***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!*** Thanks to random.org’s trusty randomness, we’ve got our winner and it is… Gretchen B (whose husband is “a mastermind with wood. He can make almost anything, at times he has surprised himself at what he canters up.”). That sounds familiar. Congrats Gretchen! Apologies … Read more

Beach house updates are moving along, and we’ll share a longer post soon (you can also see some photos on Instagram and Facebook), but first: porch news. It no longer looks neglected. I also got a little creative with the bushes so they’ll never die on me again. I don’t have a perfect “before” shot, … Read more

Last week we finally got our brick house painted white — a huge, exciting change — but there was plenty of behind-the-scenes stress leading up to the big transformation. This week we’re sharing the realities of a major project like this: the fears we had beforehand, what came true, and what turned out to be … Read more

I was inspired by a cheerful yellow table runner and a fiery pendant light to create a warm, lively dining room mood board. It was a fun exercise in color and texture, and here’s the finished concept: 1. For walls, consider a soft olive-khaki—similar to the stripe in the mood board background. Benjamin Moore’s Limestone … Read more

Or it could be off. I honestly don’t keep track like I used to. Since we installed a new programmable thermostat, I hardly think about heating and cooling anymore. It’s also another small step toward making our home greener and trimming our energy bills. Here’s the bottom line: the average household can save about $180 … Read more

We’re back with the fireplace update mentioned in yesterday’s post about removing our old, not-baby-safe wood stove. This is just the beginning of the fireplace makeover—the very first of many steps. We plan to tackle the project in stages, so for now we wanted a quick, low-cost improvement that looks good in the short term … Read more

So… the living room. First it looked like this: Then it looked like this: Then it looked like this: And now it looks like this: Although the salmon-pink walls, orange-brown brick, and dark wood trim and paneling aren’t the long-term vision for this room (our ideas keep changing), it already feels much more like home. … Read more

When we bought our house, two major problems needed immediate attention: The first-floor furnace was ancient and so poorly maintained we weren’t sure it would run. The 32-year-old roof was at the end of its life and had a hole that leaked into the attic whenever it rained. Luckily we knew about both issues before … Read more

You know we love making ornaments, so we’re sharing the ones we made this year. If you’re someone who always wants to bake all the cookies and craft all the ornaments, these are for you. These turned out to be the easiest grandparent gifts ever: a child’s masterpiece paired with a simple, personal ornament. They’re … Read more

For everyone who asked for more details about our recent family vacation, here’s a full recap. We spent a week in Destin, Florida this summer. Since our family skippped a traditional beach week and we were already visiting Atlanta for a conference, we happily accepted the Bowers’ invitation to join them on the Florida panhandle. … Read more