I bought all my favorite sandals – some bold lips, earrings and sunglasses and prayed they’d all go together. Ha! Also wore this sweet necklace everyday and it has gone with everything ever since, love it!

UNIQLO – I bought all these dresses in a medium and could’ve handled a small. I never say that ever so that’s how big I think they run. Especially in yellow and mauve. White was fine but oversized still!

Yellow dress $30- pockets so comfy and its a full wrap so you’ll need a slip. Comes in a few colors! // Jean Jacket is Kayti’s @thebeyoutybureau // Sandals are old Zara and they were hot stuff a couple Summers ago so its not as easy to find but they’re all over Poshmark and Ebay! Heres a cute current pair! // Lip is Amalfi by Stila // Bag is also old Zara but have always loved this one!! — ALSO! Doing a sleek and messy top-knot tutorial on stories so catch that today if you’re interested!White dress $20 – perfect easy shift dress. Its my favorite silhouette and I’d wear it in every color. A few colors on this too! // Old Stella dupes – mine were from a different store and I can tell these are different but they’re also the only ones I could find so check them out if you love!! // Amalfi by Stila lip // Similar wood bag //Brown/Mauve Dress – This dress is gorg on and has pockets as well. // Criss cross sandals from Madewell just so happened to be the exact color. // Star Sunnies also the same color, deal with it. 😉

My friends always tease me that I have a false sense of sizing. I ALWAYS go too big. But usually its how I prefer it. This sweater dress is for sure too big, but oh well!! Its old Ann Taylor and I got it at a FLEA! A clothing swap we do a few times a year at the venue! (Follow @bijoumarket because that’s where we announce new dates!) // Sunnies are Celine Lola dupes and from here!

Swimmer is Kortni Jeane!! I love the swing top and the ribbed dusty rose material is so modern and fresh! Bottoms are here. You can also find a lot of KJ options on Amazon ! // Sunnies! Mani! Orange and black on a ballet pink – almond shape!

I think that’s it!! For the record Angelview Thrift was garbage. We laughed so hard at how bad it was, I took a rec from a very chic, enthusiastic local but I think she was punking me.

FOOD:

We ate out a ton and here are my highlight meals!

Cheeky’s – breakfast was better than lunch IMO but the chilaquiles were super good!

Bonita’s – get the double decker taco with carne aside. HOLY smokes.

Norma’s – best meal of the trip and we tried a million things. Everything was delicious, banana pancakes especially and I don’t even typically go for that.

Trio – pretty standard fare but all the dishes I tried were solid!

Cantala at the Riviera – everything was so bomb!

I wrote this post on IG about my experience with Alt this time around and was glad it resonated with so many of you. We really don’t give ourselves enough credit, validation or space to ebb and flow. It can’t be go go go all the time. I know this because I did it for years and I HIT.THE.WALL. I’m glad I still have some excitement here and there to post but am definitely not churning out content like I used to and that’s okay! It may change or it may not, but I’ll be sure to keep it real along the way. I so appreciate all of you for being here and always being so supportive. XOXO

ulta 21 days

If you haven’t been shopping the Ulta 21 Day sale, I’m with you. Nothing was grabbing me until today and I spotted a few more deals coming up that are worth getting on the ol’ calendar!

Today: Brow Wiz! It’s only $10.50 and its my all time fave. I’ve tried so many products but always come back to this one.

And don’t forget the deals that are ongoing – buy more save more items you can mix and match here. And so many you can combine brand exclusively.

BOGO 50% off my favorite fiber lash mascara — WILL NOT FALL I swear, false eyelashes (great for a boost without having to commit to extensions) my favorite drug store foundation (I like dewy best because it looks very natural but matte is great if you want a more airbrushed look, too!) Stock up on beauty blenders and basically anything Ulta – branded, too!

UPCOMING

Saturday March 30th – Stila Stay All Day Eyeliner, my #1 most used and re-ordered product! $11, 50% off. I will be stocking UP! Also this same day is Mario Badescu drying lotion which is the greatest thing for active breakouts ever.

April 5 – Too Faced bronzer and the next day April 6 a Lorac Palette Ive been eyeing for months.

#framefarme KITCHEN

This post is in partnership with Bosch home appliances. All thoughts are my own.

So excited to share the kitchen with you today! I teamed up with Bosch to do the reveal and I know a lot of you were waiting for my review, so I’ll do that first and then give you the tour of the kitchen below!

The original dishwasher we picked for the house was absolutely terrible and I polled my Instagram friends and was shocked at the couple hundred responses emphatically stating “BOSCH!” It was far away the fan favorite and I was lucky enough to strike up a review with them! Luckily, all you Bosch lovers were right and the 100 Series Dishwasher is excellent! So many features you’d expect in a super expensive upper end appliance, but it’s all there at the entry level!

Here are my favorite features!

The secret 3rd tray for silverware! It frees up so much space that I took out the silverware box on the bottom rack completely. More room for pots!

2. This thing is SO quiet. So quiet in fact it has to have a light to tell you it’s running. If it’s blinking it means it’s ready, but you didn’t push the button yet, dummy. Also the cycle is two hours and twenty minutes which is more than one hour shorter than my other one!!3. You can adjust the height of the middle tray so if you have tall things below, no problem! If you need more room for cups up top? No problem! I can fit everything in my sink no problem. This one is hard to show via photo, so check out my Instagram stories (it will be in the kitchen highlights after today) to see it in action!4. Seems like a small thing but all the dishwashers I’ve ever used have the detergent holders midway down the door. So of course you bend down to put it all in and then start it. The Bosch 100 Series detergent/rinse aid holder is AT. THE. TOP. No bending. I love thoughtful planning like this!5. Condensation Drying – Instead of intaking and creating hot air, Bosch 100 Series uses condensation to pull moisture from the dishes to the walls of the dishwasher! You know that feeling when you crack open a dishwasher and can’t put the dishes away for an hour because it’s too scalding hot? I love that this is more energy efficient and that I can handle the dishes immediately after.6. Fingerprint resistant stainless steel! Having a toddler underfoot and my kids’ daily job of emptying the dishwasher means that kids are constantly handling this machine. It doesn’t show it, and that means one less thing to maintain in our already hectic life!

AND now for the kitchen! I spent more time pouring over this kitchen and the layout than any other room, and you can see my scribbled drawings on Instagram today, but surprisingly the kitchen is almost 100% the same as I planned it a couple years ago!

When I was planning and thinking about daily tasks — the dishwasher was on the top of the list. I think it’s the most frequent chore in the kitchen so why not make the process super seamless? Everything was laid out to make that task extra easy.

From the dishwasher with basically just a pivot I can put away all the utensils:

There are several banks of drawers for plates, bowls, pots and pans, and all the kids cups, plates and silverware are at their reach in the lower cabinets: Then in the upper cabinets, adult cups, ( love the matte black plastic cup line from Target! The bowls can warp beware, but the cups are amazing and under $1!) hostess and serving ware and seasonings at my easy reach:Some other additions I’ve loved in the kitchen are the pot filler, which I use to water plants, too! Super convenient!The utensil cup drawer! So handy, everything is easy to see, and I even put my silverware in there. Tall enough for long handled BBQ tools, too!

The “Getting Ready for School” drawer. Everything I need to get my kids out the door is in this drawer, in a handled container I can grab out all at once. They brush their teeth at the kitchen sink while I do their hair, get their chapped lips taken care of, clip their nails, do a quick floss. It’s all there! Spray bottle // Brush // Smoothing Brush // Gel – love this one because its easy to handle and you can see where it is on the head before it dries. // Kids Flossers // Dispenser Toothpaste – will not use anything else!! Perfect for kids//These stoneware plates and bowls. They hardly show a scratch and are so sturdy for hosting! You guys keep selling them out but keep an eye on the link because they do restock!My junk drawer organizers. I shared this post last year and have found this system to stay pretty organized for the most part! (Cleaned it out thoroughly for this pic, of course.)The view. I love having such a breathtaking view while I’m working in the kitchen! On this side of the kitchen we have double ovens, baking supplies and measuring spoons, lunch boxes and water bottles, bibs, aprons and placemats, kitchen gadgets and slicers, frozen molds for ice and popsicles. The junk drawer above, and the big bank of cabinets on the right side has serving dishes, hostess platters, cutting boards, mixing bowls, tupperware and big appliances like my blender and juicer.Vertical Space. I really maximized our vertical space in this kitchen and the cabinets to the ceiling really allowed for a ton of storage options. I just grab a stool when I need things up high, and put my lesser used items where I can easily reach.

Additional links: Stools, Soap dispenser, Disposal button, and Faucet)

maps for kids

I’ve been thinking about things I learned at school that really benefit me as an adult and geography is one of them! So I thought if I have maps at their fingertips it might help! So far they’re 100% more interested than they were before, and that is thanks to this $13 puzzle and these placemats. Wanted to share a few other options I have my eye on!

Canvas Wall Hanging

Gathre Mats – bonded leather in multiple sizes (United States and World!) // Fell’s National Parks Map // Canvas Watercolor Map for the wall // Petit Collage Floor Puzzle // Minimal Laser Cut Puzzle // Colorful State Puzzle – Wooden ($12.99?!) // Map of Asia Puzzle – Wooden // United States Puzzle – Wooden Mural Wallpaper // Map game for the tub // Retro School House Map // An Interactive Map that has won all the awards //

5 Reasons to Go Full Tile

For the last topic I wanted to cover about our tile in our home I wanted to cover the most frequently ask question. Or maybe remark? In general people are very shocked to hear that we have tile EVERYWHERE, and we couldn’t be happier with it!:

You can see all our choices on a special Small Fry page on Marazzi’s site here!

Besides two places: the loft – which we did carpet (for sound absorption mostly slash against my will) and the toy room. The toy room is just sealed concrete for indoor scooter riding. #boymom

THE ALTERNATIVES. We were pretty adamant about tile and that simply came from life experience and living with a slew of other types of floor covering. Our wood floors got absolutely beat up. You can only claim you’re going for a “weathered look” for so long. And you all know how I feel about carpet. I hate how it gets matted down and shows high traffic areas. I hate how it shows stains, and if you have pets? Oof, forget about it. I only have one carpeted room in my house and I feel like I have spent hours, invested in carpet cleaners, solutions, and old fashioned nagging to it looking semi-decent.
FLOODING. Having a basement and a well on our property, lots of groundwater and a history of flooding in our area made tile the absolute smartest choice for our basement as well. When we dug out our basement at the beginning of our build it filled with water. Our town is not incorporated with any city, we’re under County jurisdiction. So we don’t have gutters, sewers and snow run off is on the property owner to deal with. We had 1 day above fifty degrees this February and we didn’t know, but one of our basement windows was filling with run-off. By the time we realized (bless you Hayes) we had at least an inch of water in our bunk room. The window well looked like an aquarium, filled with water nearly to the top. The water leaked through the window and drywall and then down to the floor. We will need to replace the baseboards and do some drywall repair but guess what? That’s it! Floor is like new.
KIDS. I’m not saying my kids are any harder on floors than another kid, but it sure feels like it. They’re constantly dragging furniture around for forts, running in with muddy boots, wrestling, jumping, spilling, stomping, scootering (not allowed but I know they still try to sneak them in — nanny cam!) Not to mention potty training, flu season, and anytime I pour them a glass of juice, ever. I am not necessarily any better. Stilettos, dropping dishes, rearranging furniture myself, we’re just really hard on our belongings. I can’t count how many times I’ve said or thought “so glad we have tile.” It cleans up right as rain every single time.
DECOR. We of course want our kids to feel comfortable playing on the floor, and lounging, so we’re very big on rugs. But we haven’t had much if any carpet for several years before this, and it never stops them (or me) from playing on the floor. From a decor standpoint I love that I can bring in a new texture, color palette, and style with a rug. If I want to update a room it doesn’t feel like such a big investment to grab a new rug or swap with another room. If they get spilled on, they can easily be replaced. I love the freedom of knowing it’s temporary. Most of our rugs were under $150 and when compared with the cost of carpet and replacing carpet, it’s much more affordable over time!
CLEANLINESS. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to take a mop over my floors and have them look brand new each time. The walls and baseboards might be showing signs of life, but the floors look so amazing still. Everyone comments on how it the Chateau Reserve doesn’t even feel like tile. It has a handscraped feel under foot. Has no slip to it and has that variety of wood but the hardiness of tile. It looks and feels amazing, but even more importantly I love knowing my floors are REALLY clean. They aren’t holding some bacteria, allergens, dust or some molecule way down some place I can’t reach. And my kids can get them clean, too!

We have so many different styles (see them all here!) of tile in our home, from ceramic, natural stone, trendy, classic, and of course the wood look tile that we loved enough to put it in 70% of our home. We were able to create variety, warmth, texture and style and it was all done exclusively Marazzi.

Spring Stock Up

This post has been sponsored by Healthy Essentials. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve got a pretty cool deal to share with you all today!! I know I say this prematurely every year, but it really feels like spring is on our heels. And with that, a new season to prep for. I always find myself stocking up with warm weather favorites, refreshing our wardrobes, deep cleaning, rotating the heavy quilts for lighter options and gearing up for being outside!

Johnson & Johnson is doing a special promotion that rewards you for stocking up as you normally would!

Get a $10 REWARD with your next $30 purchase (excluding tax) of participating Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies products. Keep your receipt and upload it online to qualify for a reward.

CLICK to redeem now!

(Offer valid 3/10/19 – 4/10/19. Reward must be chosen by 4/30/19. – Click above for full details)

Here’s a few of our family faves and I’ll list even more at the end of this post!

Band Aids and Neosporin. With three very active boys, we go through these like mad! I restock all our first aid kits for, and even an

easy adventuring pack for hikes, park trips or road trips. We put sunblock and sunnies in our packs, as well as insect repellent, antibacterial wipes, snacks, binoculars and our adventure journal where we can tape in cool things we find, take pictures, and print them on the go for memory keeping! And of course, plenty of Band Aids and Neosporin. We love the Band Aid Skin Flex because it moves with my busy guys!

Listerine Ultra Clean & Ready Tabs

are a new product I picked up that I am obsessing over! I have really busy work days and typically am not able to go home in between appointments. So when I pack for the day, I’ve gotta have it ALL! I’ve tried every mint on the planet (no gum for this TMJ girl), and so many of them left my mouth with that weird candy aftertaste in my mouth and fresh breath for just a minute or two. These Listerine Ready Tabs are the closest thing I’ve found that feels like you actually just brushed your teeth! They’re amazing. I don’t leave home without them when I have meetings, walk-throughs at the building, or am meeting Russ for a date. They’re clutch!

My bag essentials:

Johnson & Johnson recently reformulated their Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Wash and Shampoo so its even better, more safe, and gentler than before! I was so happy to hear that because its such a nostalgic product, and I’m happy to have it on my shelf again! This shampoo and body wash, their lotions, and other products all apply to the buy $30 get a $10 reward redemption offer!

Here is a list of all the applicable products you can stock up with!

Aveeno (excluding hair products)

Lubriderm

Neutrogena

Clean and Clear

Rogaine

Adult and Children’s Tylenol, Motrin and Zyrtec

Johnson’s

Desitin

Band Aid

Neosporin

Listerine

Don’t forget—visit www.activaterewards.com/family either on your mobile device or your desktop computer, enter your information, and submit the image of your full receipt by 04/10/2019. (Products must be purchased in-store. Online receipts will not be accepted.)

what to say when a friend starts meds

I mentioned on IG in passing that I had started a new medication and should’ve known that such a nonchalant drop wouldn’t fly with you astute humans. I wasn’t sure if I was going to speak about this, but then I had some heartbreaking conversations with some of you behind the scenes that motivated me to at least say one thing about it. Of course let me ramble a bit before I get to that one thing. You’re used to it by now, right? 😉

Image via The Voorhes

It seems that women are very quick to adapt to even the most unideal situations. It’s how I got pregnant when Hayes was 8 months old and told Russ I couldn’t get up with him every two hours anymore because it made me so nauseous, and Russ would have to start. Guess how long Russ got up with him every two hours? One night. Then he sleep trained him and Hayes slept through the night the rest of his life since.

I went 8 months on 2 consecutive hours of sleep at a time and didn’t realize that maybe that wasn’t the best way for me. Or even Hayes. I just adapted.

The past couple years I didn’t really have expectations about how our home stuff would go. I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know a soul who had done such a thing. So we adapted, we pushed through and I knew that when we moved in I could rest, I could slow my workload, we could regroup, we could rebuild our finances, we could have family time again, we could have Russ for longer than an hour a night.

We moved in and guess what? None of that happened. (Once again for the people in the back: try not to buy a commercial space right after you build a home yourself with one income.) Pulling equity out of the house to invest in our next project was always the plan, but we didn’t plan for it to happen so quickly. We had to keep moving at an unsustainable pace only now I knew better and it immediately put me into a tailspin. I can’t do this anymore!! I don’t want to!! So what went from livable anxiety, situational, something I could handle… to incessant, unending panic most hours a day… I knew I had to do something. I woke up with dread (not to be dramatic) even terror at the seemingly insurmountable odds against us. The light at the end of the tunnel kept escaping me.

It was at that moment that I realized I needed help! I’ve always been high functioning with anxiety and even depression at times. So from the outside and even the inside, medication didn’t seem necessary. But I knew how much I was suffering. My quality of life was suffering. To someone who lives for a good laugh, nothing was funny anymore. My baseline of existence was now just at the brink of a melt-down, of sobbing, of freaking out, of despair. Adrenaline coursing through my body all the time. Always ready for fight or flight.

So after a few months of this I finally made the appointment. I went to my doctor and she asked me those questions: How often do you feel ______?

Never, rarely, sometimes, often, alot of the time, all of the time.

Tears burned my eyes as I met question after question with a head hanging, barely audible, sometimes choked out, “all the time.” “All the time.” “All the time.” How did I let it get so bad?

It was SO incredibly interesting to see my own reaction as well as the reactions of others to treating my anxiety with regimented medication. My reaction to this process was to feel ashamed or guilty. I felt like I was cheating the system. Taking the easy way out. This is where the religious rhetoric of my upbringing stopped serving me. “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” There must be a way to handle this on my own?

WHO KNEW BETTER THAN ME HOW MUCH I WAS SUFFERING? And still, I put up so much resistance.

Bless my sister’s wise soul for telling me exactly what I needed to hear to shift my perspective. She said “Medication is like scaffolding on a building. Sometimes you need structured support to fix what’s going on inside.”

Doesn’t have to be forever, Em.

So I went into the unknown, I fought my own resistance. And I felt better. I am better. Things are funny again and to-do lists are manageable instead of debilitating.

I wasn’t the only one with a weird reaction. I had odd run-ins with several people I didn’t expect it to come from, never mind the fact that I didn’t really want to tell anyone anyway. ME: I started a new medication for my anxiety! THEM:

Are you going to therapy? or Have you tried deep breathing? or What’s your diet like? or You should go to yoga! or Mediation works wonders for me.

Yes. To all those things. Tried them all, will continue to use them as a part of my healing and maintenance.

But the trouble is, the second I walk out of the yoga studio, post-therapy, mediation pillow, deep cleansing breathing, the circumstances in my life that induce anxiety (valid, real things) aren’t going away.

So, and now we’re getting to the takeaway, you patient souls, here’s what I think. When someone comes to us and says,

THEM: I’m thinking about getting on medication. Or: I finally got on medication.

VERY FIRST THING, US: I’m so proud of you. I can’t imagine what you must have been going through.

PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE, conversation, conversation.

And then, the cleansing breath thing.

I know we all want to help, but we’re not sure how. We seek to find our common ground, and in turn we negate others’ unique experience. Let’s all give the assumption that a war has been waging in the minds of those who suffer long before they ever opened their mouths to tell us about it. We are merely a blip in their journey, but our reaction can empower or diminish them.

And for those of you reading this who are saying with your head hung low “All the time.” or even most of the time, or maybe just often enough. Only you know what it’s truly like to be you. Listen to that inner voice and do not give up. You will find what works for you, and you do not have to suffer alone. I can’t say this with enough power of my soul, if you ever need anyone to talk to, and you don’t know who. I am here. Maybe not the ideal, but I’ll do in a pinch.

xoxo

Emily

Beauty Drawer

Shared this drawer in my Stories yesterday and had a lot of questions about products, so I thought I’d put them all here!

This is my top drawer in my vanity cabinet and it has all my most used products as well as items that were too wide to fit in my mirrored medicine cabinets on the wall.

Low Profile Organizers are here. You can measure and get it more precise but I just had a mental place for all the products I’d need to fit and made sure I ordered enough containers. Super scientific!

Eyeshadows – singles are perfect for a drawer because you need to have a birds-eye view in order to see the colors. Palettes are good wide for the cabinets so it worked out that all my shadows are here! Naked Heat Palette is my most used, so pretty with blue eyes, but I think it would look great on anyone! Mac shadows I love and use daily as well are Shroom and Girlie.

Lips – Sarah Happ Slip for overnight. You’ll wake up and still have product on, it’s SO hydrating. Laneige has a better color so I stick that one as an everyday lip option. Still super hydrating, but doesn’t last a long as SH. Thanks to Jenna for getting me on that!

Teeth – toothbrush, paste and flossers. I keep flossers with me at all times and floss usually after meals but will also do one at night as well.

Skin – I keep my spin brush, dry brush, and PMD devices here. Dry Brushing is amazing for circulation, sloughing dead skin, and pre-fake tanning. Muji organic unbleached cotton swabs. Touching those white cotton balls makes me shudder — these are incredibly soft and amazing. Makeup Brush Egg to clean brushes out! Native Deoderant for an all natural option, but can’t quit Cashmere Mist when I know I have a long day.

Period Cups — if you haven’t tried, what are you waiting for! One million times better than a tampon. Safe, and since we have a septic tank now, I couldn’t flush tampons if I wanted to so very serendipitous that I found them a few years ago. I have the Diva Cup and the Bloody Buddy. Diva Cup is more comfortable for me, but the Bloody Buddy is shorter and you can trim the tail. Also BB colors are way better.

Hair – My favorite brushes are as follows: Ive been using the Phillips brush since I was born basically. So soft on your hair and great for sensitive heads. Wet brush detangling comb and this Teasing / parting Brush. My kids have regular wet brushes in their hair kit as well. // Spirall Hair Elastics, Clear Elastics. Listen, the zippered envelope is the superior packaging model. If you drop it they don’t all go flying!

#framefarme: MASTER

All tile and photos unless otherwise noted provided by Marazzi USA.

Thank you SO much for all your kind words on our home tour last week! Now that the general tour is live I can delve a littler deeper into each space and I got the most questions about the mater bath! So let’s dive in!

When we started designing the house Russ often said he would be buried in the yard. He has no intention of ever leaving until he’s old and gray. Designing for longevity proved to be a task in and of itself! What will last, what won’t go out of style in two years, what makes sense for our family right now and also as we get older? This is why we chose tile throughout, and inspired our selections as well.

TILE KEY: Floor – Class entino Marble in Palazzo White – Polished 24×24 // Backsplash on vanity – Luminescence in Charcoal // Shower surrounds – Classentino Marble in Palazzo White – Polished 12×24 // Shower and Laundry tray floor – Cenutrio Black Matte 2×3 Linear Hex //

I knew I wanted the master on the main floor (the kids are in the basement.) Not as easy with baby, but it’s been 100% doable with my older two. Minus the few days after the accidental scary movie the babysitter showed them last Halloween. 😉 It will be ideal for all when they’re teens, and also when we’re empty-nesters so felt like the right option to get the feel we really wanted for the main floor.I knew that I wanted our bedroom to feel connected to nature like the other spaces in house do. So we did sliding French doors (these are Andersen, and so smooth!) that go out onto our back patio, which will be covered on just our bedroom side. Can’t wait to add seating and the hot tub! On warm nights we love to leave the doors open and listen to the woods. You can’t hear people or cars or any city sounds in Wallsburg, it’s surreal. Minus the occasional moo or baa it’s basically wind through the trees!

Keeping our open floor plan from the main living space with vaulted walk ways, there is only a door to the master “suite” (and toilet room) and then everything else is open. I get a lot of comments about the large window and the huge glass showers, but privacy didn’t feel like an issue where we live and so far I haven’t wished for more of it! I can totally see why it might not work in the suburbs!This bathroom is so classic, but still us with the black tile accents – the shower and laundry floor is my favorite ever! . It looks and feels luxe and it’s hands down everyone’s favorite room in the house. Giving the tour, right on cue people start getting really excited and animated right when we walk into the master bathroom.Another FAQ: Is the the polished marble is slippery? It is when dripping wet! I don’t slip when I’m using something like a spray mop, but post-shower, yes. We learned that quickly and now we have bath mats we put down when we’re using the showers and baths and are sure to towel dry legs really well and there hasn’t been any problems since. Definitely not an issue enough to dissuade me from recommending it, and really not sure what else could give the instant luxure feel better than the Classentino Polished Marble. The tile cleans super easily and doesn’t show footprints like I thought it might as well. The shower glass gives me the most grief, but I still wouldn’t change it! Still working on the perfect supplies to get it sparkling! Something maybe silly, but I put all our shampoo conditioner and soaps in these clear pump bottles and I love how clean it looks. Small tip if you have a glass shower!The tub was a source of stress. I wanted a big tub. We’re both big bathers, and had tiny ones most of our marriage. Having room to stretch out, have your entire body submerged? Worth it! The blueprints were for a smaller tub that could be fully freestanding, but once we got to the end of it I realized the big tub wouldn’t really look freestanding in the space allotted. I sacrificed look for function, maybe one of the only times in my life. Ha! Also it has the perfect back slant!Being married for 13 years I know where our weaknesses lie. CLOTHING. Neither of us is very good at putting it away. So I knew the more surfaces in our master suite the more piles of clothes would be there. Our master bedroom has room for our bed, a couple chairs, the fireplace and that’s about it! That determined our closet as well. Washer and dryer in the master closet is such a game changer. I don’t throw that around lightly. If you’re a messy person who hates laundry, it really might be a must. I put the baskets on the shelf right above the washer and dryer to put clean laundry in until I’m ready to put it away. I use a different hamper for dirty clothes so no one is confused. We have this large custom cabinetry with 25(!) pull-out drawers. Our cabinet guy thought I was crazy. Each drawer is a category and when I do laundry quickly fold the item and drop it in. On our air dry rack we have these little hanging hooks — Russ wears a lot of the same work gear each week and so instead of putting it away he can put it on a hook for easy access. And then I know it’s not “dirty” on the floor and wash it unecessarily.The closet had to be re-designed 3 or 4 times. Each time getting smaller, losing storage space and making me tear up a little bit. 😉 But we made it work!! We have three levels hanging racks (I use this hook to get things down) for all my tops, skirts and dresses and then my jeans, trousers, socks, tights, work out clothes, pajamas and swim suits are folded in the cabinet. I have off-season shoes and clothing as well as keepsake stuff in the bins above the laundry baskets.One of the perks of building a home later in marriage is knowing full well what systems work and don’t. I knew I had to have medicine cabinets for all my beauty stuff. I LOVE and am more clean being able to open it up and see everything! In my dreams it would have been one long medicine cabinet with backlit lighting, but Ikea’s work great under a budget! It might actually fit another mirror between these two, which I am not opposed to!I love the texture that this Luminescence (charcoal) backsplash tile provides. It breaks up ALL the white and gives it a little edge. I’d love to paint the rest of the wall where the backsplash ends black, just to finish it a little more. Add a big piece of art next to the tub, and do a rad wallpaper in the toilet room, too! What do you think?