It’s been a hot minute – things are starting to pick up speed around here, with my daughter graduating from high school next month(!).  It’s been awhile since I’ve thrown a graduation party, and hers will be different from my boys, because she has opinions. The boys pretty much had a couple of simple requests, and that was that. I’m still in denial that she’s flying the nest, and I’m going to miss her so much! We did just get back from an amazing trip to Arizona though, which helps.  My husband and I were gone for two weeks, and the kids joined us for the second week, which was such a gift.  We haven’t taken a trip with all five of us since 2018.  We had plans, but Covid through a wrench in all of that, so I feel lucky that we were able to all go together. I fall in love with Arizona more each time we visit. Enough of my personal babbling, let’s look at some fun things for this Weekend 5+1! This post contains some affiliate links. Strappy Summer Sandals I have been thoroughly enjoying my clothing subscription box deliveries lately, and one thing I came upon and […]

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I haven’t jumped on the Dry January bandwagon (I feel like I did my time with multiple pregnancies), but I am doing a “No Doordash January” instead.  We looked at our Doordash spending for the year, and it was not pretty.  Granted, we didn’t pay for all of it, since we all use the account, but it was a wake up call.  I have been working on cooking more anyway, so this plan feeds into that as well.  I’m happy to say that I have held up my end of the deal! Let’s get on with this Weekend 5+1, shall we? This post contains some affiliate links. Pretty Oil/Vinegar Bottles Since I’ve been working on cooking more and branching out with recipes, it makes sense that these pretty oil and vinegar bottles caught my eye.  I have my olive oil out on the counter, and I’m upgrading it to something pretty.  If salt and pepper get their own pinch pots, then why not oils and vinegars?  They even come with labels so you can make them custom to your needs. St. Tropez Self Tanner I know I’ve shared the St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse before, but it warrants sharing it again. […]

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It’s been a hot minute since I’ve put together a post, and I ended up not doing a holiday tour this year because it’s super stressful, and I just needed a break.  It may come back next year, in some form, but for once, it was nice to step back a bit, even though the holidays are still busy and hectic! I’ve been giving some thought to things that I want to work on this year, and I would like to get get back to blog basics this year.  Home projects, paint colors, kitchen projects, design ideas.  I have a lot of projects on my to do list here at home, and that’s what I have always loved sharing on this blog. First Project for 2024 My first project is finishing up what once was a basement spare bedroom.  It’s been torn up for awhile due to a water issue that we couldn’t figure out.  We spent an inordinate amount of time and money getting to the bottom of the problem, but it’s finally fixed, and it forced me to think outside the box in terms of design, because I now have a second sump pump in this space. Attractive, yes?  […]

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Here we are, on the verge of Halloween, which means Christmas everything will be starting as soon as the trick-or-treaters are off the street.  I don’t know how it’s happened, but I’m not ready!  The time change, the weather change, all of it.  There just is never enough fall for me.  We’re headed to Scottsdale to celebrate our anniversary, and I can’t wait to spend some time out there, I love it so much. I promise I do have some house project stuff coming your way soon.  I’ve kept things under wraps a bit because we had a situation in our basement that took forever to figure out, so my cute little office area was down to the studs and concrete floors for awhile (more than two years).  But it’s coming back to life, and I look forward to sharing the progress and where I’m going with it.  It’s going to be better than it started by the time it’s all said and done.  In the meantime, a 5+1 post is here to fill the void. This post contains some affiliate links.  See full disclosure here. Wrong Place Wrong Time I just wrapped up a large kitchen project, so I had a […]

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I feel like we are snowballing towards the holidays, and really am not ready for that just yet.  The weather has settled into a beautiful pattern, and I’m in no hurry for it to change just yet.  Fall in the midwest is one of the best things about living here. Winter, not so much, but fall is a winner.  We had homecoming last week – my daughter is a senior, so this is my last homecoming – and her senior pictures are next week.  Again, I’m in no hurry for things to move any faster than they already are.  Let’s get on with a Friday 5+1 and stop with all of this leaving the nest stuff, shall we?  This post contains some affiliate links. Peel and Stick Towel Holders After installing towel holders and toilet paper holders, I’m left wondering where these peel and stick ones have been my whole life.  So modern and cool, with none of the hassle of normal installations.  Smart for home, college kids, first apartments, you name it! Vuori Joggers I am a subscriber to the Trendsend clothing box (love it, and I’ve gotten lots of great things that I would never have tried, or even […]

The post Friday 5+1 (5 Things I Love + 1 Thing I Don’t) – 9.22.23 appeared first on Evolution of Style.

I’m super late in sharing this year’s 2023 Homearama trends, and I apologize.  Lots going on around here – namely, my parents are downsizing from their home of 40 years, and it’s been stressful.  The end is in sight though! They are officially living in their new place, and close on their old place in the next two weeks.  Such a bittersweet thing – so many memories in that house, and it’s hard to say good-bye.  But their new place is great – brand new, beautiful finishes and low maintenance.  But it is really eye opening to see what you have to deal with when moving from a larger home to a smaller one.  Makes me want to purge and keep my stuff to a minimum. In fact, a guy who does junk clean outs in the area posted his dumpster trailer for rent for a weekend, so I snatched up the opportunity and did a major purge of our basement storage room.  It was (and still sort of is), bad.  Just a dumping ground for everything people don’t want to deal with.  We filled the dumpster and could quite honestly, rent it again. Let’s get on with highlights from this […]

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I have blog posts in my head that I have not yet put to “paper” yet, so in the meantime, I figured I’d share a 5+1.  It’s during the week, yes, but sometimes you just have to go with it.  The weather has been garbage (I don’t know where the summer went, but I want it to come back).  It takes awhile to pull things together that I like, so when it happens, I like to share them.  Let’s get to it.  This post contains some affiliate links. The Whispers I have been lacking in the book sharing department lately, but this one is a goodie.  If you ever read The Push, you’re sure to love this one.  Ashley Audrain, the author of The Push, is out with a new book, and I’m happy to report it’s another page turner.  I always love it when an author is able to put out another book that exceeds expectations.  The Whispers is a book that features several different couples and how they intersect (oftentimes in dark ways).  Audrain is adept at capturing and keeping your attention early on, and does not disappoint! The Best Pillow Inserts If you’re like me, you’re a […]

The post Weekday 5+1 (5 Things I Love + 1 Thing I Don’t) – 6.27.23 appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Things have been a bit crazy over here for the past month or so.  We went to Scottsdale for spring break at the beginning of April, my daughter had her junior prom in the middle of April, and my middle son graduated from college at the end of April!  All good things, just a jam packed month.  I’ve squeezed in a couple of cabinet jobs in there as well, so it’s been busy.  Now with May, we have lots of birthdays and Mother’s Day thrown in for good measure.  How about a weekend 5+1?  This post contains some affiliate links. Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes One upside about working on cabinets is that I have more time to listen to books, and Someone Else’s Shoes is one that grabbed me early and dragged me in.  It’s a story of how a mix-up brought together two lives in very different ways.  It’s fast paced and funny, while also telling a great story of two very different women. “Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, […]

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I’m groggy today, adjusting to the dreaded time change, and we were greeted with a coating of snow this morning, which is a bit depressing since the added daylight always feels like warmer weather is around the corner.  I’m sure it will pass, but that’s par for the course for this time of year in the midwest, I suppose.  But, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a 5+1, so let’s get to it.  This post contains some affiliate links. Social Media Detox First things first, I decided to do a social media detox for Lent this year.  It was kind of a last minute thing, but I am so glad I gave it a go.  I do still answer messages for work stuff, since I’m sort of tethered to social media for that, but it’s been minimal.  I also save recipes on Instagram, so I allow myself to go on to grab those if need be.  I found that I was just wasting too much time mindlessly scrolling and it left me feeling … bad, for lack of a better word.  I can’t say exactly why – maybe because I felt like I should be doing more, posting more, putting myself […]

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This post about choosing the best white oak floors has been a long time coming.  As part of our kitchen remodel, the project snowballed into unifying the flooring throughout our main level, with the exception of the bedrooms, which remained carpeted.  I tried to convince my husband to do hardwood in our bedroom, but he couldn’t buy into the logic of putting in hardwood floors, only to have them covered by a big rug.  You have to take the wins when you get them, right?  That said, I knew what I wanted when it came to flooring – I’ve seen it all over Instagram and Pinterest.  White oak hardwood flooring.  Wide plank.  Natural color.  A pretty white oak grain.  However, finding and choosing white oak floors, was much more difficult than I expected.  Having gone through this experience, with more flooring samples than I care to count, I thought it would be worthwhile to share what I’ve learned, and the floors that we ultimately chose. This post is sponsored by Cochran’s Lumber who provided me discounted floors for this project.  As always all opinions are my own. Color In choosing white oak floors, I knew I wanted a light stain, […]

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