I don’t think I can wear a pair of jeans 25 times before washing 😳it will start to smell and make me itch. Maybe max 5 times

Sorry, this is all too much text and too much information ....not easy enough, but only my opinion. Nevertheless - you seem to be a very nice peron 🙂

I'm greatful for my life today and each day God grants me to wake..😁

I have over a month recording a two minute voice note each day and sending it to an accountability friend. It has been a most enjoyable practice. Thank you for sharing this gratefulness video! 💛

😊

Thnx

I hope you've got some nice thick wimdow coverings for those windows behind you as winter approaches.

There were definitely things we thought would be useful once we moved, but it turned out once we did move, no, didn't use those things.

Beautiful home!! Congratulations!!🎉

❤❤

i'd say see if you can get a coffee table sized album made instead of just hanging the ones you like, you could even do them in decade increments if you want! Like picking 2-3 pictures from every year and getting a bound album book fully printed with little blurb areas or scans of letters sent to each other, a personal yearsbook that way, you have more freedom for both the amount of the actual photos and you can choose the order you want to do things (chronological, or by continent like you said). then when the children are here, you can have the album book be of their growth as well as first trips that you all go on together in the new decade :)

I love that you are vegan!!

Hi Sarah, your new home looks lovely! I'm hoping it will bring you and Jake lots of happiness. Could your travel wall of photos go in your office? I'm thinking of the geographical/education aspect which might suit that space, especially if you cluster them in states/continents, etc.. x

Wow - people will post anything! 🤣

We purchased a house last year. As we moved with two kids it’s a lot of more clutter than in your home ;) As we didn’t have that much extra money we didn’t renovate that much. It’s mostly what you American call a fixer-upper (from the 1950s, most bigger renovations in the 1980s)but it is mostly functional but ugly. So we painted the dark wood ceilings white and left the rest as it was. for decoration we simply hung the pieces of art we already had to have them out of the way but we’re still rearranging. My brother in law is good with brushes and painted hook from cars, some dinosaurs and a raven from a German kid’s novel on the white, old tapestry of the bedroom. In four years (that’s when we want to renovate and switch rooms as my older kid will leave elementary school then and we want to change from one bedroom- one play area to two separate rooms) we will renovate more rooms. I think it’s good to feel the house until deciding what to do exactly. Sometimes we were surprised what we suddenly felt as a priority. As for photos: I have a big frame construct in one corner for a lot of photos we switch out once a year. From our kids, friends, travels… have it since 2015.

Hi Sarah....I had a good decluttering haul today. Went to the flea market. My son's truck was full!!!! I sold so much stuff and at the end someone come up and made an offer on the rest. I didn't have to bring anything home and made more money for the tiny house. My best decluttering ever!!!!!

Congratulations on your new home and 10 years of marriage! That was a good declutter of some fairly bulky items. 🙂 tfs

Hi Sarah. Nice declutter. Sometimes when you move into a new place certain things just don't work anymore in the new space. I have decluttered 6 kitchen items and a camping lantern. Some last week and this week. We enjoyed the video. Thank you Sarah ❤️ ❤

Your new home looks beautiful, Sarah! As the weather is getting a little cooler in Illinois, I find myself in the mood to declutter more as we head into fall. It’s amazing how much I still collect in a week or so, even after years of decluttering. Before many more years pass, I’m certain my husband and I will have to downsize. I know, when that time comes, I’ll be glad I’ve decluttered gradually. Have a great weekend! 😊

☮️🌎🌲

omg the paperboard cutting board!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations on your new home! It's beautiful!

Hi Sarah! Your home is beautiful!! I love the white walls. Alot has happened since I talked to you. My son discovered my house has a lot of damage. Termites and some structural damage. It would be cheaper to build a new one instead of fixing this one. So...in the process of building. Hoping to move in at the end of October. It's a tiny house..14x24. It's so cute. Walls will be white and bright. Only having a small chair instead of a couch. Taking my bed and a bookcase and cabinet. Of course appliances. I am going to live in it to see how I want to decorate it. I only know so far family photos. I have boxes and boxes for the flea market. My kids and grandkids are building it. It is a labor of love. And I help too. So excited! The Scotland trip is on hold for now. But we will eventually get there.

Hi! As a minimalist parent, I use things like wall maps and photos in frames to teach my baby and toddler about the world Very frequently. If you get a continents map as described, this will be very helpful. When choosing a design, more detail (countries and cities) equal more opportunities to use the map for reference. Also, having photos of yourselves before kids can be a favorite for them as well. It is helpful to me to have photos of my favorite family members and ancestors so that I can tell stories about them and help my kids call their family members correctly by name. You can accomplish this with a homemade book, so you don't have to have their faces on the wall necessarily. Keep in mind screens aren't recommended for under 2 years old, so digital frames are out for us currently. Our home has 2 fireplaces and a nook above the stairs, and I use these for photos in frames because I don't like to commit to having certain things out all the time or deal with having to spackle and repaint nail holes. Keep in mind that you won't have the time or energy to change your decor during the first year, so don't plan on any seasonal rotation until your child is more independent. I feel like it's good for your mental health to have some current photos as well as old ones that help remind you of the things that were most significant to you in the past. Having a baby can be hard on you physically and emotionally, so anything that makes you feel good about yourself works. There was some mouse study where they found that mice who didn't have babies were repulsed by them, but mice with kids enjoyed the baby mouse photos. So if you don't like that kind of decor right now, that's natural and doesn't mean you'll always feel that way. Don't beat yourself up over it. I would say leave the centerpiece of photos in your home open for those baby photos. 100% buy a professional baby photo shoot. I've had it with and without, and I kick myself every day for not having booked ahead professional photos of my second child. I will never get that opportunity back. Keep in mind that you will not be able to visist a hair salon with a newborn baby, so either book a place that does your hair and makeup and gives you a dress to wear for the day (great for us minimalists), or be prepared to diy it. You will likely take thousands of photos of your children, so it is helpful to have a back up system in place and have a lot of free memory when you're about to give birth. Montessori recommends having "good art" especially great works of art in frames at toddler level in children's rooms, featuring bright colors and subjects such as nature, animals, and happy children. I personally never did this, but if you have such works in your photo collection, you can fasten those to a nursery wall. Waldorf recommends more muted colors and less stimulation. It's more minimal and encourages the child to find creativity in a more blank environment. If you do art at child level, use like a bamboo or wood/fabric type mount and not glass. Babies like to be hands-on with all the photos, so keep that in mind when choosing the frame. I am so happy for you two; best of luck with your dreams of having children. I think you'll love it, as we do!

This is aspirational. I want to do it similarly when we move into our house in the future. All the people say that the space will clutter up and that basements and attics will automatically fill up. But I don't agree. You can leave spaces empty and calm.

My husband has an incredible online archive for photos with over 13,000 photos from our weekly trips! 🏞️📸 We love capturing our favorite moments, and to keep them close, we use a digital frame in our bedroom that showcases our top picks. We also have a gallery wall in which we print and rotate our favorite shots every year to reflect our newest adventures. It's such a fun way to celebrate our memories and keep our home filled with the stories we love but without cluttering the house since we also moved recently and we want to continue to keep it clutter free. Hope this inspires you to find new ways to cherish your own photos!

Hi Sarah and congratulations on your home!!! 🥳 I am also currently going through the process of renovating and decorating a new home right now and it was so helpful to see your video. It gives me more hope and confidence that we can “get through it” and come out with our sanity intact. 🤪 I love how you broke down the intentionality behind everything-thanks so much for this video!

So nice to hear from you, everything looks great.

Congrats on the new home! How about choosing just 3 photos of your travels with Jake and put those in beautiful frames and then rotate to 3 different photos once every season or every year. Or find a designated space like a hallway where you put a lot of your favorite photos, like a gallery wall. But then in the living room or other designated spaces put up the child pictures (or leave space for them right now untill you have children).

For the photos dilemma, we've used electronic picture frames for a few family members, and they've all loved them. You can set how long a picture will display, as well as pick what pictures to rotate. For those who have hundreds of photos, it feels like nothing is "left out." Perhaps amid your wall of absolutely favorites, you could have an electronic picture frame that rotates through the "runner ups"? And when rotating pictures feels overwhelming, you can turn the screen off, or set it to one photo!

Sarah, I love that blue rug. I think it fits the space really well. I practically live in my loft. Congratulations on your new home! :)

Such a nice home, congratulations! As for photos, the idea of a travel wall is excellent. Personally, i would put it on the wall in the dining area so they are on display. As for family, same, have a family wall. Decide what family members and how many and then swap them out as time moves on. Id also do travel photo, no people in them tho, in your office space. Nice memories for you both during your working hours.

I enjoyed this long-awaited video and look forward to the official home tour! I like all your choices, such as keeping all white walls, going big with area rugs, and getting a king-sized bed. The organization solutions, especially the bins in the pantry and the small storage boxes are perfect too! I guess my only questions would be how/where you store larger items like your Christmas tree and seasonal decor and what your window coverings will be.

Hi Sarah! You mentioned having a mortgage. Do you intend to pay off your home quickly? Your home is lovely :-)

This pantry looks amazing! I love your home ❤

Enjoy your new home together! We’re moving house later this month, so thank you for your tips and insight. A digital photo frame could include many of your photos without overwhelming your walls. And you could hang just some in frames.

So happy for you! You did a great Job there and it looks very inviting and open! For your Q and A: If you would live somewhere else outside the US - where would it be? And I‘d love to see Jake and you together talking about how this move and all the change of being a houseowner is ❤

Thanks for sharing your home. I have white bins in the pantry as I love white. Bins make it so easy to categorise items neatly. The floorboards look so nice with white walls. ❤ I think with the photos you could have an area with the photos you and Jake have taken. Future family ones could be in another area. You could have them in the same colour picture frames. youture child comes. I recommend Ashlynne Eaton videos and Alison Mcphail for ideas❤

I agree with another comment that a photo frame would be a good idea to display photos.❤

I'm thrilled for you both, the house is beautiful. And I really like your furniture choices. We also moved into a new build last year. It's almost painful to drive those nails into virgin walls. You might use 3m picture hangers where you can. You can always switch out photos for the walls seasonally or year to year, just keep printing them the same size and switch them out for the same frames.

I love the sunroom but I would want to look out the windows so maybe a swivel chair or two.

Beautiful home!🏡

Thanks for sharing, Sarah! Congrats on your new home, it looks great! I love white walls because it makes rooms brighter & you don’t have to worry about things matching it. The universal floors throughout is such a clean look.

Everything looks amazing! Where did you get those big kiwi birds? I have seen small ones at Crate and Barrel…. Enjoy the process and you are smart to take your time!

Stunning home Sarah!!! I am so happy for you and Jake:) Congratulations🎉

Your house is awesome Sweetie, love how you have decorated it. With the travel pics, I think I would choose a nice wall and make a gallery wall with them. Take your time choosing art and pick art that you really enjoy. Don't forget mirrors, these are awesome at bouncing light and making areas look brighter. Enjoy your new home Sarah, it looks beautiful!!! You decorate like me!!! 🤩

You've build yourselves such a lovely and calm home. Stunning!

Beautiful home….blessings for many years 😊❤️

Yeah a video from Sarah. Sarah, Jake and your home is absolutely beautiful. We love the layout, the colors and your choice of furniture. Sarah most of the pictures we have on our walls are of nature and they're from our favorite place which is Hocking Hills/Logan, Ohio. Some favorite spots are Ash Cave, Rose Lake, Ceder Falls, The Rock House and Old Man's Cave. Try to pick your most favorite pictures of your travels. ❤❤❤❤

We use our TV as a big digital photo frame, and just have a slide show playing. We also have a handful of photos framed throughout our house.