The Why Behind my Blog Rebrand

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Surprise! Welcome to Everyday Edits (previously Not a Trophy Wife). I know, right. A huge change with user errors, technical glitches and late nights. And, a to-do list that will take the better part of a month. Please stick with me! But, if you skip the why behind my blog rebrand will you leave a comment on what you think or tag me via Instagram?

I will share the details and the team behind the rebrand later (once I organize all my passwords. But, let me explain the why behind the blog rebrand. In a sentence, it started in a therapy session with my husband. That’s right, I paid someone to listen to me talk about my blog.

Well, that’s the short version.

I thank my therapist for my blog rebrand. In a monthly therapy session I talked for the better part of the session about Not a Trophy Wife. I lit up talking about all the details I love about my blog. And, how my blog pushed my creative side (sometimes over the edge).

I shared the circumstances behind my blog name. It began with a telephone conversation with my sister in a parking lot of our tennis club. I was asked by a friend to sub for a daytime tennis match. I had primer on my elbow and ceiling paint on my baseball cap. And, I had a car with months old McDonald’s french fries in the back seat. I was not a trophy wife.

With three small kids and a new Realtor’s license (to help fund my husband’s start-up) I told my sister,

“Some days, I just want to be a trophy wife.”

I continued to share with our therapist my blog was an expensive hobby. My blog was my own version of therapy. It was a distraction from my life as a Realtor where the adrenaline of contracts, dates, and deadlines, fueled by coffee, created noise in my head.

Looking at my husband’s face in that session, made me think he thought I had gone off the rails. I am sure he was counting the dollars per minute during that 50-minute session.

I called it passion. Except, except that, I was increasingly uncomfortable with the blog name. Not a Trophy Wife, began to bug me. The name was judgy with undertones.

My kids accused me of being a closeted trophy wife; maybe just tendencies.

And, so did a few readers! ha!

So, I danced around the thought and continued to persevere thru my DSLR camera and improve my writing skills with the help of this great article from an unlikely author.

When I ramped up my real estate business two years ago, I knew I had I had an opportunity to marry the two: the creative side of the blog with the decor and staging ideas with the day to day schedule of deadlines and inspection item negotiations.

It took me three years from those initial feelings of a blog rebrand to the actual decision to initiate a blog rebrand.

A trip to Haven placed me in a small blogging group with this lady as the leader.

But, this lady had just rebranded her blog. I followed up with her after the conference about my dilemma. Leslie was a great sounding board. Thank you Leslie!

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And that is the back story to my first blog. I loved her. But, the reality was my blog name had judgy implications with undertones. Just the title, not the content. But, the title was the front door to my blog. But, I was changing and so were my thoughts and my stage of life and my goals. It was time to edit my blog. Thank you for sticking with me! If you are new, welcome! I would love social media follows below. If you run into a glitch, please leave me a comment! laura

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A Delightsome Life

Weekending | Holiday Family Traditions

There are two places I go to more between the months of November and December than any other months during the year. Any guesses? The mall and the movie theaters. Seriously, I have been to the mall three times in as many days. It’s the realization I can run to the mall because my days are no longer scheduled around tennis lessons and calculus tutors. #dontblink

So now more than ever I want to create new holiday traditions for our family. 

Movies have become one of our new holiday traditions (as long as we can all agree on the movie).  Over Thanksgiving, the entire family saw the movie, The Green Book. This is a great family movie and a fun holiday tradition for our family.

My husband and I saw Bohemian Rhapsody last night. My husband is a music nerd and could not wait to see this movie. I dragged my heels a bit and I am so so happy we saw it together! I love Queen’s music, but I never knew the story behind the lead singer Freddie Mercury. There are some familiar faces in the movie so I will save you a Google search; one of the main characters played Tom Branson on Downton Abbey. 

I have multiple Queen songs on my running playlist. Yes, I have a playlist just for hills. 

Another new family tradition is Christmas pajamas for the family! These were our pajamas last year. My kids drew the line on making this the Christmas card image for this year’s Christmas card.

Another new holiday tradition may include this from Pottery Barn. 

Travel | Ireland

This time last year we returned from Ireland where the hills rolled and the sheep scattered along the hillsides. If Dublin got a little more snow it would be a setting for a Hallmark movie. It was a celebratory trip for my husband and me after paying off a business loan. Ireland was the perfect place to catch our breath and celebrate. It is my favorite country besides the United States!

Dublin was like a scene from It’s a Wonderful Life. Except, in any Dublin pub you are bound to hear a specific swear word used as every part of speech. #thatswearword

But when you add an Irish accent the swear word sounds poetic when used as an adverb, adjective, verb, noun, and preposition. If you know an Irish man or woman (I work with one) or have enjoyed a few Irish guys at a rugby match (my son played rugby in high school) you know that word.

But that word was not offensive with an Irish accent.

We spent the majority of our Ireland trip in Dublin. Walking the Trinity College campus had me on my phone texting my daughter to consider grad school in Dublin and maybe meet a cute Irish boy with an Irish accent. #momstop

Every morning we woke up and found these on the streets.

 


Did you know this author lived and worked in Dublin? I did not.

And, of course, no trip to Ireland would be complete with a little Guinness. We did a self-guided tour which means we sampled when we wanted and on every floor. I think a tour would have been more fun.

Some of you know I have a thing for clocks. These clocks were in the Guinness museum. The details got a little blurry by the 3rd floor.

And, finally, I loved the message on this awning outside a little cafe.

 

 

 

A Runner’s View of Colorado

What happened to summer? My son just left for college and my house is quiet with one less child at home. Which brings me back to how I de-stress. I run, break a sweat or eat chocolate. One of these things is not like the others…

This is the hill that leads out of our neighborhood. It’s steep and it’s a bear (and yes it’s not uncommon to see a mama bear and her cubs in the early morning. It’s the hill when you see a neighbor chugging up the hill you roll down your window and yell a few encouraging words. But look at that sky! Colorado has over 300 days of sunshine a year! Oh, and no humidity. It’s the perfect weather for outdoor enthusiasts.

a run with a view

The trouble with hills was over time my hamstrings and core said, “no more.” It’s been a rough year and a half figuring out the injury (need to treat the source, not the symptom). Blah blah blah. I do more physical therapy now than in the previous 20 years.

So my “team” suggested mixing up my runs with dirt (and tracks). I fought this suggestion for a while because certain types of critters also like the dirt and the sunshine. And, I will do more harm to my ankles, shins, knees and if I as much as see one of these guys. I shared my annual summer yard fear.

On a particularly warm morning, I decided to try my knee (hamstring) on the dirt roads. I found a few snapshots of Colorado life along the way.  5280 is a reference to the number of feet (mile) above sea level. In our part of the city, we are well above 5280. Because I have lived in Colorado for so long, I do not notice the difference in altitude. But, when my son was home from college in Minneapolis it took him a few days to adjust to the altitude.

Along this route, there are usually buffalo roaming in the distance behind the fence. This is a 2 lane dirt road and although most drivers give a friendly wave to acknowledge the runners; it’s not a guarantee. It gets a little precarious around the bends and turns.

Some of you may have seen this on my Instagram feed over the weekend. This greeted me when I finished my run. It puts all of the struggles, pains, complaints in perspective. What are your favorite runs in your city?

 

Weekending Video Finds for a Sunday Smile

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a fun weekend! It’s a busy weekend at our house with boys in and out, boys learning to grill and a fun night out with friends. So on this issue of Weekending, I wanted to share a few video finds for a Sunday smile. My sister-in-law sent me this first video find. I have not seen Mila before, but apparently, this little talking toddler who has a lot to say on many subjects. In this video find she vents about those girlfriends who pull a “one-upper” in the conversation.

Video Finds for a Sunday Smile

 

This sassy, plenty to say pre-schooler reminds me of a younger version of this hilarious mom Whoa Susanna. This video find is her rant about the need for people to wear real pants. I think she has a podcast too! This is another video find for a Sunday smile

I couldn’t figure out why I was singing “Ring my Bellllllll… Ring my Bell.” It’s from this Walmart commercial. Are any of you singing this snappy little song for no particular reason? Here’s the video find for a Sunday smile to get you singing while loading the dishwasher.

And, let’s see more of these videos with this video find trending all week!

And, can we all agree that the best way to get a Sunday smile is to spend a little time with our pets. You can’t help to smile when you see their cute faces and wagging tales.

Wash or Wait Hair Days

Okay,I have a really important question to ask all of you? Like I really need some clarity on this hot top. How many of you wash your hair every day? Up until six months ago the thought of not washing my hair daily never occurred to me because why would I not wash my hair? But then I heard the chatter about the benefits of a no shampoo days.  I asked my girlfriends and the wash vs. no-wash camps were split down the middle… like a bad, messy part. So where do you weigh in on the wash or wait hair days dilemma?

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Ironically, on the days when I break a serious sweat (okay all days I break a sweat… I come from a family of sweaters- well except my mother.. apparently she does not sweat.. it must be a southern thing even though she has lived in Colorado more years than her Appalachian days. #truth  Okay, I totally went sideways on that sentence. Here’s a photo of my mom who was clearly rocking her hair back in the day, circa 1974 in Omaha.

Back to my sweat equity hair. After a workout the sweat gives my hair a wavy, texture that I am unable to achieve with product. But, on my “no wash” days I just feel well… dirty even thought I always take a shower. On the no wash hair days I either use a shower cap or just pull my hair back. Once I had to use a Target plastic bag (on a no wash hair day)  and my husband just said, “That’s a solid look…” #noshame #upcycletheplasticbags

Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon in Denver with my brother.

On my no-wash days I try to hide under a baseball cap (like most of my photos), but baseball cap are a little too casual for showing property.

I have dry shampoos and the tinted dry shampoo (which I like even on clean hairs days because it adds volume). So ladies (and guys) where do you stand on this important Wash or Wait hair days? Please weigh in on this in the comments!!!

 

Weekending in April and Prom

It’s Saturday and I am missing my voice after a fun prom night with the parents of my son’s best friends. Here is one of my favorite photos of my son and one of his best friends and their dates (and my son’s date’s younger sister)! Are you following this? It was a rainy, snowy day, but the rain stopped long enough for prom photos! My son and his date are the bookends in this photo. April and Prom in Denver means a strong chance of snow, rain and cold temps! But, it did not stop the fun.

Sharing Weekending in April.

weekending-in-april

More photos later, but this is a favorite taken by my son’s date’s mom! My son and his date went as friends. Or as his older sister points out they are in the friend zone.

Here’s what I am crushing on for Weekending in April. Did I find you? Hope you have a fun weekending in April.

 

  1. This has nothing to do with decor, but if you are low on Vitamin D here’s a list of foods to eat.
  2. Do you struggle with how to decorate a bookcase? Me too. Here are a few easy ideas.
  3. I think Michael’s blog is my new favorite blog to follow. If you visit will you say hi from me!
  4. I love following Katie’s favorites on Friday. And, the fact she has the name “preppy” in her blog title is just an instant connection.

I got some fun news when I was contacted by Scripps-Network for this image on this project.

 

 

How a Toilet Paper Commercial Reminds Us of a Dad’s Role in His Daughter’s Life

With the extended Thanksgiving weekend, many of us will binge watch television shows or maybe catch a Hallmark Christmas movie. And, with all of this couch time, we will get plenty of commercials! Do any of you have a favorite commercial? Some of my favorite commercials get me with the song track (the Adele song with the Mercedes and the tween son who had to get to a movie date during a blizzard by way of his parents’ Mercedes). Other commercials get me with the cute family. Remember the Ikea commercial where the son returns home from college and his parents converted his room into an expanded kitchen? But this toilet paper commercial got me!

But this toilet paper commercial that really isn’t about toilet paper in the traditional sense, is a favorite (excluding ALL of the classic Hallmark greeting card classic commercials). It tells the story of a father and daughter and how so many life moments take place in the bathroom.

Scroll to watch the commercial!

angel-soft-toilet-paper-commercial-notatrophywife

Have you seen this commercial? The message is amazing and although the scenes take place in the bathroom, it is not about our bathroom habits. It shares the relationship between a single dad and his daughter as they both navigate the tween years together.  Well done Angel Soft!

PS There is a new Angel Soft father-daughter commercial where the cute, single dad shows his daughter how to shave her legs. Oh…. I love it! Maybe because my husband and daughter have a similar relationship. Where he would do the same thing in that situation. Read below for how my daughter’s alteration squad orchestrated by her dad for every single dance in high school.

Toilet Paper Commercial

Grab a two ply square!

Source: Angel Soft

 

The Role of Fathers in a Daughter’s Life

This commercial resonated with me because of my daughter and husband (her daddy) pre-dance alterations routine.  His job? To make sure her dress fit in all the right places for all of her dances. With a stack of safety pins and a few spring clamps (wink) from the garage, he would get to work. I imagine he will do the same when his baby girl gets fitted for a wedding dress.

We need more commercials about the role of dads in their daughters’ lives.

toilet- paper- commercial-message- notatrophywife

Linking to : Across the Boulevard

Blog Hack Update … “Dear Hackers ….”

Hi everyone! We have rain in the forecast here in Denver. We always need rain so it’s hard to complain.

So many of you asked about the hack-palooza event in May,  I wanted to give a brief blog hack update.

I almost titled this post,

“Dear Hackers”

But that sounded like an invitation for a bored bot to just pounce on my blog’s server.

Let me give you the blog hack update in a sentence. My blog got hacked. Yep, at the end of May, my blog got hacked. I lost everything. My first post on my new blog was published here. There was nothing else to read so surprisingly it got a lot of attention!

What about my backups? Oh.. those got hacked too. I believe corrupted was the word the hosting associate used with me over the phone. Oh, but first he casually asked, “How long have you been blogging?”

At first, I thought he was making chit-chat while I listened to him type frantically on a keyboard. But as the brief phone holds turned into minutes and more minutes; I realized he was calculating how many posts, words, stories, projects, links, and images were lost forever in a data table.

blog hack

I lost everything!

Any and all backups were also corrupted.

I reached out to anyone who had helped me with my blog in the past two years, hoping they may have stored a backup on their server. Nothing.

But, what doesn’t kill ya makes you stronger. I slept okay and when I woke this morning I began of list of “must do now.”  I was fortunate to have a team of fabulous women, I had worked with in the past, who worked over the weekend to get my blog back online.

It’s going to be okay.

The night of the blog hack was devastating until I remembered I had something the hackers didn’t delete permanently.  I had backup copies of all of my blog images. Every single one. Because a few years ago I upgraded my Dropbox account to store all of my RAW images from every barn door project, master bath update, sugar cookie dough pictures.

It’s going to be okay.

I knew the images were the most important thing I needed at that moment. Why? Because the images jogged my memory of favorite projects. And, the reality was the bulk of the photos were pretty crappy from the earlier days of the blogs. Which empowered me to either edit the photos or delete them and back new photos.

the blog images

The images jogged my memory for my favorite posts. Although the posts (data tables) got hacked, the words and stories around those posts can be recreated. Photos trigger our memories and thoughts; our steps and processes and our emotions. Hackers can’t take away the feelings and emotions attached to our photos.

Like this photo. I may have lost the post about the day I found this leaking from my main floor closet, but the image reminds me of the, “What in the h*&&” is that leaking from the closet.

It’s going to be okay.

I’m just getting started! Literally!

PS This shot of Olive from Little Miss Sunshine is what I looked like when I was eight years old, except I didn’t get glasses until fifth grade. If you have not seen Little Miss Sunshine it was one of those quirky movies about all types of families. In the beginning of the movie, I thought it took place in the early 1980’s, but the cell phones gave it away.

Source: LIttle Miss Sunshine

If you are reading this it means my blog IS back up and running, but it might look like I have been blogging for a few months, rather than years. Thanks for stopping by and please visit. I need traffic and comments!

Oh and here’s my new logo!

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year | the preview of fall catalogs

Hi Everyone! I just got back from the Haven Conference in Atlanta. I plan to share me and my sister’s adventures with planes, Ubers and automobiles that got me/us from Denver to Knoxville to Atlanta and back to Knoxville and Denver. It was a lot of unpacking and repacking. And, why is the suitcase never shuts the way it did at the start of the trip?

My “niece in law caught this pic of me leaving my sister’s house in Knoxville. That’s Angus: I can’t tell if he is sad to see me leave or excited to see me leave so he doesn’t have to share his mama with me.

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In the meantime, have any of you seen an uptick in catalogs in your mailbox? It’s kind of subtle because they are like the pre-fall season catalogs versus the full blow fall catalogs. The one I was most surprised to see because I think it’s their first- ish** home catalog was the Home Depot catalog. This one wasn’t as much as a fall preview as much as a teaser.

fall catalogs

** Sidebar | I recently developed an English teacher’s cringe worthy grammar habit with the addition of adding “ish” to words referencing quantity.

Let me just say, “Well played Home Depot. Well Played.” Their catalog is filled with furniture and lighting ideas and item numbers; for easy ordering.

And, then there is a sneak peek with my favorite catalog. It’s the annual bedding sale at Crate & Barrel before the fall catalogs roll off the printers. With all the mobile, Instagram and selfies out there, I still love the catalogs. Because they make the reader take a pause …. and… use two hands to flip the pages. You can’t text and read a catalog.

an uptick in catalogs

Let’s enjoy the most wonderful time of year a little longer. What are your favorite catalogs? The ones you take to you for baseball practice, the ones you read in bed late at night or the ones you share the page numbers with your sister who lives too many states away.

 

 

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