My memories of Mansfield, Missouri, began when I was little. I loved reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books , which were written in this small farm town during the 1930s and 1940s. I've always been a creature of habit when it comes to rewatching movies, ordering the same thing at restaurants, and ... asking my mom to take me to the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum over and over again when I was a kid. And she did. Thanks, Mom. It had been 28 years (give or take) since I visited the museum and toured the home where Laura wrote her books. I was in the mood for a little day trip yesterday, so I decided to head that way. Only an hour from my house, Mansfield is known as "the town where the Little House books were written." It's 100% worth the trip if you're a history enthusiast. I toured the museum, but I didn't arrive in time to visit Laura's house. Well, technically, I got to see the kitchen. When the tour guide closed up for the day, she let me take a quick peek. It was a cozy yellow and green kitchen straight out of the 1950s. And my dreams. I felt like I had been taken back in time and didn't want to return to the present day. Classic Grandma Jacki stuff. The wallpaper, the appliances, and the little view of the living room I wanted to see in person SO bad (next time) were just too good. I used the old "put your phone against the window trick" to take this photo of Laura's office. The golden hour light was perfect. Here's a little history of Rocky Ridge Farm, the home of Laura and Almanzo Wilder. Laura's writing desk and typewriter I highly recommend visiting the museum. I couldn't believe how many items were saved and preserved over time. OK, so not to completely switch gears here, but here's a hilarious way that someone has tried to profit off Laura's name and legacy ... a good old-fashioned RV park with a sign that once said "welcome Laura fans" that now says "welcome L U A fans. Lol. Like most small towns, there are neat buildings with old signage in Mansfield. You know, it's one of my favorite things in life. Here are a few things that caught my eye: I can't resist a rock building, and this giraffe stone was so darn pretty. The owner of the Friendship House (an Airbnb) was decorating for Christmas when I drove by. Here's an old church from the 1940s. I peeked inside, and this is what it looked like: I stopped by Ava on the way home to take a photo of "the sign." Ava Drug is now owned by Walgreens. The original drugstore soda fountain is no longer in service, but they kept the original red, glittery barstools. I was told that this building would be torn down soon, so I snapped a photo of the old painted Coca-Cola advertisement. Here's another view of Laura's home. It has a certain kind of magic to it, and the view feels serene and calming. Pro tip: Be sure to visit Mansfield in the fall! xoxo, Jacki Related Posts: Time Capsule: Junker Joe's Time Capsule: Freistatt, Missouri

"Rock bottom" is different for everyone. Maybe it's getting a DWI or falling in your driveway immediately after getting out of an Uber and fracturing your ankle. Maybe it's waking up with a hangover once a week for an entire decade. Either way, when your rock bottom happens, you'll know. And to be completely transparent, none of the above were my rock bottom, unfortunately. Without getting into the nitty-gritty details or showing a before-and-after photo of myself, trust me when I say I knew exactly when it was time to press the reset button. Simply put, I woke one Saturday morning feeling absolutely miserable. My first thought was, "This makes me feel bad, and I don't want to do it anymore." To top it off, some chronic pain issues— after years of improvement— magically resurfaced the same day. I wanted to do anything and everything possible to avoid going down that road again. While this approach isn't for everyone, I made a prompt decision to never drink alcohol or do ANYTHING to catch a buzz ever again. Then, I wrote the date on a tiny piece of paper and stuck it on my fridge with a magnet. Was I scared and hesitant? Yes. Did I post an Instagram story about it three hours later? ...Yeah. Let me explain. I'm not shy about posting on social media. Sure, I'm in my 40s now, but I genuinely enjoy doing it. Most of my content is about my house, vintage finds, and my dog, Norman. When I decided to enter the "sobriety realm" three and a half years ago, my brain needed all the accountability it could get. So, I posted—vaguely— about my decision to quit everything. I immediately felt a sense of calm and ease. It gave me the momentum I needed to move forward. This "method" (if you want to call it that) worked for me as a starting point, but I totally understand why it's not for everyone. Fun fact: Once I have something in my head, I'm really good at obsessing over it— good or bad. But surprisingly, I didn't overanalyze sobriety. I just knew that I didn't want to feel bad anymore, and if I changed my mind and made the wrong decisions again, I would, well, feel bad . That was enough to make me stop. Life has a way of testing us when we're already down. The old saying "when it rains, it pours" rings true for everyone. Shortly after I decided to get sober, two of the worst things I could have ever imagined happened. My 5-year-old Boston Terrier, Kennedy, suddenly passed away over the weekend. In front of me in my living room, mind you. “Devastating” doesn’t even begin to cover a loss like that. Two weeks later, my 87-year-old grandma, Joanie , who was incredibly healthy for her age, was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. She died 6 weeks later. Again, a gut-wrenching tragedy that's impossible to mentally prepare for. It was awful. Do you know what I'm going to say next? I'm not looking for any sympathy or a pat on the back, but even during extremely dark times, I remained committed to the promise I made to myself. How? I just did. I had to. It taught me that I don't need to "escape" reality to get through hard times. And I quickly learned I was much stronger than I thought. I would be lying if I said the past few years have been easy, but sitting with my feelings isn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. You might be wondering how I've coped or what I've replaced alcohol or other substances with. Welllll... I drink tons of coffee. I drink gallons of sparkling water. I work. A LOT. And the support of friends, family, and my community (the trifecta) has kept me going. Rinse and repeat. I've always been a hard worker, but my habits started to change after my grandma's diagnosis. She spent her last weeks at home with hospice care, and I visited her nearly every day— laptop always in hand, day or night. I realized pretty quickly that work was therapeutic for me because it kept my mind occupied. Have I been called a workaholic? Yes! Does it bother me? Not really. I mean, I can think of worse things to obsess over. I love working, and I love staying busy. You might even say that I feel a constant need to be doing something . My next goal is to find a happy medium between work, my personal life, and resting . To be continued... OK, so the coffee and sparkling water thing. I didn't even start drinking coffee until about five years ago. Isn't that crazy? It made me feel insanely anxious, so I avoided it like the plague. Maybe it's the combination of Lexapro and Wellbutrin, but coffee has the opposite effect on me now. And I like it! Again, finding a happy medium is key here. I know caffeine is addictive, but for now, coffee will be part of my life. PERIOD. 😄 Let's briefly talk about sparkling water. I swear, it's also addictive, but in a normal, hydrating kind of way. In fact, I have several close friends who also swear by it post-sobriety. It's interesting how dopamine affects our brain when we replace an old dopamine source with something as simple as black cherry sparkling water . And guess what? It works . I drink at least three cans a day, and it always feels like a treat. Something else I've poured myself into the past few years? My house. I bought it one year after getting sober, and it has been a huge blessing. HUGE. The projects are endless (in a good way), and my love for decorating and hunting for vintage treasures has only intensified— if you can believe it. Oh, and before I forget, there are two important things I want to mention. When people imagine a life of sobriety, a couple of fears tend to pop up. Things like: "Social events won't be fun anymore." "I will lose my creative side." Big, massive spoiler alert: Those statements are false . Going out to a bar is literally the furthest thing from my mind now. During my first year of sobriety, if someone had asked me to go out, I would have politely said, "No, thanks." But over time, you get so used to it that it becomes normal. These days, it's rare for me to go out, but as long as I have a drink in my hand or nearby, I'm fine. Do I still have fun in social situations? Of course! Do you know why? The longer you stop doing something, the less you think about it, and the easier it gets. Also, it’s worth asking yourself: What does “fun” actually mean to me? You'd be surprised how mundane activities (and things you never thought you would love doing) actually are... fun. This goes back to the dopamine source I mentioned earlier. Let's discuss the creative part for a minute. I can't stress enough how much my creative side has soared since getting sober. Between working on my house and my side hustle (lol— buying and reselling vintage ), I've never felt more creative. Why? Because my mind is clearer. And it shows . Something really encouraging happened a couple of years ago: The Sober Movement . Gen Z has an entirely different outlook on alcohol than millennials did in the early 2000s. Has sobriety become... cool ? I think so. Was it cool three and a half years ago when I made the switch? Not even close. But it's pretty incredible if you think about it. The majority of my friends don't drink anymore. We have a new outlook on life and what makes us happy. It's INCREDIBLE. Did I ever think I'd be saying any of this? No way. But I'm so thankful I get to say it today. Remember when I mentioned accountability earlier? Well, I decided to take it a step further last year: 10-8-21 . ❤️ A lot of difficult things happened after I got sober. But the number of good things that have happened since October 8th, 2021? An abundance . And honestly, I don't think most of the amazing things that have happened in my life would've happened otherwise. And now, here I am—writing this blog post in the backyard of my rock house with Norman sleeping peacefully by my side . I did it. xoxo, Jacki

I have some exciting news that I'm NOT going to share yet. How's that for an introduction? Even though I’m usually that person  who loves sharing life updates online, I’ve somehow managed to keep this little secret *in the vault.* *I will reference Seinfeld, the greatest show on earth, any chance I get. In other news, I've been working on creating a better work/life balance for myself and failing miserably. Apparently, I love working SO much that I barely leave time for anything else. Can you relate? Probably not. Lol. I'll figure it out! I feel okay about it, but there are a few things on my to-do list that need to be addressed, like having a yard sale before it snows and mopping my hardwood floors. Halloween is upon us, and my house is fully decorated and ready for trick-or-treaters (AKA putting a bowl of candy outside because my dog, Norman, is insane). I added some  orange light bulbs  to the mix this year, which are so fun . The living room and porch are undeniably orange and glowy. Speaking of Halloween, I wrote a blog post appropriately titled 'Holy Grail Flea Market Finds' filled with an assortment of happiness. It won't be long before I start using this every night. It's a must-have, I swear. I just ordered this sweatshirt for fall. Does it look familiar? 💀 In my opinion, porch swings should be draped in vintage handmade afghans. I found this one (below) at the flea market last weekend and couldn't resist. I'm hooked on sound bath meditations. They make my brain feel like a combination of rainbows, sunshine, bouncy balls, and a cozy rainy day. If you've never been to one, Shine Yoga Studio  hosts them every month! How perfect are these pillowcases ? Well, I'll tell you. They are pretty perfect. Affordable, available in a wide range of colors.... sold. I have two pairs of shoes ( 1  and 2 ) on my mental wishlist right now: BOTH Keds. I love Keds, and I think they're better than Vans. There. I said it. This is quite possibly the best highlighter in the world. I've been using it for nearly a decade. And now, for the most random item on my list: the Restcloud neck and shoulder relaxer . That's right— my old, feeble body is deteriorating, so I searched the World Wide Web for relief and found this crazy-looking thing. In all seriousness, I love it and use it almost every day— and you should too! xoxo, Jacki P.S. Here's a link to my last 10 favorite things post  :))

It's hard to believe that I was interviewing for a job at BigPxl this time last year— one whole year ago . I remember dreading the holidays because I was still processing a tough season in my life. Blahhh. My outlook this year couldn't be more different. I feel full of hope and positivity, and I’m soaking it in as much as possible. So... who wants to see some of my favorite things? LOL. With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share a few things on my list, a few things I'm gifting, and a few just-because thingamajigs. Now that I'm back in an office, choosing a cool wall calendar is very important. I love these ribbon candy ornaments . I wore this dress to our office Christmas party , and it was as fun to wear as it looked. I will admit that a bell fell off by the end of the night, but I still give it five solid gold stars. For Christmas Day, I picked out a slightly more tame but equally fun printed dress — because why not? These are my go-to winter gloves. I have them in purple , but I would gladly accept them in this color , too. A gift for virtually anyone on your list . I opted for a bubblegum pink Christmas tree this year but was REALLY tempted to pick this color . Women Over 40 Are Better Because ... (insert 100,000 reasons here) If you're into pancakes, waffles, and glitter, you're going to want this in your stocking this year. (I mean, I want this in MY stocking this year.) My bedtime routine: lavender essential oil, magnesium lotion , and this overnight lip treatment . Don't make me say, "Treat yourself." I'll do it, I swear. xoxo, Jacki P.S. Here's a link to my last 10 Favorite Things post :o)

My bedroom in high school was the quintessential late 90s bedroom— the walls were covered with pages of Rolling Stone and Spin magazines , black light posters with trolls and mushrooms on them, and glow-in-the-dark stars. It was very angsty ... just like me. There's absolutely no way I could have predicted that my "adult bedroom" would be predominantly pink. No way, no how. The colors in my current bedroom are very calming, which is the polar opposite of a teenage bedroom. It was crazy in there. Haha. You can see a few snippets of it in this modern-day Instagram post. My king-sized bed takes up most of the bedroom, which I like. It's the perfect size to make the room feel nice and cozy. Prisms for days. Yes, that mirrored wall art is crooked in the photo. It bothers me, but I will get over it (OR WILL I??). Moving on ... I scored my headboard from FB Marketplace, and I honestly wasn't sure if it would look OK with the rest of my stuff. It was the first blue thing I bought for the room. It's handmade and wrapped in denim . I really love it! The blue headboard prompted me to find the pink, blue, and yellow vintage chenille bedspread from eBay. It has a few tiny holes in it, but I don't mind. The details are so soft and pretty. If you're looking for a set of budget-friendly velvet curtains , these are great and come in many colors. The hurricane lamp was my great-grandma's, and the bridge score pads belonged to my grandma. You can see some scores below. 🥹 My house only has one small bathroom, so I made a vanity for my bedroom using a desk. I already had the mirror from the medicine cabinet in my old house, one of my grandma's antique chairs, and repurposing 101! Having a little spot to put my makeup on in the morning is nice. Book links: Let's Talk by Andie Bottrell / Frances Hook Picture Book by Wanda Hayes / Making Faces by Kevin Aucoin The lighting in this room is pretty unreal. I have a suncatcher hanging in the window, and it puts off so many prisms. Here's a link to the color-blocked taper candles with a subtle rose scent. My dad found this unique MCM chair in storage several years ago. I've never seen anything like it! I put a couple of my childhood stuffed animals in the chair— having them in my room feels oddly comforting. I bought the set of porcelain angel candle holders and the floral Turner paintings (in the original blue frames!) at a local auction. The pink and blue color palette just kept happening ... Here's a link to my spiral taper candles . Norman's reflection is pretty darn cute . This vintage crystal light fixture was in the living room of my previous house. Do you remember it? I never thought I was into white wicker furniture ... until I was. My grandma had a whole set in one of her guest bedrooms. I have her nightstand set, plant stand, side table, and lamp. I put the lampshade from the wicker lamp on an old pink glass lamp for a mix-and-match situation. The nightstands are from Pier 1 back in the day. I miss going there in high school and college—I thought it was so fancy. My friend Elsie found the old Polaroid shortly after my dog, Kennedy, passed away. It was a really special gift, and it felt like it was meant to be. I wish the original doorknobs were still in my house, but these reproduction crystal doorknobs are the next best thing. They make a big difference! This view makes me feel gooood. I wrote a whole post about my antique printer's drawer(s) . This is one of the first things you see in the bedroom. My bedroom has become one of my home's happiest, brightest spaces, and I'm fortunate to have it. Thanks for looking around! xoxo, Jacki More room tour posts: Vintage Living Room Tour Vintage Dining Room Tour 1970s Bathroom Makeover Spare Room + Open Closet Makeover

I've shared my living room , dining room , bedroom , and bathroom tour on the blog, and today, I'm very excited to share my spare room makeover. I am always struggling to know what to call this room because it's a combination of an open closet, office, and TV room. So, spare room it is! I'll provide a little backstory about this room and some rather shocking 'before' photos. Does that sound too dramatic? Shocking ? But really, it's hard to believe how different this room looked when I bought my house . For starters, the wall that the TV is hanging on didn't use to be there. Traditional Craftsman bungalows have long, narrow living rooms . So, when I'm sitting on my floral sofa, I'm technically sitting in what used to be ... my living room . It took me about a year to find the motivation to figure out what the heck to do with this room, a room that always had the door shut so I didn't have to look at the disaster zone of boxes and whatever else I would toss in here. As I said, this room is awkwardly shaped because it was initially part of the living room. In the 1960s, someone made the primary bedroom larger by REMOVING a wall and putting up another wall. It gets worse. When they did this, they left the floors as-is. 'Removes a wall and leaves the floors as-is once.' It seems like a strange thing to do if you ask me. This resulted in a big room that didn't look like it belonged in a house from the 1920s—with the tiniest original closet EVER. This is where my open closet idea comes in. Friends have asked why I chose the smaller room for my bedroom. The truth is that this space was my original bedroom when I moved in, and it felt bad and wrong. It didn't feel cozy at all. A few weeks later, I moved my big ole' king-sized bed into the smaller room , which instantly felt right. To sum it all up, this spare room went from my least favorite room in the house to my favorite space to hang out and relax . I eat dinner and binge-watch shows like Succession (I'm a late bloomer) here most nights. This has also become Norman's room. He loves napping on the sofa and viciously barking at anyone who walks outside while I'm at work. I lucked out when I decorated this room. All of the furniture is second-hand except for the antique reproduction writing desk . I used the vintage floral sofa as my color palette and went from there; everything seemed to fall into place perfectly. It's kind of crazy how it happened. I knew I wanted to avoid using white furniture and make this room look slightly different from the rest of the house. By the grace of God, I found the antique coffee table, side table, and pedestal table at auction and paid under $30 for everything. Most of the knickknacks on the shelf below the TV were in a box (another auction find!), and they somehow matched the color scheme of the room. The blue glass violin vase and bright yellow plaster basket were my great-grandma's. You know, the same great-grandma who lived on the SAME street as I do now when I was five years old. 🔮 Hi, Norman. I genuinely believe that every house needs an old-school phone in it. I always see them at flea markets and finally bought one for myself. This room needed one. I didn't have a spot to put this ice cream cone cookie jar on the shelf with the rest of my collection , but it ended up looking just right on top of an old TV tray in this room. Here's another view from the sofa. I was fortunate to have this room's original floors refinished and repaired. Looking in front of the yellow rug , you can see how they repaired the section of the missing floor. I like how it separates the room, especially since I decided to make the other half an open closet. Other links: velvet flower pillow / orange shag rug My grandparents had this amazing orange fish painting by Lee Rose in their home in the 1970s and 1980s, and like everything they owned, I loved it when I was a kid and love it even more now. My framed Ozark Mountain Daredevils poster is one of my most prized possessions. It's an original tour poster from the 1970s and deserved to be unsealed and hung on the wall, in my opinion. Here's a view of my 'open closet' on the other side of the room, which includes a desk I never use and an office chair I found on the side of the road, LOL. I donated so much clothing before (and after) I moved into this house that I unintentionally developed a capsule wardrobe . Links: velvet curtains / curtain rods / gold clothing rack / crystal door knobs My closet is really tiny, so having a sturdy clothing rack with a shelf on the bottom has been 100% ideal. I switch out the rack with short-sleeved and long-sleeved tops every season. Believe it or not, this is my entire fall/winter wardrobe, minus dresses (which I rarely wear anymore). Having a smaller wardrobe feels so carefree and easy to me. After I bought my house, I realized that collecting and reselling home decor was more important to me than buying clothes. Painting the walls and the doors white made such a huge difference in this room. The blueish-gray color was pretty drab. I broke my 'don't use any white furniture rule' for the other half of this room. The white wicker dresser and floor mirror were both FB Marketplace finds. I still don't know how I managed to fit that big mirror in my Camry, My dad read The Berenstain Bears books to me when I was a kid, and I'm so glad I still have the originals. The jewelry box was my mom's (it's so cute!), and the printer drawer was my great aunt's. It's one of three printer drawers hanging up in my house and is as special as the others. Related post: Collections: Vintage Printer's Drawers With Miniatures I have a growing collection of matchbooks and other things (like this clipboard) from old businesses in my hometown of Springfield, Missouri. Random pro tip: If you're not sure what to do with a cute card, hang it on the wall! Save the best for last, they say. I had to share another prized possession— the chunky turtleneck sweater from Gap's 2000 holiday collection . Teenage me would have never imagined this would be such a big deal 24 years later, but here we are. I found this gem at Goodwill one night while I sifted through a rack of sweaters. It was only $6, and I plan on wearing it until I'm 90 years old (maybe). xoxo, Jacki

Matchbooks are a lost art. It used to be completely normal to grab matchbooks from places like breakfast diners, fancy restaurants, bars, and motels. They were considered tiny souvenirs from trips. Most importantly, they are a solid form of advertising for businesses. Several years ago, I started collecting vintage matchbooks from businesses in my hometown of Springfield, Missouri. Some businesses were around when I was a kid, but most have been gone for decades. Once I started collecting them, I realized how fun it was because it was a challenge to find the good ones. Collections would be boring if we could see everything we were looking for after one trip to the flea market. I decided to display my vintage matchbooks on my coffee table. It's a prime spot for me to see them on a daily basis, and friends can sift through them when they come over. There are many different ways to display matchbooks, but I like to put mine inside the glass dishes from a vintage snack set. I also used part of this set to display my perfume on my bedroom vanity. I thought it would be nice and satisfying to line up each matchbook and snap a couple of photos. It was also a good excuse to dust. If you're curious, I find most of these matchbooks at local estate sales and online auctions . And sometimes I'll find some good ones at the flea market. Either way, they are always a treat! Wooden Nickel Restaurant / Hoover Music / Lucy's / Heer's Garden Room / Venture / Hotel Davidson / Brooks Potato Chips / Missouri Home Savings / The Vintage House / J. Parrino's / Mille's Cafe / Farmers & Merchants Bank / Yellow Bonnet / Bamboo Inn / Steak & Ale / Leong's / Wal-Mart / Shady Inn / Freeman's / George's / W.F. Codys / Mrs. Brown's / Steak & Shake / Maple Restaurant / Gee's The Shady Inn was my grandparents' favorite restaurant. It was a fancy steakhouse and cocktail lounge with the sounds of a piano playing in the background. I remember going there with my family in the late 90s, but it closed in 2001. It has been in business for over 50 years! Heers / Shoney's / Heritage Cafeteria / Skyline Motel / The Grove / The Vintage House / Munchies / Springfield Little Theater / Country Kitchen / Harter House / Tiny's / Steak and Ale / Moseley's / Greene County Dairy / Arrowhead Restaurant / Clary's / The Bar Next Door / George's / Afterhours / Sir Gregory's / Auto Magic / Pizza Inn / Hooten's / Aunt Martha's / University Plaza / KOLR 10 / Pittsburgh Plate Glass / Holiday Lanes / Wendy's There are two restaurants that I desperately miss from this list— Aunt Martha's Pancake House and The Heritage Cafeteria . If you know, you know. Do you recognize any old haunts from these photos? xoxo, Jacki Related posts: Collections: Ice Cream Cone Cookie Jars Collections: Antique Printer's Drawers and Miniatures Collections: Vintage Advertising and Packaging

In the late 90s, I wore a decent amount of jewelry and rings. I always had my zodiac necklace from Renaissance Books and Gifts on. If you don't know about this place, it's been in Springfield for decades and is very similar to the bookstore in The Craft . Maybe I need to go back for old times' sake. 👻 Anyway, for whatever reason, I stopped wearing jewelry after high school—minus those chunky necklaces from Forever 21 that were popular in the mid-2000s. I have some embarrassing photos somewhere ... Soon after my grandma, Ruth, passed away in 2013, my mom gave me her diamond cocktail ring. I felt so lucky to have it. It was a beautiful ring that I remember her wearing all the time. My grandpa gave it to her in the 1960s, and he even had her name engraved (in Arabic) on the inside of the band. I thought it looked way too fancy to wear. For years, I thought it could be a wedding ring if I married. Spoiler alert: I did not wear it as a wedding ring. A few years ago, I said screw it and decided to wear it instead of looking at it in my jewelry holder every day. Looking back, I'm not sure why I was so focused on it looking "too fancy, " especially since my grandma wore it, along with her wedding band, every single day. She wasn't the kind of woman who flaunted wealth or cared about fancy things, and I loved that about her. I can picture it on her finger right now. She never made it look extra sparkly—it's a ring she wore when she made homemade dough, prepared Lebanese meals, and baked the best chocolate sheet cake on the planet. It was a part of her, and it was special. I was equally close to my other grandma, Joanie. She was wonderful at decorating (and everything else, for that matter) and held onto many special things that were later handed down to me. One of those special things was a unique pearl ring that my grandpa bought her in the 1980s. She gave it to me a couple of weeks before she passed away in 2022, and I cherish it so much. I wear it on my left ring finger every single day. We wore the same ring size, which fit perfectly the first time I wore it. And just like my other grandma's ring, I remember her wearing it when I was little. I wouldn't feel like myself if I didn't put their rings on every day, and they serve as a constant reminder of how lucky I am to have these amazing women in my life. xoxo, Grandma Jacki

It's been exactly one year since I bought my 100-year-old bungalow, and it seemed the perfect time to share a dining room tour. I looked at this house for about 10 minutes before I put an offer down (genuinely terrifying), but it was all worth it because of this window . It's real, and it's spectacular. Here's a view from the living room. It's such a HAPPY space. I got rid of over half of my belongings before I moved last year, and like an actual ding dong, I didn't measure to see if my furniture would fit. Thankfully, it did . And everything I kept just fit perfectly in the new dining room. Sometimes, the stars align that way. 🔮 I bought this antique baking cabinet for a cool $100 about 11 years ago. It has a flour sifter inside the left cabinet, and it's the perfect spot to store all the random things I have ... like a Nine Inch Nails music video box set from 1997 and a bag of miscellaneous cords. Virgos are great at keeping things nice and neat on the outside, but I dare you to look inside the drawers and closets in my house. The original wood floors were in pretty bad shape, but I wouldn't have them refinished until I saw that part of the floor was MISSING in the spare room . More on that later. In true before/after fashion, here are a few satisfying before photos. The walls were painted a pale green color. Not terrible, but not great . The photo above shows where the baking cabinet is now. This cast iron light fixture is original to the house, and there are matching lights above the mantel in the living room . I'm so glad someone kept them! I sprayed the heck out of everything with my favorite gold spray paint and swapped the bulbs out for this chandelier bulb set . SO much better. Words will never be able to describe how I felt when I found this unopened pack of glow-in-the-dark stars at the flea market. Straight from the 90s. From NATURAL WONDERS of all places. I also have a tiny collection of 90s magazines . The ironic (and annoying) thing is that I had every issue of Seventeen magazine from 1996-1999 and threw all of them in the trash after graduating high school. It still hurts. I bought these magazines on eBay, and the nostalgia was worth every penny! Many people ask me if this is a blown-up photograph of my grandma. It's not, but I wish I knew who it was. It will always be a grandma mystery. You should treat yourself to this set if you're into taper candles as much as I am. The gradient colors are bright and fun . Also pictured is my grandma's antique butter mold. Ahhh! I wrote a whole post about my ice cream cone cookie jar collection . I bought this set of radiator salt and pepper shakers at auction recently. Too cute for words, really. The dining room table is Danish-made and straight out of the 1960s. It was my great grandma Helen's. How crazy is it that she owned this table while living on the same street  as I do now? It's another crazy universe thing. My grandma gave me a set of her rattan chairs. Like everything she owned, they remind me of my childhood (and they still look brand new). This monstera plant is thriving next to the big window. I need to figure out how to keep it happy during winter. You can't tell in the photo, but the Last Supper print is super old and has big chunks of glitter all over it. Very kitschy. I stuck a vintage floral die cut inside my vintage seashell chandelier (which is incredibly hard to say) instead of using a real plant because that's how my brain works, apparently. I love how this space turned out, and I loved sharing it with you even more! xoxo, Jacki More room tours: Vintage Living Room Tour Pink and Blue Bedroom Tour 1970s Bathroom Makeover Spare Room + Open Closet Makeover

I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, and let me tell you ... it has felt very empowering. I have a new sense of confidence, and it feels fantastic to enter a new phase of life. When I say "phase of life," I mean UNEMPLOYED and NERVOUS. Lol. I'm being a little dramatic. Life is good, but I also started applying for jobs last week, and it feels exciting and overwhelming. I need to get into the groove of things, you know? My goal this week is to start going back to yoga classes and take lots of deep, mindful breaths during the day. It's all going to work out, but patience is key. I also need to remind myself that I'm only five weeks post-op from a pretty major surgery. Let's move on to 10 things I'm into this week, shall we? I love these budget-friendly sunglasses so much— I have them in multiple colors, and recently bought the " transparent brown " (pictured above). I think I'm into them! Here's the comfy men's ringer tee I'm wearing. I have a ginormous walnut tree in my front yard, and the leaves are changing colors and completely covering the lawn. It's making me want to start decorating for Halloween a little early, TBQH. When it comes to coffee, I prefer using a pink single-cup coffee maker so I can control how much I drink. But I always get coffee somewhere when I'm out running errands, so I don't think the whole moderation thing is working. I'm very excited to wear this festive ham sweatshirt all winter long (and it's on sale). If you're looking for the perfect lip gloss, look no further. This one is incredibly hydrating—it's like a lip gloss/balm hybrid, and I've been wearing the heck out of it. My mind constantly wanders in all directions, and I had this random thought the other day: "I wonder if they make suncatchers specifically for cars?" Great news —they do , and it has been an instant mood booster. I can't wait to flip through this book . Here's a little recommendation from someone who loves to clean all the time (me). I bought a robot vacuum that's cheaper and BETTER than a Roomba. It works great, and it's perfect if you have pets. No roller brushes are on the bottom, so it's a breeze to clean after using it. I'm going to start wearing this pajama set to bed immediately. I highly recommend grabbing some frozen pot pies from Prairie Pie if you're local. I love throwing one in the oven when I don't feel like cooking (which has been way too often lately). P.S. Here's a link to last week's 10 Favorite Things post. xoxo, Jacki

I'm pretty darn excited to start a new series called "Time Capsule." Usually, I would share some of these photos on my Instagram story and be done with it, but now I have a designated place to share even more . And it's fun! This post is about Freistatt, MO, a small town established by German settlers in 1874. I went there to pick up items from an online auction , of course. I could talk about my experience with online auctions for at least 20 minutes, but instead, I will share some photos of Freistatt, the inside of the house I went to, and a special backstory. I normally don't bid on items from auctions out of town, meaning anywhere requiring me to drive over 30 minutes. It's not usually worth the miles, but I made an exception when I saw this auction . If you're curious, you can still see the items that were up for grabs. I was even more intrigued when I read about the person who owned all these treasures. Alice Helmkamp lived in this home for 90 years. Can you imagine? She was born there, never married, and lived in the house until she passed away in 2023. Alice was a school teacher in Monet, MO, for 30 years, and she accumulated a lifetime of vintage and antique treasures, including items that her parents collected. As soon as I stepped into the house, I gave myself an unguided tour and walked up a narrow stairway to see the upstairs. Although the house was obviously in disrepair, I felt so much love and energy emanating from it. Can you imagine how many memories were made in this home over 90 years? I wish I could go back and see photos of Christmas mornings, Halloween nights, and family dinners. That pencil sharpener .... 💛 Here's a view of one of the upstairs bedrooms and the downstairs bathroom. I'm so thankful that I could see this home and bring home a few treasures from Alice. I'll share those soon! After I left the house, I did a little small-town exploring. The community hall wasn't open, but I put my phone against the glass pane and snapped a photo. It looks like the perfect spot to play Bingo and drink black coffee. I rarely take pictures of cemeteries, but this one caught my eye. Freistatt, MO, has a population of under 200 , filled with nostalgia. I'm not sure where I'll end up next, but I hope it feels as special as this town did. xoxo, Jacki Related Post: Time Capsule: Mansfield, Missouri

I moved into my craftsman bungalow last year, and let me tell you ... I did not enjoy living here for the first five months. It was a huge adjustment, mainly since I lived in my last house for nine years. If you're curious, I explained my thoughts on change (and my new perspective on it) in this post . Looking back, buying this house has been one of my life's best decisions, and I absolutely love everything about it—including the neighborhood. Owning a home can be stressful, but it is as fulfilling as they say it is. ANYWAY, I'll stop rambling for now. What I really want to do is give you a tour of my 100-year-old living room. It's cozy, colorful, and filled with all the happy vintage things in life. Before moving in, I had the original wood floors refinished and hired someone to paint the whole house my favorite shade of white . It instantly transformed the house and gave my Virgo brain a clean slate. Here are a few photos that show what the living room looked like before I moved in: Just FYI, this house will always and forever be a grandma house , I think it's time for me to buy this pennant , too. My house was filled with outdated ceiling fans, so I promptly had them removed before I moved in. I didn't think about the fact that there wouldn't be any overhead lights in the house until I found replacements—rookie mistake. I wanted to find a vintage light fixture for the living room, but I also wanted to see what I was doing, so I opted for a vintage-inspired chandelier . This is the washable shag rug I picked for the living room. It's cheap and easy to maintain if you have pets. Here's a view of my printer's drawer . I scored the sofa from Facebook Marketplace (who doesn't get their sofa from there nowadays?), and my grandma made the comfy afghan I cuddle up with—even when it's 95 degrees outside. This is my favorite view in the living room. I really thought the fireplace would feel too much like "Bass Pro," but it doesn't at all . It has a cabin-in-the-woods vibe,e and it's the perfect spot to watch TV and eat dinner. Speaking of cabins, the orange chairs were in my grandparent's lake cabin in the 1960s. Nostalgic gold . I remember when my grandma found them in storage five years ago, and I scrubbed and detailed them with a toothbrush. They look brand new! Here's a link to my color drip taper candles . 100% recommended! Several years ago, I started collecting matchbooks from old businesses in my hometown of Springfield, MO. I love a good challenge, so finding one at the flea market, estate sales , or online auctions is always exciting. The last two are the best places to find local matchbook collections. Oh ... here's another collection I have throughout my house — vintage packaging and advertising . The fonts, illustrations, and colors were over the top back in the day, and I never got bored looking at them. I can't imagine that boxes of starch and laundry detergent from 2023 will be exciting to people 50 years from now, but hey ... you never know. I have a little collection of those round candles that were popular in the 90s. They aren't easy to find, so I only have a few of them (for now). I had a similar zebra print candle in high school and should have kept it. OH, and all my Delia*s catalogs, Alloy catalogs, clothes from Gadzooks, and my steel-toe Dr. Martens. The list goes on, and the struggle is real. If you come over, you'll find several original Ozark Mountain Daredevils records out and about, and I will happily listen to all of them with you if you want. I even wrote a post about why I feel so connected to (AKA obsessed with) a local band from the 70s if you feel so inclined to read it. I also have a little collection of old advertising from my family's business, Moseley's Office Supply . It's been in downtown Springfield for over 80 years. ❤️ Thanks for stopping by. I'm excited to share more room tours with you soon! ✨ xoxo, Jacki