The “20 Things” Game
June 11, 2019

My “20 Things” song and dance might seem like something you’d hear while watching Mary Poppins, but I have to tell you, when you commit to cleaning up your home in small, swift batches, you get shit done. We are […]

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DIY  / For the Kids  / Organized

Why We Aren’t Doing a DIY Kitchen Remodel
June 5, 2019

It may come as some surprise that last fall, we hired a professional designer for our impending kitchen remodel. Why? Don’t you love the DIY stuff? Can’t you do everything? Isn’t it expensive? There are more than a few reasons […]

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Kitchen

6 Summer Art Assignments For You and Your Kids
May 31, 2019

We invite the kids to get involved in plenty of projects around the house because at the ages 2, 5, and 12, they’re at the ages where they truly want to help and learn and create. It’s a fun time […]

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DIY  / For the Kids  / HGTV + DIY Network Projects

Our Expanded Outdoor Living Room
May 29, 2019

Our biggest project of 2018 kept us busy for quite some time. Scheming ways in which to update the covered porch of our midcentury home was a 5-year process, and though I’ve started many times to draft the story in […]

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DIY  / Outdoor Living

Lapse in Archive
May 28, 2019

I regret not keeping up on this “home journal” as thoroughly as I would have liked to the last few years. Our family doubled. Our yard work quadrupled. Work got crazy-fun. And then also, I watched this blogging “industry” change […]

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Uncategorizable

Leeks and Onions?
May 17, 2019

Expertise needed for this recreational Zone 5 gardener. Leeks: My daughter and I have routinely started our leek seeds (“Hattie’s Leeks”) on Valentine’s Day.  This was after noticing that the ones at Wegmans were about 2.5″ in diameter, and clearly […]

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Gardening

Devour This Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter
October 12, 2018

Hello, pumpkin season! What should I do to make the most of you? I can only eat so much pie, so I’ve been looking for recipes that’ll make better use of the pumpkin supply from our CSA (we’re 4 years in […]

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DIY  / Kitchen

How to Haunt Your Home With Faux-Broken Glass
September 28, 2018

In a world of crazy store-bought and DIY Halloween accessories, broken glass windows certainly seem like one of the most subtle accents one could add to their home this time of year… they look super cool in the evening when all of […]

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DIY  / Holiday-Related Projects  / Windows

5 Years at Home
September 18, 2018

A thousand words couldn’t properly articulate how much we love living here. We celebrated our 5th “homeiversary” in June, and just wrapped our 6th summer in this lovely place. This year, I attempted to replicate a few of my favorite […]

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Backyard  / Casual Celebrations

Martha, My Dog
July 27, 2018

Our newest BFF, companion girl, partner-in-crime, littlest sister arrived home earlier this month. Martha–named as a nod to our family’s infatuation with The Beatles and my insistence on using human names for pets–fell right into place. We were ready for her, with a […]

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Casual Celebrations  / Dog-Related

Chainsaw Know-How: Maintain, Sharpen, and Replace Your Chain
May 24, 2018

This post was sponsored by STIHL because they supplied the chainsaw (STIHL’s MSA 120 C-BQ) and sharpening equipment. The content itself is my own. It’s no secret that I advocate for homeowners to try battery-powered tools. Everything I’ve purchased and tested is pretty awesome, and […]

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Supporting Sponsors  / Tools

Inspiration For a DIY Driftwood Clock
May 18, 2018

Heart-eyed emoji! If you’re wondering if you’ve seen this big piece of driftwood before, probably yes. It was the star of one of the first projects I featured on this blog back in 2010, and one of the few pieces of […]

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Decor  / DIY  / HGTV + DIY Network Projects

How to Repair Deteriorating Flagstone Steps
April 27, 2018

This post was sponsored by STIHL because they supplied the cut-off machine and safety equipment. However, the decrepit steps are my own, and repairing them has been on my list for a long time. Thanks to STIHL for partnering with me on […]

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DIY  / Entryway  / Supporting Sponsors  / Tools

How to Make Your Own Barn Quilt
April 24, 2018

Always committing to doing the things I say I’m going to do–in this case “barn quilt all the things”–I extended my collaboration with Buffalo-based designer Whitney Crispell of Local Color Quilts and made another totally crushworthy piece of outdoor art. […]

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Backyard  / Barn  / Decor  / DIY

How to Cut Your Own Swedish Torch
April 5, 2018

This post was sponsored by STIHL because they supplied the chainsaw and safety equipment. However, the project is my own and Swedish cut fire logs really are things we make and use at home. I figured it was about time you […]

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Backyard  / DIY  / Supporting Sponsors

Crafting A Springtime Headband
March 23, 2018

Spring! That refreshing but awkward period of time between when the ski season ends and the gardening season begins, and there’s really not a lot we can do to speed things along. Seedlings are already started indoors, the garden’s still […]

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DIY  / For the Kids

Building the Perfect Garden Archway Trellis
March 5, 2018

Our garden’s archway trellis was a new addition in 2017, and one that we’re going to use again this spring. Aside from being a great way to raise climbers in an enclosed garden space, it was the perfect little tunnel […]

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DIY  / Gardening

Dressers, Picture Frames, and Drywall Anxiety
February 26, 2018

I crunched some numbers and realized that it took me 237 weeks since moving in to get art hung on the walls of our master bedroom. Mild case of “hole-in-the-wall-phobia.” Now, I know that’s totally crazy. I know how to […]

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Art Attack  / Bedrooms  / Decor  / DIY

Cody
December 19, 2017

Last week we said goodbye to Cody. Our partner-in-DIY. Codeman. The one who was at his happiest when he was by our side. The buddy who you’ve gotten to see on this blog. He was simply awesome. He came to […]

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Dog-Related