TTD faves: festive and cozy

Posted on November 14, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

‘Tis the season to hunker down and practice a little hygge. Now that your littles are all decked out in their holiday jammies, why not follow suit?

These are the perfect items for snuggling on the couch to binge watch all those Hallmark holiday movies you’ve DVR’d. Oh, is that just me?! No better time than the present to get a little cozy!

TTDFaves_Festive+Cozy2018

J. Crew Vintage pajama set with green piping
Chalkfull of Love Cabin Getaway candle
Gap long sleeve crewneck thermal
H&M jacquard-knit hat
Aerie easy cardigan
Free People lodge cozy socks
AEO plush fleece sweater legging
Krafty K Design friendly face mug
J.Crew Suede shearling slippers

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Download: a girls weekend in Omaha

Posted on November 12, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

Over the weekend, my sisters, mom and I hit the road due west to have a quick little getaway. Coffees were sipped, deals were snagged and lots of laughter ensued. Here’s a little look at all the fun we had.

OmahaGirlsWknd2018_01
[first stop: snaggin’ deals at the outlet mall]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_02
[refueling at Timber Wood Fire Bistro]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_06
[first stop of day two was the most beautiful]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_12
[if you are in Omaha, then Mulhall’s is a must]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_13
[their Christmas decor was so dreamy]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_14
[I wanted them all!]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_15
[and then this beaut in the greenhouse]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_16
[mid-afternoon necessity from Karma Koffee]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_17
[last shopping stop at the Regency]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_19
[the coolest concept for a food court I’ve ever seen]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_18
[artwork outside of our dining spot: Blatt Beer & Table]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_20
[early breakfast at Saddle Creek Breakfast Club to beat the crowd]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_21
[the cali club was freakin’ amazing]OmahaGirlsWknd2018_22[as was the epic buffalo plaid wall tile]

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Friday faves

Posted on November 9, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

IMG_3964[my buddy Ev and his love for Christmas trees // Kevin McCallister anyone?!]

The Hearth and Hand holiday goodies have hit the shelves at Target and I legit did a happy dance. My favorite (and purchased pieces) are: the Santa mailbox (Everett’s favorite) + notepad, the gold framed trees print, an embroidered tree skirt and the cutest kitchen towel set.

Oprah’s annual favorite things list came out this week and it is a doozy! This kids suitcase is so chic. You know how much I love the boys artwork, so this personalized embroidery gift is perfection. And who wouldn’t love to have homemade lattes + cappuccinos with this machine?!

Looking to get into the holiday spirit over the weekend? May I suggest baking these Andes Mint Cookies. They are one of my faves and freeze up pretty well too incase you want to get some holiday baking done ahead of time!

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Little looks: Christmas jammies 2018

Posted on November 7, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

The day after Halloween Everett was already begging to wear some of his new Christmas pajamas. What can I say, he is definitely my child.

We are loving getting into the spirit of the season around our house, and the boys each have at least four pairs of holiday jammies. I always like to snag mine early so I don’t risk them selling out. There are so many options out there this year, so I decided to round up a few of my faves for you!

LittleLooks_ChristmasPJs2018
one // two // three // four // five
six // seven // eight // nine

Posted in Baby, Holidays, Kids | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

TTD faves: Modern Monogramming

Posted on November 5, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

ModernMonogramming1[buffalo plaid night shirt]

With the holiday season coming at warp speed, I decided to do a little planning ahead with my shopping. It worked out so well that I thought I’d let you in on my little secret.

It all started when I first came across Modern Monogramming (and Joanne) on Instagram. I stumbled onto her feed and fell in love. And my favorite part – she’s local!

I knew that I wanted to work with her to help personalize some gifts (and a few things for myself, obviously) and reached out to her via email. I set up a time to drop my items off. [She does both! You can bring your own items or purchase from her website.] We sat and chatted about what I was envisioning and got to pour over her thread swatch book – SWOON!

A couple of weeks later, my goodies were ready and I am so happy with how they turned out. Plus, it’s only November and some names are checked off of my list!

ModernMonogramming2[navy blue night shirt]

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Friday faves

Posted on November 2, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

IMG_3908.JPG[because we have zero chill at our house]

How is it already November? Seriously, this year has been one of the fastest yet. As I look ahead to 2019 it should come as no surprise that I was on the hunt for a new planner. Enter the Emily Ley x Target collaboration (you know I love a good Target collab!). I picked up this beauty and I can’t wait to fill it on up!

My birthday was this past weekend and I received some fabulous “to me, from me” gifts that I thought you might like too! These Mady by Mary stackable birthstone rings, a Raising Boys sweatshirt from Ford & Wyatt, moto leggings from Old Navy and some fabulous leopard loafers from Madewell.

One of our favorite family traditions (well, for the past two years anyway) has been riding the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad’s Santa Express during the holiday season. These coveted tickets go FAST and they just went on sale yesterday, so go snag some and enjoy the ride!

While I was at the HighEdWeb conference the other week, I was talking to a vendor when I noticed her amazing earrings. After hearing her sales pitch, I went ahead and asked where she got them. I then proceeded to order them right on the spot!

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Download: Halloween 2018

Posted on October 31, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

Here in Des Moines, we do Halloween a little different. The Des Moines Register has a great article about the history, but basically we trick-or-treat on Beggars’ Night (October 30th) as a result of a crime and vandalism increase 80 years ago. And on top of that, and honestly one of my most favorite things about Halloween, kids tell jokes to earn their treats. [Check out my little fireman’s joke in the video at the end!]

Halloween2018_00001Halloween2018_00002Halloween2018_00004Halloween2018_00005Halloween2018_00007Halloween2018_00008Halloween2018_00011Halloween2018_00012Halloween2018_00009

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The first ever Tomorrow’s To Dos reader survey

Posted on October 30, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

BranstadFamilyPhotos_SneakPeek[family photo sneak peek from Poppy Photography by Chelsy]

Dear sweet readers of mine, you may have noticed a bit of quiet around these here parts. The past few weeks, life has been a little busy and to be quite honest, I just didn’t really feel like my creative juices were a-flowin’.

Lately, I’ve been feeling pulled quite a few directions and I just wanted to take the time to really reflect on this space I’ve created and focus on YOU the readers. For those of you who have been following along over the years, you know that this is not my full-time gig, but just something that started out as a way to share my wedding plans — but has grown into so much more!

As I continue to grow and evolve, I want to make sure that I am creating content that is relevant to your interests and that is both inspiring and informative. So with that, let me introduce you to the first ever Tomorrow’s To Dos reader survey! (Ugh, survey. I know, woof!) But this survey will truly help guide me as I plan out content and develop a road map for the future of TTD — and don’t worry, the goal is not to change, but rather to revisit why I started Tomorrow’s To Dos in the first place and to bring you more articles on topics that you care about.

It would mean the world to me if you could take 10 minutes to fill out the survey so that I can apply your feedback. Please be open and honest (I’ve kept it anonymous), and let me know what you want to see more of on TTD, what I could do better and everything in between! I can’t wait to read what you have to say and to bring you more valuable content.

Thank you in advance for your input and for following along for all of these years! You all are the absolutely best and none of this would be possible without you.

– Nicole

Stay tuned! I will share the results of the survey with you in the next few weeks.

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Friday faves

Posted on October 26, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

Sorry for the radio silence this week…

I spent most of it at the HighEdWeb conference in Sacramento. This annual conference is always a great place for me to learn more about my profession and connect with a lot of neat people.

img_3686

On a recent trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a ship-to-store item, I did a little wandering and found a few things I loved: this heavy-knit cardigan/coat, a wubby coat for Everett and the perfect galvanized house candle holder that I think will be perfect for the holidays.

There are a ton of Hearth & Hand for Magnolia goodies on sale at Target right now, and I was able to snag this plaid wallpaper. Now, how long until I find the perfect place for it and get it installed?!

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Friday faves

Posted on October 19, 2018 by tomorrowstodos

LogHomeNews[the coolest mail day featuring an article about the building of our log home]

The holiday goodies from stores and sites are comin’ in hot and the most recent one I am lusting over is Mark & Graham’s holiday catalog. Obsessing over these striped clutches!

If you happened to catch my Instagram stories last week, you may have noticed me making Caramel Chex Mix for my girls trip weekend. It is a recipe that my mom has been making since I was a kid, and it is a great go-to!

Since it is getting colder here in Iowa, I’ve busted out one of my winter coats that I purchased last year. Admittedly, I felt a little silly buying from a retailer I hadn’t thought about since I was in middle school, but this parka really is the best.

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