Wood Planter with Leather Handles
Sometimes I need a quick win on the home improvement front. Scratch that. I always need a quick win on the home improvement front. How often does that happen? Not as often as always. Today’s project – a wood planter with leather handles – was my version of ‘make a quick win happen’ or go back to painting an endless amount of baseboard trim. And I was desperate to have a break from painting trim. Here’s what I started with. It’s a wood box. It was left here when we moved in. It was shaped like a birdhouse. Handy Husband cut off the roof peaks and the perch. I don’t…
Kitchen Mini Makeover Reveal
Who is ready for our kitchen mini makeover reveal? This will be awkward if you say you aren’t ready because that’s all I’ve got for you today! I’ve been thinking about the tone I want to set with this kitchen mini makeover reveal. When I last wrote about this space I mentioned that my new standard for design, as it relates to THIS kitchen, is a place that doesn’t make my soul shrivel up. If that doesn’t set the tone for this post, I don’t know what will. This is not an “I have the most amazing kitchen ever” kind of reveal. This is more of a “we’re on a…
Happy List: #153
Happy Valentine’s Day! Do you celebrate this holiday? Handy Husband and I don’t really celebrate, but I’ll probably make something fun for dinner tonight. This week I shared progress photos of our kitchen. On Monday I’ll wrap this whole melodrama up with some finished photos of the cabinets. I also asked you all to help me pick a ceiling fan for our music room. Summer is coming, after all. Probably. Hopefully. Please let summer come soon. I miss complaining about how stifling the heat is. When I went through the various places people left comments, the votes were split pretty evenly between fan #1 and fan #5. So…thanks? I think?…
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…
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…
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…
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
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…
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,…
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…
