12 dream home office ideas to inspire creativity

As I organize my desk, I think about all the knick-knacks I've collected over the years... and how they all meant something at the time. But right now, as I look around, all I see is clutter! I'm ready to do a clean sweep and organize for efficiency. But what style do I want? What style does my office lend itself to: open and airy, modern, rustic? To be honest, I'm not really sure. Without the furniture, I could go any direction, which leaves me in my paralyzed state of perpetual clutter. For now, I'll peruse gorgeous photos of a dream home office and pin, pin and pin some more. Eventually, the dream home office will make its way from my Pinterest page into my home. Right?

Contemporary Home Office by Other Metro Furniture & Accessories

Contemporary Home Office by Vancouver Interior Designers & Decorators Maria Killam

Other byVentura Homes

Industrial Home Office by Other Metro Interior Designers & Decorators Vosgesparis

Modern Home Office by  Izumi Tanaka Photography

Midcentury Home Office by New York Architects & Building Designers d'apostrophe design, inc.

Industrial Home Office by San Francisco Architects & Building Designers Todd Davis Architecture

Which one is your favorite? Could you see one of these in your home?

xo~Kim

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Choices, choices: phones and phone plans

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored. All products mentioned and reviewed on this page are compliments of AT&T. All opinions of the products are my own.

Chloe and I have both been shopping for a new phone since this summer, and I'm shopping for less expensive phone plans for me, Chloe, and my son. My son is always begging me to try Windows operating systems and being desperate for a new phone, when AT&T contacted me about trying their service and one of their phones, I was more than happy to try both. I've been thinking about finding new phone plans for a while, but switching carriers is sort of like moving to a new home: you don't know what you have until you're in it and the devil is in the details. And I'm such a stickler for details that I just stay and stay and stay. But a chance to try it before you buy it... well, why not!?

I unpacked my AT&T GoPhone-compatible HTC Desire 610, GoPhone card, and a SIM Kit with unlimited talk, text and 2.5 GB of data for the month and proceeded to set-up my phone, and quickly unlearned all my preconceived notions about pre-paid phones.

Misconception 1: this was not a cheap disposable phone! My phone was a super-nice smartphone. So nice, I'd often find my son on it. I found that it was easy to get through the set-up once I followed the instructions on the website. Unfortunately, the instructions on the phone left me hanging.  I entered my Google+ account when prompted and my entire Google history was connected. I played around on my phone and realized that being an Apple girl through and through left me with a steep learning curve, so I didn't think I'd be using my new phone for much more than, well, phone calls.

Misconception 2: I thought I'd use the phone for phone calls, and that would be it. A quick trip to New York opened my eyes to new possibilities. Somehow, and I'm a little frightened to figure out how, my phone knew my hotel. So instead of having to search for the hotel email and find the address and cross streets, etc., all the information was instantly on my phone as soon as I turned it on when we landed in NYC. Being the forgetful type, having the address always on my phone came in handy often during the weekend.

Misconception 3: Prepaid phones wouldn't have apps. My phone came preloaded with awesome apps and I could download tons more. I was able to use Google Maps so easily on this phone. My memory is always full on my iPhone, even when I buy more, so my maps don't work which has frustrated the heck out of me since I don't yet know my way around Denver and my maps typically get me 1/4 of the way to where I need to be. However, they worked like a charm on my HTC Desire 610. I love the coupon app loaded on the phone, since I never have coupons when I need them but always have my phone, and I'd use the AT&T DriveMode with my kids (I found it interfered with Google Maps).

All in all, I loved the phone I was provided, the service was exceptional and the photography was pretty good too. The biggest appeal was that there was never a dropped call & never a problem with establishing service. As I've said, I'm not sure I was the best person to put a non-Apple phone to the test since I haven't used anything since Apple products since, uh, forever. But using this phone showed me there's a whole 'nother world out there and my son is right: Apple isn't always the best. (case in point: iOS 8 + #Bendgate) But, if Apple fixes everything, I do like that I can insert the SIM card into any phone, because that learning curve was awful steep.

All in all, will I switch to AT&T GoPhone: maybe. Will we switch to our phone plans to AT&T: very high possibility. I'm looking into plans for the family. I like that I can just put the SIM card in any phone and be on the AT&T plan with NO contract! I'm a commitment-phone. I also like that the rate plans are flexible, and most have unlimited texting - if somebody is on vacation or traveling, I can up the amount. If we are all home, I can lower the amount.  You can view rate plans here.

What plans / phones are you using or do you recommend?

xo ~kim

Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Hack: Taste Test

It's that time of year again: leaves are falling, sweaters are being pulled out of hiding, a fire or two has already been lit, and we are craving a Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte (or PSL, as it's affectionately known). But hearing how it's mostly syrup and has a whopping calorie count had us ready to make our own in our brand new Keurig 2.0 we were recently sent by the sweet Keurig folks. But finding a zillion Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe ideas already out there, Chloe and I got smart and decided to put those recipes to our (ahem) expert and very subjective PSL taste test. And the smell of them cooking even lured brother/son out to help us - yes, we had fun!

We scored each recipe on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the lowest, for ease, cost, availability of ingredients, healthiness. The category for taste comparison to Starbuck's PSL was out of 10 since taste is the most important factor, after all. Once we devised our scoring and gathered our ingredients, we settled in for a hard day's work of sipping lattés... just for you. #WeLoveBlogging  Chloe tasted and tasted and tasted some more!

52 Kitchen Adventures SCORE = 19 ease: 5 cost: 4 ingredients: 3 healthiness: 3 taste: 4 Thick, a little chunky, and frothy. Would be better with whipped cream, but the flavor is perfection. Beware, pumpkin sludge might be at the bottom of your cup... a little gross.

The Kitchn SCORE= 21 ease: 4 cost: 2 ingredients: 2 healthiness: 3 taste: 10 We wish the directions were more specific, but the result was beyond amazing. The tastes reminds me of marshmallows on top of a pumpin pie and I would drink this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Eating Bird Food SCORE= 17 ease: 4 cost: 3 ingredients: 2 healthiness: 5 taste: 3 Too bitter but thinness was on point. The flavor is just a little too sharp for me.

The Original Starbucks PSL  SCORE=17 ease: 4 cost: 0 ingredients: 5 healthiness: 0 taste: 8 I know, weird that the original is only an 8. But it is what it is. The original sort of tastes like drinking a hot pumpkin smoothie to me, and now that I've made some at home, I've learned that I like being able to tweak my PSL how I want it.

And the winner was: The Kitchn Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe, and to be honest, it looks like I can save tons of calories and $$ this fall. Thanks to our Keurig 2.0, we can easily make the recipe for 1 or for 10 with the new pod system. Guess whose house is going to be smelling like a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte this fall? My brother is definitely happy!

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8 College Tour Tips & Tricks

If you can't judge a book by it's cover, you can't judge a college by its brochure... although it sure would be a heck of lot easier and whole lot cheaper! But it's college tour time if you are a senior. If you're a junior, you may visit schools in the spring and start getting ideas about what type of school you are looking for to narrow down your options: big school v. small school; city school v. rural school; school with a campus or untraditional feel; etc. For me, when I was visiting schools, I kind of knew, at first, more what didn't feel right until I finally found the one school that just felt like "home." Since then, I've sort of been basing my idea of the perfect school around that one school. But here's a more defined list of college tour tips & tricks to help when you visit schools!

1. Always let the school know you are visiting, even if you aren't taking an official tour. Yes, they keep track of this stuff. Yes, it can really matter (depending on the school). Also, follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. But clean up your feeds first!

2. If you are taking a college tour, go to the website and sign up in advance. Don't just show up the day of and expect to join an official tour. College admissions are crazy busy, and tours are packed. Make the most of your visit and be sure to schedule an interview, wear something appropriate but comfortable, and meet with the admissions rep of the school you are interested in (i.e.,  Business School, Art School) so you don't have to return later. Also, check and see if there are any official tour dates with overnights coming up so you can get a feel for what the campus is really like and what the dorms, cafeteria and social life feel like when parents aren't around.

3. Get business cards from everyone you meet so you have them available when questions come up after your tour. And send thank you notes to those people. Handwritten ones on real thank you cards (we love the ones from Minted, they rock.)

4. During the tour, check out the cafeteria, gym, library, bookstore and bulletin boards. They have information you'll need for daily life - you won't be doing a drive-by, you'll be here for 4 years. Try to eat in the cafeteria and just sit back and listen to see what students are talking about, the more time you can spend on campus, the more of a "real" feel you'll get of what your life might be like. My mom says, "It's amazing how the weather and your mood that day can influence your decision, so we need to slow down and spend some quality time while we are here!" And yes, she's the one on the tour asking about safety, library hours, how many people have cars, what % are greek, etc. If you see us on a tour, run.

5. If you can sit in on a class in a subject area you are interested in, do. Find out about class size and whether or not students are able to get in classes they need for their major, especially a major you think you might be interested in at this point.

6. If you are interested in sports, talk to the coach of that sport. Interested in clubs or programs, visit them.

7. Another thing my mom always says: "Is this what you think college feels like?" If not, we move on.

8. Last, but definitely not least: take notes. You think you will remember everything, and maybe you will; but I couldn't. After tours were finished, everything was jumbled in my head and notes helped.

If you have any college tour tips to share, please do!

xo chloe

7 Best Household Products

As a mom who works from home, I spend a lot of time trying to simplify and better my home with products that do more for less. I'm all about spending less time doing things inside so I can spend more time outdoors doing the things I love, like working out, traveling, spending time with my family and generally avoiding the kitchen. I get so frustrated when I buy something and it doesn't work... like laundry detergent that cost less but doesn't clean, or paper towels that leave lint everywhere. Not a big deal, but just super-annoying when it necessitates a do-over. So, my list of the 7 best household products is purely subjective, but they do exactly what they are supposed to do extremely well.

image via West Elm

1. Bona - I was a fan of another quick sweeping and mopping system for hardwoods, but the smell always, always gave me a headache. So much so that I was reluctant to try another brand. When I was reassured that Bona had no scent, I gave it a try. And I love it. I am absolutely in love with how clean and shiny it leaves my floors.

2. Towels - You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but I'm convinced you can judge a hotel by it's towels and sheets. And as I search for towels, I wanted 2 things: thickness and absorbency. Add 3 more and I'd have the ideal towel: colorfastness, organic and no shrinkage. I'm pretty close with my new towels from Lands' End. As you'll see from #3, I just went on a linen closet spree, but feel justified with the move!

3. Sheets - I've spent an absolute fortune on sheets and love the feel the crisp cotton and cool linen. I'm not much for a heavy flannel and always found that jersey was too skimpy and never held up like it was supposed to. But then I bought Lands' End Cotton Knit Bedding for my pickiest sleeper. And then for me, and then for every bed in the house. These are the only sheets we use now. They are heavy enough to be used in the winter, light enough to use in the summer, soft enough for my picky sleeper (and he is truly picky), and they never need ironing. Which pretty much makes them the perfect sheet.

4. Deo-Go - I was going to make a before and after picture of the t-shirts I tried this on, but didn't want to gross you out. And the photo would have. I took all my husband's tees and treated them with the sample Deo-Go sent me thinking "what do I have to lose." Well, we lost the underarm stains on even the oldest stains. I am amazed. And shocked. And pleased beyond belief. This stuff works. Get it.

5. Dryer Hedgehogs - We bought them because they were cute. We're keeping them because they work. I don't like dryer sheets because they are just putting chemicals on my clothes (yes, I'm one of those people), but I like them because they work. They reduce static and increase fluffiness. So I love these cute little hedgehogs because they cut down on the amount of dryer sheets I use and there is never any static cling, even on delicates when I use no dryer sheets. These two pets can stay!

6. Steamer - This might little steamer wins bang for the buck every time I use it, while saving me from most of the ironing I never like to do anyway. Who wouldn't like using a pink steamer! And can we say perfect graduation gift?

7. Scrub Daddy- I'm a Shark Tank addict but typically don't buy any products. But I saw this in a store after seeing it on Shark Tank, I decided why not give it a try. Our kitchen sink hasn't been without one since, and I may or may not have sent one to a few people. Use it cold on hard stains, use it hot for regular scrubbing, use the eyes to hold onto and the mouth for spoons. It fits in any size you need to clean. It's so much better than any sponge and the only thing that would have made it better is if I had invented it!

I'd love to hear your 7 best household products, or just your 1 favorite! Do you have a favorite vacuum cleaner or homemade cleaner you want to share?

xo ~kim

Bloggers Go Unplugged

Happy September y'all. Isn't it crazy that we only have four more months of the year 2014. It has seriously flown by.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be MIA for the week. Well not completely, but my bloggy besties and I were talking recently about how stressful blogging can be when life is whirling around you. I know for me these past few months have been absolutely insane, between interning in NYC, to moving across the country, to starting a new high school for my senior year. It's. Been. Crazy. I feel like I haven't had any time to just sit and relax and my blog friends are feeling the same way. We decided that we should start this little campaign so that we can remember that blogging is supposed to be fun and not feel like a chore. I will be posting sporadically throughout the week, because I love blogging too much to completely drop everything, but know that every post from here on out is written with a love of blogging. Also, you might have noticed my Instagram hiatus lately. I just haven't been enjoying posting so I didn't post. Sorry if you've missed me and I promise I'll be back soon.

Preptista, Citrus & Style, Stripes & Peonies, and The Blonde Prep will also be participating.

If you want to join in on this "Bloggers Go Unplugged" deal, then feel free to! We all need a little break sometimes. xox Chloe