2 minute read Hi Reader! I grew up in a household that always had too much food. The pantry was always full, and so was the fridge, the basement, and the downstairs freezer. And not all of it was good food. Some was. But a lot of it was old, forgotten, expired. The unspoken rule when pulling anything from the fridge was to check it first for mold. So it might not come as a surprise that I do NOT like to purchase food in bulk. For years and years (and years!), Greg has asked me to have some...
14 days ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! Changing light fixtures in our rental homes isn’t new for us. But when we swapped out almost all of them in our current home, we learned some very valuable hacks that even we'd never done before. The biggest lessons here: you’re not stuck with the fixture itself, the type of light, or even its placement. Here’s how to fix some common light problems we encounter in our rentals! Keep reading... Dive Deeper Into This Project Light fixtures come in a VERY wide range of...
22 days ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! There are so many things still to do in our current home. Closets that aren’t organized. Walls that aren’t covered. Windows that aren’t dressed. And yet – I can’t seem to get myself to tackle any of it lately. I wish I could say I have no idea what’s going on. But after 20+ years of decorating our homes and 15+ years of sharing those projects on the blog, it’s a pretty familiar feeling... Keep Reading: Coffee Break #67 Month In Review: September Catch up on any recent...
29 days ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! After suffering through budget-friendly options for far too long, we finally “took the plunge” and invested in “real” dining room chairs. Ooooof – I type that like it’s no big deal. But in reality, the process wasn’t particularly quick, easy, or inexpensive. Today, I’m breaking down why we finally decided it was time for an upgrade, how we ultimately picked what we did, and why we eventually doubled our order! Keep reading... Dive Deeper Into This Project In this...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! We used to store all our wrapping supplies in an under-the-bed tote. It worked great until it didn’t. When I went looking for alternative solutions, I realized I could re-purpose several of our Elfa storage pieces into the gift wrapping station of my dreams. But it was surprisingly difficult to do (despite what The Container Store website shows!) Today, I’m showing you our new setup and breaking down all the tricks I used to get a lot of wrapping supplies into this...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hi Reader! Recently, I’d grown frustrated with my vacuum bag situation. The misshapen blobs. The random re-inflation. Dealing with a cumbersome vacuum every time I wanted something in or out. So I went looking for an alternative and landed on “compression bags.” I’d never seen them before; but based on all the available varieties, I realized this was a trend I was (seemingly) very late to. Today, I’m chatting all about them, why I really like them, and where I think they could...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
2 minute read Hey there, Reader! There’s a certain fear to “throwing something out there,” right? Whether it’s an invitation to coffee, a book club suggestion, or a new community service, there is a vulnerability in saying “What do you all think of this idea?” For years, I let the fear of being wrong, stupid, silly, or unlikable keep me from ever suggesting anything. But in recent months, I’ve chosen to stuff that anxiety down and instead speak up, ask the question, or make the suggestion....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
5 minute read Hi Reader! File this one under “Posts I Always Meant to Write But Never Got To.” But the questions keep coming, so I figured it was finally time to answer them! Today, I want to share what we learned when using PODS for two of our military moves. Spoiler: moving ourselves is something I swore I’d never do but the PODS made it so much better than I ever expected. Here’s why! Read It: We Used PODS for Our Military Move | Here’s What We Learned More Like This These Are the Moving...
2 months ago • 1 min read
5 minute read Hi Reader! I recently helped my sister hang a gorgeous floral mural in her apartment. And I was struck by how similar but also how different murals are compared to rolls of patterned wallpaper. Believe it or not, I actually find murals so much easier to hang (shocking, right?!?) If you’ve considered a wall mural but weren’t quite sure what you were getting yourself into, here’s a quick guide to this super gratifying and (surprisingly) beginner-friendly project! Read It:...
2 months ago • 1 min read