New Year’s Eve

Goodbye 2020!

After simultaneously being the longest and shortest year ever, we’re kissing 2020 goodbye tonight. This year has been so many things for so many people (understatement of the century). It’s honestly hard to put into words what we all experienced this year, so I won’t even try. We went through it together, and we’re here today, waking up tomorrow with bright eyes and optimism (hopefully).

We’re spending tonight at home, just the five of us. The kiddos are in bed and we’re on the couch watching an end of the year comedy special on Netflix (which is HILARIOUS). I made a garlicky red sauce and am sipping a glass of wine. Maybe we’ll bust out the champagne we’ve been holding onto for months? TBD.

We’re signing off of this wild, insane, enlightening, hard, challenging, life-changing year with a kiss, and hoping 2021 brings all that we need, some of what we don’t need, and much more kindness and understanding. Thank you, as always, for being here with us, friend. Sending love and virtual hugs to you.

xoxoxo,
The McKays

Christmas This Year

Happy holidays friend!

How has your week been? Has it looked (and felt) different for you this year? Our Christmas was small but sweet. We had my mom, younger sister, brother, and his fiancé over for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. It was the third year in a row we hosted Christmas, and the first year we woke up with the kiddos! Last year they went to their nana’s house the night before and didn’t come back home until later on in the afternoon on Christmas, so it felt extra special to have them here with us.

You can see how it all went down in our newest YouTube video.

Sending love to you xoxo

The End of an Era...For Now

PJ did something big today, something that, to be honest, I never thought he would ever do. And on top of that, I did something big today, too!

First, PJ retired his real estate license. Yup, he is no longer a realtor in the state of Tennessee. It’s kind of weird, since I guess I figured he would just do that forever, but with social media work, the kiddos, the land, the flip houses, the animals, etc. he hasn’t found the time to dedicate to real estate to people who aren’t family and friends for over a year now. After talking about it for over a year, he felt it would simplify things to just retire it, and it was time. One less thing to worry about!

The main reason I’m going to miss him being a realtor? His ability to let us go look at any house for sale that we wanted! For years, if a house popped up that we wanted to see, he could just schedule an appointment and we would go take a tour. Luckily, both our moms are realtors, so we might still have the ability to do that in the future :).

And the big thing that I did today was sell my car! We are trying to simplify (there’s that word again) our life in 2021, and part of that means selling one of our cars. For the last few years, we’ve had PJ’s truck, our big family car, and my car. Before the kids, I only drove my car, a Lexus RX, and it was perfect for every day driving and super comfortable for road trips for just the two of us. But once the kiddos came into the picture, it was immediately too small, and we switched to our family car (and for the last year and a half, we’ve been switching back and forth between driving the two for convenience reasons). But finally, after months of PJ asking me to just do it, I listed the Lexus and within a week it was sold- just like that. And you know what? I wasn’t even sad to see it go. It actually felt good to see them drive off with it. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.

So that’s all the news for today! Taking it one day at a time and making small changes as we go. And it feels so, so good, friend.

Feeling Calm & Relaxed at the Land

It’s late, and we’re winding down for the night and feeling so very relaxed after having returned from the land tonight. We drove out there later than we wanted, but it happened to be our very favorite time of the day to be out there. It was about 4:30p, the sun would be going down in an hour, creating the most beautiful, serene sunset.

I know I probably sound like a broken record, but being out at the land instills a calm and peace in us that's we just don’t get anywhere else. Sometimes we don’t even have to walk or roam, just simply being there is enough. I know for PJ, as soon as he gets out there, he instantly feels more relaxed and it’s like whatever is bothering us back in town kind of drifts away for a while, or at least becomes less important. And the kids love it, too. They can run, ride their bikes, explore the woods, and be as loud as they want to be (which is extremely important when you’re 5, 4, and almost 3 years old).

Also! The moon was out hours before the sun went down and I love when that happens. How beautiful is it hovering above the mountain?

It was cold and windy tonight. We had a ton of scrap wood that has been sitting in a huge pile for weeks from when PJ demoed part of the house, so he built us a fire to stay warm as the wind blew and the air got colder while the sky began to get darker. We went to the top of the hill to take in the views and the sound of the breeze and the boys laughing as they made snowballs with the last remaining bits of snow that dusted the hills.

And then, the sky turned cotton candy pink and orange and pretty much took my breath away:

We had dinner inside Holiday House and then made our way back out to the fire when it was completely dark outside. The moon looked like a spotlight in the sky shining down on us, and the stars were so crisp and clear that it didn’t feel like we were millions of lightyears away from them. We don’t get views of the night sky like that in the city where we live, so it felt extra special to show them off to the kids tonight.

We bundled up with coats and blankets and sat by the fire as a family of five, taking in the winter air and the warm fire with the moon and stars illuminating the land and Holiday House. We’ve never experienced winter at our land with an actual house to go inside to warm up. We feel so grateful for this little cottage and our time out there.

Hope you’re staying safe and warm, friend! xo

The Week of Christmas

AKA the busiest week ever.

Wow friends. What a week. What a month. WHAT A YEAR. I haven’t updated on here in a bit because we have been so busy lately. In truth, though, who hasn’t? We watched Bad Moms Christmas on Netflix the other day (hilarious and raunchy and fun- highly recommend) and their whole point was how hard and stressful the holidays were on parents (moms specifically) in order to make it fun and easy for their kids, and it made me laugh. Isn’t that the truth?

Though, for us, it’s been a balance of getting all of our work done before Christmas and handling contractors for our flip houses as well as focusing on the holidays to make this time of the year extra special for the kiddos. This is the first year they’re spending solely with us (!) and we are so excited to have them wake up on Christmas in their home, in their beds, and come down the stairs for breakfast. It’s something we’ve thought about maybe 100 times over the years: what that feeling and moment will be like.

We were fortunate enough to get all of our work done a few days ago, just in time to enjoy Christmas with the kids. I also finished older brother’s school so he is officially out for Christmas break. We made the decision not to send him to in-person school next semester, so come January it starts all over again. Can you actually hear me soaking up the next few weeks of no kindergarten? I am. And it will be glorious.

Like I said, I don’t know if we have ever been busier than we are right now. A bunch of you have been leaving some really sweet comments on our recent YouTube videos saying we need to slow down and take it easy for a while. With the cottage and the new flip house and Holiday House and the pavilion on the land and the land in general, plus social media (sidetone: who knew social media would be a job one day, and such a tedious, time-consuming job at that!) and our animals and the kiddos, along with general house work and cooking, etc., it is quite a lot to say the least. But I am learning that, as we get into a rhythm and a routine and we settle into things, this is just how we do life. We don’t know any other way. We dove head first into the kiddos, going from 0 to 3 overnight, and we’ve had at least one steady project for the last five years now. I suppose we like staying busy. It makes the down time so, so, so enjoyable.

Right now it’s extremely cold outside, so we have the fire going, the Christmas lights on, the kids are in bed, and we’re eating popcorn and drinking some wine. This is the down time I am talking about when we’re able to relax and enjoy doing nothing. We went on a frenzy tonight and cleaned the house that has sadly been neglected this week, with clothes and paperwork piling up like you wouldn’t believe. We’re hitting it hard tomorrow, too, with sheets and dog beds to wash, rugs to vacuum, and clothes to put away. People always ask how we keep our house so clean, but remember, people usually only show the highlights, the good angles of their life. This happens to be the case with our house haha. Honestly, it’s not ever out of control, but it does get messy, cluttered, and dusty from time to time. That’s what days like today are for.

Are you always busier this time of year, too? Is that part of what makes this season so wonderful anyway? Sending you so much love (and virtual hugs), and we hope you have a wonderful holiday, however you’re spending it this year. I know it looks and feels different for so many right now. You’re not alone. xoxo.

The Creamiest, Coziest Potato Soup Ever

Freezing cold days = soup for dinner. Every time. It’s just the way it is, I don’t make the rules!

I made this creamy potato soup the other night and it hit all the right spots. We all came back for seconds and honestly I probably could have come back for thirds. If you’re looking for a yummy, easy soup to make tonight, I highly recommend this one. Taken directly from sugarspunrun.com, here is what you’re going to need:

Ingredients:

• 6 strips (uncooked) bacon cut into small pieces

• 3 Tablespoons butter unsalted or salted will work

• 1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1.5 cup/200g)

• 3 large garlic cloves minced

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 42g

• 2 ½ lbs gold potatoes peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1” (this was about 6 Large potatoes for me/1.15kg)

• 4 cups chicken broth 945ml

• 2 cups milk 475ml

• 2/3 cup heavy cream 155ml

• 1 ½ teaspoon* salt

• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder**

• 2/3 cup sour cream 160g

• Shredded cheddar cheese, chives, and additional sour cream and bacon for topping optional

Directions:

• Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until bacon is crisp and browned.

• Remove bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.

• Add butter and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onions are tender (3-5 minutes).

• Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

• Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pot and stir until smooth (use whisk if needed).

• Add diced potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir well.

• Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes).

• Reduce heat to simmer and remove approximately half*** of the soup to a blender (be careful, it will be hot!) and puree until smooth (half is about 5 cups of soup, but just eyeballing the amount will be fine. Alternatively you can use an immersion blender.).

• Return the pureed soup to the pot and add sour cream and reserved bacon pieces, stir well.

• Allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes before serving.

• Top with additional sour cream, bacon, cheddar cheese, or chives. Enjoy!

Happy cooking, friends, and stay warm!! xo

Christmas Time in a Small Town

I was driving home the other night and had to stop and take in the warm feelings of the holidays in our little town. Our downtown’s Christmas decorations are starting to be put up! I love Christmas time in the city, but there’s something so charming and quaint about this season in a small town that gives me all the cozy feels.

They’ve actually added more lights since I took this picture and it’s even more charming. At night, all the streets are lit up with Christmas lights and it’s so beautiful and honestly kind of magical. Our downtown is small, but it really shines best (in my opinion) during Christmas.

Now if the weather would only hurry up and start matching the season, everything would be just right.

Stylish with Jenna Lyons

Have you been watching the new show Stylish with Jenna Lyons on HBO Max? It’s our current obsession. We just finished the finale last night and I’m so sad it’s over! I reeeeally hope there’s going to be another season because, if you’re a design or fashion lover, you will eat this show up and be back for seconds.

It’s a fascinating peak into the fashion icon’s life after her much publicized exit from J. Crew (where she worked for 27 years, and at one time was the president of). After being let go, Lyons had to pick herself up and learn how to separate her self worth (and ego) from the company she devoted more than half her life to.

“I remember when I left I was scared and all my friends and co-workers were like, ‘Don’t worry, the phone is going to ring off the hook,’ and it just didn’t,” she told Page Six.

“And then all of a sudden I didn’t have anything on my agenda and no one was calling and no one was getting me lunch and no one was inviting me anywhere and I was like, ‘Whoa,'” Lyons says. “It felt like the bottom dropped out. I had to really come to terms with the fact that I was not invited to anything because I was Jenna Lyons. I was invited to things because I was the president of J. Crew. It’s actually a good reckoning and a really healthy thing to go through.”

Can you imagine? I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But luckily she’s back and more inspiring than ever!

Way to go, Jenna!

(photo via Instagram)

The 100 Best Inventions of the Year

Have I mentioned how much I love year-end lists?

I look forward to the annual roll-out of best-ofs that come out around this time every year. Best and worst TV shows, movies, books, etc. And Time has given me another fun list to devour: the 100 Best Inventions of 2020! They broke them up into categories like Accessibility, Artificial Intelligence, Electronics, and Design, among others.

Some of my favorites are this reeeeally flat TV, the anywhere workout, this indoor garden, and a new recyclable tube of toothpaste from Tom’s of Maine.

Check out the full list here.

PS: another list! The best albums of the year.

My Favorite Sounds of Home

After staying home every day for the last 9 months (how has it been that long?!), I've come to deeply know and love the sounds around our house that make it a home. In a year that has been anything but normal, these sounds have come to represent, to me, our new normal.

The beginning of 2020 seems like 2 years ago, and in some ways, I feel we’re not even the same people as we were when this year began. Do you feel like that, too? I wanted to share what home sounds like to me below, partly so I can remember exactly how I felt at exactly this time in years to come, and partly because it’s nice to actually write my thoughts down and get them out of my head.

Here are the sounds that bring me joy and comfort in a year that has brought me anything but:

• The washing machine running in the laundry room

• The TV in our kitchen when we watch morning talk shows

• The coffee dripping into the carafe

• The sound of little kids laughing and little feet running upstairs

• PJ talking on the phone to his mom while walking around the house (don’t ask me why this brings me comfort, it just always has!)

• Music playing in the kitchen while we make dinner

• Our cat and dog play fighting with each other on the dining room rug

• Our air conditioner/heat kicking on and off (for some reason it is SO LOUD)

• Our oldest kiddo’s teacher singing the “good morning song” to his class via Zoom Monday-Friday

• Our oldest dog Jolie licking her paws (PJ hates this sound but I’ve always loved it)

• Listening to the kiddos breathe when they’re in a deep sleep (my heart melts)

What are some of your favorite sounds at home? Which ones bring you comfort, warmth, and joy? xoxo

The Coziness of Winter

I know it’s not winter yet, but it quite feels like it here in Tennessee.

We’ve woken up every morning this week to temps in the 20’s and frost on the ground and rooftops. It feels like winter is finally here and every year around this time, I always find myself feeling more grateful for this season than all the other ones. Though it gets dark sooner, I love the feelings of warmth, coziness, and security that this season seems bring my family and I. Every night, we light all the candles, turn all the lamps on, and hunker down with either something warm and yummy on the stove or a show on TV. I look forward to this time of year all year long.

Hope you’re able to find some comfort in it too, friend. TGIF! xoxo.

Our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

After missing last year’s gift guide (blaming it on being new parents!), we’re back with our 2020 holiday gift guide!

We had a lot of fun compiling this small gift guide, and combined all of the gift categories this year, instead of separating them into guides for him, her, etc. Hope you’re able to find something for your loved one this year, and happy holidays!!

This classic crewneck sweater from Gap that will look good with pretty much anything. Also loving this rollneck sweater from J.Crew, and this flannel shirt.

Because can you ever go wrong with leather Chelsea boots from Clark’s?

A fun Harry Potter themed (among other choices) jewelry holder, or just a neat dish to set keys, wallet, etc. in.

Because we all know at least one sports fan, how cute is this mug with a hoop? Our kiddos would go crazy over this.

We’ve been spending so much time outdoors this year (neighborhood walks and hikes around our land have been a saving grace), and would love to jot down our thoughts, dreams, and ideas in this hiking journal.

Speaking of journals, how fun would this coffee journal be for the coffee obsessed person in your life? We’re a Starbucks Espresso Blend family, but would love to keep track of all the different kind of blends with this journal.

Last journal, I swear!! This pregnancy journal seems so thoughtful and intentional, though, I had to include it.

We could all use a little more self care in 2020, and these rejuvenating face masks from LAPCOS would do just the trick.

As an adult, there’s almost nothing I love more than a new, fresh set of sheets, and how cozy would these bamboo sheets from LuxClub be?

For the pet lover in your life (or your own pet!), Pawstruck jerky treats would make a pawfect (I couldn’t resist) gift.

Loving these teak wooden spoons from NAYAHOSE.

This book’s title caught my attention immediately and I can’t wait to read it. Couldn’t we all learn a thing or two about how to change our lives? Or better yet, the world?

Speaking of making our lives better. My brother has a weighted blanket and I tried it last year and holy cow. It was life changing. This one from WayFair looks like it would be so perfect for getting warm and cozy this winter.

I think we drank more coffee this year than ever before (averaging 3 cups a day!), and this coffee from Red Bay Coffee in Oakland sounds absolutely delicious.

We include this ever year. Our favorite wine glass, from Crate & Barrel, inspired by Olivia Pope, of course. There’s one for white wine, too.

The Joy of Gay Sex is a classic and just as relevant as ever. Groundbreaking at the time of its release, it’s informative and educational, and a must have in any book collection.

A fun new phone case from Casetify. We have a few of these and love them (especially the monogrammed ones!)

President Obama’s new memoir, A Promised Land, that is getting amazing reviews (been looking forward to this one!).

A gift card to Brooklyn-based Brooklyn Circus, a black-owned menswear store that cites “Spike Lee Brooklyn” as style reference points for the clothes it carries.

I’m sorry WHAT? Chocolate cupcakes in a jar sound like the actual best invention of all time. I’ll take two please. Or five.

A Little Life, a gorgeous and heartbreaking book about sexuality, friendship, and trying to carve out a life for yourself.

A handsome, cozy sweatshirt from J.Crew for him to stay warm in all winter.

Our super talented friend Lauren Liess’ gorgeous design book Habitat is a must-have for any design loving person in your life. Her second book, Down to Earth is just as wonderful.

A face mask from Nam & Ko to keep them extra protected this year (and next). The masks are made by New York fashion workers, so the more that are sold, the more we can all help support local employment.

More sheets! This time from Brooklinen. We just got a pair and are obsessed.

The best underwear of all time, from Tommy John.

Also from Tommy John, quite possibly my favorite pants ever to lounge around the house in. I’ve been living in these for the last 8 months (I’m actually wearing them right now).

A big comfy jacket from Abercrombie for keeping him warm while taking walks this winter.

Candles have been getting us through the colder and darker days lately, and this holiday one from Homesick looks absolutely delicious.

Happy holidays!!! xoxoxoxo