Being able to fix up this house over the past year and a half has been a dream come true! But it’s a bit of a letdown when people enter through the front door and see this lackluster first impression of our home. Needless to say, I’m so excited to finally be moving forward with finishing up this space! It will be the last major project we work on for a while, because Phil and I need a break… like yesterday. Over the past couple of months I’ve been working on making final decisions with flooring, stair finishes, and front door options. There is so much to consider, so I’ve been making a concer ..read more

Whenever I’m searching for inspiration for a new room makeover, I’m always drawn to spaces that have an eclectic mix of furnishings. I love seeing homes with a mix of new and old pieces from a variety of eras with lots of great textures and finishes. The look of a home that feels collected is so much more special to me than a home that looks like it jumped straight from the pages of a catalogue. Of course, it can be difficult to achieve that kind of mix when you’re starting from scratch! I’ve been known to spend hours online searching for the perfect new pieces for my home, plus a great mix o ..read more

Lucy is now a six year old, you guys! I can’t believe it. She had her first friends-only birthday party last weekend, which made me feel completely justified to go all out with decorations to make the day super special for Lucy and her little friends! And, who am I kidding— I’ve been dying to plan fun parties for my kiddos, every since I was a little girl myself! I haven’t blogged the girls’ parties in a while because I’ve been pretty busy with home renovations and honestly haven’t done much besides themed sticker cups and grocery store cakes. Nothing wrong with that, but honestly I enjoy doi ..read more

I’m so excited to share the final images of our powder room makeover with you! I had a lot of fun planning this space, a mild amount of fun tiling this space (okay, so not really that much fun— though I did listen to a lot of podcasts!), and even more fun reveling in the “after!” Check out the “before” of this space below. I know the design of this space is not for everyone, and that’s okay! Because most of you won’t be actually using this space on the daily. :) We’re really happy with how it turned out, and I feel like it’s exactly that I was going for. A little mid century desert design in ..read more

Whenever I finish a room makeover in our home, I’m usually on a tight publishing schedule because of sponsors or my posting schedule at A Beautiful Mess, so I usually end up photographing the room the next day! (Sometime even the same day!) Inevitably, the space ends up evolving as I settle into it and feel out how to get every detail feelings just right. Of course, the adjustments never really end! I’ll find something at an antique mall of flea market and figure out a way to incorporate it into my home. Or sometimes get the urge to repaint the walls. And so it goes. On and on and on. When I ..read more

Thank you to Power AirFryer Oven for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own. Power bowls are a great way to add nutritional and flavor variety to your meals, without a lot of fuss. Just throw a variety of tasty, nutrient-dense foods into a bowl, add your favorite topping or dressing, and dig in! It’s the perfect healthy meal to enjoy in lieu of a salad. Power bowls are, in my opinion, much more satisfying than a salad. I always crave a crispy crunch with my power bowls, so I was really excited to use my new Power AirFryer Oven to give some of my mix ..read more

I’m so excited to be able to pop in with a powder room update for you all! So far I’ve completely rearranged the bathroom with help from J&J Plumbing, settled on tile and fixture choices, and have even begun tiling! Right now I’m in the process of thinking about decorations as I pause work on the space for a moment. I’m torn between using mostly white decorative elements to add more of textural interest with less dynamic design, or something warmer like what’s pictured above right. What do you think? Our sink and toilet used to be arranged on the left wall of the powder room, but now the ..read more

Wow, you guys! July was such a busy month that seemed to both crawl and fly by. We spent so many evenings working on our patio makeover— it was quite exhausting! But I’m happy to report that the project is finished! Check out my patio planning blog post I wrote before setting out on the project. Kind of crazy how the result actually turned out how I planned! Ha! I’ve shared two posts at A Beautiful Mess about the first steps of the project: How to Build an Inexpensive Slat Wood Privacy Fence How We Refinished Our Old Wood Deck The grand reveal is coming soon, along with a post about the sla ..read more

I’m so excited to finally begin work on our first floor bathroom this month! We ripped out the flooring and toilet last Summer, and have been hiking up the stairs every time we need to use the facilities. Yes, even through potty training. It’s been a joy. The good news about waiting a year to begin working on a space is that I get a year to plan, replan, and plan again! I’ve been through so many design options for this space, I’ve lost count! But I finally settled on three looks that I really dig. I’d love for you all to weight in on which option is your favorite! When we sold our home last M ..read more

Are you trying to fit in more vegetables, less meat, more protein, less carbs? It’s a lot to think about! But this vegetarian pesto pasta dish has it all, thanks to the edamame spaghetti I used, rather than traditional wheat-based pasta. It’s also a one-pot meal, so there’s very little cleanup involved with food prep or cooking. It’s serious the answer to all of my problems! (Or at least the problems that arise during dinnertime!) I’ve struggled with eating healthy during the past year of home renovations. There’s so much mental and physical work involved, not to mention time, that it often f ..read more