Our freshly painted stools are drying in the sunroom (pics tomorrow!), so we finally had a chance to catch up and share our May superlatives — sorry to everyone who’s been asking! Below is a quick, organized look back at what we crossed off the list this month. We even slipped in a few never-before-seen photos for fun. If you want to browse past monthly roundups, we’ve collected everything since January 2011 in one place that makes it easy to trace a year-plus of projects.
Biggest Party Girl: Clara, who was thrilled about her 2nd birthday — or at least thrilled about some of the party supplies we picked up for her.
Wormiest: Clara’s birthday bash, which was bright, playful, and, yes, filled with worms thanks to the theme she chose herself.
Most Gigantic: Clara — at least compared to the tiny pig family living in the new dollhouse we built and decorated for her.
We also finished decorating the dollhouse, which was a fun little project to pull together for her.
Tidiest: Our revamped bathroom drawer, which got a focused reorganizing session during organization week and emerged much more useful and tidy.
Most Secretive: The storage ottoman and our other kid-focused stashes, now home to surplus toys we rotate so the playroom feels less cluttered while keeping fresh things for Clara to enjoy.
Simplest: Sherry’s pared-down beauty routine, plus a few other small changes we shared that help keep daily life simple and manageable around the house.
Prettiest: The reorganized Projects section on the blog, now enhanced with thumbnail images to make browsing completed and in-progress projects much more visual and user-friendly.
Most Appreciated: The new kitchen light (Ikea’s Aläng) — it finally brightened a shadowy corner of the room and made a big difference.
Dirtiest: The basement workshop, which I admitted was in rough shape. It’s still a bit chaotic, but we shared updated photos of the progress we have made.
Most Likely To Embrace The Chaos: Us — because we talked about slowing down, enjoying the DIY journey, and letting projects evolve over time rather than rushing them.
Most Level-Headed: Me — occasionally. Case in point: I balanced the camera on my head to shoot a pretty straight photo of our new hall bathroom fixture.
Class Shopaholic: Sherry, who went on a little window-shopping spree (Target edition) and rounded up a bunch of favorites in a recent post — thanks for the enthusiastic response; we’ll do more of these!
Most Likely To Contain A Hosta Pun: Our mailbox garden update, where we used spare hostas to upgrade a weedy corner and add curb appeal to the front planting bed.
We also added extra greenery to the work-in-progress planting bed out front.
Most Likely To Become A Teenage Mutant Ninja: The little turtle we added to the patio display — because turtles are inherently cool — joined hydrangeas and petunias to brighten the space.
We also transplanted some boxwoods into the front porch planters — update: they’re still alive!
Math Nerd Alert: I used a little algebra to help rehang two Alaska botanical prints evenly between our bedposts — because sometimes DIY needs a calculator.
Most Potential: The alley where our new deck will go — we mapped out a plan of attack and started clearing the space for the build.
Best Score: A 9 x 12′ rug for the bedroom that we picked up for a huge discount at a local tent sale — such a win for the room’s look and feel.
The Brick-Breaker Award: Clearing the future deck site, which included hauling over 100 bricks from what we used to call “the shrine.” Big effort, big payoff.
Most Noodled: Our bedroom, nudged forward with a new rug, art changes, lamps, and pillows — still a work in progress, but the updates are inspiring more tweaks.
Most Likely To Get Wood: Us — we decided to build the deck with pressure-treated lumber after weighing composite and other options.
Most Chipper: A quick, free hidden clipboard project Sherry made for the microwave cabinet to keep menus and grocery lists handy — sometimes the smallest projects make the biggest difference.
Hairiest: Sherry, after she gave me a DIY haircut that we documented — I served as the hair model, which was equal parts embarrassing and memorable.
Best Dressed: Me, in what I jokingly call my “permit-getting outfit” — it seemed to help when I went to secure the permit for our new deck.
Most Likely To Rock The Runway: All the kitchen rugs that paraded through our little in-home “fashion show” while we tried to pick the perfect color and pattern.
Worst Dressed: Also me, caught in a goofy moment at Clara’s party wearing her new ballerina skirt as a hat — any dad would understand.
How was your May? Did you complete any major or small projects? Do you ever make a list of accomplishments to refer back to? We find it motivating to pause and celebrate what’s finished before diving back into the to-do list. Leave a few highlights in the comments — we’d love to hear what you’re most excited to tackle next, whether it’s a deck, a small repaint, or just organizing a drawer.