Lights, camera — it’s time for a March recap! Last month was packed: we used the nail gun on crown molding and the fireplace, experimented with paint (including a fresh kitchen color), and completed a few tech upgrades. We’re pausing to celebrate everything we crossed off our list in March as motivation to make April just as productive. If you want a broader recap, there’s a tidy collection of past roundups spanning the last couple years in one place.
Most Colorful: Monday’s giveaway — here’s a hint.
Scariest: Starting the crown molding installation in four rooms. We remembered how badly it went the first time (during our kitchen renovation before we had a nail gun), but two new tools made the job much easier. That boost of confidence even led to a full tutorial on how we did it.
Most Colorful: We shared our 2013 Benjamin Moore paint picks and talked about dream pairings and ways we’d love to use some of those shades in the house.
Most Overdue: After living with three capped, non-functional ceiling fixture boxes in our living room for ages, we finally hired an electrician to convert two into can lights and moved the third so we could hang a pendant over the table. It’s such a relief to have proper lighting there now.
Most Mixed Up: The decor in Clara’s big-girl room inspired our response to a reader question about mixing prints and patterns. It’s a playful, eclectic mix that pulled together nicely.
Most Hilarious: A reader tweeted us this perfect photo after our post about replacing the doorbell and tackling hallway eyesores. Our photo of Burger barking gave them the idea, and we couldn’t stop laughing at the comparison.
Least Gray Paint With “Gray” in the Name: We replaced a tricky grellow shade in the kitchen with Benjamin Moore’s Colorado Gray — which actually reads quite blue and photographs much more consistently.
Most Likely to Use Superlatives (But Doesn’t): Our family yearbook, printed to celebrate everything we did last year. It includes a highlights page and an Instagram photo gallery in the back — finally welcoming 2012 into the stack felt satisfying.
Most Arrow-Happy: That would be me, judging by a graphic we created to explain the fireplace refacing plan. If it makes your head spin a little, you’re not alone.
Coolest: A local ice cream shop we “crashed” to showcase its inspiring decor — milk-bottle lights, mixed materials, and penny tile made the visit a joy.
Purtiest: The marble subway tile we laid in a herringbone pattern along the hearth. It’s one of my favorite details we’ve added — timeless and elegant.
Most Familiar: The house crash we did at my sister Emily’s Richmond home. Since it’s hosted so many family get-togethers, photographing it felt both familiar and special.
Laziest: Me. But I’ll defend it as clever — I picked up a remote control that lets me switch off both bedside lamps from bed. Small conveniences count as productivity in my book.
Biggest Nerds: The folks who tallied all the quirky stats for our book-tour infographic — hours on planes, cupcakes received, and other oddly specific totals. We kept track, and yes, the data is a little hilarious.
Best Photobomb: Technically “best” might be generous — I barely sneaked my face into the framing photo for the fireplace build-out, so I claim the month’s lone photobomb title. Come on, Burger — you could’ve done better.
Most Magical: A tiny IR extender we added so our remote still works even though we hid the cable box in a ventilated drawer. We also used a Restore-a-Finish product to revive the media cabinet after years of grime — simple fixes that feel like magic.
Least Pregnant: Sherry’s candid note that she isn’t pregnant and her thoughtful explanation about why asking someone whether they’re expecting can be sensitive struck a chord with readers. It generated a huge, heartfelt conversation and ranks among our most commented posts.
Most Neglected: Our guest room, which hadn’t had much attention since we first put it together in 2010. We swapped in a new mirror above the headboard and brightened that corner up — a quick refresh that made a difference.
Most Transformed: Our fireplace, after finishing the refacing project. The change had a ripple effect and somehow made the whole kitchen feel fresher and more cohesive.
Most Inspirational: A phrase from Silver Tree Art that inspired Sherry’s experiment applying temporary tattoos to wood to create quick, meaningful art. That was one of three small updates in a recent post, which also included adding a timer to Clara’s play kitchen and framing some special metal art.
How was your March? If you had to sum it up in one word, what would it be — relaxing, whirlwind, productive, Easter-y? Ours? Nail-gun-riddled.
P.S. Our latest Clara Conversations are live over on Young House Life — predictably, they’re our favorites yet. That kid really has a way with words.