It's late summer with early fall still a few weeks away and the heat and humidity (mostly the humidity) is really putting a damper on my summer cozy optimism. It was inevitable! I chat regularly with a dear friend in Austin and we decided to just admit that August is the worst and allow ourselves a little bit of complaining. Otherwise we try very hard not to complain about the heat in our respective towns. So: August is the worst. Ahhh, that feels a little better. What I am trying to remember is that every single fall (every time!) when... Read more →

This might seem strange, but I'm already thinking of Christmas...next year. But then you remember it's ME, and planning for the distant future is my jam. And actually this idea came from Erica, my seasonal decor mentor. On a holiday podcast episode a couple years ago she mentioned making notes about what worked well and didn't during the holidays. Then she tucks that note into the holiday decor to find it next year. Isn't that such a genius future high five? Obviously I loved this. So I wanted to collect my thoughts and notes and what worked well, and didn't, this past Christmas. Read more →

Loving the Arizona summers does not come easily, at least for me. While the rest of the country is basking in glorious weather we're experiencing intense heat that can feel oppressive. But last year I decided that I needed to try harder to embrace desert summers. To do that I set out to make summer cozy. And this year, after reading The Little Book of Hygge (pronounced "hoo-gah"), I've tried to think of what people in northern climates do during the winter and then give it a summer spin. I made a lot of progress toward finding hygge during the... Read more →

Every year I enjoy creating our family Christmas card and sending them all across the country, from San Francisco to Brooklyn, and even to Canada! I designed our cards myself again this year and I'm so happy with how they turned out. Here are our cards in previous years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 (so many!). Originally I thought I would do a collection of photos from the year like I did in our card last year. But then I remembered the awesome family picture we took together during Chris's birthday trip to Prescott. Plus the fact that our... Read more →

Hip, hip, hooray - OCTOBER! Guys, the summer was not that bad, what is happening? It was definitely still crazy, crazy hot and we didn't even get the monsoon summer rains that we usually do, which breaks up the beat a bit. Yet I never felt down about the heat or had thoughts of moving to more a more temperate place. Maybe it's a little bit acclimation, since this was my eighth summer here, but I think it has a lot to do with deciding to embrace the summers and to look for the good. There is so much to... Read more →

A year ago I brought my favorite chocolate ice box pie to my friend Becky's Fourth of July party (it's her favorite holiday, which I love about her). It was a patriotic hometown affair where chocolate pie was right at home and I promised her the recipe and I do believe I've been teasing you, lovely readers, with it as well. Well, I'm here to finally make good on that promise! I have this recipe handwritten on a folded sheet of lined paper in my recipe binder and it is boldly titled Kelsey's Favorite Chocolate Ice Box Pie. I know... Read more →

Installing a toddler carseat for Cedric (finally). Finding we don't need to turn on the heat at night but Keeping a down quilt on my half of the bed. Spending so much time outside. Dreading the heat but Reminding myself that winter does come back every year. Picking up the boys early on Fridays and heading to the nearby nature preserve to play and picnic for dinner. Browsing the archives of another frugal-minded couple and Determined to stick to our aggressive savings plan in the coming years. Reading TransAtlantic and Playing Big (self-help/professional development book with a very interesting concept)... Read more →

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a cozy holiday and bright new year to all! Love, Team Wharton photo by by talented sister-in-law Robin Dean Read more →

This is my third year of designing our own Christmas cards (using what little skills I have in Photoshop Elements!) and I am SO pleased with how they turned out. For the past several years we've had professional pictures taken around the holidays but we skipped the photo shoot this year. Instead I collected photos throughout our year and I love the story that they will tell to friends and family: This is what 2015 looked like for Team Wharton. The card design was inspired by Sara's Christmas card round up. Initially I thought I would order a card from... Read more →

Right now I'm... recovering from last week which was too busy. looking forward to a normal week this week with the bonus of a visit from a friend and her baby! hoping my week might include a coffee date with Chris. watching in amazement as Cedric WALKS. loving our new gallery wall configuration. (Thanks, Mom!) feeling a bit stretched at work. listening to Reply All, Mom and Dad Are Fighting, Fresh Air and TBASH when I'm by myself in the car. listening to "animal stories" again (and again and again and again) when Dash is in the car. marveling at... Read more →