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Southern Made Simple

Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm

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southernmadesimple

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Dec 25

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Merry Christmas from our house to yours! 

Santa brought Blink tickets, the Pyrex Passion text I’ve been eyeballing for years, and a new mattress! 🙌🏻

The house is destroyed and I’m significantly overstimulated and mildly overwhelmed, but does this day go any other way when you have kids? I truthfully love it all. It’s such a joy to watch them open gifts and to reflect on the world’s greatest Gift of all ❤️

southernmadesimple

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Dec 14

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If the shirt isn’t giving “I’m hanging out with Zack and AC Slater in the lobby of a Taco Bell in ‘93” then I don’t want it. 😂😂

I have so much fun thrifting. So much fun. #thrifted #thriftedfinds #quirkygroovyeras

southernmadesimple

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Dec 13

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Happy birthday, my love! You are such a joy to celebrate. Spending the evening at @central129coosa was definitely the way to go. The duck confit appetizer was incredible, their short rib is unmatched and the mile high meringue was phenomenal. Happy birthday! ❤️❤️

southernmadesimple

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Dec 8

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“Everything Gucci?”

“It is Goodwill at best my dude. Goodwill at best.”

Which is hilarious because that’s exactly where this granny square afghan cardigan came from but anyway - question for fellow moms:

Are you okay? Like, how are we all doing right now? Because December is hard and kind of feels like by design we are not able to easily enjoy it all with everything that is jammed into our schedules. I mean it’s great, but I’m feeling a little weathered already and it’s only the 8th. 🙃

If you’re hanging on by a thread, hang in there. You’re doing great. December is tough. We can do it.

Also I will clear my schedule if you want to go disassociate at Goodwill with me for an hour or 3. 🙂

Also also - I had color put in my hair today for the first time in my life. I needed something to brighten things up. It’s fun.

southernmadesimple

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Nov 19

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I took a minute to finally sit down this evening. Life can feel like a whirlwind sometimes. And this time of year? Man, it can be so great and so tough at the same time. I just needed a minute to breathe.

And when I sat down to distract myself from being bummed by that one (or several) new gray hairs I found and the growing list of things I must do before Thanksgiving - I realized something incredible.

At some point over the weekend, my Etsy store hit 30,000 sales. The thing I created on a whim that unexpectedly changed my life. It’s still rolling. It’s still moving and grooving and I cannot believe I get to do this.

Incredibly grateful. The fact that I get to wake up every day and let my creativity be a driving force in my life is something I always dreamed of doing since childhood. I always knew I couldn’t cut it in a cubicle pushing someone else’s agenda, and I am so grateful that I don’t have to. Because people like you show up and support small businesses. That stuff changes lives.

Thank you. Times a million and one. I love you all. ❤️

southernmadesimple

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Oct 22

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Hi! I haven’t kept up with updating these squares. I’m still around! I mostly hang out in my stories talking about everything and nothing all at once. 

I fully expect IG to show this post to maybe 5 people, and that’s fine. Video content creation stresses me out, so I don’t do it. 🙂

So many of you started following me during my blogging days, cloth diapering days, home building days and the list goes on. Scrolling back through the years of photos on my feed is wild! 

Life update - I’m still cooking. I love it. It’s what keeps my creative wheels turning, but the freedom of not feeling like I needed to document everything and feed the IG machine has been freeing. My whole philosophy around food has changed so drastically in the last 2 years that I barely recognize the version of myself that wrote hundreds of blog posts. Maybe one day I’ll revisit blogging, but that whole space looks so insanely different today than it did 4-5 years ago, that I’m content not re-entering it. Cooking without winning the internet’s approval is pretty sweet. 

Today I run a 3D printing company. It was never on my radar, but I’m running with it. And I do love it and the freedom it gives me to be with my children more.

And speaking of children, my two girls are growing up so fast. And they’re so cool. And also a tiny bit stressful to the point that I’m turning gray but mostly amazing and beautiful and all the things. Motherhood leaves no woman as it found her. The ways it’s changed me are amazing. My husband and I also started prioritizing dating more this year, and I love it. New restaurants, catching shows, etc. I love him so. 

I also started raising chickens this year, which is honestly the plot twist my life needed. Chickens are so savage and hilarious. And they give me eggs daily, which is pretty sweet too.

Life is great so much of the time. It’s often hard, but absolutely worth living.  Now, let’s catch up! Tell me what you’re up to these days. I want to know all about it! ❤️

southernmadesimple

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Aug 20

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Tell me aliens exist without telling me aliens exist. I’ll go first! 😏 

Alien head Bogg bag charms are now walking among us in the Etsy shop! Don’t worry, they come in peace ✌🏻 👽 ❤️

#aliens #aliensexist #boggbag #boggbagcharms #bogg #boggbagaccessories #ufo #alien

southernmadesimple

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Aug 1

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Come thrift with me this morning!

#goodwill #thriftstore #thriftfinds #thrifting #thriftstorefinds #thriftshop #pyrex #hazelatlas

southernmadesimple

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Jul 15

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Now that I’ve had time to rest and recover a little 🤪

Here’s a few snippets from seeing blink-182 in Atlanta this week. I’ll say it over and over - I’ll never ever forget it! 🤘🏻

Set list from the night 6/13/23

- Anthem pt 2
- Rock show
- Man overboard 
- Feeling this 
- Reckless abandon 
- Violence 
- Up all night 
- Dysentery gary
- Dumpweed 
- Edging
- Aliens exist
- Cynical
- Happy Holidays
- Stay together for the kids
- Always 
- Down
- Bored to death 
- Miss you
- Adams song
- Ghost on the dance floor
- What’s my age again
- Rock show
- All the small things
- Dammit

Kenny Hooplah and Turnstile both opened. They were amazing! Wish you were there! It was incredible ❤️ #blink #blink182 #blink182tour #girlattherockshow #dysenterygary

southernmadesimple

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Jul 14

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Best time of my life 🤘🏻🚦

Seeing blink-182 in person for the first time is something I’ll never forget. I screamed every word from the top of my lungs with thousands of other people who have loved blink for 20+ years like I have. Such a cool experience. 

I’ll share more later, but here’s a shot of me living an actual dream out loud - singing All The Small Things with Mark, Tom and Travis right in front of me. 🤘🏻 #blink182

southernmadesimple

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Jul 4

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When your best friend comes back home to Alabama from New Mexico and you’re able to get together for the 4th 🙌🏻❤️🤍💙

The first photo has us rolling, y’all. I had to stand on a bench to almost be a head higher than her. She’s 6ft tall and I’m just barely 4’11 on a good day when the earth is tilting just right. We were a sight to see together walking down the hallways of our high school. 😂😂

And we’re still a sight to see together! We were going to get a picture of us together at the fireworks stand stocking up on the spleen spliters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker donts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers (with or without the scooter stick,) and one single whistling kitty chaser….but decided the watermelon was cuter. 🍉 

Love you, @gypsy_er_nurse! You always look like the 4th of July 🤪

southernmadesimple

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Jun 15

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Nobody likes you when you’re 23.

But when you’re 33? It’s still probably true. You’ve just learned to care a whole lot less. 😏 

My birthday started with severe weather sirens blaring in the wee hours of the morning. Then they continued to go off most of the day, which is WILD when you are a survivor of a traumatic storm event. 🙄
All of our plans got cancelled and I felt a little (a lot) grumpy about it for a while.

Then the rain quit, I got my nose pierced and then shoved my face with a ton of pizza from Bibb Street Pizza Co in downtown Montgomery. Because that’s what I want to do now that I’m 33. And it’s so freeing. ✌🏻#itsmybirthday

southernmadesimple

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May 30

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Last night was a dream. Seeing Nickel Creek perform live is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a teen. I cried when they came out on stage, I got chills as they intro’d each song, and I sang their songs back at the top of my lungs. My husband made sure I was front row for it all (with VIP passes - I think he likes me 😏) and I still cannot get over it. I know I never will. Thank you for an incredible night. ❤️

southernmadesimple

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May 19

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There’s been a lot of moments in the last year where it felt like the rain would just never stop. Life felt pretty heavy and I swear I aged 7 years in the last 7 months. You’ve held my hand through it all, and you’re infinitely more than I deserve. I love you endlessly.

Happy Anniversary, love. 11 years married, 18 years together. ❤️

southernmadesimple

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Apr 23

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Well. I guess this is my entire personality now. 🤷🏻‍♀️🐓😂

We decided to try our hand at raising chickens this year. We started out with nine, then tragically lost 3 of them two weeks ago. I was far more heartbroken than I thought I’d ever be over the loss of a chicken.

This week we brought home 10 more baby chicks to raise, and I honestly am shocked at how calm and peaceful they make me feel. I used to be terrified of chickens, but turns out I just needed to let go of fear and let my love run.  And, truly - I love them so much. ❤️

Also, it’s the way that I can hand my husband my phone and say, “Here, take my picture holding this chicken“ and he doesn’t even laugh or question the madness. What a good man. 😂

southernmadesimple

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Apr 20

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We sold our first 3D printed item 2 years ago today just guessing that it *might* work out and we’d make a few Etsy sales. 🤷🏻‍♀️

21,000+ orders, products sold in one retail store in a different state and a brand new workshop later, all I can do is simultaneously laugh and cry that it actually worked out. I don’t know exactly what I’m doing with all of these 3D printers, but I’m glad to be doing this. ❤️

Thank you to those that have supported our small business along the way. You’re the best!

#3dprinting

southernmadesimple

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Feb 16

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It’s fun to show you the crazy and weird things I find while thrifting, but it’s even BETTER when I show you the fun finds! 

This “vintage” Disney mug was sitting on the shelf waiting for me to come along. Instant nostalgia. I brought her home, cleaned her up, and immediately put on A Goofy Movie and drank my 3rd cup of coffee from her like any sensible millennial would do 😂

Would you have grabbed it for 99 cents?

#thrift #thrifting #thrifted #thriftstorefinds #thriftshop #goodwill #disney #vintagedisney #coffee #coffeemug #thriftwithme #i2i #goofymovie

southernmadesimple

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Feb 14

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Goodwill. My dude. Are you okay? 🤔 

#goodwill #goodwillfinds #goodwillfind #thrift #thrifting #thriftshopping #thrifted #thriftwithme #thriftshop #goodwillfinds

southernmadesimple

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Jan 25

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Also should be noted - Linda was using her product incorrectly, but Linda has never been wrong a day in her life about anything. 🙃 #smallbusinessproblems #smallbiz

southernmadesimple

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Jan 20

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We moved our 3D printing operation into our spare bedroom at the end of 2021 because we needed more space for our business. Our goal was to transform my husband’s workshop into a space to house all of our 3D printers and to build him a bigger stand-alone shop.

We had 6 printers at the start of 2022. Today we have 14. Tomorrow, we’re finally busting out of our spare bedroom and moving this operation into its own space. The room is finally finished and my husband has his own amazing stand alone workshop. Paid in full. 🙌🏻

This room saw close to 20,000 Etsy orders. Thousands of packages were shipped out of this room. Lots of printing wins and printing failures. Machines tearing up, finger injuries galore and a few not-so-nice words flying out my mine and my husband’s mouths. It’s been a year. Today I took a photo in this room for the final time before we convert it back to a bedroom for friends and family to be able to use again. 

I’m so excited, so grateful and pretty darn proud of what we’ve done. Moving it all seems a little daunting, but I’m ready! Let’s go! 💪🏻🙌🏻 

#3dprinting #etsyshop #smallbusinessowner

southernmadesimple

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Jan 11

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We tested these charms out at the Alabama Pyrex Swap back in November to see how y’all would respond to them, and we were thrilled that they were a HIT! Today is launch day for these in our Etsy shop, and we have several designs to choose from! 

If you’re into vintage Pyrex, you can snag one of these charms to pop right into the holes of your Bogg Bag  or Simply Southern tote to give it a little vintage flair. 🛍️ 😍

#pyrex #pyrexlove #vintagepyrex #etsyshop #smallbusinessowner #vintagestyle
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"Hi there! I'm Laura, and I'm a child of God, a wife, and a mother of two. My roots are planted deep in rural Alabama. Monograms, crafting and Southern cuisine - yes, these are a few of my favorite things! Join me as I grow my family in the beautiful South where the tea is sweet, the accents are sweeter, & someone's heart is always being blessed." [Read more...]

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