Chaletmomma

The idea of having to read this before you read that is not usually my cup of tea. But, there are a few series that changed my mind.

Recently I read the Beartown Series by Fredrik Backman. As a Hockey Mom I love the sport and so enjoyed being able to take a deep dive into a world I know a bit about. But, friends you don’t have to be into Hockey to enjoy these books; the characters are complex and deeply interesting.

Beartown: We enter a small forest town - where Hockey is omnipresent - we meet inhabitants who carefully share only select parts of themselves - they monitor who knows what - who they are to their parents, coach, children. The Son who can’t share who he loves, the Mother who wishes she’d shown her love, the Father who is unsure what to say. We see a community who is afraid. I listened to this book in 2-1/2days - a page turner - I found riveting characters and as a hockey parent I understood the ever present sport - because hockey is a lifestyle.

Us Against You: This 2nd volume in the Beartown series had me staying up late and like it’s predecessor I listened to it in 2-1/2days - another page turner. We find a new coach in Beartown but, the rivalry with Hed is even more frenzied. By the time the last game between them is played, a resident of Beartown will be dead and people in both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through - was any of it worth it?

The Winners: This 3rd and final volume in the Beartown series is the longest at 21hrs and 23 minutes. Fredrick Backman holds us in suspense for the first 3+hrs. as we wait for the identity of a Beartown resident who has died. We meet new characters who are woven in seamlessly who we care deeply for and old friends return. This novel made me cry more than once and at it’s end we will mourn for more than that single resident it’s the saddest of the series.

This series by E. Lockhart - We Were Liars and Family of Liars are gripping, surprising, sad and will stay with you. The story lines are serious and deal with death - so not for the faint of heart. But, Lockhart tells the story in such a unique way and as an avid reader when you come across a format you have not read before it makes an impression.

Family of Liars: I didn’t expect this is one of my top reads. It’s the prequel to We Were Liars. You must read We Were Liars before reading this. This second visit to the Sinclair family and their private Massachusetts island is illuminating. The story is shared by Caroline Lennox Taft Sinclair. Being a Sinclair means acting and never showing weakness. Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars.

This is the series by J.K.Rowling that almost everyone has read - and of course watched the films. Poor little sweet orphan Harry Potter surrounding by magic and danger. I have vivid memories of staying up late into the night reading.

I have a deep affinity for novels that take place at the turn of the 20th century - I love the Alienist and The Angel of Darkness both by Caleb Carr.

With summer here so many are looking suggestions. I recommend all and if you are interested in more book recommendations read: Get Your Read On!

Til next time be well and I’ll see you over on the Gram!

Today’s interview is a dear friend - Hilary Prall. I’d been hinting for a while to Hilary that I wanted to include her here and today’s the day!

Hilary Welcome to the Chalet my dear! Hi Meryl Thanks I’m really happy to be here.

Awesome - So tell the readers about yourself. I’m Hilary Prall, I’m 45 and I live in Ankeny, Iowa with my husband Jason and our dog Cooper and cats Sheldon and Howard.

I’ve always been interested in decorating. When I was growing up I loved changing my room around from an early age. I would move my furniture and decorations often. Pretty sure I ruined the carpet in my bedroom from dragging the heavy furniture around. When I would stay the night with friends, I always wanted to organize and decorate their rooms too. Our house was always well decorated. My mom made-do with what we could find at garage sales, family pieces she’d inherited, and a few new things—we had a lot of art from Home Interiors.

Hilary you’re a gifted thrifted. When did thrifting start for you? In high school, we would go to the thrift store to find clothes and accessories for funny dress up days for homecoming. Once I got married, I started going more regularly (there was a great Goodwill by our house) because I wanted to decorate but didn’t feel like I should be spending a lot of money.

I got really into thrifting around the same time that Instagram was really taking off. That was the time that you followed just a few people and we all had similar interests. It seemed like everyone was posting their recent thrifting hauls and it made us all want to buy more and more stuff…to show off. I do love vintage, so shopping at “regular stores” doesn’t make a lot of sense for me on most things. Especially since the stores are getting so silly expensive. I tend to love estate sales most of all. I enjoy getting a peek into someone’s life…romanticizing their story. We also frequented garage sales years ago but that was way before the internet, and you could still find really good deals. Now, everyone thinks their things are precious and it’s harder and harder to find a gem for a decent price.

**Hilary and Jason’s basement filled with thrifted Flags, Paint by Numbers, Metal Globes and so much more!**

Any antidotes from childhood you’d like to share? Not decorating related, but I have always been an entrepreneur. I can remember making and selling friendship bracelets at recess for a long time in elementary school. I’ve always had friends, but always stood outside of the crowd too. I liked having a way to bring people to me in a creative way. It didn’t make me sad to make a little money too.

Tell us where and what you studied in college and what was your former 9-5 gig? I received my undergraduate degree in Public Relations from Drake University. I really wasn’t ready to be in college or to know what I wanted to do in adulthood, but that was just the track I was on. I ended up going full time with the grocery store chain that I’d worked at in high school and stayed there until I left in 2016 to pursue the decorating business I’d started. I’m definitely a comfort driven person, so working the same job for so long was easy for me to do…even though I wasn’t truly happy. I was able to start the decorating business purely through social media, which is still amazing to me. I decided a couple of years ago that I couldn’t do that and content creation very well at the same time, so I closed the decorating side of things. I could always go back to it (I still have people reach out), but it didn’t really light a fire in me, so I don’t think I ever will.

Hilary I really appreciate how many areas you speak to on Instagram - tips about DIY, Home Décor, Fashion, Plants, Thrifting and your Health journey. I love to share the things I’m enjoying in the moment, so all of those fall into that category. One of the reasons I think I haven’t been able to grow a huge social media account is lack of consistency, but I don’t really care. Anytime I try to narrow my path, I get very unsettled. This way, I can be as authentic to myself as possible.

**Hilary’s amazing Vintage Santa Mug Collection**

How did your Website/Blog start – what was the light-bulb moment you said – yeah I’m doing this. I had my first blog hosted on Blogger in like 2010. They were all the rage, I like to write, and I thought it would be a good outlet for me. I didn’t know anything about blogs or how to create one, but I got obsessed with figuring out all the different add-ons: stickers, music, buttons… Then, when I started my decorating business, I knew I needed one for that. I again built my own through Squarespace and eventually hired a virtual assistant to help me with the things I couldn’t figure out. I just recently went all in on having a true web designer build a beautiful and professional site for me. I’m so pleased with it and can’t wait to see where it goes.

What led you to design your Photo Editing Preset? Again…I see what other people are doing and want to do it for myself. Presets were very popular a few years ago and I knew I could recreate the settings I was using to edit my photos and make that available for purchase. I’m always trying to find different sources of income, but want to make sure they’re actually helpful for people.

How long you’ve been in your home and what is your favorite space? We moved into this house in 2018. I had major surgery scheduled for two weeks after we moved in, so I knew I needed to get a few things done ASAP. I hired painters, had curtains hung, and then started game planning for after I recovered. We lived in our first house for almost 16 years and when we moved out, I remember being so disappointed in the projects we hadn’t done. So many easy things that could have been changed out…to enjoy the space more. I really do love our current home…except our master bathroom. It’s the one room that I’ve done a makeover to a few times, but it just still falls flat. I don’t know that we’ll put any big money into it, but I have some goals for it. The space I love the most is probably outside. I love working in the yard and it’s so exciting to see my vision come to life. This is the first time we’ve had a really usable and enjoyable outdoor sitting area…let alone multiple options for one. We’ve done mostly cosmetic things to the interior of the house: paint, wallpaper, a few floating shelves. Outdoors, though, we’ve had the house painted, a new roof and gutters installed, and a major landscaping project completed last year.

Talk about your design philosophy. I can definitely get pulled into what’s trending. Not necessarily because I love it, but because I’ve been chasing the elusive social media follow for so long. I have finally learned, though, that no amount of attention on social media can make you happy…least of all in your own home. I’ve always loved vintage, but what I’m drawn to has changed. Part of that is just the design and layout out of this house compared to our old one. Our first house was an updated version of a 4-square layout. There were built-ins, the rooms were smaller, and it was just older. I had more of colorful mid-century pieces. They didn’t feel right in this house, although, I still have some of my Pyrex. I’ve leaned into more of an eclectic look in this house, gold accents, more original art, lots of layers and textures. I don’t have a specific style…other than more is more.

I love your weekly IG Live: Coffee Talk with Brooke + Hilary Brooke and I have been doing this live for over three years, I think! We didn’t start out with the intention of doing it for so long, but people really seem to enjoy listening to us talk…even though we never have a plan for what we’ll discuss. It really is just like listening to a couple friends chat. People crave connection.

You offer an Instagram subscription. What things do you offer through your subscription? I jumped on the subscription program right away, but know myself enough that I struggle with keeping up with consistent sharing. For over a year, I shared the food I was eating on my health journey. I started dreading doing that, though, so I’m shifting toward giving my subscribers a sneak peek of my thrift finds. Not sure if I will stick with subscriptions or just let them go by the wayside. A lot of people don’t believe in paying for content…so that’s a hard opinion to change.

How has Social Media specifically Instagram impacted your brand? I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram…as I think everyone does. It has opened so many doors both financially and socially for me, though, so for now…I stay. I do want to turn my focus more to my website and evergreen content (blog posts, ebooks, courses, etc…even Pinterest posts to a certain degree. Things that live on beyond the short social media time span) …with Instagram being more of a platform to build community. Hoping I can stick with that and make it happen.

What’s on Your To Do List for the rest of 2024? Life has been crazy the last several years with some health issues and losing my mom in 2022. I’ve been working on her estate for two years and we’re mostly done with that now. I’m trying to refocus on my business and create a daily schedule for myself. That’s proving harder than I want it to be.

**Hilary not only shares thrifting pieces she incorporates into her wardrobe but, also awesome Walmart Deals**

I think it’s so neat you’re on local Television Hilary I mean come on! Yes, I do Hello Iowa once or twice a month. It’s a fun opportunity to connect with a different audience and helps encourage me to get a blog post done for each visit. Check out my appearances: Hello Iowa

Follow Hilary on Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Like To Know It, Pinterest, Youtube, her Website and Sign up for E-Mails.