Keeping an eye out with Ooma Butterfleye

Thank you Ooma Butterfleye for sponsoring this post.

Keeping our home safe is something that's increased in importance dramatically since we brought Jack home.  Or maybe it's just a result of binge watching way too many Forensic Files episodes on Netflix. Either way, finding really easy ways to keep our home safe that seamlessly integrate into our lives has become a much higher priority for me, so I was looking forward to parterning with Ooma to try out their Ooma Butterfleye camera.

We used to have a home security system... which I removed so I could wallpaper the wall where it was installed (safety... first?), and while we used to use it daily, when we moved back in October, it just never settled back into our routine and I never reinstalled it.  We may eventually install it somewhere else in our home, but I really love how easy the Ooma Butterfleye is in comparison.

With our security system we had someone drill into our wall to install the keypad, it was attached to our only outlet in the room, and was kind of stressful to arm/disarm.  What I really love about the Ooma Butterfleye is that not only is it a camera, which our other system didn't have, it is battery powered so we can put it anywhere in the house we'd like monitored (heck, I could probably use it as a baby monitor in Jack's room if I needed!), it sends updates right to my phone, and it automatically goes into private mode when it senses that my phone has entered the home, so I don't have to manually turn it on or off.

It doesn't have an alarm or anything, which is one reason I think eventually I'll reinstall our security system (I do like that a loud alarm will go off if an intruder enters after that system has been armed), but you can set it to recognize familiar faces, so it won't keep telling you an unidentified person is in the room when it's just your husband.  

I like too that it's small and can be easily hidden or blended into your decor.  Nowadays we're all used to having an Alexa or Google home sitting on a counter, so something small like the Ooma Butterfleye kind of just disappears to the eye.

My favorite thing about it is that I manage everything with my phone which is super easy and straightforward, which is what I need now that I'm a mom and pretty much nothing else in my life is easy and straightforward.  

If you want to enter to win your own Ooma Butterfleye, just follow the directions below!  The giveaway will be open from Aug 20- Sept 4

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winners will be randomly selected and notified by CLEVER by Friday, September 7

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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4 super easy houseplants for beginners

I never considered myself much of a green thumb for most of my life. Growing up, my mom grew flowers in the summer, but we always had faux interior plants, so I never much thought about having houseplants.  The first time I got houseplants was shortly after we bought our house. I'd found those two macrame plant hangers at a thrift store and needed something to put in them, so I headed to Home Depot to find a suitably vine-y, hanging plant and bought the two pothos that still live in those hangers.

In the ensuing five years I have killed plenty of house plants.  I'm certainly no houseplant genius, and my thumb is only mildly green, but I've learned which plants are pretty fool-proof and easy to care for, so I wanted to share four of my favorites!

Pothos

I love my Pothos.  I have several but I want dozens more.  They have the perfect cascading vines, are SO easy to keep alive, and they do alright in low-ish light, so I even have one in my bathroom which only has one tiny window.  Bonus?  They are super easy to propagate, so if you have one, you can make more!  It's like getting free plants!

Snake Plant

The Snake plant is SO easy to take care of.  You can ignore this bad boy for a looong time and it'll stay happy.  I have a couple of these and they are so hardy and add a really cool architectural look that is different from other leafy plants.  These do very nicely in low light, so we have one in our bedroom where we have a couple windows, but usually keep the blinds down because sleep.

Philodendron Selluom "Hope"

This is very similar to a Monstera, but it has leaves that have a little more of a "ruffled" edge than the smooth-edged leaves of the Monstera.  These can grow pretty big (a local coffee shop in town has a huge one that is amazing!), and it's very easy to care for and keep alive.

Peace Lily

I love how lush the Peace Lily is. I also love how they droop when they need water.  Three cheers for communicating your needs, little plant!  If they start to droop, you just give 'em water and they're happy again and perk up in a matter of minutes.

Plants I've had trouble with that I personally am avoiding for the time being: Majesty Palms, Ferns, Fiddle Leaf Figs, Succulents (not counting cacti and hens and chicks. All my other succulents have tended to get leggy and eventually die).  

A few other plants I've found relatively easy: Croton, Cacti, ZZ Plant, Hens and Chicks (these are also awesome outdoor ground cover!). Make sure you note how much light a plant prefers, and how much water it likes.  You can usually find this info on the tag when you buy it, or just look it up online! I like to keep a loose schedule for watering my plants because in the past I've killed plants simply because I didn't water them enough.  Right now my Sundays are plant watering days! You can also buy plant food to help your little plant friends grow and be happy too. I use this stuff about once a month.

Houseplants can feel intimidating if you've never had them (or have killed off a few), but starting slow and with some easier, low-maintenance plants is a great way to bring happy plant vibes and fresh air to your space without the stress of taking care of a living thing that's threatening to die constantly. 

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I want to be your Design BFF

Friends!  I'm so excited to finally be launching Design BFF sessions!  I've spent years fielding design questions from friends, family, and online followers, that I finally decided to make it an official service that I offer.

Designing your own home can be paralyzing!  There are so many colors, fabrics, tiles, furniture, and even if you have a healthy Pinterest board of inspiration, finalizing your finishes and figuring out how to put it all together can feel overwhelming.  You need a design bff!  

I love being able to come in and cut through the noise to help you create a space that is joyful and beautiful. Whether you need help deciding on paint colors/tile/etc, are down to DIY your renovation but aren't sure where to start, or need help shopping for lighting, hardware, or furniture, I'm excited to guide you and help you nail down your vision.

Want to know how it works? Head over here to get the scoop.  It's an easy process that will give you direction and clarity and get you moving in the direction of your dream space!  I love creating budget friendly design, so if you don't have a load of cash to drop on your new design, don't freak out.  I'm happy to work with your budget, big or small, to help you make some magic.

One thing I want you to keep in mind is that you don't have to do you transformation all at once.  I'll give you a plan and direction, but you don't have to bust out a whole room in a weekend if you don't have it in your time and money budget!  All of my own personal design projects have taken many months to finish because I spend money as I can, and do projects as I find time (which isn't often as a new mom!).  We all see those crazy HGTV shows where people get a brand new kitchen renovated in a week, but that's just not realistic for most of us!  Give yourself realistic expectations and be okay with doing things a little at a time, that's how most of us do it!

If your interest is piqued and you feel like this might just be the thing you need to help you finally transform your room(s) into a space that brings you joy, head over here to get all the details on how it works!  

Family Safe with First Alert

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. Don’t let the beep steal your sleep.

I've always been pretty lax when it comes to safety stuff like smoke detectors and such, but since having Jack, keeping our home safe has become much more important to me.  Since our home was built in the early 1900's, there wasn't much in the way of safety codes required when it was built, but here in Washington new building codes went into effect in 2011 that required all new homes built have carbon monoxide alarms.  Now, 7 years later, those carbon monoxide alarms are reaching the end of their life and need to be replaced!  Our home has never had any CO alarms, so when First Alert reached out to partner with me to get the word out to families that their CO alarms might need replacing, I was excited to see what new technology was available that we could implement in our little old craftsman home.

Since Jack is a huge reason I want to keep our home safe, I let him open the package. He's super into boxes so I think he was almost more excited about the box itself, haha!  They even sent a cute little coloring book that we colored in later, so fun!

Since our home is about 100 years old we have very few outlets.  Because of this, battery operated alarms come in very handy, as most of our outlets are occupied with lamps and other necessities.  One of my favorite alarms is the tabletop one, which is super easy to put anywhere. Another thing that I'm all about? The batteries in this bad boy last 10 years-- the lifespan of the alarm-- so I never have to remember to replace batteries.  Perfect, because who has space in their brain to remember the last time their CO alarm batteries were replaced, am I right?

If you do have some old CO alarms in your house, though, they will typically beep when the battery is low!  It's an annoying sound because dying of CO poisoning is way more annoying.  Carbon Monoxide is a deadly poisonous gas and can be produced by any gas burning appliance, like your furnace, boiler, stove, and car.  Since it's odorless, it's not like smoke which has a super distinct smell, which makes it even more dangerous if you don't have an alarm.  Growing up, a neighbor of mine nearly died of CO poisoning while working with a gas powered tool in his basement without adequate ventilation, so it's something I've been aware of since childhood.

First Alert sent over a bunch of alarms to try, but my favorites were the Carbon Monoxide Alarm with 10-Year Battery and Digital Temperature Display (hello not having to remember to change batteries!) and the Combination Photoelectric Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with 10-Year Battery (killing two birds with one stone... or I guess not killing them, that is). 

We've now got enough alarms to have one in each bedroom and on every floor of our home, which is exactly how they're supposed to be... as opposed to the ZERO alarms we had before. Whoops.  Now the only thing I need to remember is to test them on a regular basis, so I'm going to enlist Jack because pushing buttons is one of his favorite activities right now. Perfect.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Macrame Basics

I've gotten lots of questions over the past few months about doing a macrame tutorial, but once you know some basic knots it's pretty easy to create your own design, or look at a picture of a macrame wall hanging and replicate it because you know how to do all the knots involved. So I made a quick video showing you how to do four super easy, basic macrame knots that you can use to make countless designs!  These are the only four knots I've ever used.  I'm no macrame pro, but once you know these knots, it's super fun to play around with creating designs on your own!