the blog

This story is going to be way too long and not nearly interesting enough (how is that for a strong hook?) and there won't even be a true before picture and the after is probably even anxiety inducing for some of you but let’s walk through this all together because we’re going somewhere that matters. We'll walk away with the two most simple keys to dig out of your own Monica Closet. But first, let's begin a few weeks ago as our neighborhood planned a yard sale. I didn’t commit at first because  Yard sales are notoriously more work than...

I can still remember the very first candle we ordered. It was for our Christmas Market and I blindly selected the scent from one of our big suppliers hoping it would be good. I didn’t know quite as much back then as I do now about what goes into candles; then the name of the scent and availability were top and only priorities. But regardless of my ignorance, we always sold out. The next year we had a bigger Christmas Market and offered two scents. I even lit one that day and filled the whole room with the most magical...

There is just something about putting on a new pair of shoes. When we’re little we want to show everyone how high we can jump and how fast we can run all because of our new shoes. If you’re like me as a small child, it was an absolute requirement that you take off your old shoes, place them in the new box and proudly wear you new shoes for the rest of the day.  New shoes seem to change us. A new pair of work boots offer support. First day of school shoes offer a new beginning. A new pair...

You know how they say “invite people over to get stuff done around the house?” As Tripp’s birthday party approached, I knew it was time to press play on the Library project. Obviously, this room is tucked away and I could close the door but the problem is what it does to the surrounding areas. I should not show you but this was what I did to the connected bonus room during the weeks of this project. Promise me we’ll still be friends. The truth is no one really cares about the state of our bonus room or house. They’re...

I wish I could tell you that the library was smooth sailing after I dramatically picked a paint. Some things went well. I was able to cut my shelves without too much issue. I installed the brackets that I had and made a simple plan to start the others. I had plenty of MDF to cut the shelves and a little leftover for errors.  The paint went on smoother than I expected for a cheap gallon and I even had enough to cover the ceiling too. Here’s a free tip for you. While it’s a small room, there are quite...