It’s that time again—time to look back at the month and gather everything we accomplished in one place. We also included some never-before-seen bits because, well, we’re over-sharers. This month felt a little scattered: we hunted for secondhand nightstands, started stenciling walls, built a 13-foot desk, altered a light fixture, framed a mirror, made free art, and tackled many other projects. Here’s a month-in-review with yearbook-style superlatives to celebrate the wins (and the flops).
Most Pro-Banquette: We kicked the month off with a half-formed idea to add a kitchen banquette.
Most Pro-Banquette (Runner-Up): The ongoing banquette conversation continued with a follow-up post that included a reader-submitted rendering—complete with a receptionist-like version of me.
Least Pro-Banquette: By month’s end we revealed that we’d moved on from the banquette idea and embraced our true love: a peninsula.
Weirdest Giant Metal Chicken: We spotted this giant chicken (nicknamed Beyoncé) on our way to Delaware. If you want the origin of the name, there’s a hilarious explanation online.
Best Deal: Two yard-sale nightstands for $11 total—rescued, refinished, and added to our bedroom, along with a faux gold banding treatment on the bedposts.
Least Appetizing: Our empty fridge after Hurricane Irene. We restocked it with a coupon-heavy grocery trip and later filed a $250 spoiled-food claim with the electric company, which saved us from dealing with insurance deductibles.
Most Improved: A pair of $1 orange secondhand cabinets were transformed into slightly taller, white built-ins for the office with a little wood and paint.
Most Long, Dark & Handsome: A 13-foot wood tabletop for our built-in desk made from framing lumber and dark stain—for about $27.
Most Inebriated: The office walls, which got their “Moonshine” paint treatment (a color name that doubles as a cheeky alcohol reference).
The Josh Groban “You Raise Me Up” Award: The office light fixture was raised higher (no more head bumps), sprayed indigo, and fitted with a discounted drum shade.
Most Grounded: We added trim to the bottom of our desk to give it a more built-in appearance.
Most Secretive: We shared never-before-seen corners of the house, like the spaceship-like sunroom roofline.
The “You’ll Be Missed… But Not Much” Award: A tree that had been growing on our house was finally removed to prevent possible foundation damage, and we trimmed some overgrown shrubs nearby.
Most Persistent: The bathroom mirror framing project, which survived a false start and a collapsed first attempt and ultimately came together.
Most Photogenic: Our television. We have an odd habit of photographing the TV to capture decor inspiration.
Easiest: Creating a quick, free food-coloring print for the hallway gallery frame.
Easiest (Runner Up): Sherry’s simple faux cross-stitch project that became a personalized anniversary gift for her brother and his wife.
Most Likely To Result In Claw-Hands: Stenciling the office walls—a labor-intensive process that should pay off once it’s finished.
Best Sentence Ever Uttered By A Sixteen-Month-Old: “Iss my hoo hat.” Clara insisted we put a crocheted owl hat and jacket over her pajamas—clearly a committed stylist.
Most Three Dimensional: My review of the pros and cons of three different 3D interior design tools and how they stack up for planning rooms.
Most Intense: All of our Blogiversary posts last week—there was a lot to cover.
In case you missed the Blogiversary coverage, here’s a quick recap of topics we shared:
- An hour-by-hour “day in the life” of us Petersiks
- Pie charts showing how we spend our time and how we make money
- Interesting numerical stats about the blog
- A video response answering personal questions from readers
- A reader poll to learn more about you
- Goals for year five and a look back at year four
- Basic coding tips and blogging advice
- A play-by-play of how a post goes from idea to publish
- Ten lessons we’ve learned after four years of blogging
So that’s September in review. What have you been up to this month? Do you ever make a list of accomplishments to reflect on? It can be great to pause, appreciate progress for a moment, and then get back to the to-do list—like our ongoing stencil project.
You can also check out previous months’ superlatives from July and August for more highlights.