• music room with piano and piano harp art
    decorating

    Ceiling Fan for the Music Room

    As much as it pains me to get rid of gargantuan chandelier from the 1990s (sarcasm alert), it seems to be the most practical choice for our music room. What in the the world would I replace it with? I thought you’d never ask. We would replace the gargantuan chandelier (see below photo) with a ceiling fan. That felt anti-climactic, didn’t it? Wait until you find out I haven’t purchased one yet. Oops. Forget I typed that. A ceiling fan for the music room is not my first choice. It’s probably not my second choice either. But remember, it’s the practical choice. B.O.R.I.N.G. But practical. We have a little problem…

  • colonial farmhouse kitchen mini makeover progress
    colonial farmhouse,  DIY

    Kitchen Mini Makeover Progress

    If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for some sort of progress since I shared the before photos of our Colonial Farmhouse kitchen, well, today is your day. I told you that we weren’t doing a major renovation on our kitchen, but I did want to make it easier on the eyes. However, I needed to do a mini makeover on the cheap. Elbow grease and paint kind of cheap. I was also going to take my time with this project because this is not HGTV. This is real-life and, frankly, I’m not the Energizer Bunny. Shocking, I know. Here’s the timeline of my kitchen mini makeover progress. KITCHEN MINI…

  • wedding picture from 1999
    happy list

    Happy List: #152

    Hello, hello! Fun milestone around here. This week Handy Husband and I celebrated 21 years of marriage. I should probably follow that sentence up with something sentimental, but if I start down that path it will become a whole blog post and that’s not why you came here today. Suffice to say, he’s my person. And to borrow from Alistair MacLeod, “All of us are better when we’re loved.” This week on the blog I shared before pictures of our kitchen. Next week I will share some progress pictures. I also shared the most critical system in our house right now – the wifi connection. Only sort of kidding, because…

  • google mesh network Solving Wifi Issues in a House with Stone Walls
    gift and learning

    Wifi Issues in a House with Stone Walls

    If you know where the best spot in your house is for a wifi connection, this post is for you. If your internet slows down when multiple people are streaming Netflix at one time, this post is for you. If you’ve ever had wifi issues because of how your home is constructed, say with a lot of stone or concrete walls, this post is for you. I promise I’ll do my best to not let this chat about wifi issues become a snooze fest. Oh, goodness. You’re not already asleep are you? WAKE UP! We had numerous wifi issues when we moved into our Colonial Farmhouse. The stone walls combined…

  • Colonial Farmhouse Kitchen Before
    colonial farmhouse

    Colonial Farmhouse Kitchen Before

    Today is the day when I share the really bad photos of our Colonial Farmhouse kitchen before we started tackling this space. I have been radio silent about the kitchen in our Colonial Farmhouse on purpose. It’s that bad. However, just because it is THAT BAD does not mean I’m not grateful for it. I am. I’m also not embarrassed by it. It is what it is and I’m excited about what it can become. I’ve been radio silent about the kitchen because I needed time to wrap my head around this challenging space before I unleash ALL THE FEELINGS on you. Also, no one likes a whiner. Here is…

  • spring flowers on a colonial farmhouse mantle on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #151

    It’s almost February! We’re so close to making it through what feels like the LONGEST month of the year. Go us! If you need a pick-me-up this weekend, go to the grocery store and treat yourself to a bouquet of flowers. It doesn’t need to be the expensive bunch – just something bright and colorful. You need it for slogging through January! I bought myself some flowers this week and it was my favorite purchase in awhile. It sure did brighten up my house and my mood! This week on the ol’ blog I shared the reveal of our built-in computer desk space. I haven’t mentioned this yet, but eventually,…

  • winter home inspiration from new jersey
    colonial farmhouse

    My Home Could Be In a Movie

    It’s true! My home could be in a movie. Yours could too! What? Why? How? Is this a dream?  A few weeks ago I submitted our Colonial Farmhouse to be listed as a potential filming site with the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. Most every state is going to have a government entity that promotes tv and movie filming. The process to submit your home for consideration is probably different based on the state, but it shouldn’t be too hard. I’m also assuming there are multiple ways to get on the radar of location scouts and connecting with your state’s film commission is just one of them. For…

  • Built-In Computer Desk in our colonial farmhouse
    colonial farmhouse,  DIY

    Built-In Computer Desk Reveal

    I love typing the word “reveal” into a blog post title. It makes it sound like I’ve really got things dialed in on the home front, doesn’t it? So, let’s run with that utter nonsense sentiment and talk about our built-in computer desk. THE DESIGN DILEMMA We live in a colonial era farmhouse that has plenty of weird spaces character. Case in point? There is a narrow, awkward space on our second floor that is a real head scratcher. It’s bigger than a hallway, but not big enough for a bedroom. It is more like a landing. I’ve come to realize ‘landing’ is just a nice word for “you have to…

  • window wall via the nordroom
    happy list

    Happy List: #150

    Well, hello there! I hope your week went well. Mine wasn’t too shabby! One of the most random things I did was take my son to try out speed skating. That’s a thing. Imagine really large rollerblades that you wear to race around a regular skating rink. Do you know the 2-second rule when driving? Basically, maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you? THAT DOESN’T EXIST in speed skating. One wrong move and everyone goes down. He had a great, but I think he just likes skating for fun and isn’t too serious about being competitive with it. This week on the blog I shared tips…

  • Parent Tips for Transitioning Kids to Contacts
    Family

    9 Parent Tips for Transitioning Kids to Contacts

    Disclaimer: I am not qualified to give you medical or health-related advice. I’m just a parent sharing our experience. My husband and I both have terrible vision, which means our kids had little chance of navigating life without glasses or contacts. Sorry, kids. My son switched from glasses to contacts at 8 years old. My daughter started wearing contacts at age 11. That’s young! Our eye doctor said it was less about the age and more about if the child was ready for the responsibility. My kids both got glasses in kindergarten, but convincing them to wear them was always a battle. I think at 6 years old, their vision…