I found creating my Top 5 Tips for Staying Organized has helped me keep a clear head (and home) and has been awfully beneficial as we moved into our first house.

The world is a crazy place.  I still don't know how parents manage to keep it all together.  I find myself in awe at my sister-in-law who has 5, yes FIVE, children and always manages to show up to family functions looking put together, happy and always as beautiful as can be (cheers to you, Tachelle).  I honestly feel like I can barely hold myself together some days and I only have to take care of myself... and Adam, though, let's face it, he takes plenty good care of me most days.

As we've transitioned into our new home, our lives are seemingly the same, just at a different address.  I found my head and my stuff strewn throughout the house and quickly realized I would need to setup some systems of organization or drive myself nuts for the remainder of the year if I failed to do so. Hence, I bring to you, My Top 5 Tips for Staying Organized.

Tip #1: Keep a planner- paper or electronic is awesome.

I recommend getting something that allows for you to see a snapshot of both your month and your week. Utilizing a planner for both work, business and personal keeps all of my scheduling and to-do's in front of me.
Google Keep is also a super easy to-do and task-master that has both a mobile and desktop site. Sticky notes no more!  Google Keep was a lifesaver as we were getting our home setup. Check out this super awesome video on how to utilize Google Keep.

Tip #2: Get your Day Ready the Night Before

Ever wake up late? End up having to rush out the door and feel like a hotmess the rest of the day because you forgot half of your stuff at home, didn't get in 10 minutes to read or journal your thoughts in the AM and are craving the protein bar you left on the counter? I have been there.

Tip #3: Setup Certain Areas in your Home for Key Items 

This includes your keys, bags, purses to your mail (incoming and outgoing).  Instead of just throwing things on the counter or in the junk drawer and then asking yourself, "Where in the heck did I put the..." you'll know exactly where you put them!

Tip #4: Take 5-10 Minutes to Tidy Up 

This is my secret to a happy home.  Take 5-10 minutes a night or in the AM to just tidy up.  You don't need to deep clean your toilets (save that for a rainy Saturday afternoon), but you can just pick up the little items you may have left out from the day.  I love taking a little bit of time before we head to bed to tidy up (even if it's just one or two rooms) and then calling it quits for the day.
Check out this awesome snapshot from Pinterest with a Schedule for Keeping your Home Tidy Year Round! 

Tip #5:  Get Some YOU Time

You may not think this helps you stay organized, but a clear mind equals a clear home, car, work, inbox... etc, etc. It can be something as indulgent as an hour massage a month to something as simple as 10-15 minutes a day to read or take a walk.  You have to take care of yourself.

I hope you enjoy! And if you don't, please let us know in the comments section below. We'd love to get your thoughts as we build this bad-boy out.

See you Sunday!
-Us (for Real)

Okay seriously August, go home, you're drunk.

This month has been a ham-sammich of greatness. I'm sitting in our office with nasal-drip, a nasty chest cold and enjoying the soothing smell of peppermint and lavender oils as they fill the air and (hopefully) clear my nasal passages.

My sincerest apologies for missing the vlog last week.  Typically, that's not my MO; however, that's the way the cookie crumbled. Good news is, we are trying something new on Us For Real and will have a blog up for you on Wednesday, yes, Wednesday. (be on the lookout) as well as some epic wedding footage next week from my bff Megan and Jason's wedding this past weekend.

What a blast.

All-in-all, it has been a solid month.  I think we both need a couple of serious days to recoop and chill (hello Labor Day weekend), but it's been worth it.  Jut know, there are good things in store for this little vlog... hang with us. If you stick around long enough this week and listen REALLY closely, you'll hear our infamous Uncle Tank tell one of his many tales... seriously, probably one of my top 5 favorite people in the entire world. :) We had a blast with he and his wife, "Teenie" a few weeks ago as we went out to dinner at one of our favorite and (now) local joints, Farmer Brown's Steakhouse.

And now, the most random vlog of your life. Get ready to smile. or judge us. or both. :)

Love you long time!
-us for real

Our first home has been a learning experience for both Adam and I.  We were blessed to have purchased a 'spec' home, which had the foundation poured and was framed when we signed the paperwork.  Given the land evaluations during this time in our area, this ended up being a major  blessing (walking in favor).

In early March, we had just toured a home that had the potential to be our first home.  It was a sure-fire fixer upper and would require a lot of Adam's time and attention, outside of his normal project-load for Renovations & Restorations. We had always said we wanted a certain layout, in a certain area for a certain price... if you're familiar with the market in the Omaha, NE area, you know this is a tall order, given the current state of things.  Homes go for over market-eval, with little upgrades and it is certainly a sellers market.  The inventory cannot keep up with the demand in the Heartland.

As we walked through this home for a second time, my hopes and dreams of a home in 2017 began to slowly die and I, began to grow hopeless.  I remember going to my car, as the sinking feeling of being in our tiny apartment for another 12 months began to set in.  Let's just say, I had a good, white-girl-ugly-cry that day.  God bless my husband for his never-ending faith and ability to always cheer me up, he hugged me and told me it was going to be okay.

.... oh child of little faith... it was going to be.  God had other plans in store for The Reeker's.

Later that evening (and without my knowledge) Adam was surfing the local MLS, as he typically did for flip homes and ran across a little listing northwest, in an area we always said we would love to be in. He sent it over to his mom and said, "This is our home."  That next morning, he asked me to drive by the area because he wanted to know what I thought of it.  I immediately thought Adam was sending me to scope out a new home for a Renovations & Restorations project and did my due diligence.  I marked the area, commented on the cute neighborhood, new construction and the benefits of being close to a school.  Later that evening, we spoke and Adam said, "I am glad you liked it.  We're going to look at the model tomorrow." .....

Wait. What?
Yep. The Lord cleared a path and we found a home in the area we wanted, with the layout we desired and for the price we spoke.

I say again, "oh me of little faith..." haha. I seriously did not believe our Lord could be so good. But, the man came through.

The next few weeks were a blur, we toured the model, signed the paperwork and had exactly 7 business days to pick out our finishes and submit to the builder.  For those that are interested, our builder was Regency Homes  we can give a further review of our experience with them in a later blog.  :) The neighborhood we would be calling home was not "builder exclusive"; however, Charleston Homes has the majority of the lots in "the hood".

We had a blast picking our items and often laughed after picking items out, hoping we would remember what we picked and that it would all come together okay in the end. (Needless to say, it did).

From there, we put our heads down and worked. Throughout the home building process, Adam and I took on new projects at worked, transitioned 3LE Team to a completely new partnership (so excite), took a vacation and celebrated 10 years together. HOLY LIFE LIVED BATMAN.

We were so blessed to be able to document the last 5 months of our lives; as quickly as they went by. Was it all sunshine and rainbows? Hell no. We had many real moments, moments of me losing control of my emotions and being a total girl, heated conversations and lots of late night conversations... but we made it through.

We're on week 4 in our home and it feels like home.  We both love being able to come home after long days and build our lives here.  We've already created so many memories in this home and cannot wait to create many, many more.

This vlog is a snapshot of the home building process from sticks, to walls, to home. We love you all and hope you enjoy!


See you,
Us (for Real)

The final box hath been upacked as I write this and we are happy and home. (I think I may have said that in our last post, but it still stands true).

Preparing to move ended up being a bit more emotional than I think we ever anticipated (well, for me at least. Adam states he had a couple of moments and then was completely over it before move day). Boxing up our belongings, giving away old furniture and even cleaning the bathtub brought on a host of emotions (#allthefeels) as we spent almost 10 years in that little space.  It still amazes me the room we have in this home and while it's no sprawling acreage, we laugh at how much we spend our time yelling, "WHAT!?" from the other room.

When people would ask how we felt about moving, I often found myself referencing the movie Mr. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.  This old Magical Store owner (played by Dustin Hoffman) is "departing" this big ball of mud and his store begins to mourn his loss.  Slowly losing it's magical capabilities.  There had been so much life and happiness lived within those walls and one the store realizes he will no longer be there, it begins to droop and grow dark.

Realizing our apartment was not a magical place; but it was a place we shared a lot of happiness and joy.  As we began taking down the photos and memories, the apartment seemed to grow more and more sad.  We even found things beginning to just "give up on themselves"... seriously, it was crazy. Our prayer is whoever signs the next lease, lives as much life there as we did.

The last few weeks have been nothing short of joyful and challenging.  We have loved every minute of being home owners.  Adam and I want to thank our families and friends for the constant support as we've transitioned and to my father-in-law for the extra help on move-in-day.

We are so blessed to have the people in our lives we do.  We cannot wait to create many more memories with them in our new home.

Enjoy this weeks vlog. We'll have more of the new digs and adventures coming very soon!

-Us for Real

We moved... seriously. It's great. We've been super busy, super blessed and super exhausted, but we are giving praise where praise is due and are loving every minute of it.

This is the VLOG before the VLOG (you know, the one where we get to show you a sneak peak of the new digs)? While we are still waiting on some of our furniture, we couldn't be more happy and at home than we are right now.






Enjoy and we will see you soon! (sorry for the quick update!)

-Us for Real

It's been over 2 weeks since I've hit the 30 mark and I couldn't be more proud of how I'm kicking off the 30th year on this big ball of mud.

She's coming right along!

Fam-bam: out for Father's Day with my Stepdad Nick

My heart