Neutral Living Room Ideas with Fresh Citrus Accents

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It feels like ages since I last put together a mood board (you can find more than 125 of them on the original site). To shake off the dry spell I created a cheerful, sunny summer-inspired board designed to bring warmth and a welcoming vibe into a neutral room. These suggestions work well for anyone … Read more

What Homebuyers Notice — and Ignore — When House Hunting

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Q: I have a house-hunting question for you. What do you look for? What do you look past? Help! My main complaint about all the older homes we’re seeing in our price range is that they feel dated, but that seems to be what you look for. How do you know which dated houses are … Read more

What Does Your Cat’s Meow Mean? Decode Feline Vocalizations

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I’ve always been a cat person at heart — from a childhood fascination with tigers to caring for my high school cat, Casper — but life took a canine turn after meeting Sherry and her cat allergies. Our compromise was a small dog named Burger, who fits the bill perfectly. Still, I never stopped dreaming … Read more

Airbnb Bedroom & Bathroom Makeover: Before and After Reveal

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We’ve been racing to finish rooms in the duplex so we can open up weeklong summer rentals on Airbnb. There’s still work left—two kitchens, two living rooms, two laundry rooms, and a couple more bedrooms and baths—but it feels huge to be completely done with the four rooms featured in this post. Imagine every celebratory … Read more

Celebrating Year Three: How I Tend and Reach Blogging Goals

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Every year when our blogiversary comes around, we like to pause and set clear goals for the next 12 months. So here are three things we’re committing to work hard on over the coming year. A public pledge always helps keep us accountable, so without further ado, here are the top three priorities on our … Read more

Celebrating Four Years Together: Anniversary Highlights & Thanks

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See what I did there? If our fourth wedding anniversary were a movie sequel, that’s probably how the poster would treat the title. (Yes, I’m aware it’s a cheeky nod to Scream 4.) As we’ve done each year, here’s a little recap of how we celebrated four years of marriage last Thursday. You can find … Read more

DIY Art Light Switch Cover for Your Guest Room

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We swapped out the artwork in the guest bedroom and wanted to share the update. Because the room has one of the best views of the house—overlooking the large green backyard—we decided to bring more green into the space to complement the existing green headboard and the view. We also wanted to add some graphic … Read more

How to Source and Buy Materials for Building a Deck

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Our deck project was briefly sidelined while we tackled party, dollhouse, and bedroom projects, but in that time we made one big decision: like both of our parents did growing up, we’re going with pressure-treated wood. That decision wasn’t immediate. We compared several options, collected a few quotes, and took the necessary “sleep on it” … Read more

DIY Wood Cubby Shelf for a Kids Room: Step-by-Step Build Guide

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Most years we’re racing the clock finishing Clara’s homemade Christmas present—sometimes literally with things drying in the garage on Christmas Eve—and this year was no different. The best part, though, is seeing her enjoy it afterward, so we love sharing photos of her with the finished gift. Meet Clara’s new figurine cubby. She absolutely loves … Read more

YHL Live on TV: Behind-the-Scenes Reaction and Highlights

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Tomorrow morning (Thursday, July 30) we’ll be on live TV, and we’re equal parts excited and nervous. Virginia This Morning on CBS6 is Central Virginia’s only live local talk show, and they invited us to share some stories about our home improvement adventures. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but we’re looking forward to dropping by and … Read more