Today we’re sharing two recent “treat yourself” moments at our house that didn’t go as planned and what they taught us about when to splurge and when to let things go. One story even involves a bathroom feature we’ve dreamed about for years but are now struggling to justify in everyday use—even though it sounds … Read more

Our kids still love traditional Jack-O’-Lantern carving, always trying to top last year with something scarier, grosser, or goofier. But we also remember when toddler- and even baby-friendly pumpkin decorating was our go-to. Below are six simple, fun, and slightly unconventional pumpkin ideas we’ve used over the years — including one we made before kids … Read more

Back when we admitted to putting up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving, many readers asked whether Clara would get a special “First Christmas” ornament. We finally made one right before moving boxes took over the house, and because packing distracted us we’re publishing this a week after the tree came down. Better late than never. … Read more

You’ve asked how various projects and updates around the house have held up—everything from our Ardex concrete counters and the grout stain in our foyer to appliances, plants, and our scaled-back blogging schedule. We don’t always update as often as we should (we tend to bounce from one project to the next), so here’s a … Read more

So, despite the brief flirtation with temporary string handles for our new Effektiv file cabinet, we decided to upgrade to real hardware that we much prefer. We chose black glass handles that were originally $9 each, but Hobby Lobby was running a 50% off sale, so they were $4.50 apiece. As I mentioned earlier, I … Read more

We showed our house 16 times, so by the end we had become seasoned pros at it. At first we were clueless. Of course we did the obvious things: cleaned thoroughly—vacuumed, dusted, and polished;

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! We’ve finished our bathroom paint and trim update (we shared the plan last week and you might have seen a sneak peek in our recent house tour video). Here’s the current look: The transformation is pretty dramatic compared to where we began. You may recall we removed the glass … Read more

Before the Homearama show wrapped this weekend, we slipped in on Friday with Teddy in our carrier (Clara was with the grandparents) to see the homes while visitors were still touring. It was great to talk with guests, watch our pantry fill with food donations, and even find a sweet note left on a notepad … Read more

We made a small time capsule to leave behind, and it was actually more fun than packing. Our hope is that someone discovers it decades from now—ideally after flying cars and precogs become commonplace—because it would be a bit of a letdown if the new owners find it as soon as they move in on … Read more

Well, aside from rehanging the shower curtain at ceiling height right after we moved in, we haven’t really updated this bathroom. In fact, all three of our bathrooms have been mostly untouched since we moved in. We decided to start with the one we use the most—the quirkiest of the bunch. It doesn’t have a … Read more