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The Weekender: Pay Attention, A Course In Happiness, The Prettiest Forever Bag and What Made Me Laugh So Hard

Our family in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic | We'll get through this together! | via Yellow Brick Home on 'The Weekender'
sofa | art | sconce | pendant

What Can I Do For You?

Does the photo above feel like you? Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, scared? Me, too. I carry my stress physically, and it hit its peak earlier this week. I shared my fears with Scott, fell asleep early and slept in. I woke up to a new, better day, but still I think: What can I do? What can I do for you? I was having a chat with my friend Miss Beth, and she said something that struck me to the core:

The world is begging us to pay attention and desperate for a shift. We better listen.

I’ve been letting that sink in for days, and when we come out from the other side of this, I’m hopeful that we’ve emerged with a renewed sense of purpose. Personally, I’m feeling a pull to connect with you more than ever. I want to connect creatively, through conversation. I’ve been impressed and in awe of the social media landscape – so many inspiring discussions, distractions and thought starters! – and again I ask, What can I do for you?

What Can We Do for Each Other?

We hope that you’ll stick around and keep reading blogs. Enjoying blogs. Sharing blogs. We promise to continue to put in the hard work to the best of our ability. Hearing from you – through comments, messages and tapping that little ‘heart’ – is what keeps us afloat and allows us to show up every day. Friends, let’s talk about anything. Everything. Big stuff, little stuff. I’ll do what I can for you, and may you do the same for others.

Other Things This Week:

I’ve been living in my GF leggings for, like, 2 weeks now. They. Are. The. Best. And they keep coming out with the prettiest new colors! Moss and Trail are next on my list.

The most popular course in Yale’s history is available online for free!

We started watching Little Fires Everywhere, AND I AM HOOKED. Have you seen it?

The prettiest forever bag. (Bronzed Lichen is the perfect neutral!)

We’ve been at Tree House all week (a plan put in place more than a month ago), with the goal of getting it tuned it for our first(!) Airbnb guests. Although we’re not sure when that will happen now, we’re still putting in the efforts on making it the most comfortable place it can be. We just added this custom guest book, and we had the best experience with the sellers! If you have a celebration in your future, an order would not only give you something to look forward to, but it would support a small business.

A successful shelter in place means that you’re going to feel like it was all for nothing. And you’d be right.

Interior Define is having their Living Room Event! Everything is 15% off, and we just ordered a big batch of fabric samples. Yup, that means we’re making decisions for The Two Flat’s first piece of furniture!

The science of dragons? Yes, please!

Laughing so hard at this.

If you’re experiencing a particularly tough time, can you let me know? We’re working together with a longtime partner to deliver small tokens of happiness. Leave a comment below or send us an email. xx

Have a restful weekend, friends. I think we could all use a big, deep breath, a FaceTime with loved ones and a hug from those we share our homes with.

PS: I’ve been getting a lot of home source questions lately! You can see where many of the items are from in our Chicago home here, and our Tree House here. I’ve also shared a big round-up of our favorite places to shop right here.

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  • Julie Bednarski3.27.20 - 6:17 AM

    I’m a clinical pharmacist in the ICU and my husband is an ER nurse.  As you can imagine, it’s a stressful time for us as we worry for the health of our community and ourselves.  However, we are grateful to be able to use our skills to care for others during this crisis!  I appreciate having a happy space like your blog to retreat to…thank you!!ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 8:49 AM

      Thank you, Julie, for everything you do!ReplyCancel

    • Laura3.28.20 - 10:38 AM

      Thank you for all the work you and your husband are doing during this pandemic!!! ReplyCancel

  • Sara3.27.20 - 7:23 AM

    I really love what Miss Beth said to you as it’s what my husband and I have been discussing frequently. I truly like to believe in the good in people, and hope that we really do come out of this wiser and ready for the right changes. In the meantime I’m hunkered down with my husband, 2 and 4 year old girls and a 5 month old puppy, all while we are trying to work our 9-5 jobs from home. It’s stressful and hard to distinguish one day from the next, but I’m trying to be grateful for all this time I’m spending with my family. ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 8:51 AM

      Deep breaths. Savoring this time with family (that we wouldn’t normally get!) is what’s getting us through right now.ReplyCancel

  • Hannah3.27.20 - 10:00 AM

    Just a heads up the link to the leggings goes to the purse. Hope you are holding up ok! I’m quarantining alone…which is not amazing. But getting a routine going and doing lots of Zoom meetings with friends and family. Thanks for helping keep us entertained!ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 10:18 AM

      Hang in there, Hannah. Let me know if you need an ear, I can do that for you. (Link fixed!)ReplyCancel

  • Emily3.27.20 - 12:43 PM

    I’m struggling to work/parent/”home school” full time.  My fuse is getting shorter and shorter (ends in tears or screaming or both!), and I’d love some tips on better managing this totally new type of stress.  I’m usually a VERY care-free, chill person, but this situation has brought out a side of me that I don’t know how to handle.  Love your blog posts — helps to have that piece of “normalcy” still around.ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 1:48 PM

      Emily, I can’t even imagine the homeschool aspect of this. Please try to give yourself grace and know that you aren’t expected to be a full time teacher on top of your work-from-home new reality. Sometimes, you just need to do whatever you want to feel mentally stable – even if that means extra movies and less homework.ReplyCancel

  • Rachel S3.27.20 - 1:07 PM

    I’m *mostly* fine but I am also carrying my stress physically… my cuticles are a nightmare and I keep biting the insides of my lower lip while I eat. You could say I’m rather tense.  Taking walks outside feels risky rather than like stress relief… I’m trying to do a few minutes of yoga every day, hopefully that helps.ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 1:43 PM

      There are yoga studios around the world doing Instagram Live sessions! Even walking to the mailbox or doing yard work has been a MASSIVE stress reliever for us right now. xoReplyCancel

  • Amanda3.27.20 - 1:12 PM

    How is Lucy handling all of this? Our 2 year old of course doesn’t understand, but you can tell she misses friends, parks, dinners out (not to mention visits from grandparents and her cancelled birthday party). I would love a blog post on things to help kiddo feel more normal AND keep them engaged (without rotting their brains on Disney+).Thank you for being a sensitive, but positive repreave from the world :)ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 1:40 PM

      Lucy is doing well, but man, she REALLY misses her friends. She looks out the window and points to her friends’ homes, saying their names daily. She misses the park and going out for dinners (she LOVES a good happy hour as much as we do, haha). But we’re staying positive for her (at least in front of her), since this is much too large for her to understand. Hugs to you!ReplyCancel

  • hannah3.27.20 - 1:30 PM

    Thanks for reaching out to people as you always do. My husband and I had already been mostly staying home with our newborn for a few weeks when social distancing/lockdown started, so in a weird way it’s not a huge change…but trying to manage all this with a tiny fragile baby, who’s spending the first couple months of his life mostly seeing the inside of our family room, has been so scary. I’m relieved that he was born before hospitals were overwhelmed, and that we have the resources to stay home and have things delivered, but it still feels overwhelming. I really appreciate getting a little window into other people’s homes and how they’re dealing when I read my little roundup of blogs each morning.ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 1:49 PM

      We will always be here for you. Sneak in some baby cuddles from me, please!ReplyCancel

  • Greta3.27.20 - 3:01 PM

    My husband and I are both high risk although we are in our thirties (he has a neurological condition and uses a wheelchair and I have an immune deficiency). It feels so overwhelming to try to disinfect and manage everything that comes into our home like mail and grocery deliveries to make sure we don’t catch this thing. Last week, I had a panic attack, just feeling like I couldn’t cope, and my awesome therapist helped me with a telehealth session. I feel blessed that we have resources available to us that so many others don’t: a home, work, family/friends, and a dog who helps me stay sane with walks and cuddles. It is important for us to remember that this can be hard on anyone, no matter their age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status.ReplyCancel

  • Ardith3.27.20 - 4:28 PM

    Thank you both, for all that you already offer, as well as your calm and considerate offers now. 
    I would love to believe in humans demonstrating a higher plane of being during such times as these, but alas, it is not what my husband and I are witnessing in our small town. People are not social distancing. They are not wearing masks and/or gloves when they shop.
    Meanwhile, and according to one employee at the local grocery store, there are those going out of their way to make sure they have what they need while depleting someone else’s resources (aka, driving over 2 hours to overwhelm our small community)…and without proper precautions. 
    Please, please, please, I implore everyone to make us all proud. If we can’t be our better selves at this pivotal moment, what can we expect over time (does Rick of the Walking Dead come to mind as it does for my husband and me)? 
    We can do better, much better. Let’s just do it.ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.27.20 - 8:45 PM

      This sort of thing breaks my heart, but I like to think that if someone is capable of only thinking for themselves, perhaps they need it more than I, more than we, do. We’re all going through something right now. Hugs to you!ReplyCancel

      • Ardith3.27.20 - 9:51 PM

        And big hugs back to you, Kim. Keeping the faith here, ArdithReplyCancel

  • Jen3.27.20 - 6:28 PM

    Thanks for all your work!ReplyCancel

  • Eileen3.27.20 - 8:30 PM

    Thanks for your heartfelt words and regular posts.  I work in healthcare and the stress level is palpable. Reading blogs has always been something I enjoy, but now I feel, at times, that it’s the only semblance of “normal” that I can find.  I don’t know what my family’s new normal will look like in the coming weeks, but I’m grateful for the simple joy of reading your blog.ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer3.27.20 - 10:28 PM

    I echo the thoughts of those who work in healthcare. I’m fine when I’m at home, but I’m increasingly anxious when I go in to work, and I’m a supervisor, so I’m trying to remain calm for everyone else! Thank you for keeping up with regular blog posts. They are my distraction (along with books and gardening) at home. ReplyCancel

  • AnnMarie3.28.20 - 12:53 PM

    Thank you for sharing! Your blog and social media content is a much-needed piece of “normalcy” in these crazy times — please keep it up! And thank you for your honesty and vulnerability in sharing how you’re feeling and dealing with this. <3ReplyCancel

  • Emily3.29.20 - 7:12 PM

    I need ideas to occupy a busy busy. 21 month old ????ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.30.20 - 9:31 AM

      Check out @bigcityreaders for an Instagram Live story time every day at 10am CST! We’ve been doing a lot of paint and drawing projects with Lucy, as well as a LOT of screen time. We do what we can, but we need that mental sanity to keep her occupied as well.ReplyCancel

  • lak3.29.20 - 7:17 PM

    I love your blog.  Thank you for continuing to post!  I am a working nurse and frankly your blog is light at the beginning of my day.  I have been practicing social distancing for 3 weeks when I am not working.  I miss my people.    Thank you again for your post, I really do appreciate them.  Hoping for the best for all of us!ReplyCancel

    • Kim3.30.20 - 9:31 AM

      Thank you so much, lak. And thank you for everything that you do! :)ReplyCancel

  • Mel3.30.20 - 8:09 AM

    I feel very different things on any given day, even hour of the day.  I’ve worked from home for 2 years and my small family is a family of home-bodies for the most part so this change of pace isn’t earth-shattering for us.  My husband and 3 1/2 year old have now been home for 17 days with me and while it’s mostly lovely, we have our moments trying to both work full time and manage a 3 1/2 year old who needs things to do.  I’m worried about the world though…i’m worried about my parents (they’re in their 70’s and Mom has RA and lupus) and my father in law with respiratory issues.  Then there are the fears for all the people who are out of work and what the economy is going to look like when this is done.  And personally – I’m 27 weeks pregnant and will likely have this baby mid-late June – what will the hospital scene look like then?  Will it be safe?  Can I bring my doula (as well as my husband?) when will my family get to meet baby?  Where will we send our daughter during the birth since the plan was Grandma and Grandpa?!  So many questions.  I find taking my worries to God and my thankfulness to my family and my sweet kicking baby to help tremendously.  Thank you for asking.  So enjoy your darling family from afar. 
    xo – MelReplyCancel

    • Kim3.30.20 - 9:34 AM

      Oh, Mel. I feel like everyone anxieties are warranted, big, small and EVERYTHING in-between. I can’t imagine being pregnant right now and not knowing what the next day will bring. Sending you love and strength and positivity. Can you feel it?!ReplyCancel

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