JO Blog

I am a creature of habit. I like coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t work on the computer without my hair being pulled back. I like to watch movies with the lights off. I have five books at once on my nightstand so I can read according to my mood. Whether I am […]

It was November 2001, days before Thanksgiving and only a few days before my sister’s wedding. Family had flown in from all over the country and we were hosting Thanksgiving dinner in our first little home in Ft. Collins. Jack was just a little over 1 year old and this would be the first Thanksgiving […]

We have been on vacation for two weeks now and between all of our history absorbing, coffee drinking, marathon walking, children fighting or hotel hopping…I have had time to think. I have written many times that I am a doer and this often leads to me not hearing. A child can stand at my side […]

I wanted to do this days ago but vacation was getting in the way:-) It is taking me 20 times as long to get anything done, upload photos etc. I will work on it for 5 minutes, save it and then we are off on another adventure:-) It was such an honor to be included […]

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week. We are having the best time on our east coast adventures and I will have a post this week sharing everything we have been doing. I am in heaven with the fall weather, all the trees, tripping over history everywhere I go and […]

So excited that today is here! I am honored to be a part of such an incredibly talented group of women. Thank you Better Homes and Gardens for sponsoring the tour and sharing our homes. {You can find more fall inspiration on our Finding Fall Home Tours Pinterest board through BHG} If you are coming […]

I wanted to tell you real quick that for the next 24 hours we are offering Jennifer Rizzo’s Santos Cage Dolls e-course for only $10 (you have access to the videos for 6 months) . Fall is the perfect time to get back into creating and Jen’s Santos dolls are incredible and even perfect for […]

    When fall is even remotely near I begin craving a pumpkin spice latte. Because of my allergies I am not able to purchase one from a cafe because of the dyes in the syrup. I have tried different recipes over the past years, I have tweaked many recipes and I feel like I […]

Let me tell you…this project was a doozy. Everyone shares girl room makeovers but no one is spreading the love on teen boy rooms. Let me backtrack a bit. Our Jack is 13 and has had the same paint on the walls for the past 10 years. 10 years. When his friends would tell him […]

Each week I will be featuring one of the teachers in my brand new class Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays}! This class will begin October 15th. {last week I featured Andrea Fowler of Keeping It Cozy} This course will be all about loving on your family, friends and home during the holidays. It […]

I hope you are all having a great day. We spent the day at the creek doing school with my sister and her children. It is one of our favorite back to school activities that we do each year. There is something so peaceful and magical about the grassy hills, creek, huge trees and an […]

September 3rd! What? How did that happen? I am up early to write this because this is our first day back to school. I can’t believe that summer break is officially over but we squeezed every bit out of it possible. To celebrate going back to school I am offering our most popular online courses […]

Do you know what an amazingly fun job it is to hand pick women to be in my courses? Not only do I get to reach out to these incredibly talented women hoping they will be in the course….but then they tell me that want to do the course! How did this happen:-) The line […]

Few people know their style as clearly as Cathy Penton. Photos of her home will make you swoon! (Lucky you that she is one of the teachers in the new Creatively Made Home {Home for the Holidays}) I have been blessed by her friendship though blogging for many years now. She has carried my items […]

On my run today I was listening to different music, thinking about friends, thinking about all of you guys and I wanted to share these songs with you. Within each of these songs I hope you find glimpses of yourself. I hope you hold on to a few words that will encourage and inspire you. […]

I love birthdays! One whole day to love on just one person. One day that allows you to give a person a glimpse into how much their life…means in yours. It was almost 15 years ago that our birthday tradition began… It was my birthday during our first year of marriage and my day started […]

Last days to get the brand new Creatively Made Home {home for the holidays} at the early registration price of $48! Registration is open. On August 26th the price will go to $58. ********** {originally posted on May 9, 2012} Hello everyone! I am back from teaching in California and my leg is healing beautifully! […]

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED Last fall I launched Creatively Made Home {creating a home that reflects your heart in everyday living}.   I wanted to create a course that celebrated what really matters in your home…..you, family and friends.   I also wanted to celebrate making life beautiful in the everyday.   My heart […]

{originally posted on July 4, 2011} This week I went into Under Armour to get some new clothes for Jack. Every time I am in there I love their slogan. I think it is genius and it is thought provoking to me. {Protect This House. I Will} We make choices every day in how we […]

This Monday we will launch the last mini course in our summer series! Have you wanted to learn how to use the tools and supplies to create frames and signs? Are you itching to use power tools? If you have a love of creating something new out of something old…this course is for you. Join […]

Music is such a daily part of life in our home. Whether it is coming from our phone, MP3 player, computer, turntable or CD player…music fills our home. I shared this song the last week of my The Journey of Letting Go {creating beauty from ashes} course and after talking to a friend today I […]

{originally posted April 24, 2012} We have been juicing since before we had kids. My favorite used to be carrots, apples and parsley. We have gone through a few juicers over the years and even the kids like it. Since finding out all about my food allergies we have gone back to juicing and basically […]

I have two new prints in the shop! Come on over and check them out… Flower Girl Crown of Roses These new prints are being printed on high quality watercolor paper. This paper and quality is exceptional for creating the depth and detail of the original work. Watercolors and Flowers {an introduction to watercolor painting} […]