First of all, I like clothing- every aspect of it. I like the fabric, the details, the textiles, the colors, and the silhouettes. I have a degree concentrating in fashion marketing and I had originally enrolled as a fashion design student. Growing up my mom and I would shop until we dropped and plan entire weekends around shopping trips to King of Prussia. I used to make lists and plan and pack wardrobes for trips and vacations weeks in advance. So the fact that I'm sitting here writing a blog post about having a minimalist wardrobe of only 33 items is pretty ironic BUT my needs have changed and so has my lifestyle. Today, I’m a mom of three-- and most of my days are spend in athleisure but when I do get the chance to put an outfit together or have somewhere to go I just stand there in front of tons of hangers- plain frustrated, thinking to myself…‘I have nothing to wear.' Which is pretty ridiculous because I do indeed have more than enough to wear, the problem is I have too much and only love half of it. So, after reading Chapter 15 in my book Soulful Simplicity I decided that it was time to strip my closet down (pun intended) and really take a good look at what I have, what I love, what I don't love and what I want to create.

Ultimately- I wanted to create a wardrobe that was interchangeable and easy. A mix and match of sorts and the best part-- ready to go. Project 333 is a little bit different from a capsule wardrobe because it’s - and I quote - “A small collection of 33 items including clothing, jewelry, accessories and shoes that encourage you to wear your favorite things every day (not the trendiest things, the most stylish things, or the perfect things … your favorite things).” And that’s where I’m at in life — my body is different, my mindset is different and how I want to present myself to the world is different. I like trendy and I like stylish but I also like comfort-- clothing that makes me feel comfortable. And I’m not talking about all sweatshirts and yoga pants, while I do love those things.

Three reasons to consider building a capsule/minimalist wardrobe:

-figure out what matters

-reduce decision fatigue

-create more space and time for what you love

First, make several piles on your bed - a love pile, a maybe pile, and a donate/trash pile. After your done, walk away, get a drink, do the dishes, watch a show and come back later. This time go through those piles again until your happy with what you have left. Next, make a list of 33 items by category, start with the items you already have and you have started with the 13 core items or tailor to your needs. The 13 core items could (not should) include: jeans, a dress, a skirt, simple tank, and t-shirt or v-neck, button-down shirt, blazer or cardigan, earrings, a bracelet or watch, sunglasses, purse, flats, heels, walking shoes. The first list below is my finalized closet of my Project 333, it wasn't easy but I'm so glad I did it. Now, since I’m starting out during the summer months this is what I came up with for myself,  my personal style preferences and yours will be different -- the key is to narrow down what you really need and what you really love into 33 pieces, or 34 or 36...its ok to give yourself some wiggle room to get started. Also, it’s worth noting that for this partiuclar project you don’t count your intimates, swimwear or workout clothing but I did simplify those areas as well; thats all listed in the second list.

|| TIP ||
 I found that finding a common color themed helped me once I needed to start adding in pieces that were missing. I'm a pretty basic and neutral girl and I'm really drawn to navy as my staple color.  

If your the parent of a school-aged child then you will get to experience many exciting things, like field trips. Well, my national geographic loving Ava has been excited about her school trip to the Zoo for a month now and today is the big day! We woke up to rain but the weather wasn't going to dampen her enthusiasm. And no, I'm not going along-- I know, gasp! But here's the thing-- I'm not a classroom mom, I don't have the skill set and while for some parents it might be the highlight of the year, it's just not for me. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, I love my kids, I have three of them ages 5 and under (and try to maintain sanity) but an entire day spent with large amount of 5-6-year-olds-- not in my wheel house. Someone once told me, figure out your skill set and the places where you excel in life as a person, wife, and mother and release yourself of everything else you think you need to be good at because it will just weigh you down. So I'll tag out and let the ones that love it do it and my hats off to them because they'll help to make my girls day possible and enjoyable. Now, food and cooking -- that's life-giving to me so while I may not be attending the field trip I can make sure she's armed with food to nourish her body.



Before bed, she picked out her outfit and accessories and didn't test her luck at prolonging bedtime because, and I quote 'she had to get her rest'. After everyone was asleep I decided it was time to think about her lunch. Truth be told I was also really excited for her to go on her first field trip since they only go half-days in kindergarten I'm not able to pack her lunch yet buuuuut when I read the letter that came home it said 'no lunch bags & completely disposable'-- say what?! How on earth do I pack her a healthy lunch that won't be able to be iced down-- sounds like a piece of cake, right? It was a long day and I had to put on my thinking cap for this one- obviously, a peanut and butter sandwich was the only way to go, even though I knew she would beg for her favorite, egg salad. I combed the cupboards and came up with a lunch that would hopfully meet all of the requirements, with school, and Ava. 

Our 'fully disposable' lunch went as follows:

- peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich

- a handful of wheat tins

- laughing cow cheese slice

- applesauce pouch

- berry good lemonade drink--partially frozen

- fruit snacks

- napkins

We didn’t have any paper bags on hand, so I wrapped the sandwich in wax paper to try and keep it from getting soggy from the drink and then packed everything in a ziplock gallon bag, wrote her name, class name, and a special note. I was going to pack two drinks but I know Ava, her tiny bladder and history of bathroom breaks so I didnt want to cause any extra work.



What's your favorite fully disposable lunch to pack? Are you a classroom mom? Does filling up your little one's belly also fill up your love tank? Whatever it is, whatever you excel in just know that you are doing a rockstar job and whatever it is that is not exactly in your skill set, it's ok, you don't have to be good at everything and it's ok to say no and let someone else.

When we decided that we were going to pull the trigger on our move and renovate the farmhouse I told myself that I would sort and purge 'all the things' and only move what we absolutely needed, that's simple right? Wrong. I've always been one of those who thinks 'hey, this sounds like a great idea' but never really follow through because I either get distracted with kids, life or just don't make the time. But nonetheless, I automatically jumped on Amazon and surfed for a book on how to 'simplify', how to 'live with less', basically-- a book for a wannabe minimalist. Marie Kundo's approach felt too abrasive for me and ultimately I landed upon Soulful Simplicity by Megan Carver. (If you read my blog post last Wednesday then you probably heard me mention this book.) I clicked buy and two days later it arrived- got to love prime. I ripped open the box, read the first two chapters quickly and then got sidetracked and never picked it back up- well, not until I put it into a moving box and sealed it up with tape.

I did sort through things as we packed and donated a couple of boxes of 'stuff'. But, the whole "we may need this one-day" mentality keep getting in the way so... my bright idea lightbulb moment ended up a bit dimmer than I had hoped and my follow through wasn't that great. Well, fast forward to last week- I happened upon this little hardcover book and I felt like it was goading me to pick it up and start reading again. So, I did. I threw it in my diaper bag and headed off to kindergarten pick up a few minutes earlier than normal and cracked open the book to where I had previously left off. I was hooked this time and I just kept thumbing the pages until I had to get on with other daily tasks but then I picked it up again after the girls bedtime. 24 hours and I'm halfway though the book. And you know, I have to say that it is really speaking to my heart and making me re-evaluate the way I do things and approach different situations. Sometimes you just need to see it on paper and what someone one tell you what you need to hear. You may not want to hear it or do it but you have to, to simplify your life because life is busy and when 'stuff' takes up our time we miss out of the things that are truly important-- especially in a world that goes as fast as this one does. And, this is something I'm trying to teach myself.  

Book: Soulful Simplicity by Cortney Carver

If you follow me on Instagram then you have probably seen a few insta-stories involving my french press. Up until this past December, I was a member of the Keurig club but after several trips to Chicago to visit my sister and brother in law I was spoiled with mornings of amazing coffee, from pour-over to french press. After I got my french press I ditched the keruig and never, ever looked back. It does take a couple extra steps but the taste is so much better and it's also more affordable when you don't have to but those tiny plastic cups. You just add your coffee to the French press, add water [hot and starting to bubble but not boiling], give it a quick stir, let it stand for 4 minutes, attach the top, press the coffee and enjoy! 

I love mine and it's quickly one of my very favorite kitchen appliances [used every siiiingle day]. They come in various sizes, materials, and styles. With mother's day right around the corner-- 2 days, don't forget! If you have a mom in your life that needs a good cup of fancy coffee in the morning then a french press is a perfect idea. I also linked up my favorite coffee for the press, you should try and choose a ground that is more corse because of the mesh strainer. 

May your coffee be strong and your Friday short! 

Have a wonderful weekend celebrating the special women in your life.

I'm not one for new year's resolutions because, well.. my follow through isn't always the greatest and it's May so I totally missed the boat this year BUT when I read about Courtney Carver's (author of Soulful Simplicity) 'Love List' idea I was intrigued. Basically, instead of firm goal setting or setting resolutions, make a list of the things you’d love to do or start doing. A special invitation to be bold, brave, and different-- any time of the year. 

Courtney says, "Make a love list including every possible thing you would like to consider in life, love, business and relationships. What would you really love to do? What would you like to see? Who will you be and who will you be with? Before you start your list, eliminate the roadblocks and dream killers. This is not a list for accountability. You won’t be crossing things off or crying over your undone tasks at the end of the year. Instead, use your list to fuel your creative pursuits and to encourage routine breaking behavior. Let your love list remind you what is most important in your life."

So, grab your favorite journal and pen (or your computer), put on some favorite music, look through a magazine or Pinterest some pins, pour a favorite drink and get started. When you're finished frame your list or place it somewhere you can see every day. For me, I just wrote down everything that the tiny voice in the back of my mind says on a regular basis- big and small. For once I woke up before the girls so I made a pot of french press and got down to work and it really didnt take me long to fill up my list and I probably could have kept going but I didnt want to overhelm myself even though it's not designed to be a list to hold myself accountable to or check things off because I HAVE to check things off. So below I shared with you what I came up with one morning at 6:10 am before I started my day. 

There was something so therapeutic about this task, I highly recommend it-- even if your list only has one or two things on it, that is one or two things that could bring you joy. So friends, what's one thing from your list? Drop it in the comments below- maybe you can inspire someone through your journey. 

It's that time of year folks, it's busy season! The guys are planting, mowing, chopping, spraying and working ground. It makes for long days for all of us-- Aaron in the fields and me holding down the home front. It's during this time of year that I need to get creative with my meal planning. He's often not around for dinner so that means the meal needs to be either portable so I can deliver it to him in the tractor or it needs to be quick enough that he can come in for 15 minutes, eat and then get right back to his task. This will be the first full week of crazy schedules (no rain in the forecasts so if you're a farmers wife then, you know what that means...) When I did my weekly grocery shopping this past Friday I tried to plan ahead and also utilize a few things we had in our freezer that needed to be used. I know that it's fun seeing what others make for dinner and I occasionally need a few new & fresh ideas for meal planning so here is what's on the schedule for us this week! I'll also link up some of the recipes I'm going to be using. 

Recipe Links:

Pesto Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Tex-mex Taco Skillet

Happy Monday, friends!