Every so often I like to pull back the curtain and share what really happens behind the scenes of a blog. Pictures can make everything look perfectly staged and effortless, but the truth is often messier. The rare days when everything goes smoothly probably happen only a couple of times a year.
As I was staging the kitchen for photos, I kept having out-of-body moments, thinking: if I documented this, people would be surprised at what it really takes to capture images of a clean, decorated kitchen. There’s a lot that gets cropped out of the frame—toys, laundry, and ordinary chaos—that rarely makes it into the final images.
You’ll find some product sources mentioned in the post and a longer list at the end. Some affiliate links are used for convenience; see my full disclosure policy for details.
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I love decorating and the décor in these photos is real. But most of the time there’s a lot happening around the house that I move just out of frame for photos. On the day I planned this shoot, real life kept insisting on taking center stage.
I originally scheduled the shoot to coincide with my biweekly house cleaner’s visit. Hiring a cleaner has been one of the best things I’ve done; it keeps clutter in check and the house truly gets a deep clean every two weeks. When I time photos around her visit I don’t have a lot of extra cleaning to do—perfect for winter photography, when you only get a couple of hours of good natural light each day.
But the weekend before the scheduled shoot, both girls got sick. My youngest’s croup led to an ER visit one night, which meant barely any sleep for me and a lot of worry. My husband was away coaching a wrestling tournament, so I spent the weekend juggling a sick child and trying to keep things running. When kids are ill, plans get derailed fast.
Sunday evening the kids seemed better, and Monday looked promising—until I woke up feeling sick too. My older daughter still had a nagging cough, so we decided to stay home another day. That actually worked out in one way: the girls could entertain each other while the cleaner finished, and I could try to work in between taking care of them.
They generally play well together, but when they ran out of patience the bickering began—and trying to work while refereeing sibling fights is never easy. To avoid dirtying the freshly cleaned kitchen, we ate Chick-fil-A for breakfast and McDonald’s for lunch—in the car. It felt ridiculous, but it kept the counters clean and bought me a little breathing room.
Back at home, when the kitchen was finally ready for photos, the kids were done playing together. I grabbed a few quiet minutes while they were outside on the trampoline and, true confession: I ironed the Christmas kitchen towels. It felt absurd but oddly satisfying—those small details matter in photos.
Then came the moment that made me throw in the towel: while hanging faux boxwood wreaths on the cabinets, tape ripped part of my lip. It hurt, and I decided this shoot would have to wait. Who knew tape could do that? I laughed about it later, but at the time I was exhausted and ready to stop trying to force perfection.
I’m sharing this a week after the events, and it makes me smile at all the juggling that goes into creating pretty images for the blog. When the stars align—kids in school, great light, and a cleared schedule—shooting is magical. But most days are a patchwork of quick windows of productivity and a lot of improvisation.
I’m grateful for a job that lets me work in the cracks and crevices of motherhood. Being able to show my girls that you can follow your dreams, work, and parent at the same time is important to me—even if it sometimes means eating two meals in the car.
Now that we’re mostly healthy, we’re excited to celebrate birthdays this week and spend meaningful time together as a family of four while we prepare for Christmas. It feels like the perfect balance of chaos and joy—exactly what real life looks like behind the pretty photos.
I hope you enjoyed the Christmas kitchen tour. If you’d like to see more of the house decorated for the season, here are some other spaces from this year’s holiday tour:
- The Farm Fresh Christmas Trees Living Room
- A Neutral Christmas Dining Room
- A Neutral Christmas Entry Way
- A Pretty Christmas Wrapping Station
Sources and styling notes (product names and references mentioned in the photos):
- Emily Ley Simplified Planner (on the counter and part of holiday planning)
- Christmas plaid mug — found in store seasonal sections
- DIY large chalkboard project used in the kitchen styling
- Nativity art and vintage-inspired prints that complement the flocked tree
- DIY chalk and chalk eraser holder for the wall chalkboard
- Pomegranate branches, lamb’s ear, and cotton stems used in arrangements
- Gingerbread house kit and small holiday village scenes for tabletop vignettes
- Various glass jars and tobacco baskets for rustic storage and display
- Mrs. Meyer’s peppermint hand soap and seasonal kitchen towels
- Monogram mug, mug tree, and coffee maker included in the coffee station styling
- Galvanized wall clock and plaid ribbon for finishing accents
- Chandeliers and semi-flush mount lights described for kitchen lighting