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Category: New Years

Monthly Photo Challenge | Preciously Paired

My Monthly Photo Challenge of 2014

posted in family, holidays, inspiration, lifestyle, New Years by Hanna on

Happy New Year everyone! We are happy to be back with some new changes and goals for our blog and business. Perhaps we’ll even decide to fill you in a little bit on what some of those things are in the near future! Stay tuned!

We spent the holidays doing lots of custom illustrated portraits and Christmas cards which we loved being able to do! Thank you so much to those who have supported us and our creative work! It has been SO crazy how far we’ve come since joining up together last year. We also got to spend the holidays together…like for 2+ weeks! It was fabulous and crazy as usual and I didn’t even take one picture! I actually hosted Christmas at my house for my family. For about 5 days we had anywhere from 11-15 people at our house at any given time. Like I said, crazy! But, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I know we won’t always be able to get together so easily and for such a long amount of time so I took deep breathes and enjoyed the time we all had together.

Although the holidays were fun I’m excited to get back into a routine, get my house back together and start this year fresh with some new resolutions. I decided to be more realistic on myself this year and I made only 2 resolutions, one of which is to become a basketball fan and even more namely a BYU basketball fan. I’m sure that seems like a very strange resolutions but if you knew me and then my husband you would totally understand. Aside from my resolutions I’m starting this 8 week challenge of eating good and exercising. After not consistently exercising for almost 3 years it’s going to be an interesting start. Wish me luck!

Now that we’re semi caught up without me writing a complete saga of the last couple of months of my life we can move onto what this post is actually about. Last year I saw this post on Pinterest where someone took a picture of their kids once a month for a year. Since we just moved into our house at the beginning of last year I thought it would be a fun way to not only see my girls growth throughout the year but to see the progression of the seasons in our first, very own yard as well. Surprisingly I stuck too it with the help of my husband and bribes that involved candy. I only missed one month…July was a busy month! I’m so glad I decided to do this and love see our first year in our house in review.

Year in Review 2014

Closet Office on a Budget

posted in diy, home, New Years, organization, thrifted by Sara on
There is some thing about the new year (a clean slate) that is so motivating and empowering. It is a chance to do better; to be better. As you know, I’ve made some pretty hefty goals/resolutions this year, one being to uplift and inspire other women through blogging. I started this blog just over six months ago and while I had many aspirations for it, I quickly felt limited. Several months after I started blogging my husband started in on his doctorate degree and I got a job. Time started to become an issue, and I quickly realized that I had jumped into blogging without a clear vision and some of the tools necessary for success– one being an accessible computer. 
Well, my life circumstances haven’t changed much. I’m still working, my husband is still in school, and I’m still a mom. Time has not become any more available; however, I’ve realized that I can’t always wait for the perfect timing to pursue my dreams. The fact of the matter is that perfect timing does not exist. So, with that realization I chose to stop being a dreamer and start becoming a doer. I also got myself a computer. Technically, it is my husband’s computer (a graduation gift from his brothers). But since we bought my husband a laptop for school he finished building this one for me so I could blog. He also bought me a dress form for Christmas so I could started pursuing my dreams in fashion design and a inspiration notebook so I can keep track of all my ideas. He is honestly my biggest fan and supporter. 
The only thing left was to make a space where I could create, design, and be organized. Our spare bedroom is our guest bedroom/sewing room, with little to no room for a home office space. The solution to our problem: a closet office. That is right, we converted our closet into our home office. The best part about it was that it only cost us under $40!
cute closet office on a small budget



IKEA Desk: $20 (Craigslist)
Clipboards: $2 (thrifted, then painted)
Paper Trays: $3 (thrifted)
Desk Lamp: $4 (thrifted)
Black Storage Box: $2 (thrifted, band new)

sewing room

Everything else I already had on hand. Now all I need is an office chair. Any ideas? As you can also see, I’ve been fabric shopping. I’ve found some great pieces to start my first collection with!

And, if you’re not already completely overwhelmed with all the new and exciting things going on over here, I have a few more to add. First, is my new blog title and design. I’ve decided to changes things up because (get ready for my second surprise) I have added a new partner! For all my previous followers, you can rest assured that the Stripes and Polka Dots blog will produce some of the same great content as before but be twice a better! But for now, I’d like everyone to get to know my new teammate.

Hey; Hanna here! If you haven’t noticed yet from the pictures, I’m Sara’s twin sister. I’m also the wife of a traveling husband who travels weekly and all over the country for work, the mother of two sweet girls and a blogger. I’ve been blogging for about 4 years now, mostly posting family updates and happening, but I have also used blogging as a place to share all my projects, ideas and thoughts. Since Sara and I were always talking about our blogs and giving each other ideas we decided why not become blogging partners! As I start posting regularly, I hope that you will get to know me more and that I can help inspire and be inspired by everyone who is a part of the blogging world. To give you an idea of what you can expect from me check out some of my popular posts on my previous blog.

Linked To:

http://thelilthingsblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/currently-january-2014.html
http://www.madetobeamomma.com/2014/01/hit-best-shot-link-party-1.html
http://thehappyhousie.com/?p=7078

A New Year Brings BIG Changes!

posted in lifestyle, New Years by Sara on
Happy New Year!
I don’t know if many of you have noticed, but I have been absent from blogging for about a month and a half. Don’t be too upset with me yet, because there is a reason– a good one at that! 
I started blogging last June, and while it has been rather hit and miss I have learned a lot. There has been much debating, rethinking, and uncertainties about it, especially since I started working away from home. I’ve really just got my toes wet, but with a new year upon us I feel ready to jump in head first. Oddly enough, it was the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon which inspired my new outlook on the matter. 
It was after Thanksgiving and the high of being at home and spending time with my family was beginning to wear off. Life was back to its usual routine. The sun was no where to be seen and it was literally freezing outside. What use to be (before having Addie) a very satisfying and rewarding job was now a mere means for income. I was a little depressed and feeling trapped. 
During Thanksgiving break we visited the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, home of the “Spruce Goose”, one of the largest airplanes ever built made entirely out of wood. As I stood besides this massive airplane and thought about the kind of work that went into building such a thing I was completely awe-struck. There I was, a young women from a small town, living a completely sheltered life, and being so completely wrapped up in my own problems. In front of me stood this great symbol of American industry during the harsh times of WW2. It was something so much bigger than me, bigger than I could ever comprehend. It was as though I was realizing the big world I live in for the very first time.
Walking through the museum and experiencing the monumental history that surrounded me I wished I could be a part of it. Not for the recognition but for the sole purpose of impacting others and being a part of something that was much bigger than myself. The routine of life I had fallen into was not living at all, rather it was doing the things to get me through each day so it could start all over again the next day. Life was not meant to be stagnant. I could no longer settle on the fact that working at a job I no longer found as much satisfaction from was going to be my life until my husband finishes school (six years from now!). I suddenly felt empowered to take a chance, to pursue what I feel passionate about. I might fail, but I’ll never know until I try.
I don’t know what this new year will bring, but I am determined to never stop learning, to live life to its fullest, and to go after my dreams…succeed or fail. I love blogging so I’m going to blog, and I hope I can somehow make a small impact in doing so. The last month has been devoted to reevaluating, planning, and re-designing in order to make that dream become a reality. We will be launching our newly designed website exactly 1 week from today. That is right, I said “we“. I have partnered up with one of my most dearest friends in the world and I can’t wait for you to meet her. Please join us January 8th for the launch of the new Stripes and Polka Dots blog!

And for those of you who are wondering; no, I did not up and quite my job. Sure, it may not be my dream job any more, but we’re blessed to have it. Accomplishing a dream does not always happen overnight. It requires planning, hard-work, motivation, and doing the things that you don’t necessarily want to do to eventually get to where you want to be. That is where I’m at. 
Here is to a great year and another one to follow! See you next week!