Andrea Dekker

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READER QUESTION: What Are Your Thoughts on The Whole 30

Surprisingly (to me) I get quite a few questions about the Whole30 diet — many from readers who assume I’ve already completed a Whole30 challenge (nope!)

I have read and learned quite a bit about the Whole30 way of eating over the past few years… but I am far from an expert. So instead of me sharing what I don’t know, I thought this might be a great “Reader Question” — I’d love to hear from those of you who HAVE completed one or more Whole30 challenges, as well as from those of you who tried but didn’t finish!

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The 16-Week Full-House Purge (+ FREE printable!)

Exactly 1 year ago, I shared my personal challenge to complete a full-house purge BEFORE the New Year (along with several posts regarding my purging progress). 

This post series was so popular last year, with many of you completing your own full-house purge, that I thought it would be fun to try again… I even have a FREE printable this year!

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How We Hung A Shower Curtain with Sloped Ceilings

Our old farmhouse has crazy sloped ceilings in every room upstairs — including the bathroom. We have sloped ceilings in the kids’ bathtub/shower area and although it wasn’t too much extra hassle, we did have to think through things a bit before we decided on the best way to hang the curtain in their shower.

Today I’m sharing our simple solution!

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Tater Tot Casserole From Scratch (with Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup)

Tater Tot Casserole is one meal Dave and I both grew up enjoying… and it’s definitely one of our kids’ most favorite meals ever! I make it roughly once a month, all year round — but my recipe looks a little different than it did when I originally shared it back in 2014.

I have added more veggies and fiber, reduced the fat, calories, and sodium, and used a REALLY simple recipe for homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup. The prep time is still quite minimal, and my kids still LOVE this meal!

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A Few Of My Favorite Things {September 2019}

I’m often asked if I “dread” September because it means Dave goes back to school… and while I don’t love sending him back to school after a summer home together, I don’t dread it either.

In fact, September is one of my favorite months because it’s the start of Fall — my favorite season! I’m sharing a few more of my favorite things in today’s post!

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Fit. Feel. Flatter. My Wardrobe Simplifiers

Today I’m sharing how focusing on “fit, feel, and flatter” has helped me realize when I’m hanging onto clothing out of guilt and/or sentiment, or if I actually like the item and will wear it on a regular basis.

It’s a fairly simple concept that I think (or at least hope) will help you pare down your closet so you’re left with only the things you love and feel great wearing!

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My 7-Day Housekeeping Guide

Over the years, I have gotten so many question about when, where, and how I tackle all those little projects and tasks that need to happen “sometime”, but don’t necessarily have a deadline and seem to hang out on our to-do lists forever and ever.

I thought more about how I could simplify and consolidate these to-dos, and I came up with a 7-day Housekeeping Guide that encompasses most of “extra things” I do every week.

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What I Keep on My Kitchen Counters

Today’s post is an updated version of a post I shared a couple years ago… with new pictures and an up-to-date record of what exactly I keep on my kitchen counters.

As you might notice, I’m not a minimalist, however, I do not keep any appliances in plain sight 🙂

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Upgrading The Everyday: a simple, frugal way to make life more fun!

Dave and I both thrive on routine and structure — and for the most part, our children do too. However, there is just something about a special surprise or a fun change in plans that can instantly cheer up even the gloomiest of days.

These special surprises and change in plans are usually very simple, very easy to pull off, and they are almost always free. I call it “Upgrading the Everyday”… and I try to do it at least once every day.

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Peek Into Our “Week” (Summer 2019)

We made it through our very last week of Summer Vacation — and the kids go back to school TOMORROW (2nd grade, Kindergarten, preschool, and home with mom).

I’m sharing more about our last week of summer fun, our menu plan, a little update on the kids, and more in today’s post!

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What I Buy At Costco

We’ve had a Costco membership for almost 4 years now and although we regularly talk about NOT renewing it, we always decide it’s worth the cost for our family at this point in life. 

One of the requests I get ALLLLLL the time is to share the things I regularly buy at Costco — so that’s what I’m doing today!

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Our Boys’ Farmhouse Bedroom Tour

I had SO much fun decorating the boys’ bedroom for our most recent “mini makeover”! I tried my best to tailor it to the boys’ personalities, likes, and interests — and I must have done a pretty good job because they were THRILLED when they saw their finished space. 

This room has odd sloped ceilings and some other challenges to work around, but thanks to some creative storage and “out of the box thinking”, I was able to create a fun and functional farmhouse bedroom for our boys!

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How We Cleaned our Large Shag Rug At Home

Do you have a large rug you’d like to wash but aren’t sure how to do it because it doesn’t fit into your washing machine or even the machines at the laundry mat?

If so, I hope the tips in today’s post will give you the knowledge and can-do spirit to try cleaning your own rugs at home. 

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READER QUESTION: How Do You Handle Extra-Curricular Activities?

A few weeks ago, I shared a Reader Question, asking how you handle fundraisers… and today, I’m back with another Reader Question (one I get very regularly) regarding extra-curricular activities! 

Along with so many of my readers, I am very curious to know how different families approach extra-curricular activities!

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How To Clean Stinky Towels

Who hates the smell of stinky towels? Yup, me too!

Learn how to clean stinky towels and eliminate the odors for good with these simple tips! No more musty smells coming from the hamper!

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Why I Didn’t Accomplish My Summer To-Do List (and what we made time for instead)

Back in May, I made a mental list of all the things I hoped to accomplish over the summer… I’ll be honest, I did NOT complete many of them! 

Although it’s very unlike me to push so many projects and to-dos to the “back burner”, I did have a good reason, and looking back over the summer, I’m happy I made the decision to prioritize other things over my personal to-dos this year!

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Andrea Dekker
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