It’s summer! We have more free time, which means I’m itching to tackle my long to-do list. It may sound crazy, but I feel so much better when my house is clean and the lingering tasks are done. Anyone else? A few weeks ago I was complaining to a friend that I love to host people at our house but never feel like I’m ready to do so. She asked question after question, and I finally realized the root of the problem — I need to clean and update a few small spaces and devise a plan to keep them relatively clean. That’s all! So I incorporated those plans into my list below. deep clean downstairs ba ..read more

Summer is my favorite season, by far! Anyone with me? The world seems to slow down, the kids run around outside, the days are long, and the fireflies light up the night. We have late nights at the neighborhood pool, family movie nights, and more free time to spend with dear friends. It’s nothing short of magical. Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. For those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have t ..read more

Some friends of mine recently moved into a historic house in Virginia, and they have a powder room on their main floor that’s a blank slate. The powder room opens into a den that has lots of windows to their gorgeous, lush backyard. They’ll use this bathroom quite a bit, I imagine, since one of them will create an office in that den, and this is the only bathroom on the main floor. Of course, I got to thinking . . . what bathroom style would I recommend for them? I figure all of the time I spend reading design blogs has got to be useful to someone! After browsing some of my favorite sites, I ..read more

I realized today that Mothers’ Day is just around the corner! If you still need ideas, here are some tried-and-true gifts that all moms will love. And, bonus, most of them will arrive within two days – perfect if you’re a procrastinator like me. Have you heard of Eberjey pajamas? The Gisele set, in particular, is extremely popular — 593 reviews with five stars! You can buy them on Eberjey’s site, but they’re also available on Amazon and at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Macy’s. I gave my mom this umbrella from Rifle Paper last year, and it’s very high quality. This particular one is covered w ..read more

Two of my dear friends recently turned 50, and a group of us celebrated them with a weekend trip to Iceland. That sounds bananas, doesn’t it? But, as we learned, Iceland makes for a wonderful long weekend, especially if you’re flying from the east coast of the U.S.  Our flight from Dulles to Reykjavik was only 5-6 hours, and Iceland is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. We flew out at around 8 pm on a Thursday night and landed in Reykjavik at around 6 am on Friday morning. We returned on Monday, leaving Reykjavik at around 4 pm and arriving at Dulles around 6 pm. We only had to take ..read more

Our friends recently moved into a beautiful house near us, and I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with decor ideas for their consideration. I love thinking about the best ways to showcase their personalities and make their house shine. (And they’re very kind for putting up with my many ideas!) Their house has lots of cool, unique touches, like the stained glass in the bathroom pictured below. They want to keep the glass and the vintage tile but replace the sink and the weird countertop thing over the toilet. After seeing the room in person and talking to them about it, I’m picturing an old ..read more

Every new year, I get excited about the year ahead. For the past few years, I’ve adopted a habit from Gretchen Rubin that’s been really helpful for me — I write a list of things I want to do in the coming year. Past lists have included the mundane (get plumbing fixed, get passports for family), the challenging (teach a yoga series), and the fun (visit the roller derby, go swing dancing). To come up with this list each year, I consider questions like these: Which activities and relationships gave me joy this past year? Which ones didn’t give me joy? What new things do I want to try? What coul ..read more

Some of our dear friends just bought a house in our town, and I couldn’t be more excited! They got a gorgeous, stately house — a place with a great sense of history and depth. It has fabulous wood floors, beautiful moldings, and some cool stained glass pieces that make the house feel unique and loved. One of the first places they want to tackle is their primary bathroom. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but the pictures make it look huge! Everything is in working order, and the vanity is gorgeous, but the rest of the room isn’t quite their style. They love the stained glass, but it calls to mi ..read more

Maybe that title is misleading! Part of managing everything in December — especially if you’re the one who makes things happen in the family — is stress. It’s unavoidable. BUT we can use some shortcuts to alleviate some of the stress. How can we take away some of the pressure while still enjoying the beauty and happiness this season offers? 1. Make a plan, write it down, and post it for everyone to see When we had a bunch of family members coming into town one year, I was very nervous about how everything would go. Like all kids, ours can be unpredictable, and I figured they’d do better if the ..read more

Looking for gifts for your girlfriends, sisters, or mom? Or maybe you need a little treat for yourself? (No shame in that — I’ve been known to wrap gifts to myself, put them under the tree, and open them on Christmas morning!) Here are some of my top favorites from this year. If you’ve been following for a while, the sunglasses might look familiar — they’re my go-to brand, and I wear them every day. They usually go on sale on Black Friday, so I’ll be stalking the Quay website to get my sunglasses for next year. The only item on this list that I don’t own is the sneakers. Have you tried Veja sn ..read more