Decorating for Easter

Whenever a holiday rolls around, it means decoration time. As a stay-home mom chasing 3 kids (and donkeys and chickens and alpacas) I don't have a ton of time to mess around... trying to find that perfect spot for a colored egg or porcelain bunny. My number-one time saver is being organized. For this holiday, that means every box in my basement that contains Easter decorations ONLY contains Easter decorations. My boxes are labeled and they all sit on the same shelf so when Ash Wednesday rolls around, I'm ready to get my Easter on.

It's so much fun unpacking all of the boxes. It's been a year since any of these decorations have seen the light. It's almost like Christmas - carefully unwrapping each item, trying to remember everything that was packed away. As I unwrap each decoration, different thoughts race through my mind - I remember this... I can't believe I still have this... What was I thinking!!!

Now that I have a counter full of bunnies and eggs, it's time to bust out my decorations book. The book I use is called 'Project Life' by Becky Higgins. Project Life is great because the page protectors have multiple pockets for pictures and printed cardstock. You can buy kits with themed cardstock that fit right into your page protectors. This makes organizing your photos all the more fun and easy. My book holds pictures of every decoration for every holiday and illustrates exactly where they go in my house. I just page through and place my Easter decor in their appropriate places.

An easy decoration I do for most holidays are decorative pillows. I only buy the pillowcase and swap them out for each season. Super effective, and they take up minimal storage space.

Another thing I do is try to keep some of my kid's school projects for decorations. They grow up way too fast and I want to hold on to any piece of their childhood that I can. Putting these projects out puts a smile on my face, and somehow freezes time - allowing me to reminisce of the time my teenage boys were little.

Seriously - how cute is this Last Supper made out of an egg carton!

I always decorate my kitchen and mudroom, living room, and entryway. These are the main areas of our home and they get the most traffic. My decorating sometimes spills into other areas of our home, but for Easter and the smaller holidays, I like to keep it simple. After all, I'll be taking all this down in 40 days!

So there you have it. My house fully decorated in only a couple of hours. Remember to update your photos periodically to keep your binder up to date. Happy decorating!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.

Pedicure time for Lucy & Ethel

Did you guys know I live on a farm? Well I do! My husband and I sort of dabble with farming. My job is taking care of the animals... and today is the day my two donkeys, Lucy and Ethel, get pedicures! Well... not really pedicures, but they will get their hooves trimmed.

Now, I don't totally know what I'm doing, but I can tell you I try my hardest. I have to admit, these donkeys were sort of an impulse buy, and I really didn't know what I was getting myself into when I bought them.

My donkeys love me. I'm not going to lie. When I call them, they come running up to the fence and follow me right into the barn. Now some people might say it's because I bribe them with treats, but I don't think so. These donkeys totally think I'm cool. ;)

Here's the skinny on Lucy and Ethel (btw, Lucy is the red head)... Every couple months these girls - like most of us - need to get their nails done. I have an excellent farrier who comes out and gives Lucy and Ethel his undivided attention while he clips and files their hooves into donkey perfection. Now, my donkeys are full size which means they are very big and a little intimidating. So, I hire my vet to also make a trip out and hold these girls in place while my farrier works his magic.

Now as excited as I am to have my two girls get their nails done, my enthusiasm usually starts to fade after about 30 minutes or so. I mean, seriously, have you ever went with a friend to WATCH her get a pedicure?

It's like watching paint dry. And maybe if I actually had my farrier apply a little nail polish or glitter to Lucy and Ethels hooves, it would bring the excitement level up a notch. But no. There is no polish. Only trimming and filing.

And so here I sit in my super awesome snowsuit as I patiently wait for my donkey's appointment to wrap up.

I can tell you, the wait is worth it. Just like all girls out there, Lucy and Ethel love getting their nails done. Cheers to happy feet!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.

Bulletin Board Time!

All of my kids have attended our small town parish school from kindergarten through sixth grade. My husband and I love this school and we support it whenever we can. I've tried volunteering at different school events, served breakfast after church, but nothing seemed to fit me. Let's face it - I'm super good at eating pancakes... not so good at serving breakfasts. I was constantly looking for a way that I could volunteer and help our school while still having fun doing it.

And then it came to me. A couple years ago, I requested that a bulletin board be hung in the gathering space of our church with the sole purpose of promoting our school. I felt this would be a great way to remind our parishioners that our Catholic school is here and thriving.

BONUS - I would be the one creating the bulletin board displays! What? Volunteering by doing something that I already love and am good at? You have no idea how excited I was with this bulletin board idea.

When working on any project, my ideas usually come to me out of nowhere. I never have a plan. I seriously just go into my art room and start cutting and painting. And you can be sure glitter always makes an appearance!

Cardboard is one of my favorite things to use on my bulletin boards. It is always accessible at my house (thank you Amazon), and I love the texture I get by peeling off layers and adding paint and glitter.

When I create these bulletin boards, they are pretty much like scrapbooking on steroids. Super fun... and super noticeable ;) My ideas always look good in my head... And for whatever reason, they typically turn out. It's like magic... Or maybe it's just a gift :) I enjoy creating these displays for our school and I love that I finally found a way to volunteer that feeds my soul. Everyone has a gift... you just have to figure out how to use that gift to make an impact.

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.