Living in Chicago, cozy nights in are the name of the game for the majority of the winter months. We were on a city tour once that touted “the Windy City got its nickname for the hot air bellowing from the city’s politicians”. And while that may have been true at some point, you can’t discount the actual wind blowing off Lake Michigan that will send chills straight to your bones. So while we have the best intentions to bundle up and head out for the best food in the country (really! a study confirms it), many nights are spent doing this (and loving every minute):

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Sometimes you hit that road block mid-workday and need a little boost. Here are five things we’re plugging into this week to breathe new life, and fresh inspo into our creative outlet:

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You might have stumbled across one of our favorite quotes on our home page. It reads “home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling“. And I really believe that. While people are always kind to compliment the design of our house, or the projects we’ve tackled; the greatest gift is when they tell us how at home they feel while visiting. Here are a few of our favorite ways to create that feeling in ten minutes or less:

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Even though we’re riding that Friday high, the dreaded post-holiday, mid-winter blues are coming (if they haven’t hit already). Here are some ways we’re coping:

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While the official start of spring is 70 days away; the spring market for real estate is about to bloom, and we want to be ready for it. A big mistake a lot of sellers make is waiting for the “right time” to list their home. When the leaves on the trees have that perfect shade of lime green, when they can pot colorful annuals on their porch; that one week in the year where all the stars align. Truth bomb: That’s too late. Many buyers have been stalking the market all winter waiting for a gem to come on, and chances are, it hasn’t yet. So once fresh listings start hitting their inbox (in mere weeks), a flurry of activity will erupt, and you want in on that action. (So do we). Read on for what we’re doing to get our own home ready for sale.

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2019 was such a transitory year for our family, and we are so grateful for where it led us. We moved back to Chicago, started Grey in preschool, went full speed ahead on projects at casa de NixonPack; and grew stronger as a triangle with the loss of loved ones and fur babies. I used to love making lists full of hope for the New Year, but they mostly consisted of eating better, working out more, the usuals. Like many others, I failed. And over the years, our lists have evolved to spotlight our big picture goals, dreams for our family, and adding in more fun. Because who doesn’t look forward to crossing that off the list?

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When you’re this late in the gift game, Amazon comes in for the win! And we feel so grateful to have a tiny corner of that shopping giant for our NixonPack shop. It’s a collection of only the items we’ve used ourselves, or have installed in client projects. That way, you’re only getting our thumbs up for the things we really love. If you have a few more gifts to buy, we know these will do the trick!

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This is our first official Christmas break with Grey. The last school he went to in New York was only closed for the actual holidays; and his new school here in Chicago is closed for a total of two weeks starting this Friday. This time of year is so magical, we want to pack it all in. Also read: we don’t want to go crazy. I almost titled this post the Christmas Break Survival Guide, but we’re phrasing it as a Bucket List of adventures instead so we start it off on the right boot. Want to join in? Here’s the game plan:

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This is one of our favorite lists to put together each year. Maybe even more than our New Year resolutions. And when you think about it, they have a lot in common; you put it out there and don’t know if it’s going to stick. We hope a few of these do, because we are totally on board. Here are the trends you’ll start seeing more of in 2020:

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I feel all shopped out. What about you? Between the hundreds of emails from brands touting the best sales of the year; to every influencer under the sun with their “exclusive” gift guides – that buy now push has become exhausting. Instead, we’re offering up a little eye candy for your Tuesday, and hopefully something fresh to inspire a little homemaking in your own home.

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