Hailey's Helpful Hints

  If you don't have much on the weekend radar, I encourage you to get in the purging mode. If you want to get ambitious and tackle your closet or garage, more power to you but I've found that sometimes a few smaller projects make you feel just as accomplished and refreshed as a massive one. So here's a few to get your juices flowing. I bet you won't be able to stop at just one. ;) Project 1: Toss the cardboard boxes Ditch the cardboard boxes and plastic bags that go with your cereal, snacks and dry goods. They're ugly, take up lots of space and don't keep your food fresh. Instead, opt for glass mason jars or airtight food storage containers. Project 2: Toss your wire hangers Ditch those dry cleaner hangers for matching plastic or wooden versions. Key word: matching. Project 4: Socks without a mate   We all have that bag of socks without their, ahem, sole mate. How this happens still blows my mind. If you've done a full round of laundry wi...

Looking for something to do this weekend? Sure we'd all love to lounge around on our front porch swing and sip mimosas but it's time to get our butts in gear. There is always something to do around the house and now is the perfect time to do some of them. If you're dying to make a honey-do list then here are some home projects that will help you prepare your yard for outdoor living and freshen your home with a good Spring cleaning. 1) Yearly "Step into Spring" Deep Cleaning - Vacuum everything: Use attachments or the floor nozzle on the walls, furniture and baseboards. Empty the canister or bag for maximum effectiveness. Then throw everything—plastic toys, shower caddies, even sturdy knick-knacks—into the dishwasher for a once-a-year cleaning. 2) Take Stock of your Stuff - Start with the bookshelves: Clear everything off and give it a good dusting. Donate or sell any books you no longer want and replace everything in its newly clean space. Do the same for all vid...

You may remember Pig Pen, Charlie Brown’s friend who always had a dust cloud around him that swirled even when he was still. Despite his uncleanliness, everyone loved Pig Pen. Why ? Because he's relatable . We all seem to have our own little invisible (or not so invisible) dust cloud. And somehow it never fails that our home organization efforts are thwarted because of this lingering nuisance . Where are places in your home where the dust cloud hovers? For me - it was my shoes. I always had good intentions of keeping them nicely lined up on the floor but in a hurry I would kick a pair here, there and everywhere. Somehow my shoes never seemed to make it back to the closet. They were in the entry way. Next to the couch. Outside on the porch. One under the bed, the other inside my gym bag. Or if by some fat chance they were all together, it was a disastrous pile of mismatched chaos. Nine times out of ten my tardiness could be blamed on my inability to find find a match. Being that I a...

It's time to stop procrastinating and time to finally bring order to that war zone you call your closet. Especially before you get the itch to buy any new spring clothes. Ok I'll admit - I'm a little obsessed with organizing. And I love closets. So I thought I'd channel my obsession into something helpful: a list of tips on what I've found are the most effective ways to organize your bedroom closet. Did you know that people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time? Believe it. And you better believe that if your closet is pure chaos, you will be too. Who wants to start their day off on the wrong foot because of something so managable ? Below are my five solutions that will conquer your closet clutter. For this WEEKEND WARRIOR CHALLENGE, I encourage you to put closet cleaning on your list. Even if all you have time to do is a quick sweep. Ready...set...go!!!! 1: Start from scratch - Pull everything out. While you are taking out each item, access if it's: a ...

With guests to be arriving soon and Thanksgiving just around the corner, this weekend is sure to be hectic. Speaking for myself here. But amidst the madness, we all need to be reminded of what this upcoming holiday truly means. History aside, Thanksgiving is a holiday for individuals - to be celebrated any way we see fit. There are no rules, no religion and no presents. It's simply a time for us to reflect on all that we have and be grateful for the many blessings. This weekend I challenge you to stop and think about all the things you are thankful for . It can be as sentimental as your freedom to believe in your own beliefs and think your own thoughts or as simple as the Internet , for giving the possibility to meet, learn from & share with so many incredible people, so easily. Have a wonderful weekend and THANK YOU for following my blog! xoxo "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever...

This post title may be a little misleading. No need to get all wound up - I'm not asking you to fish out your dusty ol ' tennis shoes to do any physical walking. What I am asking you to do is wrap your mind around this...Imagine yourself with no where to go. No home to keep you comfy and warm. No socks or shoes to keep your feet warm. No hot meal on the table. No consistency. Imagine living in fear. Scared. Cold. Helpless. Unloved. Kinda hard to put yourself in those shoes when you're biggest worry is what private school your kid should attend or where you're going to wine and dine for dinner tonight right? Sadly, these are the things children - 2.8 million actually - across America, the richest country in the world, face EVERYDAY. These are innocent children thrown into a scary world expected to survive. They didn't paint this picture. They are victims. And have to somehow figure out how to make the best out of the situation with little to no resources. Could you...

Unscripted: adj - Spontaneous, different, unusual, unique A thing that doesn't go as planned but ends up a lot better than expected. To live life unscripted goes against all my Type-A, Virgo traits. I hate uncertainty. I thrive on routine. I like to know what's next. I'm a borderline control freak. I don't like when things go wrong. Most days I love the person God made me to be. Other days, I can't stand myself. It's a gnarly love/hate relationship. But at the end of the day, all I can be is me. One of my goals however over the past few months has been to live more freely. For me that's as simple as being ok with leaving the bed unmade. Or ordering something off the menu other than chicken. It's a work in progress but I am getting there, one baby step at a time. Naturally, we are all creatures of habit to some degree. There's a lot of comfort and predictability in doing the same ol ' same ol '. A good routine becomes a well oiled machine ov...

Mindful: adj - attentive, aware or careful. The "season" is officially upon us. Which season you ask? Oh, you know exactly what I am talking about. The HOLIDAYS. Deep breath...now sigh. It's the infamous time of year where all bikinis and bets are off. Where we come up with every excuse in the book as to why we can't exercise. It is a very dangerous time for the health-conscious and waist-watchers. It first starts with those addicting, festive, pumpkin-flavored lattes (with a sugar content similar to that of a King size Butterfinger ) and then the true beginning of the madness begins: Halloween. Halloween is that super sneaky holiday. You think it's for the kids but it's just as tempting to us adults. Those cute, bite-size, harmless treats become so irresistible . One leads to five and next thing you know, you’re shoveling your way out of a mountain of wrappers. Don’t get me wrong. I am not painting sweets to be the devil. I love candy. And so does the baby in...

I'm always thinking about what's next to do around the house. Fortunately I have a very helpful husband who for the most part willingly embraces my "honey do" lists with a smile. And ladies, if you don't have a honey-do list for your husband, he is getting off way too easy in the home department. The one area however that's all me is the decorating. He likes to think he has a say but what man really does??? :) Last week I was dead set on getting a new bedroom set. After 7 years of the same ol ' same ol ' I was sick and tired of it. Oh my gosh, I'm kinda embarrassed that I just admitted that. 7 years of the same bedding? We kinda take the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" to the extreme. I set out on a mission during Chase's nap (my luxury when my husband is working from home). I had 3 hours to tear through as many home stores as I could. I like to make sure I know what's out there before I settle on the one. And you bette...

Is your morning routine, or lack thereof, making you start your day off on the wrong foot? Are you digging through drawers of 'stuff' to find what you are looking for? Are you constantly late? If you answered yes to even one of those questions, you could benefit from this Weekend Warrior challenge. I know everyone is "busy" but there has got to be at least one hour you can carve out of your weekend to conquer your bathroom chaos. Trust me. You do it once and maintain it (*key word - MAINTAIN), and you can kiss goodbye the morning outbursts of frustration. Ok so let's get your mind right and tackle this... First, take ONE drawer at a time. Or better yet, one section of the huge pile that has taken over your vanity top. If you try to take on too much at one time, you'll get frustrated and want to give up. Grab the garbage can and start to weed out the stuff you don't ever use. Like those stupid samples you just can't seem to toss but have never used. ...