Author: Hailey Madisen

Writer. Plant Lover. Enneagram Two.
Wedding, Wedding

Wedding Bells: Equally as Necessary | Part I

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Wedding Bells: Equally as Necessary | Part I

Years and years ago, I had pinned THE most amazing dress on Pinterest. I vowed that when I got married, I would search high and low for this dress, resting at nothing. Okay, that may be a little extreme. I just vowed to find the dress because I knew, it was The Dress. Well, I did it. I found the dress. And when I called BHLDN, I learned the dress was discontinued. I searched eBay, I searched bridal sites, I searched all over. The only sizes I could find were a 2 or an 11; with the intricate beading on the torso of the dress, I knew neither of these sizes would be able to be fitted to my size 8 frame. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t completely crushed. I even cried a little. (Ladies, you understand.) The search continued and I quickly realized that I would have to sell an organ if I wanted to buy any traditional wedding dress in the short amount of time we had. So I settled on separates; this is honestly the best wedding hack I can give you. I paired the Kenzie Top in ivory with the Louise Tulle Skirt in ivory as well. I ran over to Free People and picked up a Seamless Romper in ivory for under the top (I hadn’t done enough research to realize the top is all lace. Like completely see-through lace). All-in-all, I spent under $400 for this bridal pair and felt like a queen on my day. Everyone I told was surprised the pair wasn’t an actual dress so I guess my wedding hack worked! My something old, something borrowed and something blue was all encompassed in one detail (I’m not sure if that’s even allowed but I did it). I wore Kenzie’s earrings and felt like they perfectly matched the vibes of my wedding and the color scheme of the girls’ dresses.



Everyone lately has seemed frazzled about our smart phones “listening to us”. (Whole post here.). Apparently how it works, is the microphone picks up on key words you say or type and suddenly your Facebook or Instagram feeds will start advertising for what they hear you saying. Lo and behold … this is true and actually worked in my favor. I stumbled across Birdy Grey in an Instagram ad around the time I was trying to figure out what to have my bridesmaids wear and I instantly fell in love. There are about 12 styles and multiple different colors to choose from. I knew I wanted burgundy for my sisters as the maids-of-honor because I love the contrast in fall with the rich reddish-purple and the deep greens of the earth and the pines at our venue. I also wanted them both to stand out in contrast with my bridesmaids. Mauve was an easy second favorite – this color would be the dresses for my bridesmaids. I asked that everyone on the bridal party choose a different style and it worked out so so well. The dresses are all $99 and with a purchase of 4 or more, we received free shipping. Win, win and win.

The decorations were just about the second easiest thing for us and arguably my favorite. We knew the tables and chairs would hold a lot of character so we wanted minimal decor. I love eucalyptus, the smell and appearance, so we ran two strands of eucalyptus garland down the center of the head table. The head table, along with every other table, had two candle pieces my mom and I crafted a few weeks prior. We had ran out to Hobby Lobby to buy all the items: white candles, twine, fake green leafy circular garland (a very specific term, you’re welcome) and cork coasters. We glued the coasters to the bottom of the candles to prevent any wax drippings from ruining the (rented) tables. We then glued the circular leafy garland to the bottom where the candle met the cork. We tied twine around the middle and voilà! I purchased minimalistic white IKEA dishes (for 70¢ a pop!) and cheap thin metal silverware from Sams Club. The mason jars we used for drinking glasses are now stocked in our apartment cupboards. #Repurposing. Every table had gold and white striped napkins to add a little something. Aside from the dinner tables, we had a small guest book table (my favorite idea was to create a Polaroid guest book – so so many people participated and it is one of my favorite things to look back on). Truth be told, that’s just about the only decor we had – if you don’t count the 8′ by 8′ wedding arbor one of our groomsmen built for us. The arbor that DAY. OF. my mom decided to decorate with flowers (which ended up turning out amazing). I was so happy with the way the minimal, simplistic decor all brought the space together. It felt cozy, clean and perfectly us.

All photos in this post were taken by the wonderful Lindsey Cole.

At Home

Google Home Mini Meets Philips Hue Lights

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Google Home Mini Meets Philips Hue Lights

A few years back, my now brother and sister-in-law gifted me with a Google Home Mini for Christmas – I set it up in my room at the time and linked it to my Spotify so I could play music to get me out of bed in the morning. (“Hey Google, play my Happy Heart playlist on Spotify.”) I have read a fair amount of controversy around the Google Home’s, Alexa’s, etc. invading privacy or recording conversations but personally, I view the Google Home the same as my iPhone. Anything with a microphone could and may be recording conversations whether I know it or not. But to each their own.

Our Google Home Mini is now set up in our kitchen to play music while we cook, answer our burning questions (“Hey Google, what is the current temperature?”) and to keep us entertained (“Hey Google, tell me a joke.”).

Continuing down the Smart Home trail, one of Daniel’s old roommates owned a few lightbulbs that he could control through an app on his phone; color, brightness, turning on and off, the whole shebang. I, personally, felt it tacky to change the shower light to blue while you were washing off but that’s just me. The boys seemed to love it. So when we moved into our own home and Daniel practically begged for these lightbulbs, I was a hard sell. (Here we are five months later with six of the bulbs scattered throughout our cozy white apartment and I’m writing a post about them; oh how I’ve grown).

More recently, Daniel set up the Mini to control these Philips Hue Lights and it is literally the most handy thing (tacky or not). Daniel’s favorite feature is the fact that he can change the colors of the bulbs through his phone. He’s all about creating a mood while he’s watching TV. Harry Potter is purple, Lord of the Rings is typically blue, I choose anything romantic to be red, etc. My favorite feature is the, “Hey Google, turn all lights soft white.” The most cozy, homey line I ever did speak. This is perfect for walking in the door after sunset and during long weeks that Daniel is away on work trips when I’m scared to walk into a dark apartment alone. Seven quick words and instantly the apartment is lit and welcoming.

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Life, Sped-Up

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Life, Sped-Up

I feel like I haven’t had time to just be – let myself decompress and relax into life and take a step back from the speed it’s going. I have been running ten miles a minute trying to keep up with the hustle and bustle but that is no longer fun for me. Just so I don’t forget what has been going on in this time of our lives:

Valentines Day: Daniel was sick which might have actually been a nice save on my part – not being able to have expectations for the evening. I have a love-hate relationship with Valentines Day. I love the cheesy Hallmark-Holiday but more often than not, feel left down because, truth be told, it’s just another day. Nothing fancy, nothing frilly. I picked up Pho, which is slowly becoming a favorite of mine and Daniel’s and brought it home so we could indulge. We ate our delish Pho on the couch and watched the Stress Relief episode part one and two in season five of The Office. Maybe my all time favorite TV show scene is Michael’s “Boom, Roasted!” bit.

We went to Oregon! Daniel’s uncle (who officiated our wedding alongside my grandpa) and his wife (who coordinated our wedding – she was the glue that kept everything together and the track that kept it running. If it weren’t for her, the wedding would not have ran so smoothly – said my own mother) renewed their vows. It was an amazing time on the west coast. Our bedroom looked out over the ocean; you could hear the waves through the walls at night. However after 48-hours home, we all came down with what was lovingly referred to as the “Oregon Flu”. I didn’t go to work for two days, Daniel was out for three. The running joke when we came back was, “The Kerlins were hurlin’.”


Small Group: As I type this paragraph on Wednesday night, Nova and I are lounging on the couch; I just left small group where we talked about Sunday’s sermon on peace. Adam asked us to reflect on what our inner peace and community peace look like and to be quite honest, it was humbling to realize how I have been lacking immensely in both areas. I realized I don’t really allow myself times to be at peace – when these times do arise, it almost seems like I go searching for the next mishap. That sounds crazy to type out; part of me is even ashamed to admit that. More often than not, I feel like I am on edge, waiting and looking for the next thing to go wrong, just so I can say, “See? This calm, contentment didn’t last long.” Why is that my heart? Thinking deeper into pastor Kurt’s message, how does this mentality affect my Gospel influence in my community and to those around me?

Business: Daniel’s been away on a work trip since Monday morning and I am beyond ready for him to come home. The personal time was great the first night but by night two, I was ready for him to be back, even, dare I say, missing the times in the middle of the night when he’ll reach his foot over so he can be touching me while he sleeps. I made sure to finish all the cleaning tonight, I even ran out to Woodman’s to do some grocery shopping so we can make homemade chicken (sweet potato) noodle soup this weekend. I’ll probably splurge and make some gluten free garlic bread that I picked up tonight to go with it. Yum! I brought Daniel a few of his favorite treats as well to instantly lift his spirits when he walks in the door. He has been working 13-hour days and said he’s already coming down with a bit of a cold so this soup will be the perfect thing to perk him up and get us through this weekend-in.

We went hiking on Sunday after church around the venue where we were married. It is such a beautiful area and our favorite trail runs right through. Getting out in the sun and being active was much needed for my mood and everyone else’s sake. It is still so surreal to me that we’re even married; being back in that park brings back so much nostalgia. True bliss.

Wedding, Wedding

Wedding Bells: The Necessities

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Wedding Bells: The Necessities

Pinterest proved to be our saving grace when it came to planning our wedding in three-months. My Wedding Bells board had acquired over two-hundred pins from the last seven years so I quickly took to it, weeding out the definitely-no’s and getting giddy butterflies over the definitely-yeses. We knew we wanted a lot of greenery and, obviously, a lot of white. We decided on more of a clean, Rustic Wedding theme.

We visited a few venues together, aka five local parks, the last of which I literally cried at (cue the, “We’re never going to find a venue!” reel). Daniel, being the patient fiancé that he was, promised to find the perfect venue and, lo and behold, the first site he and one of our groomsmen looked at turned out to be a dream – he called in and made a deposit that day. Mind you, I had not even seen this venue and it was already ours. It wasn’t until about two-weeks later that we finally ventured out together and I once again cried. “This is PERFECT!”

With the venue chosen, we were able to better plan the next largest task: the tent. To be honest, I was completely against this idea – I had always wanted an outdoor wedding and a tent, to me, equated to an “indoor wedding”. (I see your eye rolls.) And, I thought, tents are tacky; like for high school graduation parties. However, because the weather in Wisconsin is so unpredictable, I knew it was a necessity. That and the fact that weather.com was saying there would be rain the whole week of October 6. Minor details. Because we were on such a tight budget, we went through the local Party Store (think Halloween costumes and happy birthday balloons) to order what they called a Party Tent that came with yellow string lights. At this point, I kept trying to remind myself that we needed to be as frugal as possible and tried to contain my inner diva screaming NO to the tent with yellow string lights. But picturing a “party tent” in my head did not go over well, not to mention the yellow string lights. (Both of which turned out to be amazing, FYI.) From this same party store, we ordered one hundred white wooden chairs.

As for the dinner tables, my hairdresser knew of a girl from high school who had started her own wedding rental business after getting married herself and having the hardest time planning out all the decorations, etc. Genius and also super convenient for us. I was able to find her rentals on Facebook Marketplace for about a third of the cost for the barn wood tables we were originally looking at renting. Pro Tip: Join as many Wedding Groups on Facebook as you can, especially those in the area; people are always trying to sell their lightly used wedding decor, giving recommendations for caterers, designers, etc.

The menu was probably the easiest part to throw together – think comfort food. Barbecued meat, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes and corn. Not much of a color pallet but, and I’m biased, the best food for an October wedding. And did I mention, only the meat was catered. We had looked into catering options but with plates starting at $17 a piece, we quickly wrote that idea off. One of mine and Daniel’s co-workers has a little smoked meats side hustle and gave us such a good deal on multiple large pans of the most am-a-zing meat. Two nights before the wedding, my mom and aunts had gotten together to peel pounds and pounds of potatoes that they then mashed and froze (the butter, milk and salt would be added the morning of). Most importantly, in my opinion, was the mac n cheese. My dad is about as big of a foodie as I am – when he heard I had wanted to make boxed mac along with the potatoes two days prior, he wouldn’t have it. He decided to wake up early on the morning of our wedding to make the homemade mac n cheese. My mom and I hauled all of the ingredients for the homemade food items from Costco – the most bang for your buck especially if you’re planning to feed seconds and thirds to one-hundred guests! (I honestly just texted my mom this past week thinking about that morning; we met in the parking lot exactly one minute after Costco had opened and traipsed through the store, Starbucks in-hand, buying way too many ginormous cans of corn.) Lastly, for dessert, whenever our family would ask if they could contribute in any way, we always responded with, “Bake a pie!”. We had a huge pie spread for dessert as well as little homemade wedding cookies baked by Daniel’s aunt and cousin; for our dessert, we cut into and fed each other homemade G.F. pumpkin cheesecake (to die).

All photos in this post were taken by the wonderful Lindsey Cole.


Wedding, Wedding

Wedding Bells: The Three-Month Decision

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Wedding Bells: The Three-Month Decision

When Daniel proposed on June 23 of 2018, I was in complete shock. “As you should have been!” Everyone says. But what I mean by shock is that I had no. idea. it was coming that day, let alone any time within the next two years. I mean sure, we had talked about it and I may have not-so-subtly pinned ring photos to my Pinterest Board titled Wedding Bells, but we had only been dating for a little over one year. There was no way this would be happening anytime soon. And then it happened and you should see the photos. Maybe if I’m feeling a little generous, I’ll post them later. But for now, believe me when I say that I would lose every game of poker if I played – my emotions are spelled out clearly on my face.

The following weekend, Daniel and I sat down at his favorite coffee shop and we brainstormed all that would need to be done in order to pull off this extravaganza. We both love fall, camping, the outdoors, so we knew we wanted that time frame because we wanted an outdoor wedding. I had also told him I didn’t want a long engagement. Which meant that if we wanted to satisfy both of our top requirements, we would be getting married in a little over 3 months. When Daniel originally mentioned October, I was so caught off guard, thinking he was joking. No one plans a wedding in only 3-months. No one has the budget to plan a wedding in 3-months. We knew we would be paying for the majority of the wedding expenses by ourselves (since as tradition goes, the bride’s family funds the wedding, at least the majority of it, but Sadie had already been engaged for three months at that point and my parents’ were financially well committed to that wedding. If we were going to do this, the majority of it was going to come from us.

The main things we focused on that day were the guest list, the mandatory items (venue, seating, shelter – weather in Wisconsin is pretty unpredictable – food and decor) and telling our families. That last part made me the most nervous; I worried that our parents would think we were crazy or that we were hiding something, per the rushed engagement. After we sat down and talked to each set of parents individually, the amount of support and encouragement we got was amazing, which solidified our decision. We would be planning our wedding in three-months.

All photos in this post were taken by the wonderful Lindsey Cole.

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A Much Needed Weekend

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on A Much Needed Weekend

Where to start.

Life has been a blur as of late. January came and went with negative Wisconsin temps and even lower windchills, lots of snow and ice and staying inside. Our bedroom window had a thick layer of ice around the rim and Daniel even brought the coffee pot out of storage so we could wake up to brewing coffee last Saturday morning. (It’s the little things, am I right?). All that to say, I splurged on airfare to Florida because I just. can’t. take. it. I’ll just be over here, counting down the days until May.

This past weekend was the Women’s Retreat at Spring Creek – I went with my mom and was surprised by how filled I felt once we left. I felt joy and conviction but not the guilt kind. If was more of the “I want to do better” kind. The speaker touched on being REAL women, building each other up instead of tearing each other down because of our insecurities and comparison. She talked about being uncommon women in a world we’re all trying to mold to in an effort to be accepted. The message hit too close to home for this introverted, don’t rock the boat twentysomething year old. Too often I find myself going along with what others are saying/doing for fear of being the odd one out. The ugly duckling. I’ve been looking over my notes a few times since then, not wanting to forget what I learned and how I felt this weekend.

On Sunday morning, I started the book Jesus Is _______ because I apparently needed a little more conviction in my life and Judah. Smith. Let me tell you. Having grown up in the church, the concepts aren’t new to me but the way he describes and elaborates on God’s grace – how He is overflowing with it yet we are so conservative with it – put it in a whole new light. He uses the example, if God came down and saw [whoever you’re judging], he asks what we think God’s reaction would be. Well of course God would see their sin, how they messed up there and screwed up with that. Judah goes on to say that our God – who made the Universe, who holds the stars in His hands – would overlook the wrong and forgive [that person], judgement being the last thing on His mind. “But I love them.” If God, who gave us His Son, who was crucified for. us., can look down at earth and see love and have compassion, who am I to judge?! Heavy but so so freeing at the same time. What a God we serve. What a weekend.

Getting off my soap box now to touch on other news… work has been slow, kind of dragging on, and I find myself dreaming of the future when we have a little family of our own and I no longer need to work the 9-5 corporate job (or 8-4 to be more precise). I texted Daniel the other day that I had baby fever; overhearing conversations about my friends’ babies, thinking back to my days of nannying and what I’ll tuck away for tips and tricks down the road or what I’d do differently. I have baby fever in a very real way but in a very scared way too. I know it’s not the right time… I have so much to learn about being a wife let alone a mother – we’re tackling debt head on and making large strides, but we’re also not financially stable enough yet to support another life – this cozy white apartment can’t fit much else at the current moment. So for now, it’s a sweet little {reoccuring} daydream.

Tonight was a nice, productive night but has seemed to go by at an enjoyably slow pace. I’ve mentally checked the box of multiple things on my list while also spending quality time with Daniel which we all know I need. I left work on-time (surprise surprise) and made it home by 4:30p. I tied up my running sneakers and donned my obnoxiously bright hilighter pink running shorts and striped sports bra and hit the pavement (ahem, black rubber of the treadmill because, hello, Wisconsin and negative windchills). The endorphins and the runners high keeps me coming back. I am, by no means, an avid runner. But I do think I’m finding my groove and a tempo I can stay consistent with throughout my two miles. My mental state thanks me every time. I’ve noticed I am one of those weird people that run for their mental and emotional wellbeing more than their physical wellbeing. But I’ll take it either way. Dinner was a breeze as well – I found an app, Meallime, that I’ve been using to meal prep every week. It literally makes it the easiest thing ever, having all the week’s meals and all the groceries for every meal in one consolidated place. I really have no idea how or why I tried meal prepping without it. Especially doing Whole30. Just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted. Woof. So spoiled with this little app. Minimal ingredients and ~30 prep/cook time. Look at me go, raving about a meal prep app and this isn’t even sponsored.

It’s now 9p and my eyes are heavy. I think it’s about time to curl up on the couch with Nova and sip my Trader Joe’s Ginger Turmeric tea before crawling into bed next to an already asleep Mr.

Good night.

At Home

That Non-Tox Clean

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on That Non-Tox Clean

Growing up, my parents put monetary value on different chores. My sisters and I learned from a young age that we had to put in the work to earn what we wanted. My mom recently found a post-it where she tracked our “chores” (letting the dog outside for 25¢, things like this). I was always chosen to clean the bathroom which I gladly did over dusting which, to this day, stands as the worst. chore. ever. I cleaned that porcelain, clawfoot tub with the most Comet and extra elbow grease.

Now that I’m older with a home of my own to keep tidy and clean, I’ve become very conscious about what I’m bringing through my doors. After doing very minimal research, I found that during “EWG’s air pollution tests, [they] found that Comet Disinfectant Cleanser Powder emitted 146 different chemicals, including some that have been linked to cancer, asthma and reproductive disorders”*. Not exactly what I want to be breathing in.

I tried Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner on a whim last year but quickly wrote it off because my roommate at the time wasn’t on board so I felt it a waste to split the chores 50/50, Thieves vs Comet and/or Lysol. Now living with Daniel, he is my same level clean-freak and just as aware of what he is putting into/onto/around his body. We use this Thieves cleaner on EV.ERY.THING. I’m talking the counters, stains on the couch, the toilets and mirrors. This stuff is pure gold.

Possible my favorite part is that the bottle is extremely concentrated. I mix 1 capful of the Thieves Household Cleaner, a few drops of lemon essential oil and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Give it a few shakes and voila! It works to disinfect and boost your immune system, all at the same time. I love our little plant-based cleaners. (An added bonus – we only have these two items under our sink to clean with. Say goodbye to cluttered cleaning baskets with fourteen bottles of chemicals that all claim to do the same thing.) Our cabinets are Marie Kondo approved.

*https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ewgs-hall-of-shame-of-toxic-household-cleaners/10/

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Baby, It’s Cold Outside

This week, good ol’ Wisco was in a polar vortex; snow, snow and more snow, -50 degree windchill and endless cups of piping hot coffee. Daniel and I still went to work – because life carries on – but we drove together four out of the five days this week which was a welcomed change. I missed out on a few hours of podcasts but instead, got to enjoy the company of my husband to and from work. I’d make the trade any week.

We didn’t get much accomplished, neither of us stuck to our regular workout routines, and I blame the weather. You can’t motivate me to do much when all my body wants is to be curled up on the couch under a few throws, watching Jessica Day and Nick Miller attempt to overlook their love for each other.

Tuesday night was book club; this week was sans books but extra wine. We sat around the kitchen table in Becky’s toasty little home, all hovered over the smorgasbord of snacks (berries and fruit, Trader Joes avocado tzatziki dip, dried mango and pita chips) and talked for over four hours. I walked through my door a little after 11PM, heart full, only to find Daniel had hung my photos. The gallery wall brought to you by one of my favorite duos: IKEA and Walgreens. The perfect display of our hearts and the things we love.

At Home

Slow Like Saturday Morning

by Hailey MadisenLeave a Comment on Slow Like Saturday Morning

This past week was Christmas and safe to say, we need this slow weekend. I was out of bed two hours before Daniel which never (and I mean never happens). I have been home-ifying our little apartment like crazy every free moment I get. Rearranging the decor I already have out, pulling new things out of our organized and pretty junk-closet and adding to the donation pile what we haven’t used. I have been attempting a month of minimalism (blog post to follow, I hope) and it has been extremely beneficial for me to find what I love and display that in our home and keep in our closets instead of the clutter and what I think “should” be out. I’m trying to stop making my decisions based on the shoulds and it has been harder than it seems but also more beneficial I’ve found.

While I love Christmas, the time to reflect on why we celebrate and the time to spend with family, I hate the expectations of the holidays, from our families and from myself. (I’ve realized my own expectations are worse — for of the holidays and simply in general.) The pressure to show up, the pressure to give give give, the pressure to make everyone else happy. We were spread so thin this year so we’re working on that as well.

We took down our Christmas tree and all the decorations on December 26, Daniel’s request, and as much as I loved the coziness that the holidays brought, I didn’t expect the relief once it was all put away. The 9-foot tree gone meant for more space in the living room to move back furniture. The old Santa, stockings and candlesticks, little fake trees and golden reindeer gone meant more counter space, more open space, more breathing space. Our home is back to normal, back to clutter-free and I physically feel lighter.