homestead

This past week, as I mentioned, I was in Minnesota for a family reunion. I had no idea what I was really getting into, as I've never even met the people who were going to be in attendance. My immediately family was going to be there, but none of my dad's siblings or parents were able to make the trip (they're on the East coast). So I kinda felt like we were crashing someone else's reunion. I thought it was one of my grandpa's brother's families that was hosting, but it turned out to be my great-grandpa's brother's family that was hosting. Whoa. That goes waaaay back. Since my great-grandpa was one of five (ish?), and he had 13, and his brother had 13, and after that I got lost about who had who and how many....there was a LOT of family represented. And it was precious. I loved being able to walk up to guys and say without a doubt, "You must be my grandpa's brother," because they looked just like him. I loved seeing my great-grandfather's homestead, where my grandpa was raised with his 12 siblings. I loved hearing the stories of growing up there from my great uncles. It was like stepping into a time machine.

This beloved home remains in the family, and my great uncles take turns caring for it and trashing it (depending on how good the hunting is on any given weekend). It's a piece of living history and base camp for family that still lives nearby.

The most striking thing about the homestead is its size. In a world where I have a bedroom for each kid, and we are only having the boys share for company and memory-making, it is shocking to see a home with three tiny bedrooms for a family of 15. My great-grandparents had a cozy room on the main floor. The stairs in the center of the house led straight into a 3 ft wide by 3 ft deep closet, flanked by two small rooms: One for girls and one for boys. A tiny crib was nestled among the beds.

It is immediately evident that these kids didn't have 10,000 Lego bricks to store or a stuffed animal collection so large it had to be rotated.

It makes you pause and think about the abundance we have. It makes you appreciate it, and at the same time wonder if what you deem normal and necessary is just plain craziness. In any case, it's interesting.

Since my grandparents couldn't make it, they sent a picture with their regards from IHOP. How cute is that? ;D

You can see how the house overlooks a lake, which the family calls "Pete's Lake" after my great-grandfather. I'm so grateful I got to visit this house. It's a place where time doesn't seem to exist, and you can lose yourself in the landscape and the breeze. And I'm so grateful I got to meet my extended family and hear about my grandpa's childhood. My great uncle said, "We were a poor family, but you wouldn't find a happier one."

new beginnings // laura design company

Oh man, this is one of those posts that's hard to write. I get sooo shy sometimes and especially when I talk on the internet about things I'm doing with my life. Like real things. Big things. When it comes to sharing big news, I'd prefer to just slip it under the radar. But this isn't the kind of news you let leak out there without a proper blog happy dance. So here it is....deep breath. I own an interior styling business!

I'm getting better at saying that with a straight face, but internally I'm freaking out and saying it more like, "I OWN AN INTERIOR STYLING BUSINESS!!!!" followed by an over-long string of the dancing girl emoji and several of that monkey with its hands over its eyes.

As much as I hate to use an already overused phrase, I can't stop thinking of how perfectly the words "dream come true" apply here. All the way back in my freshman year of college, when I thought I'd major in history, I took one of those what-should-I-be-when-I-grow-up quizzes they pass out at career counseling, and the unequivocal answer was Interior Designer. I didn't exactly heed the wisdom and instead got a fashion merchandising degree, but the dream was firmly planted. I went on to intern for an interior design firm, work in the commercial interiors industry, and ended up doing styling and merchandising for an interiors retail store. It always felt like I was dancing around the dream job (or maybe working toward it), but then babies came along and I hit the career pause button.

Last year, when I started this blog, I decided it was a great way to dip my toe back into career waters. Little did I realize I'd soon be falling face first in the pool!

You may remember when I featured the gorgeous home of my long-time friend Laura Peacock last June. She and I met through our mutual friend, Adrienne, who brought her to a mom's playdate group we were starting, way back when our oldest kids were mere toddlers. I still remember setting up the pack n' play for that first group at my house, knowing a girl named Laura would be joining us and bringing her baby. That group turned into a bible study that stayed together for years. That girl became a dear friend.

I suppose it was my writing about her house that made Laura and I connect over our enthusiasm for interiors; I honestly don't remember ever talking much with her about the subject before that! At a barbecue a couple months later, probably as she and I were standing in my kitchen discussing tile or something, her husband randomly said, "You guys should go into business together." Heh. Sure, Justin. Whatever.

Even though that seemed like a total impossibility, I think we both felt a spark at those words. About 5 minutes after he said it, I already knew I'd do it in a heartbeat if I got the chance.

In October, Laura's church asked her if she would help redesign their new offices. Like me, she was on career pause to stay home with her kids, but her brother-in-law, the pastor, knew she'd have fun brushing off her interior design degree for a quick project.

She asked me if I wanted to help, and since my single goal in life at the time was to have pretty projects on my blog, I was all in! We did the job in just a few weeks on a shoe-string budget, DIY-ing and thrifting our little hearts out, and had an absolute blast. Bringing the staff in to reveal the space and watching them totally freak out with excitement was SO indescribably fun. And we worked well together. Like, really well.

I remember sitting over coffee and talking with her after that about what it would be like to do it for a living. "Someday."

In January we got an email from a couple in her church named Dan & Grace. I think I'll always love Dan & Grace. They sent us an adorable impassioned plea for help decorating their home, and there was truly no way we could resist. They had a darling place and had already done a ton of work to it, and really just needed help pulling together that final layer. Laura and I hastily brainstormed about what kind of services we could offer and all of a sudden found ourselves making crazy grown up stuff like proposals and invoices and logos. It was bizarre but wonderful! Just like that, we had our first clients.

We ended up doing what we now call a Custom Design Package, where we gave them the floor plan and shopping list for them to put together as their time and budget allowed. They've been kicking butt on the project and have made unbelievably fast progress considering we basically did plans for their whole house. We've been getting sneak peeks from them and I jump up and down every time I see more of it come together. The whole process was a total joy.

So what now? We considered just taking jobs as they came, if they came, and keeping it on the side as a fun hobby. But more people called than we expected. And it became apparent we needed to figure out what to tell them. And a website would be easier than explaining it over and over again. And if you have a website, and a name, you want to make sure you can actually use the name before you put it out there too much. And how would people pay you without a business bank account? It just became obvious that an LLC was a necessary step. We weren't ready (and we might never be ready), but to quote my brother, "Man up, this is happening!"

So today, I'm excited to introduce you to Laura Design Company. (It had to be named that since we're both Laura right? I mean seriously, what are the odds?!) And I'm excited for you to get to know my sweet partner and friend! I have so much admiration for her- her grace, her style, her love for the Lord. She's a true class act and I'm grateful to be on this adventure with her.

Photo by Ellen Swalley

And that's my news! There are some moments I think it'll all just fizzle into a forgotten dream, and some moments when I think I could look back on this post years from now and be in awe of all that's come to pass. Either way, it feels like I've been given a precious gift. We'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where the path takes us.

Thank you ALL so much for your incredible support in this exciting (terrifying! thrilling!) new adventure. We will be working on our website over the coming weeks and plan on having an official launch once it's all pretty and presentable. But for now, I just had to give a sneak peek to my sweet friends and blog readers. I can't say how grateful I am that you're here with me.

Please come visit us at Laura Design Company and follow us on Pinterest- I can't wait to see you there. 

Here's to new beginnings!

5 ways to simplify your next kid party

This weekend my youngest son turned 3. I won't even get into how impossible that seems. But at his request, we threw a Minion birthday party. (The Minions are those little yellow guys from Despicable Me that are everywhere in stores right now, for those of you who aren't up on your non-English-speaking-banana-eating-fart-gun-shooting-weird-little-creature Kid Lore at the moment).

Warning: The Minion color palette could make your eyes bleed, so tread carefully if it's been a while since your last little kid birthday party.

I tried to keep this party really simple, but I also wanted to honor and celebrate our littlest guy. (You know how easy it would be to skip a big to-do for that poor third child...) I think I was really successful on both accounts, and my husband was even overheard saying, "This was the easiest party we've ever thrown." Trust me, that is music to my ears. (Let's just say that usually the 48 hours before and again after a party aren't always peaceful around here).

Now that it's all said and done, I am sharing the tips I employed to pull together a festive and fun birthday for our little guy, without making myself (or anyone else) insane.

1. Shop Online

Very shortly after my son declared his party theme was going to be Minions (and I cried inside a little), a company called Party Pail reached out and asked if they could send me some of their party supplies to try. I had never shopped online before for this type of stuff, but as soon as I hit the "solid colors" section of their website, I was like, um yes, yes you can.

I usually wait until the week before the party and grab armloads of random stuff at Wal-Mart or Party City. I can't stand errands, so I wait until the last minute on purpose to do this kind of drudgery. Plus, there's never a good time to get there. I either have to take my kids (which I have learned is not a good plan), or leave the house in the evenings (which is no fun for someone whose strict policy is not to move after 7 pm). And then because nothing at Wal-Mart or Party City ever quite fits the plan in my head, I stay up until all hours trying to tweak and DIY my way to party perfection.

After filling my cart at Party Pail, I quickly realized I've been depriving myself of a wonderful thing all these years: Pajama-Couch Shopping. No going out in the cold after dark, no chugging after heavy shopping carts in tundra-like parking lots, no trying to wait for a free evening, no trying to sneak party favors past the kids. It was glorious!

And they had really cute stuff at really good prices. I got paper napkins, placemats, utensils, cups, paper straws, baking cups (that were adorable - I filled them with bite sized watermelon for the kiddos), TONS of balloons, treat boxes, and paper fans. It was literally a party in a box. And once I got everything open, I went back and ordered more. Sure, you can't be quite as big a procrastinator if you're doing it online, but this was my most favorite party shopping ever.

(Quick tip on the balloons: I was going to buy a disposable helium tank to fill them from Party City. It was $40 and would fill 25 balloons. But then I noticed they rent tanks as well, which fill 55 balloons but still cost just $40. We ended up going with the rented version and it was slick as rain. You pay a refundable deposit and get it for 2 days. It was perfect- and definitely easier than ordering pre-filled and trying to fit that many balloons in your minivan too!) Also yes I have a minivan. Real designers have minivans. Bahaha.

2. Consolidate Decor

My friend Steph recently threw the. most. gorgeous. first birthday party for her youngest son. When I popped over to help her hang some garlands, she totally had an epiphany. She realized that by trying to decorate the entire house and yard, none of her "party zones" would ever make a very big impact. Even though she'd made a boatload of decorations, they didn't feel like a huge quantity because they were spread too thin.

After she said that, we decided to hang ALL of her cupcake garlands in the foyer. She had hit the nail on the head- when you group things that way, the impact is massive and you need less decorations.

I took that lesson to heart when I decorated for my party. Instead of spreading decorations throughout the house, I focused on decorating only our dining space. The mass of balloons wouldn't have been impactful at all if they'd migrated to other rooms, but by keeping them all in a tiny space together, it felt like a mountain of balloons!

The same was true for the photo backdrop. If you hang paper fans by one's and two's all around a house, it doesn't make a statement like one giant wall of them can.

3. Forgo the DIY's

Sometimes it's just not worth it to DIY. I am only a fan of DIY when it saves you HUGE money, and/or when the thing in your head isn't available or isn't available at a price you can afford.

Over the years, I've made more than my fair share of party decorations, including paper pinwheels. They're simple and inexpensive to make so I thought I was coming out ahead. (I've even blogged about how to do it). Then I saw that Party Pail sold them, and for only $2.49 each! Those things take at least 20 minutes a piece to make and cost $2 each in scrapbook paper. So, this was really a no-brainer.

I bought 12 and hung them up, all together, on one wall to make a photo backdrop. Even including many bouts of hysterical laughter catching up with my mom and aunt as I decorated, I did the whole wall in less than the time it takes to DIY one pinwheel. All it took was scotch tape and an occasional sanity-check with a level.

4. Give the Cook a Break

Ahem, the cook would be you. The older I get, the more I realize my passions do not lay in the kitchen. (And I'd like to pause here to say no judgement if you love to throw elaborate parties, enjoy DIY's tremendously, and get massive pleasure from preparing gourmet spreads- go for it! This post is about making yourself happy and not crazy. Do what makes you that).

Anyway, I do not like to cook at all. So coming up with a meal for a crowd is enough to send me into hysterics. Plus, there's so much mess in the kitchen to contend with as you're trying to get everything else ready. So my go-to food plan these days is letting Costco do the cooking. Here are my favorite things to grab for various parties:

- Brussels sprout/ kale shredded salad kit (located in the "cold room")

- Spinach salad/ poppyseed dressing box salad (in the pre-made food cooler toward the back by the deli. It has eggs and grape tomatoes and dried cranberries).

- Pre-made rotisserie chicken salad

- 12 pack of bakery croissants (I do not leave Costco without these. Ever.)

- Food court pizza. You can pre-order one for $10 from the food court. They are huge, delicious, floppy New York style pizzas that that are hot and ready at whatever time you specify. (Just remember the food court only takes cash).

- Baked Mac N' Cheese. This is back in the pre-made section as well. I crumble saltines and stir them with melted butter and sprinkle on top, because this dish isn't caloric enough on its own.

-Rotisserie chicken. A whole chicken for $5. You can't beat that.

- Fruit. Costco has great fruit for a crowd, and if you don't have time to cut watermelon, there are plenty of pre-cut fruit trays.

- Chips, dips, and snacks. Anything. Seriously, any of them.

- Acaia chocolate-covered blueberries. Oh sweet goodness.

(For the record, I don't get ALL of this for the same party, but wanted to share all of my favorite party fare in one place).

This is actually a super fun game I played with someone the other night. We tell each other all of our favorite stuff to buy at Costco. (End of game). Your turn- go!

5. Cheat on the Cake

I cheated on the cake soooo big time. My friend Steph not only knows how to hang a mean garland, but she is the most talented home baker I've ever met. Her cake creations are beyond stunning. So I asked her if she would make the cake for this party (and for the record, all parties I ever have from now on). So yes, this Minion is a cake. Can you even believe it?!

I know!! She's awesome. Obviously, that makes me a total cheater on this list of "ways to simplify" because I'm sure it took her more hours than I want to know about. And because not all of you have a Steph.

But I will tell you how I would cheat on a cake if I didn't have a Steph: Target.

Clearly you aren't going to get this kind of cake at Target. But I learned at my oldest son's 6th birthday party that kids don't care! That year, I ordered a sheet cake at Target for only about $15 and had them add some icing writing in our theme colors (that time it was Ninjago Legos, another lovely palette, ugh!) but told them to leave the top of the cake with a large blank area. Then I loaded it up with his Ninjago toys arranged in a battle scene. No cake has ever been oohed and ahhed over by a group of kids more than that one. It was crowded around, photographed, and fawned over. That's when I realized that kids don't necessarily need a gourmet cake. (Wha?!) Their needs list basically ends at toys and sugar when it comes to birthday parties.

Hopefully this list encourages you that you don't have to be a super mom or exhaust yourself staying up late to DIY in order to throw your kids a cute birthday party. I've done plenty of that, and I'm sure I will again (even as I write this I'm dreaming of curtaining off our entire family room so you can step through a wardrobe into a winter wonderland for the Narnia party my daughter wants this Fall...) but I'm just saying you can give yourself a break and not feel bad about it IF you want to!!

And Happy Happy Birthday to my joy-giving BABY boy...who I can't believe is so old!!!

{As mentioned above, I was gifted product by Party Pail for this occasion. All opinions are 100% my own, and I only recommend companies to you that I would share with my best friends at our weekly playdate.}

one room challenge

Soon after starting Avery Street, I began following a blog called "Calling it Home," written by a sweet gal named Linda. A couple times a year she hosts a challenge called the "One Room Challenge" where any blogger is welcome to share a room redo over the course of a designated 6-week time period. 

You start at Week One with where your room is at, and where you want it to be, and then share updates on Thursdays for 6 weeks until finally, (hopefully!) there is a big reveal to share. 

I've always wanted to do it but the timing hasn't been right or my general contractor (ahem! Ryan!) wasn't too keen on the pressure of such a public deadline. Certainly understandable when part of your job involves sewage lines and your wife's big blog reveal might have to be from within her new permanent home in a hotel, depending on how things go.

But it just so happens that as a new challenge starts tomorrow at Linda's, my bedroom is in the works AND the hard part (i.e. the bulk of Ryan's part) is almost done! 

At first I thought that 6 weeks was too long of a timeframe (because in my head I should be done in about 2 days, right?!), but when I thought about it, I realized it'll actually need to be done earlier so I can share pictures at Week 6, and who am I kidding? I'll be lucky to finish a project in 6 weeks. The deadline will keep me accountable to actually finishing (and actually blogging about it, also something I don't always do well!) 

So I'm going for it! I'm hooking up with the One Room Challenge starting tomorrow for Week One of my bedroom makeover. Eeeep!!

Even as I write this I am questioning the sanity of this decision. Am I signing up for public failure? Could I make the blog world cry when I only have a mattress on the floor to show off after 6 weeks? Is it even possible to make a room camera-worthy on such a tiny budget? Might I not be able to photograph anything I do anyways, because my iPhone camera no longer works?! Maybe. But you know what? No promises- I'm just going to go for it. Done will be better than perfect. 

Stay tuned! 

post card from san diego

Hi from San Diego! I hope you all had a fantastic Valentine's Day. I'm in San Diego for a long weekend, visiting family and soaking up as much sun as possible. In general I haven't been able to get very good pictures, but I wanted to at least post a few snaps. This is my post card to you, sent with love. :)