5 Tips for a Cleaner Home


If you are a homeowner, then you know a good chunk of your time is spent cleaning your home. 
I did a little research and found that on average, we spend anywhere from 10 - 20 hours a week cleaning and caring for our homes. This includes laundry, dishes, deep cleaning, and just general pick ups. We all fall into different categories when it comes to caring for our homes -- there are those who love cleaning (me!), while others find the process really loathsome. Today, I am giving you 5 tips to help change your mindset towards cleaning so whether you love it or you hate it, you can make cleaning your home an easy, manageable, and dare I say enjoyable experience. 

Holiday Home Tour

With 11 days till Christmas, my holiday decorating wrapped up yesterday! Just in the nick of time! This year I spent a lot of hours hand making new decor for my house, some of which was shared on the blog and today I want to show it to you! Welcome to Christmas at the Urban Acres!


Big changes in here are the tree of course -- and if you've been following me then you know that the tree's name is Theresa. 


And Theresa looks beautiful.

DIY Christmas Scene


Last week I brought you two fun Christmas DIYs and today, I am back for another one! Growing up, my mom had a ceramic Christmas village that she would set up on the piano. She would fill the streets with "snow," and always gave me instructions to not touch it. Confession Mom, I always snuck in there and played with it when you weren't looking!

This Christmas, I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to create a Christmas village of my own that I could play with as much as I wanted. This DIY is way easy -- in one hour you can have your scene completely finished! And if you already have some paint laying around, this will only cost you about $10 - $15. Here's what you need!

DIY Tree Skirt


Every year we buy a Christmas tree from our local tree farm. During the month of December, our Christmas tree really becomes a part of the family. This year I even gave our tree a name. This is me with "Theresa." She's so happy to meet you.

DIY Felt Cone Trees

Merry Christmas everyone! It's finally past Thanksgiving, so I can officially say that. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I also hope you all ate way to much pie and took lots of naps. I know I did.

With Thanksgiving behind us, we can press forward to the day we wait all year for -- Christmas!
I don't know about you, but I LOVE decorating my home for Christmas. I turn on a Christmas movie and spend the day decking the halls. This year I decided to get a little craftier and I am bringing you a few DIYs you can use to make your home extra cozy this Christmas. Here is the first one!

DIY Crazy Cat Lady Pillow


DIY Felt Floral Wreath

A few weeks ago I shared my Fa la la felt wreath I made, and today I'm showing you how to make it!

Couple of things to note before taking on this project. A. This wreath is a commitment! Like a 12 to 16 hour commitment! B. If you don't want to spend that sort of time, you can always pop over to my Etsy and order one from me!


The Players
• Wool Blend Felt, 25 to 30 sheets (I order from SweetEmmaJean)
• 12 in. Wicker Wreath
• Floral Wire
• Low Temp Hot Glue

Making the Flowers 

Below you'll find a few links to the tutorials I used to make this wreath. These came from Something Turquoise -- she does a great job of showing you how to make these!

Felt Rannaculus
Eucalyptus Leaves
Cabbage Rose

After you have made your flowers, it's time to adhere. Before you stick anything to your wreath permanently, lay everything out in the way you want it placed. Now we glue! For the wicker wreath, I used a combination of wrapping the wire around the branches and then securing it all with hot glue.

Pro Tip: Let you glue gun rest for a second before pulling it away to minimize glue webs. 


After you finish, hang it on you front door with pride and enjoy a warm piece of apple pie. You earned it! 

xoxo Sallie

Spooky Cookies Tutorial


This Saturday is Halloween, and I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon than by making spooky cookies! Your kids will have a great time, and the trick-or-treaters will thank you!

Sidenote: Michael's craft store has all their Halloween cookie decorating supplies marked down by 50%! 

Best Sugar Cookies Recipe

If you'll remember, a few months ago I tried (and failed) sugar cookie decorating. I failed miserably, and you can read about that failure here, but today I am here to redeem myself AND I have a great sugar cookie recipe to share.

In addition to the botched frosting on my last batch of cookies, they also completely lost their shape.  It looked like I was decorating shapeless lobs of dough. This time I searched for a recipe that would hold it's shape, and I found this one from my friend Debbie. This is from her 8th grade Home Ec class, and it is the best recipe I have ever used for intricate shapes PLUS it's super tasty. 

Fa la la Felt Wreath

Hello dear friends and readers, it's good to be back! This past month my 9 - 5 job has changed, and I've been left with fewer blogging hours! If you didn't know, I also teach group fitness classes and last week I taught 13! My body really needed a break from everything, so this past week I just took it easy instead of trying to push a post out. But I am back to you now, refreshed and more ready than ever to share what I've been up to! 



Fall is finally here! Can you feel it? Tulsa is slowly starting to embrace the fall weather, and with that it was time for a decor change on the front porch. I moved the spring plants, and today I am going to purchase my pumpkins and mums, but the finishing touch for the front porch is this felt floral wreath.

Fall 2015 Capsule Wardrobe

This weekend I did some soul searching in my closet. I decided it was time to commence project "Capsule Wardrobe!" If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a capsule wardrobe it's basically this: Eliminate any items of clothing that you don't fit into, don't look good in, or don't absolutely love. You're left with fewer items, but if you do your job right you'll love everything you own and feel good in what you wear on a daily basis.

My goal is to have a wardrobe around a 20 - 30 pieces, but historically I am more of a clothes hoarder. When I stepped back and got real with myself I realized I only wear about 30% of my clothes, so I took the plunge and rid myself of the other 70% that just weren't cutting it anymore. There were a few hard decisions, and I had to cut ties with a few pieces I'd been holding onto for sentimental reasons, but I've come through to the other side and I can honestly say it feels great!

3 Steps to Make Your Capsule Wardrobe

1. Try on your clothes, get rid of anything that doesn't fit well, look good, or is no longer your style. Even if you Aunt Barbara hand knit that sweater for your 13th birthday, if it doesn't look good on you it needs to go. This also means getting rid of things that you've hung onto because you have a deep sentimental bond with them *cough cough* honeymoon clothes *cough.

After you purge...

2. Look at what's left, and try to find the common thread. Do you love neutrals? Maybe you're more boho. Try to find the common theme in your wardrobe and give your style a name. This will help you in the future to decide whether a piece really belongs in your wardrobe. This could be anything from "Simple Elegance" to "Comfortable Luxe." For me personally, I love layers and neutrals so my style is "Effortless Chic." Corny name, but I chose "Effortless" because I need this to be simple, and "Chic" because I still want to look nice and polished.

3. Plan and purchase. The best part of the capsule wardrobe journey if you ask me! Spend a few days looking through your favorite stores and save the things you love. I like to do this step online so I can see everything together! That way I know if I'm staying true to the style I set for myself in step 2. And it's ok if it changes! Looking at my Fall Capsule board, what I started with is not where I ended up. Take the time to carefully check the details on the clothes you are thinking about and by gosh read the reviews! If everyone loves it, you probably will, too! But if several people comment on how quickly an item falls apart, don't risk it! Remember, we are going for fewer, higher quality items.

Here are the items that made the cut and are going into my fall capsule!


1. Button-Down Tunic Shirt with Pockets, Madewell $82
2. Asymmetrical Mini Skirt in Pinstripe, Madewell $88
3. Soundcheck Ringer Tee: Short Sleeve, Madewell $45
4. Seychelles Ukelele Booties, Anthropologie $140
5. Ex-Boyfriend Shirt in Kemp Plaid, Madewell $79.50
6. BDG Sally Pocket Tee, Urban Outfitters $39
7. Suede D'Orsay Flat, Urban Outfitters $59
8. Mitte Long Cardi, Anthropologie $88
9. Poppy Ankle Boot, Urban Outfitters $100

These 9 items combined with what's left in my closet make my 25 piece wardrobe. I may have to buy a few more basic tees for layering, but I think this is a great start. This is definitely the smallest my closet has ever been, and I am excited to see how much time I save. It will also be nice to love every outfit I wear -- right now that happens like 20% of the time. It also really helps doing all this shopping right as I come off Whole30 and feel great!

What are your fall wardrobe plans? Anyone else going the capsule route?

xoxo Sallie


Butternut Squash Soup


One of my favorite things about fall is soup -- there's nothing my stomach enjoys more than a steamy bowl of butternut squash soup on a crisp autumn day! Since embarking on Whole30, I've been looking for ways to get my favorite eats on the "approved" list. This recipe is completely clean but doesn't sacrifice any of the flavor!

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium butternut squash
1 large sweet potato
1 medium yellow onion
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 - 6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Step One: Peel and medium dice your butternut squash, sweet potato, and onions.

Step Two: In a large stockpot over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add the onions and sauté for 5 - 6 min. until onions become translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute more.

Step Three: Add cubed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly pour in your broth until it almost covers the veggies. For a thicker soup, use less broth and vice versa.

Step Four: Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 50min.

Step Five: Once the sweet potatoes and squash have softened, pour half of the soup into a blender and mix until smooth. Repeat with remaining half. Alternatively, you could use an immersion blender and mix in the stockpot.

Step Six: Season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy while it's warm!


What soups do you enjoy on cool fall days?

xoxo Sallie

Whole30 Halfway Point

Two weeks down, two to go -- I just completed the first half of the Whole30 program. If you don't know what the Whole30 program is, you can read what I said last week here, or check out their site. I know what you are all wondering. You're thinking, "How do you feel?" Well I'll tell you -- I feel great! For real. I have more energy, I crave things less, I sleep better, and I feel better. Has this week been perfect? No. There was a moment when I really wanted Choco Tacos and I couldn't have them, but overall it's been a good week.

If you remember, on Whole30 the guidelines are no dairy, no sugar, no legumes, and no grains. I bet you wondering, "What can you eat?" Well I'll tell you!


I eat a lot of veggies! A lot. I mix them with things, make "spaghetti" with them, and add them to salads. Here are some of my favorite greens.


And some of my favorite yellows. I eat about six sweet potatoes a week. They are my most favorite! I will also have a Whole30 Butternut Squash soup up on the blog later this week.


I eat a fair amount of fruit, but not nearly as much as I eat veggies. If you want to lose more weight on Whole30, then eat a lot less fruit since it has a high sugar content. I care more about making it through these thirty days without losing my mind, so I eat apples almost everyday.


I eat lots of meat. This is what sustains me! I love chicken, beef, turkey, even bacon! With meat you just have to make sure it's free of carrageenan, and also sugar or things that are made from sugar. So no maple bacon. Rotisserie chickens are one of my favorite things in the world -- if you are doing Whole30 they will make a great quick meal!

I have really stretched my palette. I eat parsnip fries now -- who knew! But there are a few things that are tried and true that I eat every week, several times a week -- the staples of my Whole30 existence.


1. Turkey Wraps - These is my go to lunch option. I found this originally on this article from Buzzfeed, but I modified by adding some lettuce. This is way easy, you just need sliced Turkey (remember no sugar, no carrageenans), shredded carrots, an avocado slice, a tomato slice, with dijon and mayo (also no sugar). Yum! I eat these all the time.


2. Copycat Larabars - My lifesavers! I made about 12 of these and ate them all. I make a really simple version with just dates and cashews, but my friend Juliane makes her own version with coconut and cocao nibs! Check that out here!

Ingredients (yields about 10 bars)
1 cup cashews
26 pitted medjool dates


1. Add your dates to your food processor! You want to pulse the until they start to form a paste.


2. Add the cashews into the mix, and pulse them until they look like this.


3. With wax paper on your counter (trust me you need this!) use wet hands to form the mix into a ball.


4. Using a rolling pin or your wet hands, roll out the ball until it's about 1/4 in thick. Use a knife to cut your bars to the size you want.


Wallah! I store these in the fridge in a plastic container with wax paper in between each layer. They are delish. I eat at all of them in about 6 days.

xoxo Sallie


Bedroom Dreaming

Lately, I've been dreaming of redecorating our bedroom. For reference, our bedroom received a major facelift this past Christmas when we ordered our first real bed and rug. While those two purchases majorly improved the space, I still wasn't so happy with it. So I started looking for inspiration and I had an epiphany! I love neutral bedrooms, but I've created a really overly colorful one. I think it instead of my bedroom having a calm feel, it's overwhelming. I have a few short term solutions, but I think this will take a few more months to solve. Before I show you what I want to do, I think you should see what we are working with. 

The Whole30 Program


This month I am embarking on a 30 day, whole body reset called Whole30. Basically, Whole30 is a way to cut out harmful or unnecessary ingredients from your diet so that you body can heal and get stronger.

Whole30 is 30 days of no legumes, grains, dairy, sugar, carrageenan, MSG, sulfites, or alcohol. These foods may have been affecting your digestive system and other areas of your life without you even noticing it!

For me, this is a way to get back on track (especially after vacation) and feel healthy for the fall. I am a group fitness instructor and I have to be on my A game, and I believe this will help me to have more energy. I also love a challenge. I do the very best when I am following some sort of program or rules, so this is an exciting venture for me!

 I could go on in more detail, but Whole30 has an amazingly helpful website and you should spend a few hours researching this info for yourself, as this is definitely a challenge you need to be prepared for.

Over these next 30 days I am keeping a food journal as well as documenting the recipes I try, and any tips and tricks I pick up along the way so I can share them with you here on the blog!

I am 3 days in, and so far I feel really great. I can honestly say, I haven't been craving things as much as I normally do. I also was able to go through a pretty long day yesterday without feeling like I needed a nap! That's a major plus for me.

Fall is a great time to begin Whole30, right before the holidays hit and it's a natural time of the year to start getting back on a schedule.

What say you? Are you in for a 30 day challenge?  

xoxo Sallie


Urban Acres by the Sea


Hello dear friends and readers! I am back home in good ol' Tulsa this week after having been gone the last 10 days. Our trip to the beach included a meningitis scare, a trip to the ER, sea turtles, and some sea turds. That sounds a little crazy, but actually we had a great time. Here are some of the highlights from our trip!


Upon arrival to Destin, Andrew was struck with a bad fever and throbbing headache. We hoped a day of rest would help him feel back up to parr, but unfortunately day 2 of vacation included a lot of advil and fever reducers. Day 3 we took a trip to Urgent Care where Andrew was diagnosed with a flu mimicking virus and told to proceed with caution, as this could be the start of spinal meningitis! Yikes! We rebuked that crap, but on day 4 when Andrew felt worse, we decided not to risk it and headed over to the ER -- which was a surprisingly lovely facility. After an hour or so of waiting, the Dr. concluded that it wasn't meningitis (Thank the Lord!) and gave Andrew a super boosted anti-inflammatory shot that took the headache away. Andrew was instantly better and back to his happy self, and the vacation was saved.


It was pretty much smooth sailing from there. We bummed on the beach, ate really awesome seafood, and I got a really nice tan. The best story of our trip comes from the day we went paddle boarding. If you haven't done this before, paddle boarding is basically a giant surfboard you stand on while using a long paddle to steer yourself. It takes a bit of balance and focus, and when large waves come it can be tricky to stand. I love paddle boarding though! We saw stingrays, and fish, and sea turtles.

We also saw sea turds. As I was paddling I came across what seemed to be some floating logs. I thought to myself "Surely, someone didn't poop in the ocean. Surely, they wouldn't do that." Oh but they did my friends. On Facebook someone asked me if I was sure it was human waste. I can assure you that it was -- the creature who released this excrement had recently eaten corn.

As I am passing the floating turds, I am yelling to Andrew who is 20 yards away to notify him of my discovery. I was so excited and horrified by what I had seen that I proceeded to lose balance and fall backwards into the turd infested water. I don't think I made direct contact, but I tell you dear readers no one has ever gotten back onto a paddle board faster than I did. Andrew was laughing so hard, he almost fell over himself. The turds softly floated away, and that really was the highlight of our trip.


Here are some non-turd pictures of other things we saw and a few of our favorite meals. It was overall a really great trip, but I am so glad to be home.


These are pork lollipops from George's at Aly's beach. These were uh-mazing!


Secondly from George's, the Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Equally delicious. 


And 3rd times the charm with George's. This was the Chocolate Goo and I loved it. 


 Also from George's, the only picture of me from the trip. Look at those tan lines!


Grits A Ya Ya from Great Southern at Seaside.


Lola was also really excited to see us. She tried to postpone unpacking by stowing away in our luggage. 

Where did you take your favorite vacation? I would love to hear about it!

xoxo Sallie