183 Spring 2013 Storage Magazine Issue is HERE!

It's here!  It's out!  And as promised I am shouting it from the rooftops!!!

Back in July, the most amazing thing happened.  Better Homes & Gardens showed up at my door and spent four days taking photos of our little abode... You can check out my behind the scenes story here.

I knew the feature was set to be released around Christmas, and Christmas came early for us this year, as I snagged a copy {or eight} at a local Barnes & Noble a few days before hand.

Better Homes & Gardens Storage Magazine is their quarterly publication which is packed to the gills with eye candy, storage solutions, organizing ideas, product picks and beautiful rooms.  It has been my favorite magazine for years, so I get choked up just trying to spit out the words, "We were featured!"

And by saying featured, it is a huge understatement.  We are talking six front and back pages for a total of TWELVE pages of glossy goodness!

The team of friends at Storage magazine did such an amazing job capturing our home, our family and our story.  Every photo is radiant and it was really incredible to see our home from another perspective.  My heart is oozing with overwhelming amounts of gratitude for the opportunity that came our way.

Oh, and check out this sweet shout out on the "From the Editor" page.  I may have squealed right in the middle of the book store.

As you can see, I whipped up some organizing printables which you can download for free at BHG.com here.  You can also snag a peek at our favorite organizing "kits" over on their site here.

For the non-sentimental types, you are free to go.  For everyone else, I am about to get my sap on.

For years and years I have been hoarding shelter mags.  Long before this blog and even long before I owned a home.  My happy time is curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee, a cozy throw, and a good glossy read.  I love reading the stories, but more importantly, I just soak up all of that inspiration like a sponge.  After taking a moment to relax and read, I am invigorated to pop up and organize a drawer or paint an old piece of furniture.  So knowing that majority of my inspiration has been found through print, it is a full circle experience for me to now be gracing the pages of my favorite publication.

It is moments like this when I sit back and reflect.  How did I get so lucky?  I am just a girl from an itty bitty town trying to keep our crazy life beautiful and reduce some of the stresses that come along the way.  Never in a bajillion years did I think I would be here today, writing a blog post about one of the most incredible experiences to date.

This blog sure has given me some amazing opportunities, however, it wouldn't exist if I didn't have you.  And although I have said it before, and I will say it a hundred times more, thank YOU for helping my dreams come true.  Thank you for stopping by each day.  For writing me the sweetest emails.  For leaving daily comments and encouragement.  For tweeting me even though I have no idea how to tweeter back.  For dropping a line on Facebook or pinning one of my projects on Pinterest or saying sweet somethings on Instagram.  Every visit and comment are appreciated from the bottom of my happy heart.  I have no idea where this blog gig will take me {or how long it will last}, but I am honored to have all of you joining me along the way.

This was a great finale to an incredible year, and I have so much more planned for 2013 {like some fun monthly challenges, site enhancements and a few new contributing faces!}  You can snag your copy of the recent Better Homes & Gardens Storage Magazine on newsstands through March of 2013.

Huge THANK YOU hugs and smooches go out to Samantha Thorpe for seeing something in me and our home, to Chelsea Evers for writing such an amazing article and being so great to work with, to Molly Sinnett for making our home shine in print and to Jay Wilde for being a photographing genius.  To my kids for putting up with my daily antics, photo taking and "blog talk" and most importantly to my husband, who has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter as I follow my dreams.  He has been my rock and keeps me grounded through it all.  He stays up late to finish up projects and rubs my back after hours of typing.  He turns my visions into reality and none of this would be possible without his help, love and support.  

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and have the happiest New Year ever!

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - C.S. Lewis

"If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough" - unknown

"Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams that you never even knew you had" - unknown