From the Front Porch

Happy first week of January, sweet friends!

It’s definitely been a full week trying to get back in the swing of things, right? With the New Year falling on a Sunday and our celebration being out of town it took a bit of juggling and prior planning but I think we’re back on track with everything.

I swear I see January 1^st on the calendar and automatically think I need to organize all the things, lose weight, eat healthy, exercise, reconnect with all my girlfriends, say daily words of affirmation, call my family every day and make a bucket list – all in the same week – ha ha! Please tell me I’m not the only one!

While we may feel like doing everything on the list within the first week of the year, it’s the small changes we make each day over time that will make the biggest impact in our lives. Bonus – our chances of burn out will probably be a lot less! Right?

One of my big goals for 2017 is to document more of our life outside of the blog in pictures. My baby sister is really good at capturing the most random moments and has inspired me to really be intentional about taking the time to capture my own. Here’s a look at a few scenes from my week…

so many ornaments to put away * happy new year * celebrating 2017 with family * meal planning * snuggles with this little lady

Here are a few fun things I found around the web this week to help us kick start a happy and healthy New Year… ((Affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

If you’re looking for a way to cozy up your home after taking down all of your holiday decorating, read this post. Just looking at those luxurious beds makes me want to take a nap.

I shared this drink idea with my niece over the Christmas break. She squealed as soon as she saw it and I’ll admit I did too.

We always have music playing in the background when we’re hanging out as a family. It’s definitely our jam (pun intended) and I know so many of you constantly have music playing around your home too. If you’re looking to create a soundtrack for your life this Ultimate Feel-Good Playlist will have you heading to the i-tunes store today.

My brother in law got this present at Christmas. We used it the entire weekend and now I want one too!

As we settle back into our weekly routine, I’ve been obsessed with finding healthy breakfast ideas that are grab-n-go. I can’t wait to try so many of the recipes on this list of 24.

Have you started thinking about the financial goals you want to set and accomplish this year? Here’s a list of 5 Smart Financial Habits to Start in 2017 you can try.

My calendar is color coded because I like having a quick visual reminder of what’s on tap for the day. I normally use colored pencils but I thought maybe a few of you would prefer these pens.

This is the cutest cold weather tote EVER!

If you need to keep your purse organized or you change your purse on a regular basis consider this option.

If you’re looking to ditch your purse all together, consider this option.

Here’s look at what we’ve been up to on the blog this week…

Word of the Year

2017 Home Goals

2017 Home Organizing Essentials

Simple Cleaning Routines for the Busy Girl

I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend. I’ll be spending some time with my mom at Bliss Barracks and my baby sis at her home, Hawk’s Ridge, as we work to get both places better organized in 2017. I am so excited about it. We have a great week coming up for you next week including: the best way to organize your kitchen, simple ways to organize your pantry, the answer to a question we get asked a lot, “Does using baskets to organize your refrigerator REALLY work?” and finally a meal planning technique that is so easy any family no matter what their dietary needs can use it! Until then, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest over the weekend and back here on Monday for

Many blessings,