Tag: fayncbloggers

3 reasons to simplify your life and what that means

Published on by Jamie ShugartLeave a comment

When you think of the word “simplify,” do you think of minimalists?  People who own like one pair of socks and a sweater, or people who are downsizing to a house the size of a match box?

That’s not what I’m doing.  When I set out to Simplify in 2019 (read that blog post here), it wasn’t my intention to throw out all of my possessions.  I already did that last year, unintentionally, and while that gave me a bit of a head start on decluttering my life, it was just the beginning of simplifying.

Before I get ahead of myself though, if you want to follow along with our adventures of newlywed life, turning a house into a home, and all of the highs and lows of everyday life, click the subscribe button on the right (or at the bottom if you’re on mobile).  It doesn’t send you crazy stuff or give your information to anyone—it just sends blog updates directly to you!

My beginning of simplifying was this: I really just wanted to slow down. 

To get my priorities in line.  To save time on tasks so that I had more freedom in my life.  

I don’t know about you, but I dig the idea of freedom—freedom in my finances, freedom from being overwhelmed, and the freedom of a healthy schedule. 

Sure, part of simplifying can be to own less, to declutter, and to donate half of your wardrobe if it doesn’t bring you joy.  But the other half of the equation is to make decisions easier, to learn to say no, and to spend more time with the people most important to you.

Basically, simplifying is identifying what is most important to you and then eliminating the rest.

Here’s why that might be beneficial for you.  

#1.  You will be less overwhelmed.

There will be less to clean, less to do, and you will understand how, when, and why to say no.  You will bring an end to overcommitment and stop being a slave to obligations.

Practical steps to get you started:
1. turn off notifications for basically everything on your phone so that you only see the important things. 
2. have a calendar that you stick to and do not overbook.    

#2.  You will be more in tune with your needs vs. your wants.

Understanding your priorities will help with this.  It will help your decisions become clearer—is this task, item, or activity going to help or hinder your priorities?  

Practical steps:
1. make a list of 4-5 priories or things most important to you (and to your spouse/marriage).  Put them in order of importance. 
2. make a list of your commitments and then put them in oder of their priority.

For example, Will and I prioritize God, followed by each other/our marriage, our family, and THEN the other things in our lives, such as work, friends, serving at church, and other areas that can eat up time and resources.  

#3.  You will have time to pursue your passions and to travel.

With less clutter, fewer things to take care of, and a better handle on how to manage your time, it will be easier to find time to pursue passions and projects you may have had to avoid otherwise.  You will also hopefully have a better handle on your finances and fewer things to take care of at home so that you can go on a vacation now and again.

Some seasons of life are much more busy than others.  Priorities are not set in stone, and although your top tier will probably never change, the others on your list might.  Bringing home a new baby, starting a new job, or buying a house are all things that will be an adjustment.  Aiming to simplify can definitely provide solutions and freedom as you go through these transitions.

Y’all, simplifying is not the solution to every problem, but it has already been an amazing word to focus on in my 2019.  I am so excited to continue this mantra to see where it takes us this year.

How do you feel about simplifying?  I want to hear all of your thoughts in the comments below!  If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like to let me know and don’t forget to join the family and subscribe!

Until next time,
Jamie out.

refurnishing our home was a nightmare

Published on by Jamie ShugartLeave a comment

Wamie house update!

In this cozy place we call home, we have been working hard to make it everything we want it to be.  We have added pantry shelves, gone through countless paint samples to find The One, installed a fence and gutters, and so many other odds and ends that we are so excited to share with you in future posts.

But first thing’s first, if you want to follow along with our adventures of newlywed life, turning a house into a home, and all of the highs and lows of everyday life, click the subscribe button on the right (or at the bottom if you’re on mobile).  It doesn’t send you crazy stuff or give your information to anyone—it just sends blog updates directly to you!

Okay, let’s be real for a second. 

Some of us only dream about fully refurnishing our home, but rarely get to do it.  Especially not all at one time.  Usually we painstakingly save up for that new couch.  We stalk Black Friday sales for our new flatscreen.  We refinish cheap furniture that we find at an estate sale.  Refurnishing from scratch only happens in our dreams.

Well friends, let me break it down for you.  I’m not sure that it should be a dream.  I would call it more of a nightmare.  

If you want to read all about how we lost all of our furniture in Hurricane Florence, click here.  If not, here’s a quick breakdown. 

We searched for and put an offer in on a home in North Carolina while we were living in Arizona.  The day we left for North Carolina, my car was rear ended in a tiny town in New Mexico and we found out it was a total loss (read about that here).  Because we were under contract for a home we would be financing, we couldn’t replace my car until we closed on the house.  Luckily, everyone we worked with was a rockstar and we closed just a few days after we got into town.  The following day, we emptied our storage unit and found out that we had lost a LOT due to water damage.

On some level we were expecting some damage.  But to lose all of our furniture?  We literally kept our kitchen table and two chairs, a tiny desk, a drink cart, and our bed frame.  Those were the only furniture items that survived.  

Luckily we had insurance and had saved some money while in Arizona.  Through our own savings and the generosity of others, we have been able to mostly refurnish our home and are loving everything.  Here’s a breakdown of everything we have so far:

Couch

We found this beauty at Ashely Furniture, which is actually where be purchased almost everything for our new home. We found that the value and quality met exactly what we wanted at a price we could afford. This three seater is soft to the touch, firm, and perfect for our living room.

Chairs

These chairs are one of our favorite things. We bought them the same day we got our couch and the sectional we put in the bonus room. They are a similar fabric to the couch above but are not from the same collection. They are situated right next to our window and are perfect for afternoon book reading sessions with a big mug of tea, or for a late night blogger who may or may not writing this from one of these chairs.

Bookcase

If you are ever in need of anything for your home, Wayfair is like the Amazon of furniture. We have been so excited to find some great pieces on their website.

We actually purchased two of these bookshelves, intending to put them both in our office. However, while arranging our living room, we found that putting the bookshelf here tied the whole room together and made it exactly how we wanted it. It’s a grey wash finish and we only put very specific and limited books here so that we wouldn’t overwhelm the space.

Bonus: my parents were getting rid of their coffee table and end table and we were able to snatch them!

Nightstand

We got our bedroom pieces from Ashley Furniture on Black Friday. We were blessed with some very generous friends who gifted us a mattress and therefore only had to replace our nightstands and dresser in the master. I wasn’t so sure about the arrangement of this nightstand initially, to be honest—with the shelf on top and the drawer on the bottom—but it has actually been great for this bookworm who adores reading before bed.

Dresser

The dresser is from the same collection as the night stand, and like the bookshelves is a grey wash. It is a good size dresser—not too deep or gargantuan, but has great drawers that offer a lot of storage space. Bonus: being a newlywed and learning to share space for clothes is teaching me how to declutter and get rid of things I don’t need. Also, having your storage unit flood will do that to you too.

Mirror

So funny story. I put this mirror on my amazon wishlist (linked here if you want one!) and got two of them for Christmas! I am putting the second one in our guest bedroom.

Sectional

This stunner is from Ashley Furniture. It is a four piece sectional that we specifically chose so that it could fit upstairs in our bonus room. Our bonus room is the the only room in the house with a TV so we have to be intentional about any time spent watching shows or movies. We are so excited about this space, and this sectional has been perfect!

Side tables

The sweetest girl who I used to work with gifted us their old end tables that fit perfectly in this space. We have loved them!

TV Stand

Yet another gem we found on Wayfair. Our TV stand is our newest piece and I absolutely adore it. Again, it is a grey wash modern farm house furniture item and I can’t stop ogling it. God bless my William for putting it all together (some assembly required!).

Really this nightmare of refurnishing our home is a blessing in disguise.  We get to choose everything we want and build a cohesive home.  We get to start from scratch with items we picked together and can build our marriage in the comfort of new beginnings. 

While the stress and time spent on insurance and trips to the dump was overwhelming, and the time spent in stores and online searching for what we need was only lessened by the fact that I love shopping—while all of this is real and hard, we can find joy in our time spent with one another. Our lives in this home will be much more enriched because of everything we have been through.

What do you think of our progress so far? Let me know in the comments! If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and don’t forget to join the family and subscribe if you haven’t already!

Until next time,
Jamie out.

our day date to a super old house

Published on by Jamie Shugart3 Comments

About a week or so ago, Will took me on a fantastic day date to a place I had been dying to visit.  I’m a sucker for dates and romance.  This one just tugged at my heart strings and was a perfect morning spent reflecting on history, how people used to live, and the things we take for granted now.  Like freezers, freedom, and air conditioning in the south.

The 1897 Poe House is located near downtown Fayetteville.  No, it was not owned by the poet, but by a prominent family that made and sold bricks.  In fact, much of the foundation of this home is made out of bricks made by Mr. Poe, although the deeds to everything they owned, including the company were in his wife’s name, per the prenup.  

The Poe’s apparently ordered this home out of a Sears catalog, which was not uncommon.  Everything was sent to a local carpenter who built it for them.  

We got to tour pretty much everything in the home and our tour guide explained how North Carolina had obtained the property, how much it cost to restore it, and what things the Poe’s daughter had renovated and converted from what it was originally.  It was interesting to see how a well off family lived, with their ice box, grocers delivering goods, cook and maids, and two stair cases.

Actual dishes that the Poe family owned.

I’m super into this dating thing.  If you couldn’t tell.

Until next time,

Jamie out

My Word for 2019

Published on by Jamie Shugart4 Comments

Do you ever give your self a word, or a mission, or a phrase to cling onto?  Something that makes decisions easier and priorities clearer.  Will and I started prioritizing early on in our relationship.  Underneath God and our relationship, we put family.  This helps us make so many important (and maybe seemingly insignificant) decisions clearer and easier.  

I have never chosen a word for a year before now.  Sure, I have set new years resolutions that I rarely, if ever, keep, but this year I am approaching things differently.  I have set personal and professional goals, as well as giving myself a word to focus on.  To be my driving force for learning and growing in 2019.

My word is Simplify.

Much in the way that people say “don’t put yourself in debt during the holidays to show people how generous you are, or how much you love them,” my approach to Simplifying is very similar.  I view Simplifying as a way to gain freedom.  Freedom from overcommitting.  Freedom from clutter.  Freedom from being overwhelmed.  Freedom from feeling obligated.  It is a means to prioritize, and that prioritizing begins with practical steps, that turn into habits, that change the way you look at things, so that the things you look at change.

Some practical steps I have already taken include deleting unused and unwanted apps from my phone and turning off notifications for basically everything.  I already feel this freedom.  There is much less pressure—much less anxiety—much less obligation when I look at my phone. 

Other practical steps include cleaning out the fridge every time I go grocery shopping.  Making the bed every day.  Throwing out expired medications.  Keeping lists on my phone for easy access at grocery stores.  Reducing the trips I make to stores so that I have more time for my family and other priorities.  Making a master spreadsheet for my photography business to simplify keeping track of everything for myself and my taxes.  Getting rid of clothing that has holes, that I never wear, and that doesn’t bring me joy.  

Etc.

I am so excited to dive into Simplifying my life this year and to experience the freedom it brings.  Does anyone have any suggestions for me?  For ways that I can Simplify in 2019?

Do you have a word for 2019?  Leave it for me in the comments!  If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like and don’t forget to join the family and subscribe if you haven’t already.

Until next time,
Jamie out