Happy Labor Day weekend! August and the summer season are winding down, so before everyone heads out for a long weekend, here’s a thoughtful look back at what we accomplished last month — highlights, favorite projects, and a few never-before-seen moments. It’s a great way to stay motivated, find inspiration, and make our archives easier to browse. (If you want to cruise back through our old roundups, you can find January 2011 collected in just 19 posts rather than 665.) Plus, there’s a little visual clue here that hints at Monday’s giveaway — feel free to take a guess.
Most Redeemed: That would be me. After Sherry’s unfortunate lamp mishap, I felt a little better about my own habit of breaking things around the house (I’m looking at you, ceramic dog).
Mood-iest: Sherry’s mood board for planning deck decor set a clear design direction. We’ve still got work to do, but it was a productive starting point for styling the outdoor space.
Freshest: A trip to Ikea to see the 2013 catalog and their latest releases. The new chairs caught a lot of attention in the comments — they’re droolworthy, just remember to wipe the seats before you sit.
Most Painful: My tumble while starting to lay deck boards. I walked away with bruises from hitting joists, but they’ve mostly healed and the progress was worth it.
Least Musical: Sherry, who somehow mangled The Brady Bunch theme while writing a post about framing art around the house. If any Bradys are reading, please forgive us.
Most Blushy: Us, after the warm response when we announced that our book is available for pre-order. The kind messages and excitement have been incredible — we can’t wait to share more behind-the-scenes soon.
Most Organized: My side of the closet got a major upgrade when Sherry swapped out woven baskets for sleek white Ikea bins. It’s amazing what a few storage solutions can do for tidiness.
Most Athletic: Many of you! It was great to learn how many readers are runners — from casual joggers to seasoned racers — in response to my post about why I run.
Most Fun You Can Have With A Circular Saw: Finishing the deck boards felt incredibly satisfying — every cut brought us closer to calling the deck complete. Read about the final push in the deck wrap-up.
Comfiest: The new chair we added to the kitchen corner replaced an undersized seat and instantly made the space cozier and more inviting.
Longest: Our updated house to-do list — we crossed a few things off, but plenty remains, including the chaotic third bedroom, which is currently stacked with secret book project items destined for a fall charity auction.
Most Improved: Swapping a small mirror in the kitchen for a larger spare from our guest bedroom instantly transformed the look — see the difference in our mirror update.
Best Deal: We picked up a $295 outdoor lantern for just $19 and hung it in the carport, finally replacing our too-small light — a great score documented in that post.
Most Likely To Get Vertigo: My wife on the High Bridge Trail near Farmville, VA — she was nervous crossing the bridge but felt much better afterward when we stopped to shop a nearby furniture outlet.
Most Fascinating: Discovering the origin of the basket we repurposed into a DIY light fixture. Turns out those baskets are used for catching fish — a neat bit of history that inspired the project.
Most Egg-sessive: Sherry, in her love of egg chairs. She even made tiny egg chairs for Clara’s dollhouse in an egg-filled update.
Most Versatile: The $5 tulips Sherry styled three different ways in a budget blooms post, proving simple flowers can refresh a room several times over.
The “Goliath” Award: The completed deck — after ten weeks of sun, sawdust, and problem-solving, this project finally came together and now feels like a giant win.
Most Well Traveled: Us on a thrift-store tour around Richmond — a six-shop day of hunting gems and bringing home unexpected finds, summarized in our thrifting recap.
Most Moroccan: A cool side table discovered at a thrift store — we loved seeing readers’ creative suggestions for how to style it in that post.
Wordiest: Sherry’s creative text-art hack on a dining room painting earned the award for being delightfully chatty and imaginative.
Most Delayed Gratification: Applying teak oil to our new deck chairs and poly to the table — a lot of elbow grease now in hopes of lower maintenance later.
Most Likely To Include A Gratuitous Burger Shot: Our little blogging mantra, shared in a post about how we choose topics, always seems to involve a burger or two.
Future Fashionista: Clara, who insisted on bringing her purse to Home Depot. We also revealed where and how we shop for her clothes, from practical finds to cute staples.
Most Chillaxed: Burger, who’s already testing his favorite spots on the newly furnished deck and enjoying the sunshine in our finished outdoor space.
Most Likely To Result In Underwear Chatter: That honor goes to Sherry’s shiny hoop post, which inevitably drifts into underwear talk — leave it to her to find that angle.
Most Cryptic: The visual hint we posted for Monday’s giveaway — there are three distinct clues hidden in that image, so put on your detective hat and make a guess.
How was your August? Did you finish any big projects, score great finds while shopping, or simply savor the last lazy days of summer before school starts? We can’t believe our little one will be in preschool two mornings a week soon — time is flying. Tell us what you tackled this month or what you’re most excited to do next.