I was surprised by how many questions I received about the little dollhouse sneak peeks I shared on Instagram Stories while fixing this up with the kids. I polled you all about whether you wanted a full post, and 91% said yes—so here you go. Short version: the kids wanted detailed dollhouses to renovate, and … Read more

We have an exciting update this week about a new design project we’re starting — how it came about, what excites us most, and why it will push us in new directions (yes, it’s out-of-state). We also share how last week’s spring break reinforced our commitment to owning less and enjoying more time together, even … Read more

***This giveaway is now closed – see who won below!*** The winner of the $500 gift card to the home improvement store of their choice — generously provided by Hometalk — is Rebecca, who mentioned she and her husband need a router table to replace some non-functional kitchen cabinets. Congratulations to her! Nope, this wasn’t … Read more

When Dana shared her simple, budget-friendly stencil project, we knew we had to feature it. Here’s what she wrote: I wanted to pass along a quick and inexpensive project you inspired. Some time ago you highlighted the knot stencil from Sunny’s Goodtime Paints in a mood board, and I instantly fell for it. My husband … Read more

Sorry we haven’t posted more over the last couple of days. We spent Thursday and Friday enjoying family, friends, and food — and celebrating one small but satisfying upgrade: our new pendant light from CB2 is finally installed above the dining area. Here it is from the kitchen side: And here’s the view from the … Read more

At this point you’ve probably seen our finished and furnished bonus room above the garage, but here’s a clear, practical account of how we installed oak hardwood flooring in that space. We mentioned this briefly in our first post about the room and promised more how-to detail since this was our first traditional nail-in hardwood … Read more

We were amazed that more than a thousand of you completed our little blogiversary survey. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to meet many of you virtually and learn where you’re from, who you live with, and even your pets’ names. Burger is especially happy to make new friends — he’s tickled … Read more

After eagerly announcing “the hardwood floors are done!” right before we moved in, we received a lot of requests for a follow-up with details on the trickier parts: transitions, shortening and ripping boards, dealing with the top of the stairs, and how long the whole thing took. So here’s a clearer look at our process. … Read more

Note: This is a retroactive post I put together in December 2011 to create a full set of monthly recaps for our first year in the new house. I like details, so here’s what we tackled in January — presented like a high school yearbook. Best Deal: Snagging an energy-efficient front-loading washer and dryer for … Read more

Remember when we mentioned we were on a grocery shopping hiatus? The plan was simple: use up as much food as possible from the fridge and freezer so we wouldn’t have to worry about keeping things cold during the roughly six-hour gap between leaving our house and moving into the new one (which, all going … Read more