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Linley Diane

Mom Help for a Happy (ish) Home

Categories: Home, Mom-ing

11 Awesome Ideas for Thanksgiving 2020 Outfits For You

Do you need ideas for some Thanksgiving 2020 outfits?

I know 2020 has basically sucked for everyone! But don’t let the rest of the year ruin a fun Thanksgiving for you! Even if the way you are celebrating it may look a little different this year.

I’ve rounded up the best Thanksgiving outfits for you, from a little fancier to totally comfy to friggin hilarious!

The best part is everything meets my criteria for comfortability and affordability.

Plus everything on this list is from Amazon for easy ordering!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

PS) Amazon only lets my put small pics on the blog. Click on the pics or links to go to Amazon and see the pieces in more detail.


This post is all 11 Awesome Thanksgiving 2020 Outfits For You!



For The Casual Thanksgiving Dinner


Long Sleeve Baggy Shirt with a Twist

This shirt is awesome for three reasons: 1. It’s loose which is pretty much a must in my book, especially when you know you will be eating a lot. 2. The twist makes it cute and you can easily pair it with leggings. 3. You can add accessories like a necklace or scarf to dress it up a bit.


Casual Button Up Cardigan with Long Back

I chose this cardigan because of the long back. Pair it with stretchy pants/leggings for maximum comfort and lower half coverage.


Festive Thanksgiving T-shirt

There are lots of options for cute and festive Thanksgiving shirts on Amazon. I chose this one because of the simple design.

A fun idea would be for everyone in the family to wear a cute Thanksgiving T-shirt. You could all match or have a contest and vote on who finds the best one!


Striped Sweater with Pockets

This sweater is the perfect Thanksgiving colors! You could pair it with pretty much anything, including the Gobble Gobble T-shirt above!


For the Slightly Fancier Thanksgiving Dinner


Long Sleeve Floral Dress

This Thanksgiving dress hits all the right criteria. Long sleeve for warmth, loose in the bottom, and beautiful fall colors. You could layer with a long cardigan for added warmth and texture with your look.


Blouse with Cute Sleeves

I like this blouse because even though it is a little fancier, it’s still loose in the front with no buttons. No one wants to be popping a button at dinner, amiright? The sleeves are a cute but simple detail.


Dress that Looks Like a Skirt

This dress (that looks like a skirt) is the perfect combo of style, elegance, comfort, and fashion. It’s high scoop neck and lower hemline is conservative enough to wear to even your most uptight family members houses.


My Favorite Floral Dress Ever

I have this dress in a different fabric (more summery) and it is so cute and comfy! It looks good on any body type. (A few of my friends have borrowed it).

This version of the dress is in such a pretty fabric for fall! If you are browsing Thanksgiving outfit ideas and are unsure of what direction to go in, I’d highly recommend this dress!


Slim Gold Cardigan

This cardigan would look cute with any dress or skirt. I love the gold color for Thanksgiving dinner!


For the Super Casual and Fun Thanksgiving Dinner


Brown Sweatsuit with Stripe Accent

To say I love this brown sweatsuit for Thanksgiving would be an understatement. Maybe because it reminds me of an actual turkey? IDK. But I love it, it looks super warm, cozy, and comfortable, and it is at the top of my personal list for Thanksgiving dinner. (My family knows I always keep it casual!)


Pilgrim Costume

OMG, how awesome is this costume? You would 100% be the hit of Thanksgiving dinner if this is how you showed up to dinner! It’s so funny!

PS: They have a guys version too. If you really want to go all out with your family!


This post was all 11 Awesome Thanksgiving 2020 Outfits For You!


You May Also Be Interested In:

Fall Dresses For Your Family Photos

Easy Ways To Make Your Home Smell Amazing

Simple and Easy Fall Decor


Thanksgiving outfits women

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Categories: Home

How To Deep Clean Laundry

Have you ever wondered how to deep clean laundry? It’s 2020, after-all. Everything needs to be cleaned and cleaned again.

Deep cleaning laundry is also known as laundry stripping.

I first learned of this on my new obsession, the GoCleanCo Instagram account. If you don’t follow them yet, go do it! You too will become obsessed with her deep cleaning methods!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you).

HOW TO DEEP CLEAN LAUNDRY

This post is all about how to deep clean laundry!


You may also like: 23 Cleaning Supplies To Always Have At Home


What is deep cleaning laundry anyway? Good question. I had no idea it was even a thing before I started following this account.

Shouldn’t our washing machine be doing all the cleaning we need? You’d think the answer would be yes, in theory, right? But, I have eyeballs and I know that my washing machine does not do a great job of getting my kids 1800 stains out of their clothing.

I digress.

Anyway, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not good at doing laundry. I don’t sort anything and I rarely pretreat. I basically don’t change any settings.

So, I was intrigued by laundry stripping and how it might help me improve the look of my sheets and towels after years of mistreatment.

I saw some videos and pics online and even people that are good at doing laundry were getting dark water from the stains and gunk coming out of their clothes. So that’s good! And gross.


So, how is it better than the regular wash?


Basically, it goes the extra mile. The stripping method gets out all the buildup of the crap from your washing machine and also from our own grossness.

This includes: hard water, laundry detergent and fabric softener, body oils, dirt, and bacteria. (This is straight from the genius at Go Clean Co company.)

Seriously though, I feel like my washing machine doesn’t do much good! Also, it’s currently broken.

Tangent time: We’ve lived in our current home for 6.5 years now and are on our second washing machine already, which is broke as of last night. The first one was a top loader without an agitator which got recalled by the company for exploding lids- yikes.

The second one, our current broken one, is a front loader. It smells most of the time (like everyone warns you about) and it doesn’t clean well. Neither did the top loader for that matter.

Lord knows I need as much help with laundry as a machine can give so I’m ready to switch back to the old school top loader with agitator. (On advice from the Go Clean Co cleaning master.)

I’m eyeing up this 4.2 cubic foot one. Which seems to be the biggest size you can get with the agitator. It has all the basic features I’m looking for.


Laundry Stripping Recipe


First, gather the ingredients listed below.

You’ll then want to fill the bathtub up with HOT water, add your laundry, add the ingredients below, and stir every hour for about 4-6 hours.

The final step is to run the freshly stripped laundry through a normal wash cycle with no soap and then dry the stuff.

You will need the following 4 cleaning items:

1 Big Scoop Tide Powdered Laundry Detergent. The original.


1/4 Cup Each of the Following:

Borax

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

Calgon


Ok, a couple notes here:

I linked all of the above products for you so you can see exactly what to order. For me, I only ended up ordering the Arm and Hammer online.

I already had Tide ( although the Amazon price seems fine here) I found the Borax cheaper at my local Target than it was on Amazon. Amazon was also more expensive for the Calgon. But, I would have had to make a special trip to Walmart for the Calgon. Luckily, the Go Clean Co lady says that Calgon is not absolutely needed and ain’t nobody got time for a special trip to Walmart.

But if you are a straight up rule follower with no extra time, go ahead and order everything through Amazon. It just may not be the cheapest you can get.

Beggars can’t be choosers.


Laundry Stripping Process


I decided to try this first with my cream colored sheets and white robe.

Note, I fully expected this to produce big results because 1.) I wear my robe daily and 2.) I’m a big night sweater.

You’re welcome for those visuals.

Fresh hot water for laundry stripping recipe

So, I filled my kids bathtub with the hottest our water would go, added in the ingredients (sans Calgon), stirred it up every hour, and awaited the glorious promised results.

(About an hour in. I brightened the photo in Photoshop since our bathroom light is dim. Below, you can see an unedited version which better shows how gross the water got!)

Laundry Stripping Results


(About an hour into the process, unfiltered. You can see how murky the water is! )

The water was definitely really cloudy. But, not as black as I was expecting. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing? Lol.

As mentioned above, our washing machine broke last night. I know great timing to do the laundry stripping but, you do what you can with your time, ya know.

Like I said, beggars can’t be choosers and I’m not exactly swimming in free days for laundry experiments.

So anyway, the final step of this process is to run the freshly stripped laundry through a normal cycle with no detergent. (Since they just soaked in soap for 6 hours) and then dry them.

Since, I can’t currently do that, I’ve drained the dirty water, rinsed as best I could, and will throw them in the dryer later.


How To Deep Clean Laundry Conclusion


Overall, I think the sheets smell fresh and this wasn’t hard to do. With the help of my fingernail, I even got some sticky gum mark off of one of the pillow cases. You can thank my 9 year old for that one.

Will I do this often? Doubtful. I’d say this is maybe a twice a year thing for sheets and towels. Unless we go full Coronavirus lock down mode again, I don’t see having enough time or desire to deep clean our sheets on a regular basis.

But, I know a lot of people like to do this with their workout clothes too, which seems like a good idea and easier to do. You could probably do it in the sink.


Well, that’s it! If you try it, tag @LinleyDianeBlog on Instagram so we can see how it goes for you!


This post was all about how to deep clean laundry!


You May Also Be Interested In:

Laundry Room Mini Makeover

Easy Ways To Make Your Home Smell Amazing

23 Cleaning Supplies To Always Have At Home


HOW TO DEEP CLEAN YOUR LAUNDRY. LAUNDRY STRIPPING RECIPE

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Categories: Home, Mom-ing, Photography

FAMILY PHOTO WALL IDEAS

Are you looking for some family photo wall ideas?

With family photo season here (fall), we need to get these photos hung up! After-all, there is no sense in spending all that money on outfits and the photographer if you aren’t going to do anything with them!

For years, I’ve kept an on-going list of ways I’d like to display photos in my dream house scenario. This blog post is full of these family photo wall ideas!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you).

FAMILY PHOTO WALL IDEAS

This post is all about Family Photo Wall Ideas!


Living Room


Stack, layer, and mix your frame with plants, art, decorative items. This frame is just leaning here which makes it easy to change out for seasonal decor.

Shop This Frame on Amazon


family photo wall ideas shelf

You can also mix and match frame styles on your shelves. Here, we used an ornate shaped frame on an easel and a typical rectangle frame. They are both in neutral colors so it works.

If you are updating your shelf or starting fresh, brass or gold frames would look so good! I am in the process of incorporating more brass/gold into my own living room and kitchen!

Shop the Look:


Hallway


I have had this particular photo saved from Pinterest for years and no matter how my personal and home style changes, it continues to be one of my favorites!

This gallery wall works because while the home owner mixed frame styles and shapes, she kept in the same pastel color scheme. Everything is distanced pretty equally too. There are no large gaps. She managed to fill in any odd spaces with quotes and decorative items.

Shop the Look:


Go symmetrical with a set of 3 frames. Depending on your space, 1 to 3 rows will work here. The thick white mattes keep this looking pulled together.

The photos are also all from the same family photo shoot which is an awesome way to display all of your favorites in a really pretty manor.

Shop the Look:


Master Bedroom


The main area of your home is best for your family photos so everyone sees them.

Your master bedroom is the best place to display your wedding photos, in my opinion. This space is all about you and your husband.

Go big with your very favorite wedding photo displayed above your bed.

Pro Tip: If you are doing one large picture, you need to go bigger than you probably think! I’d recommend AT LEAST 16×24 for your frame size. (The actual photo can be smaller if you want to add a matte.)

Also, photos are typically in a 2:3 ratio. There will be cropping of your images with any other ratio size. Usually this isn’t a problem, but be sure to ask your professional photographer for help with cropping if needed.

Shop the Look:


Three things work in this photo: large white mattes, (Are you noticing a trend here?), the same style of frame but different sizes overlapping, and the chains that add extra design detail.

Shop the Look:

You May Also Be Interested In:

Laundry Room Mini Makeover

Easy Ways To Make Your Home Smell Amazing

Simple and Easy Fall Decor


family photo wall

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Categories: Gift Guides, Home

21 Insanely Good Gift Ideas For Mom Friends

Are you looking for some awesome gift ideas for mom friends?

Great mom friends are so important!

You will find lots of ideas just as awesome as they are in this blog post.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you).

This post is all about 21 Insanely Good Gift Ideas For Mom Friends!

Mom friends are insanely important! With all the sh*t that 2020 has brought us, we need to lean on each other now more than ever! It’s imperative to support each other now more than ever!

Yesterday, my mom friend dropped off a small care package for me. She wrote a cute note and it just let me know she recognized and supported me. After-all, we moms are putting forth extraordinary effort trying to balance life in quarantine! (Work, school at home, errands, cooking, cleaning, kids practices, games, & activities, appointments, any sort of social life…I mean the list goes on! This sh*t is hard AF!)

After you read this post, you will have all the gift ideas for mom friends that you need for any occasion! This includes: Christmas, Mother’s Day, birthdays, or just because!

Gift Ideas For Mom Friends Under $20


RGB Shirt – Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of the greatest women of recent history to advance and advocate for the rights of women. I want some of her merch for myself and I bet your friends will too!

LEFT RIGHT CENTER Dice Game – This game is so simple to play that you can teach it to anyone in less than a minute! It is perfect to play with your kids (it’s a great way to practice their left and right) or play it at a party with your adult friends for money! (Betting makes everything more fun, amiright?) It would also make a perfect stocking stuffer for just about anyone 5 and up!

TOP PICK ALERT!!!

Gold jewelry – This cute little necklace set is so affordable and on trend right now. This comes as a set of two…so could we consider this the grown-up version of best-friend necklaces???

2021 Weekly Planner – Your mom friend is busy! Help her plan her days with a really cute planner.


Fun Tip: Schedule some mom dates in there! You could even tape a gift card to a coffee place or restaurant in there on the date you pick!

Silk Pillowcase – You know what every mom in the history of all moms ever needs? MORE SLEEP! Your friend will love the feel of silk pillowcases AND they are good for your skin- they don’t absorb the moisture from your skin like normal fabric pillowcases do!

Funny Mom Book – I read a few funny mom books this past year and this one was my favorite. It’s nice to find the humor in things and know we aren’t alone in our crazy lives!

Pretty Face Mask – Nothing says friendship in 2020 quite like cute matching facemasks. Get one for all of your mom friends!

Powdered Tide Laundry Detergent – Ok, I realize this may seem like a really lame gift, but if your mom friend is part of the “cleaning army” on Instagram, she will LOVE this! You can clean anything with powered Tide and it smells so good! I use it for my laundry, baseboard, cabinets and walls, and even wood floors.

Laundry Bonus: This Downy Fabric Softener smells soooo good! If you don’t get it for your mom friend, get it for yourself! It makes washing your sheets worth the effort!

GET THESE FOR YOURSELF TOO!

Skin Repair/Skin Protectant – Since we wash our hands approximately 8,000 times a day now, give your mom friend the gift of healing ointment for her extra dry hands. This would be great as a stocking stuffer too! (This works great to hydrate lips as well!)

Essential Oil Diffuser – Even though I’m not a big essential oil user, I have a few diffusers in my home and this one is my favorite! It’s pretty and lasts longer than my other one, despite its smaller size. It also has timer settings and different light colors. I love the bright white light the best!

Gift Ideas For Mom Friends Under $50


The Tile Mate – This product is GENIUS for busy moms who seem to always be looking for something. Maybe it’s your keys, your child’s beloved stuffed animal, the remote, etc. Just place a little tile on the object you want to keep track of and whenever you lose it, you just use the Tile App on your phone to make it ring!

Sport and Activity Bag – Do you have a special connection to your mom friend through a sport? Did you meet because your kids played baseball or soccer together? Are you always spending your weekends at games and tournaments together? If so, get her tote bag that represents that. And you might as well get yourself one too! We gotta have something to carry our kids snacks and junk around in, right?

TOP PICK ALERT!!!

Gorgeous Phone Clip – Your mom friend will love this insanely pretty phone clip for her selfies!

Adidas Slides – Adidas slides are literally the most comfortable shoes ever! When we were at Disney World a few years ago and walking so many miles every day, these were waaaaay more comfortable than my sneakers. They are easy to slip on too, which is important since we moms are usually juggling a child or two as we go out the door.

TOP PICK ALERT!!!

Swiss Army Knife – You know your friends can do anything! Give them an on-the-go tool to help with that. I like this version of the Swiss Army Knife because it has a bottle opener and a corkscrew. I’ve personally been without a corkscrew when I needed one (cough, my son’s baseball games, cough) more times than I’d like to admit.

Beautiful Earrings – Since our faces are half covered whenever we go in public, help your friend make the most of what she’s got to work with! These earrings are so pretty and unique!

White and Brass Teapot – If your friend is more of a tea drinker, this teapot is the perfect gift to give. The white and brass color scheme is very on trend and will look great in nearly any kitchen!

Luxurious Robe – Like it or not, you and your friends are probably going to be at home this winter more than any one previous. You should give your friend the gift of comfort! (If you know me in person or follow me on any of my social medias, you know that I live in my robe whenever possible, which is like 75% of the day. I love robes!

Gift Ideas For Mom Friends | Higher Budget


Matte White Keurig– If you are looking to go big or go home with your friend gift this year, this Keurig is soooo cute in the matte white. I kinda wish my old black one would break so I’d have a good reason to buy this for my own kitchen. We all need caffeine in our life! Might as well make the machine making it look pretty in the kitchen!

Yeti Bottle – Your friends are busy! If they are like me, they run from place to place, working, doing errands, and taking kids to practices and games. This bottle will keep her drinks cold (or hot!) while she hustles all day.

Fanny Pack Purse – I feel like this is either a love it or hate it type thing and I for one, love it! Anything that gives us moms an extra hand (like putting all our goods on a belt around our waste, lol) is great in my book!

This post was all about 21 Insanely Good Gift Ideas For Mom Friends!


gifts for friends during quarantine

You May Also Be Interested In:

Gift Ideas for Grandparents

Dresses You’ll Love and Look Good In


Gifts for Mom Amazon

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Categories: Gift Guides, Home, Mom-ing

Gifts for Grandparents in 2020

This post is all about gifts for grandparents in 2020!

If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that we should be soooo thankful for our parents! and NEVER take them for granted!

I think back to March and April when we were in full lockdown mode and my parents missed my kids so much!

My mom would come over and stand in the yard just to see them in person for a few minutes every once in a while.

And most working parents realized how much they lean on their own parents for help with the kids. Especially with the juggling act we are all trying to survive with school days in disarray.

So, if there was ever a year to treat your parents to something special, I think this is the year to do it!

Seriously, who knows what 2021 will bring!

Let your parents know how thankful you are for them and all the help they give you!

gift ides for grandparents
So thankful for my parents!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

gift ideas for grandparents coronavirus 2020

Amazon Firestick – With your parents stuck at home more than ever, give them plenty of options of things to watch on TV!

Personalized Facemask – In the event that your parents do choose to go out, make sure everyone that seems them knows how much they are loved. You can literally write it across their face! The possibilities with face mask personalization are pretty endless and I recommend checking Etsy for many options!

Comfort items are never a bad idea!

A cozy and cute blanket for their couch – Get this on it’s own or purchase with the Firestick so they have something to cozy up with while they watch all the new shows and movies they’ll have access to!

The best slippers – The final touch of comfort while at home! Personally, I will not walk in my house without slippers on. Not only do they keep my feet warm, they stop me from wearing shoes in the house. Something that is so important now!

A new robe – There is literally nothing else on earth that I get more use of than my robe. Some days, I never take it off. Your parents will thank you forever for getting them the most luxurious robe. And bonus, the ones I linked are unisex so you can get them matching one! Matching grandparents is the cutest thing ever! Your kids will love snuggling up with Grandma in this soft robe!

icon icon

This next one is my favorite!

Not just for your parents/grandparents, but for anyone you may need a small gift for ~ friends, neighbors, co-workers!


Personalized Ornament to Commemorate the Year – Seriously, is there anything cuter or better than this for Christmas 2020? I’d get one for my own tree as well!

ANYONE would love an I Pad!

I Pad Mini – If your parents do not own I-phones and you do, consider getting them an I-Pad Mini so they can easily Facetime with you and your kids. It’s much cheaper than buying them a new phone and a lot safer if, heaven forbid, someone comes down with any Covid symptoms!

Kindle – Anyone who reads would love this- now more than ever, when trips to the bookstore are likely to be less frequent. Bonus Tip ~ Load it up with books/authors you know your parents will like to read!

Bonus Idea ~ Pay for a year of a grocery or restaurant delivery service, (Instacart, DashPass, etc.)


This post was all about gifts for grandparents in 2020!


gifts for kids to give grandma and grandpa 2020

You May Also Be Interested In:

How To Get Family Photos You Will LOVE!

Fall Dresses For Your Family Photos

Everything You Need To Bring To You Family Photoshoot

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