Posts in Home
Make Your Home Awesome: 10 Ways To Improve Your Outdoor Space
Today, Paige of Tess & Ted Interiors picks up her Make Your Home Awesome series with great outdoor space tips:

We're almost halfway through August but given that the good weather tends to extend into October, there's plenty of time and reason to improve and enjoy your outdoor space. Added bonus of sprucing later in the summer season? Many stores are offering deep discounts on outdoor furniture and accessories and tax-free weekend is this weekend! Here are 10 ways to make your outdoor space totally awesome.

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Awesome 5-Minute Green Smoothie Recipe
I'm not sure why, but for the last couple of weeks I've found myself eyeing green smoothies at cafes and in markets, then walking away because I don't want to shell out $5-8 for something I might find totally gross. So over the weekend -- after finding myself in this position yet again -- I decided I should try making one myself. And I will admit, I was shocked by the result! I made this recipe up on the fly and it was so awesome on the first attempt that Laurel asked if I would make more so we'd have a stash in the fridge.
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Home, Food + DrinkChristine KohComment
Make Your Home Awesome: 5 Easy Settings to Make Your Table Shine
It's time for another edition of Make Your Home Awesome, via the incomparable Paige Lewin of Tess & Ted:

Unlike many interior designers, I did not rearrange my room monthly from the age of 5. However, whenever my mom had friends over for dinner or hosted a holiday, the table setting was MY domain. I loved hunting through cabinets for the right dishes, arranging the flowers purchased at Star Market, and choosing linens perfect for the occasion. In fact, to this day, my favorite part of throwing a party is setting the table.

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Friday Find: Design Mom
When I first heard that my friend Gabrielle Blair landed a book deal, I was thrilled and filled with anticipation because, quite plainly, Gabby is one of the most delightful, gracious, and positive people I know, and everything she touches evokes quality, style, and beauty...but in a totally down-to-earth way that makes you feel like you're her best friend. And Gabby's new book Design Mom: How to Live With Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide does not disappoint.
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Home, EntertainmentChristine Koh Comments
Make Your Home Awesome: 15 Cool Stools & Poufs

Last summer I shared about the brilliant interior design work my friend Paige (of Tess & Ted) did on our home and I'm thrilled that she is going to do a recurring series on home decor and design for Boston Mamas. She is so clever! Paige believes that everyone deserves a cozy, pretty nest and for the first post in the series -- Make Your Home Awesome -- she shares recommendations for impacting, affordable stools and poufs.

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Friday Find: Snowpocalypse Coffee Solution
When the last snowpocalypse hit, I will admit that one of my first concerns when potential electricity loss came up was WHAT WOULD I DO ABOUT MY COFFEE? Sad, I know! But, the experience reminded me of a conversation we had with friends about pour-over coffee and hand grinders + the fact that our electric coffee was dying, so I decided to order a manual coffee system. It has worked great so I wanted to share the solution with you!
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Financial Literacy: How to Teach Kids To Budget

Money is a source of stress for so many people; not just how to earn it, but what to do with it. And the topic becomes more complex when you have kids and need to budget for their needs and teach them about money. I'm subsequently thrilled to welcome Sandra Gilpatrick as a new contributor! Sandra not only is a Beacon Hill expert and devoted mom; she also works to help women become financially confident and competent. SO AWESOME. Welcome to Sandra's first financial literacy post on teaching kids how to budget:

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Home, FamilyChristine KohComment
5 Books About Winter Trees

Perfectly timed for the frigid temperatures, today, Hillary of Mass Audubon shares 5 favorite books about winter trees:

I love trees, especially here in the Northeast where we experience such dramatic seasonal changes. Having grown up in Florida, I rarely witnessed the evolution of a tree from season to season: the buds about to burst, the flowers that precede the leaves, the vibrant fall foliage, and, not to be left out, the bare branches of winter.

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10 "Perfect" Holiday Cookies

It's apparently Bake Cookies Day. For real. Get on it! Now, about the title of this post. During the holidays, for me cookie perfection isn't about fanciness or uniformity; instead, I want to make cookies that: 1) are delicious; 2) are easy to make; 3) yield generous batches (i.e., work well for gifting); 4) can be made in small bite-sized portions (i.e., make for happy sampling); and 5) freeze well (so you or your recipients can save leftovers for a less cookie-saturated time). Here are 10 cookies that fit that definition of perfection for me.

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Home, Festivities, Food + DrinkChristine Koh Comments
Two Holiday Cookies I Could Eat All Day

I love cookies. Truly love them. And from the reaction I received on Instagram and Facebook when I posted this picture, clearly y'all love cookies too. On Thursday I'll share more cookie inspiration, but first, here are two amazing cookies I brought to a cookie party on Sunday. They're classically holiday (in the buttery goodness sense) and worked well as small bites for the sampling party. Many people asked for the recipes/sources, so here they are:

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Home, Festivities, Food + DrinkChristine KohComment
12 Go-To (Culinary Freak Out Inducing) Holiday Recipes

I'm all about food delegation, especially around the holidays, and I'm always looking for new inspiration. I asked a few of my favorite food blogger friends to share their go-to (culinary freak out inducing) holiday recipes, whether they're bringing a dish for potluck, making something for an open house, or want to serve a family favorite at home. I also included a couple of personal favorites. Happy cooking!

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Home, Food + DrinkChristine KohComment
15 (More) Easy DIY Food Gifts

One item on my minimalist holiday manifesto was about creating opportunities for together time projects. The girls and I had such an awesome time working on clutter-free kid-crafted gifts last weekend that I'm fired up for more this weekend! Following an earlier post on 10 easy DIY food gifts, I wanted to share 15 more easy DIY food gifts, spanning sweet to savory. Click through the links for recipes, more photos, and further creative inspiration!

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Home, Festivities, Food + DrinkChristine Koh Comment