Greetings, friends! It’s been a while since I shared phone and Instagram snaps in a Life Lately update, so today I’m catching up and inviting you into our home with some behind-the-scenes photos.
We had family here for Thanksgiving, so life has been full and delightfully chaotic. Between work, home projects, family members and a bunch of dogs under one roof, things can get a little wild — and we’re loving every minute of it.
Savoring that lively, noisy feeling is what home and holidays are all about.
This season is the perfect time to let go of stress and enjoy the moment. If I start to feel overwhelmed or a bit Scrooge-like, I picture the holidays through a child’s eyes: simple, joyful and a little imperfect. A tree with twinkling lights on the counter might not be practical, but that’s part of the magic.
My husband teases me about all the furry blankets scattered through the house, but they make everything feel cozy. We turned our guest room into a little winter retreat so visitors could relax and feel at home.
After last year’s Thanksgiving without a kitchen, having a fully functioning kitchen this year made cooking together extra special.
There’s nowhere we’d rather be than gathered in our cozy home, sharing meals and moments.
We feel so lucky to do life together here: work, play, cook and repeat. This home is the center of our family’s day-to-day, and we’re grateful for it.
We’re always juggling projects. While preparing Thanksgiving dinner we were also packing gift boxes for the Dwell Well Collective — a little organized chaos that felt meaningful and festive.
Jack was in his element on Thanksgiving — he loves the energy of people and pets coming together. He’s an extrovert through and through.
With friends and family around there’s always delicious food to enjoy.
We love festive drinks too. My sister’s Spanish coffee has become a holiday tradition — I’ll try to share her recipe soon because it was really good.
Even when we have to squeeze in extra tables, chairs and pups, we always find room for more company.
We’re grateful for so many blessings: a healthy, happy family and a home that welcomes togetherness.
This fuzzy guest is my sister’s dog Luna. She stayed with us for a few days and quickly became best pals with Jack.
Just before Thanksgiving we had a camera crew here to film videos for my books. I’m excited to share those when they’re ready.
Because our home doubles as a studio and a workspace, rooms sometimes shift from Christmas to winter to spring decor in a single day. It can be chaotic, but over the years I’ve learned to embrace the change and go with the flow.
Case in point: Bella decided a table (on top of a backpack!) was the perfect spot to curl up, despite our no-dogs-on-the-table rule. She looked so pleased with herself—and honestly, she made us laugh.
I generally prefer no TV in the living room, but we set one up over Thanksgiving so the family could play a group game on the console. We pulled up chairs, snuggled in and played for hours — I’m terrible at it, but it’s so much fun.
By the end of the day the dogs were exhausted, sleeping off all the excitement, but the next morning everyone was ready for more adventures.
Hope you’re enjoying the simple joys of the season.
You can follow along with our Instagrams below:
The Inspired Room // Jack the Goldendoodle // Doodles at Home // Pure & Lovely // Kylee // Courtney
See more of my home and sources in the original site’s gallery and shop listings.