We’re working on a full post about our completed renovation (we last wrote about it on the blog), but I wanted to jump in and answer the many questions about the new flooring we installed across our entire first floor (the bathrooms kept tile). The floors were one of the most-asked-about parts of the project … Read more

The annual Color of the Year announcements are arriving earlier than ever. As we watched the first reveals roll in, we had to update our coverage quickly—again—after a second brand announced its pick within 24 hours. Just like our previous roundup posts for 2024, 2025, and 2026, this page will serve as a single place … Read more

I’m honestly a little surprised by the interest in my photo digitization project, and I keep getting the same questions about how I organized our family photos. Below I’ve answered the most common questions and outlined the exact steps I used to sort, digitize, and back up our prints and digital files. This isn’t the … Read more

We have so many great things to say about our family trip to Costa Rica. It was our first international trip with the kids and turned out to be an ideal choice for their first passport stamp: relaxed, enriching, and genuinely fun for everyone. Below we cover where we stayed, what we did, and how … Read more

Remember when we argued about a refrigerator in Episode #74? Recently we found ourselves debating appliance placement again—this time over two different kitchen layouts for the duplex. In this episode we share our competing views on form versus function and how we eventually compromised in a way that satisfied both (though I needed a few … Read more

This has been a long time coming, and we couldn’t be more excited: our beach house finally has walls again. When we first “met” the house, the original plaster was crumbling and riddled with mold and termite damage, so it has taken more than eight months to rebuild it from the studs up. That work … Read more

A month ago Carla and her husband Evan contacted us for ideas to refresh their wood-on-wood kitchen. They wanted something brighter, more modern and youthful, so we suggested several changes: paint the cabinets and chairs white while painting the table black to echo the backsplash, add bold green curtains and coordinating accessories, and place a … Read more

We did it—we transformed our kitchen’s yellowed laminate counters with a concrete finish. Sherry gave a quick preview of the first coat in Friday’s post, and now we’re sharing the final results, a clear rundown of how we did it, and a short in-action video to illustrate the process. We’re really pleased with how the … Read more

Note: This is a retroactive post I put together in December 2011 to create a complete set of monthly recaps for our first year in the new house. I’m a little type A — so here’s what we tackled in March, presented yearbook-style. Most Archeological: Digging in the dirt beside our driveway turned up all … Read more

Storage makes a big difference in any closet, and it’s essential in small spaces like a laundry closet. We built simple DIY closet shelves soon after moving in, and the project proved quick, affordable, and adaptable. With just a few supplies and a handful of hours, you can create sturdy shelving tailored to your closet … Read more