Southern Weddings

Hi belles! Every season we like to find a way to get to know you more, and to share our hearts. To dovetail with our current Cozy Fall focus, each of the Southern Weddings gals will be sharing our favorite ways to simplify and get cozy in our home lives over the next few months. We hope our ideas are helpful as you work to streamline and simplify your own lives for what matters most!

Katelyn James

Say howdy to: Lisa Kirk, our editor

Favorite simple beauty routine or product: I’ve always struggled with breakouts, which means I’m no stranger to caking on much more makeup than I’d like to be wearing. Is it dramatic to say that Clinique’s Even Better foundation compact changed my life? The coverage is the best–instead of layering on liquid foundation, concealer, and powder, I can easily just use this foundation. Less products used and less time putting makeup on? Win-win!

Favorite simple fall activity: Fall is still a bit of a novelty to me, since almost every place I’ve lived has felt like summer year-round! I’ve loved going for runs in the crisp weather—the changing leaves make my usual routes feel totally fresh and new!

Favorite tech device/app/strategy that simplifies your life: I LOVE the Offline app for finding restaurants, activities, and events in the area and then checking them off. If you live in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, Charlotte, Atlanta, or Nashville, it’s a must! Sign up here :)

Favorite morning routine that simplifies your life: My daily devotional is sent right to my inbox every morning at 6 A.M.. Seeing the notification on my phone (personal email is the only app I get notifications from) makes it so easy for me to start my day with prayer instead of social media.

Favorite evening routine that simplifies your life: I picked this up from my mom and didn’t even realize I did it until Dave pointed it out! I can’t go to sleep without a clean kitchen—dishes washed, counters wiped down, and appliances put away. It makes such a big difference in how I feel when I wake up. I also love that Dave gets our coffee ready every night so that all we have to do in the morning is press the button. (Next step: figure out the timer option!)

Favorite trick for simplifying your schedule: This may be really basic to folks who have been married for much longer than I have, but setting expectations about our schedules has been really helpful now that Dave and I are under one roof. We try to give each other plenty of notice about plans with friends, work events, etc. so that we can try to coordinate any plans that keep us apart. For example, while I was at Bridal Market for five days, Dave rounded up a few friends for a hiking/camping trip in the mountains!

Favorite simple weeknight recipe: There are few recipes I love more during the cold months than Gimme Some Oven’s crockpot white chicken chili. It is SO delicious (don’t skimp on the toppings—we love diced avocado, Greek yogurt, cilantro, and green onions) and ridiculously easy to throw together in the morning. I timed it one day and it took me exactly six minutes to prepare. Six!!

Favorite simple date: Our apartment complex has a rooftop porch, and we love bringing dinner up there when the weather is nice. Since we ate literally every meal outside while on our honeymoon, dining al fresco now always reminds us of Italy! I’m thankful to live in the South where eating outside during the fall is still a possibility :)

Favorite simple way you love on your beau: Physical touch is both mine and Dave’s primary love language, so whether we’re driving to the grocery store, watching TV, or taking a walk, we always hold hands! After FaceTime-ing our way through our long distance dating days, we like to joke that “If we’re not touching, it doesn’t count!”

Next up: Lara!

In case you missed a gal…
Emily’s simple favorites
Kristin’s simple favorites
Nicole’s simple favorites
Marissa’s simple favorites

Written with love by Lisa