Our week of living furniture-free is finished, and it went… well, differently than we expected. Differently in ways that surprised us. Today we’re sharing what we liked, what we didn’t, where we messed up, and how the experiment might permanently change how we use our home. We also confess a quirky downside to a pretty-but-impractical … Read more

Alternate post title: Look how domestic my wife is. Sherry was the brains and the hands behind this project, but I couldn’t resist sharing the results. I played baby watcher and comment approver while she handled the heavy lifting — and the ironing — for most of the day. We started by cutting 12.5 yards … Read more

One of the first steps we took after officially calling ourselves “house hunters” was to figure out how much home we could realistically afford. We knew our bank balances and the monthly mortgage payment we could handle, but what matters most is what lenders will approve. So we scheduled an appointment with our mortgage lender … Read more

We have so many things to be thankful for, and you are near the top of that list. Thanks for stopping by to see what’s happening at our place. By the way, in case you were wondering… this just happened: After lunch the other day, and before the table was cleared, Burger sneaked into the … Read more

Is there anything better than a beautiful, functional, do-it-yourself piece of furniture? Maybe a free car full of money, but otherwise not much. We were thrilled to receive Kim and Scott’s email about the built-in media wall they built with help from friends. The project was custom-made to fit their space perfectly and cost just … Read more

I added a touch of fall and Thanksgiving charm to the dining area using simple, free items from the yard and pantry. It took about ten minutes and instantly warmed the space. Here’s the dining table dressed up with a few pretty branches cut from the cherry tree out front: I also placed several smaller … Read more

Some of the people behind Richmond’s Homearama invited us to a new show called the Massey Street of Dreams. Like Homearama, it showcases custom-built homes decorated by designers working with each builder. This event was created by cancer survivor George Emerson and benefits the VCU Massey Cancer Center, so it has an important charitable purpose. … Read more

All week on our Instagram stories we’ve been highlighting Black-owned businesses as an easy way to vote with your dollars and support deserving small businesses. This began after sharing a personal post on Instagram and Facebook and reading an article noting that, over the last 30 years, independent Black-owned businesses have declined sharply and Black … Read more

So much has happened since we last picked up the podcast mic, so this episode is a catch-up on everything. We talk house updates, renovation plans, and the awkward, funny moments that come with recording and life. We even tried to describe a few metaphorical diagrams (because describing charts you can’t see is always a … Read more

Between finishing a 260+ page book manuscript (due Jan 4 — yikes!) and hosting family time with lots of delicious food, we’ve also been priming the kitchen cabinets. Can I get a “holla!”? Or more likely, a “you’re crazy.” Thankfully our guests have been super understanding, and it feels great to see real progress. Primer … Read more