This post is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candles.

I've spent a lot of time focusing on our living room, because that's the space in our house that we spend the most time in and also because it's the first thing you see when you walk in. I love greeting guests with a tidy and well-designed area to relax, but lately I've been feeling an itch to give our bedroom the same amount of love and attention that I've bestowed upon our living room.

It is, after all, where we begin and end each day, so shouldn't it be just as nice as the places in your house that everyone sees? That's always been my excuse--our bedroom can be busy because only Rob and I ever see it, but there's nothing worse than waking up to a cluttered bedroom.

When Rob and I got married and registered for gifts, we made a conscious decision to do all white linens for our bedroom and bathroom. Our furniture is all white, so I figured having a white bed and towels would make it easy to mix things up later with colorful details. We've actually stuck to a neutral pallet and I like it that way--it's very calming and a nice escape when you need to relax.

I was so excited when Chesapeake Bay Candle contacted me to work on a post with them because I've always loved incorporating candles into my decor, and these ones are really special. I thought I'd start the long process of decluttering and styling with a tiny little piece--my nightstand. Nothing says "home sweet home" to me more than a nice candle and some fresh flowers, so I cleaned off the surface that had been holding onto a collection of water glasses and phone/computer chargers and replaced them with Chesapeake Bay's Balance + Harmony candle (it smells like waterlilies and pear and has orange essential oil!) and a cocktail glass full of white roses, which I placed on top of a stack of books I pulled from my bookcase to match the lovely aqua jar of the candle.

Here are the other candles Chesapeake Bay sent me to infuse my home with little moments of stillness and tranquility!

• Focus + Patience: Has a fragrance of tobacco cedar. Any candle with tobacco notes is definitely a winner for me. This one is going on my desk for sure.

• Love + Passion: I’m a big fan of the color of this jar, and the grapefruit mango scent is perfect for the kitchen.

• Strength + Energy: This one is really nice, with notes of bergamot (one of my all-time favorite fragrances) and verbena. I’m going to put this one on my coffee table.

I love it when something as simple as a candle inspires me to put the finishing touches on the space around me. I love the minimalistic design and the not-too-powerful fragrances that come from the candles. All the scents come in different colored jars, but they’re frosted and on the lighter side, so they will fit into your home no matter your style. And, as I’m sure you can imagine from some of the images in this post, they are Ender Peterson approved.

Now I’m off to cuddle that dog of mine in bed with a book!

Happy Friday! I'm posting a little bit later than usual today but wanted to get this out--my goal for May is to post consistently on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Lately I've been sharing new posts whenever I have them and sometimes that's two times a week, sometimes it's four; so I thought it might be better to work a little smarter and spread things out for the sake of consistency. What do you think?

Before I sign off for the weekend, I wanted to share some links with you:

• I need an invite to a really fancy party so I can justify buying this pretty thing.
• Emmanuel Macron addresses the world's obsession with his wife's age. I quoted him below, but I also found this sentence to be very interesting: "The couple's age gap is actually exactly the same as that of President Trump and his wife Melania, although the difference in their ages has received much less attention."

“‘If I had been 20 years older than my wife, nobody would have thought for a single second that I couldn’t be [an intimate partner],’ he told Le Parisien. ‘It’s because she is 20 years older than me that lots of people say, ‘This relationship can’t be tenable, it can’t be possible.’”

• 9 Life Hacks To Help You Break Up With Plastic. I do a lot of these right now, but I want to be better about bringing my own cup to the coffee shop (and also skipping the straw--I have some metal ones that I should really carry around with me). Does anyone else have any tips?
• This mini dress looks so cute, I'd love it over leggings or jeans.
• To Stay Married, Embrace Change
• Famous fashion ads recreated to embrace diversity. Loved these.
• I have my eye on this foundation as soon as I'm done with my current one. Has anyone used it?
• Super inspiring to hear these words from Will Ferrell.
• Sponsored: Fossil just sent me this bag in black and I am absolutely in love with it.

That's all for now! It's supposed to be gorgeous this weekend in the Bay Area so Rob and I are planning to spend as much time outside as possible. I think we're going to head down to Santa Cruz to explore a little tomorrow! What are you up to this weekend?

This post contains affiliate links.

Since Rob and I adopted a more ketogenic diet, this has become one of my favorite recipes. I love it because I always have most of the ingredients in my pantry already (soy sauce or coconut aminos, sesame oil, and some chili garlic sauce), so all I have to do is grab a pound of ground pork and some slaw mix at the grocery store.

This "egg roll in a bowl" has all my favorite Asian flavors and satisfies that Chinese takeout craving, but you can stick to a Paleo and/or keto diet (and save some money!) by making it yourself. I've also heard it referred to as "crack slaw" in the keto community, but I think egg roll in a bowl is a bit more fun to say.

The first few times I made this, I tried it with ground beef and regular shredded cabbage, and it just wasn't as good. I like it better with red cabbage, some carrots, and ground pork instead of beef--the pork gets nice and crispy and adds a nice flavor to the dish. But if you like beef, you can stick with that; and you could even do ground chicken if you'd prefer.

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of ground pork

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

• About 10 ounces of shredded cabbage and carrots (I use a bag of the shredded red and green cabbage with carrots from Trader Joe's)

• 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil

• About 1/4 cup of soy sauce or coconut aminos

• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (optional, plus more or less depending on your heat preference)

• 1-2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce

• About 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Sliced green onions for garnish and some Sriracha for topping

Instructions: 

1. In a large pan, heat the sesame oil and add ground pork, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat until the pork begins to brown and get crispy around the edges. Add the garlic and give it a stir.

2. Add about half of the soy sauce and the crushed red pepper. Season with salt (be conservative with the salt since you're using soy sauce) and pepper and stir well to combine. Continue to cook until the pork is completely browned.

3. Add the cabbage and carrot mixture to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Toss to combine and add the remaining soy sauce. Add the chili garlic sauce and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the cabbage begins to wilt.

4. Add the rice vinegar and give everything a good stir. Serve hot, topped with green onions and a drizzle of Sriracha, if desired.