#76: So About That Beach Duplex We Picked up…

You have not heard a lot about the duplex that we picked up three months ago. It might seem like not much is happening, but we are in fact working on three things behind the scenes that are inching us closer to demo day! So we are sharing all of those details along with learning what truly goes into creating a home magazine (the good, the bad, and the sweaty) from HGTV Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Sara Peterson. Plus, some plain ways we are automating our home on the low-cost (without the use of any more smart home devices) and how to make your candles burn longer and stronger.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you are reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

What is New

• If you missed the original news of our duplex purchase you can hear all about it in Episode #64 and take a full tour (including a video walk-through) in this journal post.
• We are excited to share our layout plans (which have changed significantly since we shared that video walk-through months ago), but we are waiting to get them approved so we can finalize them with our contractor. Stay tuned!
• And if you want to hear more about the tax credit program in our county, we go into more detail in Episode #34.
• Below is a peek at the $9 dusk-to-dawn photocell sensor I installed on each of the outdoor light fixtures outside of our garage. Even though it says “replacement” on the package, I was adding ours for the first time, and it worked like a charm. It did require that I drill a compact hole at the top of the fixture and do a bit of wiring, but it was fairly straightforward and virtually invisible once it was installed.

• Even MORE straightforward was swapping a few other outdoor bulbs for these $9 Philips LED bulbs with dusk-to-dawn sensors built right in! The only reason I had to use the sensors above in some other exterior lights were that the bulbs in those fixtures are not a standard size, so I could not find them with a sensor like these:

Quiz

• Here are those Seven Tricks To Make Your Candles Last Longer & Burn Stronger from House Striking
• And as for those soy candles scented with essential oils that I mentioned loving, here they are (this one and this one are my quite go-to).

Sara Peterson, HGTV Magazine Editor-In-Chief

• Another big thank you to HGTV Magazine‘s Sara Peterson for taking us behind the scenes of the magazine world a bit!
• You can read about our experience having our last home shot for their magazine in this post (it includes photographic evidence of the “aggressive sandwich”)

We are Digging

• That is the Divided Turntable (I stand corrected!) that Sherry used to make some of the cleaning supplies that were getting buried in a basket under our sink a whole lot easier to access. It was a good nudge to pare down what we keep under there too.
• And below is the Cabinet Lazy Susan that she uses for her morning routine stuff downstairs, like vitamins and that apple cider vinegar that she smears all over her face with cotton balls every morning. #BackOffShesMine
• Also, if you want to binge that quirky/hilarious podcast that I mentioned, it is called Heavyweight and I recommend these episodes: Gregor, Milt, or Kenny. And Sherry’s go-to so far has been Isabel.

If you are looking for something we have dug in a past episode, but do not remember which show notes to click into, here is a master list of everything we have been digging from all of our past episodes.

And lastly, a big thank you to The Annie Selke Companies for sponsoring this episode. Do not forget to use the code YHL15 to get 15% off any order at AnnieSelke.com/YHL, including bedding, furniture, rugs, and more!

Thanks for listening, folks!

*This post contains affiliate links*