Happy Sunday, everyone, and we hope y’all had a great and joyful week!! We were pretty excited to finally reveal the River House living room AND Kaitlin’s primary bathroom (go check those out if you missed them). Oh, and if you also missed Em’s INCREDIBLE home decor gift guide, it’s a must-see. She spent so much time curating each piece, and boy, is it a beautiful scroll. Ok, now onto the links…

This week’s house tour is one we aren’t sure if we’ve highlighted before, but if so, it deserves another look! From none other than Reath Design, this home is moody, cozy, layered, and patterned. Do yourself a favor and take a look for A LOT of inspiration.

From Emily: We bought our kids a landline (and the other non-tech gifts we have on our radar). Having two tweens means they want the latest tech and while some of it we are fine with (iPads for traveling, Kindles for reading, Apple Watch for cruising around town with their friends), we are resisting smart phones til freshman year and social til 16 (all per Jonathan Haidts recomendations – and yes, their best friends families have the same rules so hoping this can stick). And while we don’t mind some video games, one of our kids has problems regulating the use of them, so it’s not something we actively encourage in our home. So for Christmas, I found a couple of things that I hope will get them excited without the dangers of tech:

• We bought them the Tin Can Wifi Landlines. We want them to gab with their friends, to have the independence of making plans (texting on their watches is admittedly really cumbersome), and hell, just know how to have a conversation with people (we actively teach them how to ask questions, respond with eye contact, etc). These are phones that tap into your wifi (so you don’t need a traditional phone line) and can only accept and call out approved numbers. Some of their friends are also getting them. While they aren’t iPhones, and at first they might be disappointed, we are crossing all our fingers that they’ll enjoy talking on the phone with their friends and connecting non-digitally.
• Nex Playground is an active family/group video game. God, I hope this isn’t a flop. But with the winter being so icky up here, there is wayyyy more indoor time than I like and the boys in particular gravitate hard to video games (we have boundaries and attempt balance, but it’s a thing). I really don’t mind if it’s a group playing together in the same room, but when I found this, I had a lot of hope that it could be an even healthier version of gaming. It comes with a bunch of games (and of course you can purchase way more) and it uses a camera to clock your body as you play the active game (running, jumping, etc). We are giving it to Charlie for his birthday, early December, in hopes of doing a review of it after that for you. But I also know it’s one of the most popular gifts for families this year and might sell out. Only time can tell how long 12-year-old boys will like it, but with the amount of games (and the amount of boys we have over here), I feel hopeful.
• While our kids might be too old for this now, when the original Yoto Player came out, they loved it (it was too quiet; that was my only note). But I think it’s gotten better and better over the years, and people rave about it now for storytime, and I think even white noise machines. I’d say best for ages 2-8.

From Gretchen: A simple but VERY useful gadget (just in time for holiday decorations) is this plug-in timer for outdoor lights. The lighting situation on my back deck is basically non-existent, so I put up some string lights to maintain a nice glow year-round (and ESPECIALLY in these earlier dark days of fall/winter.  I don’t want them on all the time, and I hate having to step outside (especially in rainy Oregon) to manually unplug them. But this helpful timer makes it so I don’t have to! It’s waterproof and comes with so many easy settings to keep the lights on or off for however long I choose. But my favorite thing is that it comes with a remote that works from 100ft away. So all I do now is hit a button from inside my home, and the lights just do their thing!

From Marlee: One of my favorite gifts I got as a kid was a sewing machine – I didn’t know how to use it, but I figured it out very, very quickly. I received one almost identical to this one (which I’ve also used) for my 10th birthday and instantly got super creative, making all sorts of random things, and as I got older, it became essential for altering thrift store finds. I’m sharing this because I think that if you don’t know how to sew/use a sewing machine, it feels like a very unrealistic gift to give to a child – but if you have a child in your life that’s 8, 9, 10 years old, I think that a sewing machine is a fantastic gift idea. It teaches problem-solving and is SO incredibly useful. You’d be surprised at how many creative doors it opens up once you have one at your disposal. ALSO. You should get one for yourself!! It’s never too late to learn – I am no expert AT ALL, in fact, my craftsmanship is pretty shoddy. But it’s fun and functional, and it kept me busy for hours and hours growing up. My boyfriend got me a new, more heavy-duty one this year for my birthday, and I haven’t gotten around to using it yet, but now that I’m starting to prepare for hibernation, my head (and Pinterest) is buzzing with ideas on what to make:)

Updated Gift Guide List!

• Em’s Fashion and Beauty Gift Guide
• Em’s Home Decor Lover Gift Guide
• Kids/Tweens/Teens Gift Guide

From Mallory: I recently went to the Rag & Bone outlet and found THE BEST stuff for a fraction of the price!! Rag & Bone is one of my favorite brands ever (the quality is amazing), but it’s definitely on the splurgier side. But these deals make it way more affordable and worth it. First up, this jacket is SO cute (I’m obsessed with the tweed!!), the quality is incredible, and it fits like a glove (true to size or you could even size down). It was originally $528 – so this deal is piping hot. Then I also snagged these cute green pants, which are very EHD chic – also a great deal (used to be $298!!) I’ll be wearing both of these A TON.

From Caitlin: I’m coming in hot with a tried-and-true recommendation: I cannot say enough about this merino wool crewneck sweater. I bought mine last November, and it’s been one of the key pieces in my wardrobe since! It hits all the notes for me – it has a relaxed and casual drape; it’s lightweight enough to throw under a pair of overalls without adding a ton of bulk; it’s still thick enough to keep me cozy; and most importantly, I just feel really good when I’m wearing it:) The tag says it’s dry clean only, but I’ve thrown mine in the wash countless times and haven’t run into any issues with pilling or shrinkage yet. (I do let it air dry, though.) It’s often hard for me to find great basics that fit well, but this sweater definitely fits the bill. I’m so glad to see it back on the market for another season – I promise that it’s worth it!

From Jess: I am someone who needs their hand extremely held when it comes to getting enough nutrients into my diet. So I started working with Arlyn’s dietician (shout out to Kassidy!), and it’s made such a huge difference. One thing she suggested was making “snack packs” so I could create nutrient-dense snacks in a single container for each day. Sure, there’s some pre-planning, but then once the work week hits, I’m extremely prepared and getting what I need snackwise. These are the containers I use. I bought five, so I would have one for each workday. No “ugh, I don’t want to wash this for tomorrow!” as someone who doesn’t have a dishwasher often says, lol. If you are more organized and self-motivated than me, this may seem silly. But if you can relate, having these has been a game-changer.

From Arlyn: I know I recommended my Aerie sweatshirt last week, but I’m back this week with some Aerie socks. (Clearly, I shopped a good sale recently.) I’ve been hunting down crew socks all year that actually work for me. They were all either too tall for my short stature, too tight for my thicker legs, or just made me feel like a serious poser. But I grabbed a handful of colors of these striped quarter socks, and I 100% found the right height and style for me. They make my lame school drop-off outfits feel so much more intentional. I mean, I threw on the red pair I got with a vintage-style T-shirt and my gray New Balances, and one of the other moms stopped me and asked me about my “chic” look. I laughed in her face, but accepted the compliment.

Have a beautiful rest of your day and see ya tomorrow for another very fun reveal;)

Opening Image Credits: Architect: Anne Usher | General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction | Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey | Styling: Emily Henderson (me!) | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My Brother’s River House Living Room Reveal – With A TV On A Tiled Fireplace