Belated Father’s Day Recap and a Few Home Updates

Work on the deck is still underway (we expect a progress update on Monday unless an inspection throws a wrench in plans), and since many of you asked, here’s a belated Father’s Day recap—similar to last year’s post—that also includes a few home-related moments and gifts.

The morning began like a typical Father’s Day: we headed to one of our favorite brunch spots, deLux, and enjoyed French toast in their open-air back room. We actually arrived 20 minutes early by mistake, which led to a spontaneous walk while we waited for them to open—an unexpectedly pleasant start to the day.

Things took an exciting turn the night before when we learned a New York Times photographer would be stopping by at noon to shoot our kitchen. We had participated in an interview a couple of weeks earlier about people who use online floor-planning tools for renovations, but only discovered late Saturday night that photos were needed the following day. The photographer arrived with serious equipment and was friendly and efficient.

The article appeared the following Thursday while we were away at a conference. We were a bit surprised by how our quotes were edited—some lines made it sound like we were skeptical of architects, which isn’t true. The conversation actually touched on kitchen designers and how they can help homeowners clarify their tastes, not a dismissal of the value architects bring. Still, the piece was interesting and the photos turned out fine—no closed eyes or spinach in our teeth, so that’s a win.

Because we had to rush home to tidy up for the photographer and he worked right up until our daughter’s nap, we didn’t manage many more Father’s Day activities that afternoon. We were also wrapping up blog projects and practicing a little presentation for an upcoming conference, so the day ended up being quieter than we’d planned. Despite the abbreviated schedule, Sherry, Clara, and our dog Burger surprised me with a few thoughtful gifts that were perfect for our home.

One of the gifts was a simple but delightful addition to the kitchen—a dishtowel sporting a bicycle print. It may seem small, but little touches like that make me oddly happy. Sherry also found a print titled “Twenty Northern Friends,” which nods to our Alaskan honeymoon and includes fun, lesser-known facts about northern wildlife.

For instance, a snowy owl can eat nearly 2,000 lemmings in a year—more lemmings than I’ve consumed in my whole life, thankfully. We plan to get that print framed and hang it in the living room where it will complement the dark gray ceiling beams. Luckily, Target carries a frame size that should work, so framing will be an easy next step.

Speaking of frames and finishing touches, we realized we’ve been guilty of showing unframed prints and promising to post the finished result later—then never following up. So, to close some of those loose ends, here’s a little tour of our framed hallway.

Come on into our frame hallway and take a look.

One of the pieces we hung is a map of Maui that we picked up on a recent Hawaiian trip. It fit perfectly into a standard frame we found at Target—the mat opening matched the map almost exactly, which felt like a small victory.

That map replaced an older print that was moved to our kitchen shelves. In this house, frames and pillows seem to have their own travel itinerary—one day they’re on the wall, the next they’ve migrated to a shelf. We also added a wooden letterpress print from Portland to the hallway, and it found a cozy spot on a different wall.

It’s hard to remember what was in that exact spot before—during the book photoshoot earlier this year we shuffled things around and some spots have stayed empty longer than we expected. One frame that used to hang there moved into the kitchen after we installed shelves. That frame originally came from a budget poster we cut up years ago and repurposed, which is one of our favorite little edits: inexpensive pieces can become personal, framed art with a bit of creativity.

Who knew a Father’s Day recap would turn into a roundup of art updates? Such is the life of a home-and-design blogger. I’m grateful I spent the day with my two favorite girls and our little dog, even if it was interrupted by a very pleasant photographer. How was your Father’s Day? Do you have framed art that’s been waiting for attention? Why do those small finishing projects always seem to linger on the to-do list?