Scrambling (To Look Like I Have It All Together)

 

Want to send a post-partum mama into a full-fledged panic?  Tell her a photographer from the newspaper is coming to take pictures of her and the house in two hours when everything looks like this:

 

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(My poor mom will be appalled that I posted these for you to see.  She worked so hard to keep my house together while they were here helping with the babies.  I just never want to give you the illusion that my house is always like it appears in photographs for “the blog.”  Bloggers that always attempt to keep up the image of perfection make me a little nervous. . . .)

 

 

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I may not be “perfect,” but I can be quick under pressure.  Two hours (and a shower for myself) later, the house managed to look like this when the doorbell rang. . . (Notice: there are no pictures of the laundry room or hallway where most everything was shoved.)

 

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 (Thankfully, the babies are un-phased by chaos.)

 

 

I was in the middle of another mantel rearrangement, so I quickly pulled something together.  Honestly, I’m not even sure if birdcages are “in” or “out”, but I had one so I filled it with books to add some color.

 

 

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Fortunately, when they got there, I was able to request that they only photograph these two areas of our (mainly unfinished) house:

 

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And, although I had to have my picture made still wearing my maternity jeans, they did run a really nice article on my blog and the BH&G article

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photo source: Gaston Gazette

 

95 comments:

  1. You are amazing. Your home is lovely and you look fabulous. I would have had a heart attack. I think you pulled everything off in grand style. Love the books in the birdcage. Hugs, Marty

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  2. Emily, I love the reality pics and who cares about the maternity jeans, you look AMAZING! I also LOVE your home, I hope one day I can have something as beautiful!

    http://coffeebeansandbobbypins.blogspot.com/

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  3. So fun! And super impressed with pulling it together so quickly. Laughing as my laundry room is where I tend to shove everything, too! Congratulations, Emily!

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  4. THANK YOU for posting the 'honest' pics of your house...makes us all feel so much better!

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  5. Awesome!! Under pressure seems to be the only way I get anything done, grrrrr. And bloggers that keep up a perfect appearance make you nervous? They make me stabby.

    Good for you, congrats!! The babies are too much for words.

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  6. I laughed when I read that your house "managed" to look so much better. You are quite amazing.

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  7. Your house looks PERFECT and you look stunning! Congrats on all the recognition. They should give you a column in the paper. You know, to keep you busy in your spare time. ;-)

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  8. you are so flippin cute, no matter if youre in maternity jeans or not. i cannot believe you pulled it all together in that amount of time - but you DID, amazing what pressure will do.

    and i LOL'ed when you said bloggers with perfect homes make you nervous. HAHA

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  9. Precious Emily, you just always make me giggle. Don't we all (nod enthusiastically, please) live like the "before" pictures? And most of us don't have infant twins to "justify" it. Nice job pulling it all together! Your best accessory? Those adorable babies.

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  10. That is awesome, Emily. I'm enjoying following your blog, and I was flabbergasted to find you in Better Homes & Gardens, so congratulations about that! We're all proud of you back home in Mayfield/Graves Co.!

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  11. As always, you pulled this off in grand style...love the reality pics and you rock maternity jeans.

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  12. Haha, adorable. Loved the honest photos. And, so great to get a little peak into the rest of the house. Amazing what you did in two hours!! And congrats again on the article.

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  13. PS...hope you saw the article in the Charlotte Observer!

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  14. Even messy your house looks fabulous! Congrats on another well deserved feature! I am impressed what you are managing with 5 kids! Bravo!

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  15. Such exciting times for you!! Enjoy every minute of your well deserved spotlight!! As always you are charming, obviously talented and real and this is what people are drawn too...what jeans? :)

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  16. Awesome! So happy the twins slept through the chaos and that you managed to grab a shower, I find I always have everyone ready and then I look in the mirror and realize I'm still in my pajamas a minute before we have to leave!

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  17. I agree that I'm impressed that things didn't look worse with 5 kids. I definitely wouldn't be able to pull my house together in a couple hours at the moment with all the projects we have going on! P.S. The babies are adorable!

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  18. Loved the before pictures--we're expecting twins (boy/girl) in October and it's a very nice reality check (although our home is typically much more cluttered and that's before kids)! I love the grey you used in your living room, would you mind sharing what paint you used--I'd love to use it in our nursery. My email address is: Meredith.haynes@gmail.com.

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  19. How awesome is that!!! Are you sure you werent taking pics of my living room & kitchen? b/c thats what mine looks like more times that I like to admit. Welcome to the "yes we live here" club. :-)

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  20. You are beautiful! I love this post! :-)

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  21. Well, you were able to pull it off, and that's what counts. Love the birdcage w/ the books. The office bookcases are stunning, too. You don't even look like you've just had 2 babies. Love the picture of them in the playpen - too sweet.

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  22. I can so relate to your "lived-in" look, lol. I love your honesty. Thanks for keeping it real. I am usually hiding baskets of laundry between my bed and the wall where nobody can see.

    Great post. Love how you pulled a new mantel together so quickly.

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  23. OOOOOH! Your babies are SO darling. And your home is absolutely beautiful. :)

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  24. Love it! Grace under pressure. :-)

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  25. Those babies stole the show. They are precious!

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  26. Had you not said you were wearing maternity jeans, I would have had no idea. You look fantastic, and your house is beautiful as are your babies :)

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  27. You look great- and so does your home!! I am very impressed. :)

    XO,

    Sam

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  28. You look amazing, Emily, and here's to shoving all the chaos anywhere it needs to hide!! xoxo!

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  29. Wow, you did all that with two newborns!! AMAZING. Your home is lovely. I had to laugh as well...I think the laundry room is where most things get shoved (no one looks in there, right???) My mom used to throw things in all the bathtubs and pull the shower curtain closed!!

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  30. Once again...thanks for keeping it real Emily! I too can blast through the house and make it presentable in record time...just dont open "Mr.Whoopies closet" aka the laundry room door!

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  31. LOL! You've inspired me to get to work on cleaning up my house. I swear I skip one night of doing the dishes and the whole house seems to fall apart (and I only have 3 kids:-)) nothing like having people come over to motivate me to clean. Thanks for sharing! have a great day!
    Lauren

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  32. Great job, Emily! I don't know how you do it, but I love it!

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  33. I love how real you are. You do mama decorator very well:)

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  34. Congrats to you!!! You are so amazing. Love your style even when you are just pulling it together! You are so talented. Enjoy your precious new babies and your success!!

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  35. You look great and you did a pretty incredible job with all that in 2 hours! Three Mango Seeds

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  36. Having fast approaching deadlines is THE ONLY way things get accomplished, if anyone else lives any other way then they are lying or have way too much time on their hands! Good for you....so cool to see your name in print:)

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  37. Pretty amazing "pull it together"! It takes me days to switch things up and find just the right accessory for the right spot. That's where your true talent shines through! So happy for all of your fantastic press!

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  38. You look gorgeous...and way to throw it together! Give me a rag and windex, and I can knock it out, too! As long as no one looks toooo close. Yay for the feature!!

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  39. You look amazing (as do the babies of course) :). ANd I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who has a 'room' where I shove all the mess when I have surprise visitors. Great article!

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  40. Amazing! You are lovely, Emily! (and I do appreciate your realism :)

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  41. How awesome! You're a miracle worker, I think, and your house on a bad day looks better than mine on its best. If I didn't post the imperfect pictures I don't think I'd ever be able to post any pictures at all. You look great, too!

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  42. Thanks for keeping it real! I love that succulent on the coffee table. My grandmother is from New Mexico so my mom always had succulents in the house. I love them so much. Congrats on all the media attention.

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  43. One of the many reasons I love reading your blog Emily...keeping it real! What a great feature congrats and you look amazing!!!

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  44. You look awesome! I agree with another commenter, who cares about maternity jeans... my baby girl is 6 mths old and I still (gasp) wear a pair of maternity capri's every once and awhile. No one will ever know :) Congrats on the feature!!

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  45. Oh my gosh! You are a Super Mom! Your house looks awesome, you look beautiful, and I especially love you for posting you "before" pics. You make me feel human. :) (I recently posted a picture of our pre-vacay laundry pile. Yikes!) Congratulations on the articles! I read the BHG one on our road trip. :)

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  46. Look at you go! Way to pull it all together. Your home looks fabulous (as do you!)

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  47. Your house looks gorgeous even in the before pics but I know it was a stressful couple of hours pulling it all together. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have those pressure moments to make me get stuff done! Congratulations!

    -Lane
    www.urbanorchardinteriors.com

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  48. you mean the hospital didn't give you the memo? Having twins gives you super powers LOL! you did good

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  49. Woohoo! way to go! shove it and smile i say!!

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  50. I'm so glad to see that other people's houses look like that sometimes. Except I don't have the excuse of twins :0 The photos look AWESOME, and congrats of the feature
    Stacy

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  51. Em, I don't have the excuse of more than one kid,even, and my place always looks like a whirlwind touched down. Thanks for sharing the "before" pics. And, seriously, girl, the birdcage+book thing was so lovely, I might do it myself.

    Miss you!!

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  52. You look fantastic! I love how you pulled it all together. You are amazing!!

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  53. Ha ha! Never underestimate the power of a MOM! Great job- the house looked beautiful as do you!

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  54. Dang, you are a pro! You look fantastic -- congrats on the feature and no worries about those maternity jeans. You've got two precious angels to show for it!
    xo Heidi @ Decor & More

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  55. Love the real you! You are looking great! Give yourself a pat on the back!

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  56. I love your new house! You did great putting things in order in less than 2 hours with newborns twins to care for. Just amazing!

    BTW, what color are your walls?

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  57. I meant “newborn twins”.

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  58. I can totally relate to the "before" pictures. The house looks like a lot of love lives there.

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  59. I can totally relate to the "before" pictures. The house looks like a lot of love lives there.

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  60. Congrats girl!! It's great to see you open up on how "real" life can get. I know there are many of us that appreciate your openness!

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  61. I'm in awe of your two beautiful babies hanging out in the living room - how amazing and they look so happy, healthy and peaceful. Congrats Emily on your nice feature Emily - and that beautiful family of yours.

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  62. Okay your house looks beautiful even when it has a lived in look! And so do you - maternity jeans or not! Thank goodness for the laundry room…..I chuck everything in there last minute too!

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  63. You're an absolute doll and the rest of us wonder how you do it! Enjoy it all!

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  64. Keepin' it real, Girl. That's why we love you.

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  65. You are so darn cute! You look amazing! Wish I looked that good so soon after having babies. I have so much more respect for bloggers that keep it real. It's amazing how fast we can work under pressure isn't it? ;) Loved your BH&G feature!

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  66. That was a very fun post! You look pretty together for a new Mom of twins! I love the matching green ottomans-super fab! Congrats on the article!!

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  67. I only hope I look that good after five children! It all looks beautiful as usual. I just told my husband that you are my inspiration as I love the use of color as you do. While I love my blogs that are french/farmhouse neutral, yours is more like my taste.

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  68. I think we all can relate to having a messy place for things. Drawers and closets and spare rooms are usually commonplace. But add in a set of newborn twins and 3other children add a whole new twist. Bravo Emily for putting it all together.

    Personally I feel the newspaper people should have given you a 2 DAY notice not 2 hour.

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  69. You must never visit normal people's houses. I have 5 kids and your before pictures would be my afters - after 2 days of cleaning!
    Your house is amazing!

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  70. Haha that looks like my house 99.9% of the time. I need a good amount of warning before people come over so they dont think I am a total slob. Great post!
    -Kate
    Athomewhenimwithyou.blogspot.com

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  71. I'm so impressed that you pulled this altogether in 2 hours! Your home looks gorgeous, and thanks for "getting real" with us and showing off photos of the not-so-perfect corners. Of course my favorite pic was the one with your little cuties sleeping soundly. They are too adorable for words...!

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  72. Wow. Congrats!! You certainly pulled it all together! I cannot imagine the panic! Haha. Your home looks fantastic though.

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  73. We were recently surprised by twins (we have a 9 and 6 year old) so it so warmed my heart today to see that your house looks about what ours does. Congrats on all the "good" things going on right now.

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  74. Ach, I would have died (first from the shock of my home being photographed, then from the shock of said home being a disaster). good for you for pulling it together enough to pull it off! I just got that copy of BH&G yesterday and proudly showed your article to my hubby - "Look, this is the blogger who just bought a new house AND had twins!" He loved your old navy living room. :)

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  75. You know my house looks the same or much worse every day. I once heard cleaning the house while the kids are awake is like shoveling snow when it's still snowing!

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  76. You look great and so does your house! :)

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  77. I loved seeing you "everyday life" photos of your home. It makes us realize you're normal too! Love you blog!

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  78. If you did that in 2 hours...then it counts as a workout! Whoa....Even though the before shots are good :)....the after shots are better...just saying....

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  79. Um... yes you do have it together because I could never have pulled that off in 2 hours! Love the honesty though!

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  80. My house always looks the same way, and I love to see that I'm not the only one. If it makes you feel any better, I finally got around to erasing my Christmas message on my chalkboard/bookbag wall. On the 13th of June! My poor babysitter!

    I must ask you (and I am not necessarily a super fan of grays -- too hard for me to get quite right), but what's the color in your family room? It's exactly what I'm looking for.

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  81. @Jennifer, the paint color is Amazing Gray by Sherwin Williams :)

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  82. Checking in Emily! You and the house (and the BABIES!)
    Look fantastic.
    Warmest regards,
    Lynn from Decor Arts Now
    PS: Sigh. It goes very fast. My twins passed their driver's test yesterday!

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  83. Ha that is the way my home is too! i am calling it motherhood xx

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  84. We all think you look fabulous! Everytime i see your office area with the built in wall, i love it, the color, coordination its perfection!

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  85. Wonderful two hour clean up!

    I've got a new blog I've just started! I'd love some new followers - if you don't mind taking a peek! Thanks! http://beyondthegradebook.blogspot.com

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  86. Impressive! I probably would have just cried. Thanks for sharing your "real life" as it makes me feel better about my mess. :)

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  87. You are exempt from feeling like you have to explain to anyone about the "state" of anything going on at your house... you have 5 children, including 2 newborns!!! I'm impressed you can put a sentence together and here you are amazing us by looking fabulous and being honest about your home!!I have to tell you, my mom thinks your little one who is not thriled at all with the photo shoot and makes it clear from under the table has absolutely stolen my mom's heart.She has shown that magazine pic to all of us and that little frowny face has given us a ll a great laugh!! It's too adorable and real!! thanks for keeping it real!! Marcie

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  88. It makes someone like me feel normal to see your house looking like mine seems to look almost all of the time! And that mantel looks fabulous. We just moved (last week) into a new home (as a pastors wife, I don't get to choose what kind of home) and I'm working on making it me. The mantel is one of the things I'm agonizing over.....and just about every other room in the house. Anyways, I love the birdcage and am in awe of how fast you "pulled it together" and you look great, too!b

    Congrats on the newspaper article. I saw it said you live in Belmont. We used to live there. I loved that little town!!!

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  89. Congrats, Emily. I too was always concerned that bloggers must live perfect lives. Thanks for showing us the other side:)

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  90. First of all, congratulations on being featured in the newspaper and in BHG. Wow!
    Another wow or shall I say bravo to you for showing how you and your family really live on a daily basis. Thank you for letting me know I'm not the only one. I have a handful of relatives that have walked into my home and instantly judge with their facial expressions. Their judgemental looks made me feel like I was the only that lived like that--> a crazy, busy life, working full-time, taking care of two kids and husband, being a baseball mom, gymnastics mom, baking for this, cooking for that, etc. Thank you and bless you! :)

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  91. I love the birdcage and the painted sunburst mirror. . . Perfection! Love that your house looks like mine most days!

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Your comments make my day! If you have a question, I'll try to answer in the comment section by the end of the day. Or, you can email me at emily@emilyaclark.com.

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