This post is for all of you who want a nice, pretty home but you feel like you can never get there and the idea consumes you. It’s for those of you who buy too many figurines and throw pillows from the Target sale aisle and then cuss them when you get home because your house still isn’t quite right.
It’s especially for you if you have a toddler (or get real — a husband) that throws said pillow off the couch and you can feel your blood boil before it even hits your dirty floor.
This post is not for those of you who have this ish all figured out and your handsomely dressed toddler can eat off your freshly polished floors. You, my friend, can choke on your expensive cheese. Err…I mean, you can keep scrolling. 😁
Several years ago, I stumbled upon The Nesting Place by @thenester and it changed my life. It took me on an important journey of seeing my home as a place to serve me instead of a place full of pretty things and chairs no one could sit on. I wrote a whole blog post about it back in 2015. Wow, that was five years ago.
Since then, MyQuillin has written more books, each just as practical and useful as the last. I’ve also met her in person and been to her wonderful barn and I can basically die having lived a fulfilled life now. She also told me happy birthday on insta this year and I’ll stop there before I get a restraining order.
These pretty books have helped me so much. Because of her writing/teaching, my goal for my homes has been less about being ready for a magazine shoot and more about being ready for people to sit and get cozy and make memories. It’s become more about my house serving me than about me serving it by dusting a bunch of crap I bought at TJ Maxx.
I know that many of you, like me, love pretty things and order and sometimes it’s really hard to balance that dream life with reality. Reality for me is that I don’t have hours to spend cleaning up things that I don’t need. Reality is, I don’t remember the last time I dusted something and I’ll move my family to eating Ramen Noodles before I start dusting this house again. I have someone who helps clean once a week and I’d rather her have time to mop the floors over dusting random figurines.
Like The Nester, I’m not a minimalist. Empty homes with bare walls do not bring me joy. Similarly, I do not like clutter. Too much crap being piled up in places makes me want to pack a bag and move out. Hence, I’ll happily wear the Cozy Minimalist title. It feels like the best of both worlds.
The Nesting Place taught me to just put a nail in the wall. It helped me push past my fear of hanging something in the wrong place and needing to move it later. The first day I read that book, I finally hung things on my freshly painted walls and I didn’t regret a single nail.
Right on the first few pages of Cozy Minimalist Home, I made note of this line — “The goal of his book is to help you finish your house so you don’t have to think about your house so you can live your one good life.” Yes and amen.
I can’t wait to get my copy of the newest book and there’s a preorder bonus if you order before September 15! (More on that below.)
As I typed this, I felt the urge to go to Target and buy new fall things. After all, isn’t that how one fills a kid/husband free Saturday? Browsing the aisles of pretty things at Target with their favorite Starbucks drink in hand?
Yes. And no. Yes, buying pretty things from Target is perfectly fine. It is not, however, the answer to your home troubles. Bringing home another cute thing will not create the home of your dreams, even if it was on sale. Believe me, I’ve tried.
If you’re unhappy with your home, chances are you don’t need more pretty things.
Next month, The Nester’s newest book comes out and as we change seasons and feel even more pressure to have cozy, pretty homes, I thought you might could use her encouragement too. It’s been life-changing for me over the years.
If you preorder before September 15, you also get her Welcome Home Prep School which includes lessons like:
•10 ways to add nature to your home that don’t require water (thank you, Jesus)
•3 tips for charcuterie boards
•ways to embellish a store bought cake
To be honest, I wanted this course just for the charcuterie tips. I’ve hosted a lot of parties and never ever made a charcuterie board. I struggle to even spell that correctly!
All of this is about making the most of what you already have — a mantra that I like to live by in all areas. It’s about reaching your goals of cozy + inviting, without having to buy more crap that you don’t really have room for anyway. It’s about finally creating a home that you feel comfortable inviting your friends to and doing so with what you already have access to. Reaching your home dreams doesn’t mean spending thousands of dollars or moving. (Though, if you really want to move, I can help.😁)
I’m sharing these books today because they promote a message I believe in, one that’s made a big difference in how I see my home(s). Y’all know I’ve moved a lot. I believe in building homes that make us feel good about ourselves. I believe in doing things that need less tending to and offer more opportunity to live our best lives. I believe in the message of “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful,” The Nester’s most famous motto. This is another phrase that I repeat to myself often in all areas of my life, not just my home.
Whether you preorder the new book, or buy one of the former ones like The Nesting Place or Cozy Minimalist Home — I know you’ll get some peace and direction about how to make the most of your home. They are all helpful and beautiful. If you order from my links here, I receive a small commission because I finally signed up for the Amazon affiliate
program like a big girl blogger. I have to drive some sales to the site before my affiliate status gets approved, so thank you for using the links!
After you try out the books, come back and let me know your thoughts! I’ll be over here foraging greenery from the yard, you know — once we recover from this hurricane. (More about that on Instagram.)
