Let’s be totally honest – I owe you guys a serious update on all things Sam. There’s a post draft (or 10) in the making and look forward to sharing more “real life” with you on a regular basis. I have truly missed blogging and sharing some of my personal life folded into posts about getting organized. You’ve likely noticed for a (very very) long time I’ve been posting only client projects or sponsored content with minimal personal chatter. Few reasons for this situation which will all be explained in upcoming posts. But the truth is I’ve been dealing with big life changes and had to go heads down for a while to get this business up and running…and finally get some help on board too. I’ve also been blessed with an extensive list of organization clients and more projects than I know what to do with. Or if I’m being real…can even handle from time to time. AND 2018 is closing out with a bang – I have many incredible, pinch me, amazing company partnerships … this post being one of them!

And then there’s being a mom and trying to be here 150% for my kids. And maybe squeezing in time for myself at the gym to keep it all sane and mentally tight.

With everything on my plate, I’ve been spending more time planning little nights in at home with the kids. Who somehow are now 14, 12 and 8. How did that happen you guys?!

At least one night a week we plan a family night in for the 4 of us and Friday seems to be that one night where all schedules comes together. Or I should say – the one evening where there isn’t a schedule to keep up with. Freschetta reached out to me a few months ago to partner for a Freschetta Friday blog post and it was a natural fit to say yes because Friday Night In with pizza does in fact happen around here. So while I’m going to share some great images of the delicious pizzas they sent to us, you’re also going to see my fall kitchen tablescape AND of course, because it’s Sam, some fun organization tips and ideas for your own Friday Night In!

Hello organized candy!

It’s the little things that make me happy. You know I do love an organized schedule, a pretty backdrop and everything in my house to be tidy and organized. But with my big life changes, I’ve been craving more order and a whole lot less stuff. Maybe it’s the same in your case, but when I’m stressed to the max, having minimal items around the house that cause visual clutter helps my mental state. I’ve been in a phase of de-cluttering the house which has been freeing on levels I can’t explain (this is something I’ll be sharing more about in the coming weeks as well) but I still want the house to look pretty and festive. I keep it in balance, of course. Anyway, it makes me very happy to see this simple fall tablescape in my kitchen…

Did I mention it cost next to nothing?? #yourewelcome

I put together this simple table for our Freschetta Friday with white hydrangeas, white pumpkins, votives and olive branches. The flowers and pumpkins came from my local market for just a few dollars…

The olive branches were trimmed from 2 trees on my property…

Don’t shy away from decorating your table because it’s “just a night In with the kids”…make it pretty and it changes the tone. This table makes me happy…and the kids kinda love it too.

The weather has been great so I also cleaned up the screened-in patio and had baseball games on in the background. Even turned on the hanging string lights. On this night In we invited my niece and a few neighbors to join the fun…

We couldn’t wait to get the pizza in the oven! Freschetta sent us a few varieties to try and all of them are SOOOO good!…

They offer 4 pizza crust options that make it hard to believe this is frozen pizza – it’s really that good! They have Naturally Rising Crust, Brick Oven, Gluten Free and Whole Grain varieties. We tried the Naturally Rising Pepperoni and Canadian Style Bacon & Pineapple and the Brick Oven Spinach & Roasted Mushroom. All 3 were delicious and the kids LOVED the crust.

Usually they leave the crust for me…unfortunately, not this time…

Freschetta was the perfect addition to our Friday Night In tradition. It made my evening less stressful because I made them at our own convenience. And the house smelled amazing too! You can see all of their products here on their website.

My Sunday Fridge has become popular over the last few years, but you haven’t had the opportunity to take a peek at my recently re-organized garage fridge. My kitchen fridge is a smaller size so I keep most of the day to day food items in there, while keeping all of our lunch, sports and other drinks in the garage fridge…

Having cold drinks on hand is a must, but I have found this fridge is VERY popular with the neighborhood kids. I’m refilling it weekly.

In my same garage fridge I have a bottom freezer drawer. We’ve talked about this drawer in the past and how I organized it to crush the space. I’ve used a few simple containers to keep everything easily accessible and win the battle over having difficult freezer drawers…

But our newest obsession with Freschetta Pizza fits perfectly in the top pull-out drawer of the freezer…

Like a glove you guys! And I have them stacked 2-4 deep at all times…

On this Friday Night In we were watching sports, but other nights we watch a fun movie or play games. No matter what we end up doing, there is always some type of treat. And this time, with Halloween coming in hot, we opted for a candy bar. But the type of candy bar that has real containment for real families…not glass, not something that won’t keep your candy fresh…it’s just real and these work. Plus I love how they stack neatly…

We’ll talk more details about these containers in another post but…this candy. Who doesn’t love candy??…

I know we aren’t the only family who plans a fun night in a few times a month so please share some of your ideas with all of us in the comments. Especially any cool movie suggestions! I’ve been watching older movies and tv shows with the kids – a few weeks ago we watched The Goonies. Memories of my own childhood!

On your next night in, you should definitely try Freschetta Pizza. You can find them in the freezer section of your local store.

One last personal tip about Freschetta – I’ve been keeping the pizzas on hand for after-school snacks or weekend afternoon snacks. My kids love to have something hot after school and Freschetta makes it simple for me to have a warm snack on the table in a short amount of time. Silly but worth noting…my kids love when I cut the pizza into squares instead of a traditional pizza slice shape. Kids are funny sometimes…whatever makes them happy!

Freschetta did send us these pizzas for our #FreschettaFriday at no cost but everything you read here is in my voice – all opinions and photos are mine and were taken by me. My kids loved being a part of this partnership as well! Thank you Freschetta for partnering with Simply Organized for this fun Freschetta Friday Night In!

Back soon you guys! Miss you all!

xx,

Sam