• You Can Sell a Live Tree From Your Yard
    gardening and landscape

    You Can Sell a Live Tree From Your Yard

    Did you know you can sell a live tree from your yard? That’s a thing! Make sure it’s actually your tree growing in YOUR yard though. It might not be super common to sell a live tree from your yard, but it does happen. Determining if this is a viable option comes down to different factors. Is there demand for your tree? Is your tree healthy? Is your tree accessible or worth the effort of digging up? I recently embarked on a tree selling adventure, so I thought my experience might help you. We have a very mature Japanese Maple growing right next to our pool. The tree seems to…

  • diy rope planter on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #158

    Hello! I truly hope you are all staying healthy. We have had an interesting week with everyone at home, but still trying to do work and school. While I am very much aware of and sensitive to what is going on in the world, the blog will continue with business as usual. This is my happy place. I come here because I enjoy writing, sharing our projects and engaging with you. I need that more than ever and I hope you do too. We’ll see how long I can keep things up if we run out of DIY supplies. This week I shared some updates we’ve made on cleaning up…

  • Painting Ceilings is Super Fun
    DIY

    Painting Ceilings is Super Fun

    Painting ceilings is super fun. Said no one ever. Here are some things to keep in mind when painting a ceiling. Who knows when this advice might come in handy? Truth #1: Painting a ceiling is great “me” time.  Need some alone time? We all do from time to time. If you need some alone time just ask anyone if they want to help you paint a ceiling. Poof! Just like magic, everyone will disappear. Truth #2: Remember, painting ceilings is super fun.  Just keep repeating this mantra over and over. If you say it enough times, you might even start to believe it. If you don’t say it enough,…

  • winter yard clean up with gorilla cart
    gardening and landscape

    Winter Yard Clean Up

    Today I want to talk about something I’ve been avoiding for months – winter yard clean up. I’ve been avoiding this task for so long that in my part of the world it’s not really wintery, but it’s not full on spring either. It’s win-pring. Or maybe wint-ring. Let’s just call it early spring like a normal person would. We do have a few flowers poking their heads out of the ground, but the trees and shrubs have not budded or leafed out yet. That means I still have a narrow window of time to tackle winter yard clean up before things get really bushy. Oh, goodie. Our property was…

  • seaweed on the irish sea on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #157

    Well, happy Friday the 13th! It sure is a weird time in the world, isn’t it? I hope you are all staying safe and well. This week I shared how I’m decorating with my mom’s thimble collection. I just love to hear the stories you’ve shared with me about the thimbles you have that belong to your moms and grandmothers. I also wrote about our trip to Avery’s Beverages in New Britain, Connecticut. We love fun, quirky travel experiences like that and I hope you do too. It is Happy List time! I don’t know about you, but I need a big dose of happy! MINTY This home in Mobile,…

  • decorating with thimbles
    decorating

    Decorating with Thimbles in a Modern Way

    My mother, who sewed her own wedding dress, is getting a laugh from heaven today. Can you hear it? Despite all of her attempts (and there were many) to teach me any type of sewing because it would be a handy skill to master, I never really took to it. I still have dang it had a stubborn streak and very little patience for detail-oriented work. I definitely have not had the need to pick up a thimble in my adult life, but there’s still time. Therefore, the fact that I’m writing about decorating with thimbles today would be a wee bit laughable to her. The moral of this story? Mom is…

  • travel avery's beverages
    travel

    Travel: Avery’s Beverages

    “You’re not from New England, are you?” Well, there went my attempt to blend in. What gave me away? My accent? No. My style of dress? No. My mannerisms? No. The slogan “not from here” on my t-shirt? No. I outed myself as a visitor to New England (specifically, Connecticut) because I didn’t know what birch beer tasted like. I thought this was an innocuous question since we were touring a beloved Connecticut institution, Avery’s Beverages, which sells a birch beer soda. Apparently, if you’re from New England (and possibly not living under a rock like me) you’ll know what birch beer tastes like. Spoiler alert! It tastes like a…

  • good luck horseshoe
    happy list

    Happy List: #156

    Hello, hello! This week I shared a belated progress report on the projects we’ve tackled at our Colonial Farmhouse. Thank you for your encouragement over the past six months. Every kind word and thought sent our way definitely bolstered our spirits. I also shared the handkerchief art I made out of vintage handkerchiefs that used to belong to my grandparents. Handkerchief is such a funny word, don’t you think? It doesn’t really roll off the tongue easily. Here is the Happy List! LEATHER HEADBOARD This portfolio of Banda Property in the U.K. is amazing, but check out that bed. The headboard portion would be completely doable as a DIY. You’re…

  • vintage handkerchief art
    Crafts,  decorating

    Vintage Handkerchief Art

    I own a whole stack of vintage handkerchiefs. These handkerchiefs belonged to my grandpa, my aunt, my grandma and my mom. Have I ever used these handkerchiefs? Nope. Snot going to happen. I mean NOT. Not going to happen. Not because it’s not a good idea. It is. It’s more that some of these handkerchiefs are no longer practical for everyday use due to how delicate they’ve become. But back in the day, did my relatives use these gorgeous handkerchiefs? You bet they did! Handkerchiefs were meant to be used before Kleenex took over the world. No shade to Kleenex or Puffs. I love those ones with lotion. How DO…

  • white painted picket gate
    colonial farmhouse

    6 Month Progress on the Colonial Farmhouse

    It’s time for a 6 month progress report on the Colonial Farmhouse. Sure, we’ve lived here longer than six months. 8 1/2 months, actually, but who’s counting? Let’s not get bogged down in the timing. The truth of the matter is I didn’t think about writing a 6 month progress report until now. While this progress report is almost three months late, I’m only sharing progress that was finished within our first six months of living here because that makes it better. Buckle up blog friends because it turns out we’ve made more progress on this Colonial Farmhouse than I thought! KITCHEN: June 2019 Ah, ambience. Just makes you want…