This post contains some affiliate links, and I was sent some products to review. All opinions are my own.

Happy December! It's time for gift guides! The ones that are most fun to write are the categories that I fall into (after all, it's pretty easy for me to brainstorm things that I would like to get), so I was excited to put together a gift guide for new homeowners. It seems like this year, SO many of our friends and family members bought houses, and I'm guessing you know a few people who jumped into homeownership this year too. Here are some gift ideas that would be great for Christmas, or as housewarming gifts anytime!

1. Pretty bar set - Because buying a house is something to celebrate!

2. Fancy candle - These smell SO good, plus I love the amber glass they come in.

3. Curated wine pack - Let an expert take the guesswork out of choosing which wine to give...these are all sure favorites.

4. Laser measurer - So handy for measuring rooms and spaces (you don't need someone else to hold the other end of the tape measure).

5. Cozy throw - Every home needs some soft and snuggly throw blankets!

6. Cute doormat - Because they probably got rid of their old doormat when they moved, plus this one is perfect for a new house.

7. Custom house portrait art - A really sweet and personalized idea that the new homeowners will treasure.

8. Good quality soap & lotion set - One of those things that everyone loves, but no one buys for themselves.

This post is sponsored by Mohawk Home. I received this rug free of charge to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Today I'm excited to be participating in Mohawk Home's first annual holiday home tour, along with a few other talented bloggers! We each got to choose a Mohawk Home rug and style it in our home for the holidays. I decided to tackle our family room, which badly needed some love (we hadn't paid any attention to this room since we first moved in!). It's the only room in our house with a fireplace, so I knew we'd be hanging out here more as the weather gets colder. My goal was to make it feel cozy and welcoming for both kids and adults, on a small budget. We chose the beautiful Heirloom Tamur rug, and I added in festive touches like boxwood wreaths in the windows, mercury glass votives on the mantel, a felt ball garland, and some knit stockings.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on furniture, so I was thrilled to find a rattan swivel chair at Goodwill for $20 (score!). I pulled in some pieces we've owned for awhile, like this black antique trunk and the pink shell-back chair (both from our living room in Edmonds). We also switched out the lighting for fixtures that are more our style (bye bye boob lights!). Here's the before for reference...it's so much better now. :)

The rug is a stain-resistant flat weave, which is great for kid-friendly, high-traffic areas like a family room. A premium rug pad underneath makes it feel more plush, even though it's low-pile. I'm really happy with the result! I've been wanting an antique Persian-style rug for a long time, but have never been able to justify the cost. This rug has a similar look but at a very reasonable price point (under $400 for an 8 x 10).

I used the colors in the rug to influence the overall color palette of the room--mint green, ivory, gold, and pink. It's a palette that works well for the holidays, but will also look good throughout the year. And luckily, it's a color palette that I already own a lot of, so I didn't need to buy very much! That's always something I recommend when decorating on a budget: start by shopping your own house. I mean, look how perfectly our antique pink armchair and that mint green pillow fit with the colors in the rug...it's like it was meant to be.

We have a lot of friends with young kids (and a messy toddler of our own), so I purposely kept all the updates in the family room low-key and budget-friendly, so I can breathe easy letting kids play in here. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, and I'm excited to spend more time here during the holidays!

Be sure to check out the rest of the homes in the Mohawk Home Holiday Tour as well...lots of beautiful spaces: Our Burlap Bungalow / Chaotically Creative / Twelve on Main / Duke Manor Farm / The Heathered Nest

I figured it might be time for a more casual life update post--it's been awhile since I did one of those. How are you all?? I'm not gonna lie, I'm exhausted from growing a new baby while chasing around an energetic toddler all day. I've been resisting naps because Ian's nap time is the ONLY time I get to myself all day...which means I'm so tired at night that I've been going to bed embarrassingly early, like 8:00. But I can't complain, overall life is really good. I've been having fun furnishing and decorating our house (we're making progress--more updates to come!), and dreaming of future renovations (bathrooms and kitchen, I've got my eyes on you). I've been squeezing in play dates with friends, reading, and watching shows when I have time, and I'm still trying to blog as much as possible too. But there's always about a million and twelve things on my plate, so I have to admit I haven't had as much time for blogging as I would like. For example, I suddenly realized yesterday afternoon that I should take some photos for this post...as it was getting dark, and I was also trying to get laundry done, pack, and make pecan pies to bring for Thanksgiving. So yeah, I apologize in advance for the blurry pics. Hey, I already said this would be a casual post, right?

One big update (as you can see above)...Ian is FINALLY walking! He's been standing up and taking tentative steps for quite a long time, but only like three or four steps before he would get scared and sit down. Then all of a sudden it "clicked" and he started walking everywhere (hooray!). He's still pretty wobbly, but he's getting more steady and confident every day. It's so cute to see how proud he is, and it makes me super proud too. It's perfect timing with winter on the way...crawling in the snow is no fun!

I also got him a baby doll to teach him about being gentle with babies...he looooves to hug and hold it. It's super cute, but now I'm worried about him smothering his brother with love! :)

Overall, we are settling into our new life in Spokane. We're heading to Seattle today to spend Thanksgiving with Ben's family, and I'm definitely looking forward to being back there...but I feel confident that we made the right decision by moving. So many things about our quality of life have improved since we moved. I am very nervous about the long winter ahead though! Spokane gets serious winters, with snow that lasts from November through April. I remember it being fun as a kid, but as an adult? I'm worried about getting depressed. Hopefully the snow will make everything feel brighter and prettier than the grey, rainy winters Seattle gets, and we'll still be able to get out and about without too much trouble.

We aren't planning any trips for awhile...partially because we've used up all of Ben's vacation time, but also because we want to be near the hospital for the rest of my pregnancy just in case. But once the baby comes, we would LOVE to do another trip like the one we did with Ian (I'm convinced that 2-3 months is the perfect age to travel with a baby). We actually had booked flights to Hawaii in February, then we found out I was pregnant so we had to cancel them. We still have those flight credits to use with Alaska Airlines, so we'll probably go somewhere in the U.S. I'm thinking either Hawaii or New England--both places that neither of us have been to. Which do you think would be more fun? We'll probably be going in June, before Ian turns two.

Pregnancy wise, I'm feeling great. Time is going by SO fast, I haven't even taken any bump photos to document this pregnancy yet (mirror selfies don't count). And I'm almost 23 weeks already! We have three front-runner names that we like a lot, so that's a relief. But we're still waiting to see if another name jumps out at us...we have time. I'm hoping to find a good Black Friday deal on a double stroller (those things are expensive!!!), so let me know if you see one. Or if you have recommendations on a good double stroller besides the BOB, let me know. I love our single BOB, but I'm not sure if I'll like the double since it's twice as wide (is it better to have a stroller where the seats are in front of each other so it's still a normal width)?

I'm reeeaaaally excited for Thanksgiving food, a long weekend, and time with family that we haven't seen in awhile. Lots to be thankful for this year, including all of you! It's been over 5 years since I hit publish on my first blog post now, and I'm grateful for every reader (hey you! thanks!).

That's what's going on with our family! What about you? What have you been up to? How are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year?

This post is written in partnership with Lamps Plus. All opinions are my own.

We recently got a new sofa from an unexpected source...Lamps Plus! And we bought it online without ever sitting in it. Do you think we're crazy??? I admit, I was definitely nervous to get such a major piece of furniture without seeing it in person first...but it turned out perfect, and we have no regrets. Being willing to shop online really opens up your options, especially if you live in a smaller city (Spokane doesn't have many of the national furniture chains). Plus, there are so many online-only furniture companies these days, it's definitely worth looking into them. But I know it can be nerve-wracking to get something that expensive online, so I wanted to share my best tips for success!

1. Sit in other sofas. We've been thinking about getting a new sofa for years, so every time we go to a store that sells furniture, we sit in a few and see what feels comfortable. Before we even started looking online, we already knew our ideal style (English roll arm) and ideal dimensions (at least 85" wide and 40" deep). If you're looking at a sofa online, go to a furniture store in your city that has comparable pieces, and sit in some sofas that are similar in style and have similar dimensions. Even if they're not the exact same as the one you're considering, it should help you get an idea of whether that depth feels good, whether those arm rests are a good height, etc.

2. Compare the details to brands you know. Besides comparing measurements, you can also compare other product details to brands you're familiar with. Our old sofa was from Pottery Barn, so we literally went through and compared the bullet points for our old sofa and the new one we were considering. Is the frame hardwood? What are the cushions filled with? These details will help you compare the quality across brands, to see whether you're really getting a good deal or just a lesser-quality sofa. For the record, the Lamps Plus sofa we got held up in comparison very well--it has a kiln-dried hardwood frame, hand-tied 8-way heavy gauge steel springs, and a blend of polyester and feather filled back cushions that are channel-sewn for durability.

3. Measure your space carefully. Of course, you'll want to make sure that the sofa you're considering will look right in your room. Grab a tape measure and mark out the height, depth, and width of the sofa. I think it's nice to have something 3D for this, instead of just marking the width and depth on the floor. We used our current sofa, but you could also try stacking boxes to get a feel for the dimensions (including height). Besides measuring the room itself, you also need to make sure the sofa will fit through any doorways, stairwells, hallways, or other spaces it needs to get through in order to reach the room. This is super important, so don't skip this step!

4. Look for real people's photos. It can be hard to envision how a piece will look in your space when all you have is the product photo on a white background. Lamps Plus had a couple photos of our sofa in a lifestyle environment, which helped--but it's even better if you can find real customer photos. Check on Instagram, and Google the sofa to see if any bloggers or designers have posted it.

5. Make a moodboard. Ok, so what if you can't find any real customer photos? At the very least, you can make a moodboard with the sofa you're considering and other elements in your living room that will be staying. And Lamps Plus has a "View In Your Room" feature (on the right hand side under the product photo) where you can upload a picture of your room and drop in the sofa to see how it will look. Super cool! If you're considering a sofa from another site, you can do something similar in Photoshop.

6. Read reviews. This is the best part of shopping online...reviews! It's awesome if the piece you're considering has hundreds or thousands of positive reviews--that can really make you feel confident in your purchase. It's also helpful if there are lots of negative reviews, so you can avoid a bad purchase. The tough part is when there are only a couple reviews; it's scary to base a decision on one person's opinion. The sofa we bought only had one four-star review. But I read it and she loved the sofa itself, she just felt like the tracking for the shipping process needed improvement. That's something I'm willing to deal with, so I decided it might be worth the risk. But first, I also looked up reviews for ALL the sofas from the same brand (55 Downing Street). This is also a good tip if you're considering a sofa with zero reviews...at the very least, see if other upholstered pieces from the same brand have good reviews. You can also check the company you're thinking of buying from and see what their rating is from the BBB (Lamps Plus is an A).

7. Get a swatch! Most companies offer free fabric swatches for their upholstered pieces, so take advantage of that and order a swatch for every sofa you're considering. That way, you can see which color works best with the other furnishings in your room. You can even test out spilling something on the swatch and wiping it up, to see how easily the fabric stains. I was able to get a swatch for our sofa by chatting with a customer service agent from Lamps Plus. It was easy, free, and gave me so much peace of mind before hitting that "Place Order" button.

8. Comparison shop. Once you've decided on your dream sofa (yay!), do a quick search and see if any other companies sell the same exact piece. 55 Downing Street is a Lamps Plus house brand, so it's not sold anywhere else. But sometimes, you'll find the same sofa from multiple online retailers, so you can make sure you're getting the best deal.

9. Look for sales and coupon codes. This is another great thing about online shopping--it's so easy to keep an eye out for sales and coupons! We were able to snap up this sofa when it was on sale for $799.95...a heck of a deal for a beautiful, great quality sofa. Plus, most companies give you a coupon code for subscribing to their emails, and Lamps Plus also offers some savings for new homeowners.

10. Know the return policy. Not to be a killjoy, but before you place your order, you should also look up the return policy just in case. Some stores may not allow you to return a sofa unless it arrives damaged (especially if it's a custom, made-to-order piece). Or you may have to pay a restocking fee. You also might have a shorter window for returns when it comes to big furniture, as opposed to smaller decor items. Make sure you know what the policy is, and that you feel comfortable with it. Worst come to worst, you could always sell a nonreturnable sofa on Craigslist...but it's better to know what your options are upfront, especially if you're debating between two similar sofas. This might be the deciding factor.

After all those steps, finally you're ready to order! Hooray! We've had great luck with ordering furniture online, everything from our dining table and chairs, to our beds and mattresses. But this was our first time getting a sofa online, and I was nervous about the added question of comfort. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, and we looove our new Albion Chateau sofa from Lamps Plus. Happy to answer any questions if it looks like this could be your dream sofa too (it's still under $1000)!