First, we’re incredibly grateful for the outpouring of kindness and support you showed our family yesterday. Your encouraging words and shared stories mean a lot. Now let’s shift to something lighter: a long-overdue photo tour of our yard, inspired by Katie B’s outdoor tour. You’ve already seen a few glimpses: our carport/driveway, the “alley,” and … Read more

All aboard! (Can I get a choo choo?) As promised in our Instagram and Facebook preview, here’s the story of how we built a train board for Clara. Why a train board? Clara is completely obsessed with the large fixed track display at Barnes & Noble — a mounted track on a pedestal that draws … Read more

When Alexis sent photos of her stunning kitchen makeover, we were thrilled. Here’s the note she shared with us: I love your blog and read it daily. My husband and I bought our house a year ago and are slowly redoing every room. You’re a huge inspiration. I wanted to share our kitchen before and … Read more

Inspiration is everywhere. While John and I were waiting for a friend at the spa (yes, we were that casual—hanging out in the lobby without getting a massage), I couldn’t resist photographing some beautiful packaging and its striking color combinations. I admit I took pictures of soap and candle displays, but it was all in … Read more

We’re definitely a little too old for trick-or-treating, so last weekend we did a grown-up version: a leisurely stroll through a historic downtown neighborhood to admire Halloween and autumn decorations. We didn’t encounter a lot of over-the-top displays (wait until Christmas for that), but we did spot a few subtle, stylish arrangements worth sharing. Let … Read more

We’ve made major progress on the bathroom renovation since the partial demo last week. After removing walls and doors that had been blocking light and flow, the space already feels dramatically more open. Below I’ll share the final floor plan, our tile selections, and some of the key decisions we made along the way. For … Read more

Just to be clear, that post title was meant to be read with a Dr. Dre-style swagger (like in that clean 1999 classic). Now that we’ve got the intro out of the way, let’s talk pumpkins. This year we picked up some lumpy, bumpy orangey-red pumpkins instead of the usual smooth yellow-orange ones. The most … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!*** Random.org sifted through the 9000+ entries and came up with our winner. She is… Jenn (whose favorite number is 13 because of The Offspring song “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” and the lyric “He went for a tattoo yeah, he’s getting it … Read more

UPDATE: Entry for this contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered — all 500 or so of you. The winner will be announced on December 18th. Calling all handymen and handywomen: we’re giving away a brand-new DeWalt TrackSaw (retail value $500). This tool blends the portability of a circular saw with the … Read more

With family arriving tonight for our first Christmas in Richmond, we wanted to share our holiday card with you first — you really are like family to us. We couldn’t keep this little blog going without your support, and we sincerely appreciate every visit and comment. We took these photos earlier in the month, using … Read more