Eight Fun 4th of July Ideas
Before you know it, the USA will be celebrating another birthday. It is turning the ripe old age of 246 in 2022! That calls for a celebration, don’t you think? Here are eight fun 4th of July ideas to make the holiday even more festive. Fun 4th of July Ideas: Make Faux Sparklers or Giant Frill Picks I had so much fun making these last year and plan to reuse them again this year. (Read how I made them here.) You can either use these faux sparklers or giant frill picks in the world’s largest sandwich, or you can do like I did and put them in my front porch…
Happy List: #260
Hello! Welcome to today’s Happy List. I’m glad you’re here. This week on the blog we celebrated 3 years of living in this Colonial Farmhouse. We’ve actually been in New Jersey for almost 4 years now. That’s getting close to a record for us! I also shared photos of our new flagstone path and our experience with setting flagstones directly on the ground. If nothing else, you can come here to learn from our DIY experiences – the good and the bad! Thank you in advance for reading today’s blog post, sharing things you like, sending good vibes our way, and even engaging with us on Instagram or Facebook. This is my happy…
What Happens When You Set Flagstones Directly On The Ground
What happens when you set flagstones directly on the ground? It depends. That’s such a terrible answer, right? We are not experts, but we do have experience setting flagstones directly on the ground when creating paths. I’m sharing what we’ve learned here – the good and the bad. Hopefully, our experience will help you make a more informed decision when deciding to DIY or hire a pro to build a flagstone path. Keep in mind that our experience is specific to soil and weather conditions in New Jersey. Where you live, conditions, and, therefore, your experience might be different when setting flagstones directly on the ground. Remember, this feedback is…
Colonial Farmhouse 3 Year Anniversary
It is our 3 year anniversary of living in this amazing Colonial Farmhouse. Woohoo! She’s a good one and we are so honored to be her current caretakers. Were you here when we bought this place? Can you believe 3 years have already passed? I can’t! As I reflect back on it, most of the last 3 years feel like a blur. I guess that’s what happens when your lives have forever been altered by a global pandemic, remote schooling, working from home, and all sorts of other “regular” life adjustments while working on a fixer-upper. It’s a good thing I took pictures of how this Colonial Farmhouse looked when…
Happy List: #259
Hi! Welcome to the Happy List! I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s recap this week on the blog! I shared the magical feeling the new string lights on our deck are giving us. I also asked for your advice on how to become a night owl. Ha! I also shared some reusable shopping bags that gave me a chuckle. Does your state have a plastic bag ban? Thank you in advance for reading today’s blog post, sharing things you like, sending good vibes our way, and even engaging with us on Instagram or Facebook. This is my happy place and your support helps keep this blog running. I appreciate you. Here’s the Happy…
In Praise of Funny Reusable Shopping Bags
Is there a plastic bag ban where you live? New Jersey’s plastic bag ban kicked in a few weeks ago and it’s broader than most because it includes paper bags and foam polystyrene. There are some exceptions for some stores, but the rules are still fuzzy to me. All in all, I’m in support of this change. It makes me feel like we’re all working together in this small way to help the planet. I was already in the habit of bringing my own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. I do have to remember now to bring a bag when I’m going to a place like Target or…
Adding Magic To Our Deck With String Lights
Am I the last person on earth to add string lights to their deck? It kind of feels like it, but I know that’s an exaggeration. Not everyone has a deck or a backyard, so I feel extremely blessed. We’ve spent the last three years working on our outdoor spaces. It occurred to us during the long, cold winter that maybe we should stop and enjoy those outdoor spaces once the weather warmed up. Otherwise, what was the point of all that work? Although the more time we spend enjoying our outdoor spaces the more projects we dream up to tackle. Because that’s what you do when you’re relaxing, right?…
How a Weed Became A Symbol of Remembrance
Have you ever wondered how a weed became a symbol of remembrance worldwide for fallen soldiers? That weed is the poppy. The first shock to my system was that poppies are weeds. I thought poppies were pretty flowers. Don’t believe me? Go check out my proof here and here and here and here. Weed or not, I still think they are pretty. The origin story of the poppy becoming a worldwide symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers stems from a poem penned by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae was a Canadian brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit. Not long after the Second Battle of Ypres where 87,000 Allied soldiers were killed, wounded, or…
Happy List: #258
Hello! Welcome to the Happy List. I’m glad you’re here! This week on the blog I shared an indoor project and an outdoor project. First, I discovered the key to decorating with kid art…unless it is glitter art. If it’s glitter art I can’t help you. You can’t even look at glitter without it multiplying. I also shared what’s going on with our two driveways. I’ll do the hard eye roll for you at how “extra” that two driveways sentence sounded. It’s not as extra in person as it sounds. I’d describe it as quirky. Thank you in advance for reading today’s blog post, sharing things you like, sending good…
What’s Going On With Our Driveways?
What’s going on with our driveways? That’s probably what our neighbors are wondering. Same, neighbors. Same. The short answer is we’re fumbling our way through a driveway reimagination. But the short answer does not make for a blog post. So, let me dish the dirt right now, and let me tell you, there’s a lot of actual dirt in this story. We live in a semi-rural area along a county road. I’m not sure if it’s illegal, but people don’t park, at least not long-term, on the side of the road as you would in a town. The roads were not built to accommodate parking and you do not want…
