Hello, pumpkin season! What should I do to make the most of you? I can only eat so much pie, so I’ve been looking for recipes that’ll make better use of the pumpkin supply from our CSA (we’re 4 years in with Porter Farms from Elba, NY and still love it). This year: Pumpkin Butter. Our maiden voyage into the world of homemade pumpkin butter began with a single pie pumpkin. It yielded so much spread that we’ve frozen it, and will probably be chipping away at our stash until the snow melts. Cozy things! What you’ll need: 1 pie pumpkin brown sugar maple syrup cinnamon allspice nutmeg cloves ..read more

Our newest BFF, companion girl, partner-in-crime, littlest sister arrived home earlier this month. Martha–named as a nod to our family’s infatuation with The Beatles and my insistence on using human names for pets–fell right into place. We were ready for her, with a brand new invisible fence and various toys because maybe this dog will like playing fetch? Verdict still out. Things that tire Martha: wiffle balls sunshine lunchtime late night #diy projects @marthamydog #bernedoodlesofinstagram #flagstone #exteriorremodel #outdoorlivingroom #bestfriendgoals #helperdog #marth ..read more

It may come as some surprise that last fall, we hired a professional designer for our impending kitchen remodel. Why? Don’t you love the DIY stuff? Can’t you do everything? Isn’t it expensive? There are more than a few reasons that it made sense for us to go this route, and so far it has been worth it: First and foremost, I don’t know a whole lot about remodeling an old kitchen, despite how many times I’ve watched Rehab Addict. Our professionals do it all day every day, and have a much more technical approach to designing a highly functional home. They’re confident in their recommendations an ..read more

Our biggest project of 2018 kept us busy for quite some time. Scheming ways in which to update the covered porch of our midcentury home was a 5-year process, and though I’ve started many times to draft the story in a way that it could be digested as a single serving, it’s a bit of a full meal. I think it makes for a better memory than piecemealing the process into 10 separate posts. To read more posts relating to the reinvention of our various outdoor living spaces, check the Outdoor Living category of the blog. ____ Outdoor Living Room: Before – 2013 The screened in porch wasn’t included in t ..read more

Expertise needed for this recreational Zone 5 gardener. An honest attempt at growing leeks My daughter and I start our leek seeds (“Hattie’s Leeks”) on Valentine’s Day. We started early after noticing that the ones at Wegmans were about 2.5″ in diameter – exceptionally large. Leeks, man. We can’t seem to grow them quite like the Wegmans farmers. 2017 was our first year planting them in our own garden, and though we’re bound by a May-Nov outdoor season, part of our fail is that we’re always behind the curve when it comes to starting these guys. At harvest, the leeks are typically only about th ..read more

A thousand words couldn’t properly articulate how much we love living here. We celebrated our 5th “homeiversary” in June, and just wrapped our 6th summer in this lovely place. This year, I attempted to replicate a few of my favorite photos from our first week including: And this, which shows how the fence used to be completely overgrown, making the back half of our property completely unusable: And even our “new” outdoor living room (a long post about its evolution is sitting as a rough draft): We’ve had a busy few months (and if you follow me on IG, it’s 99% garden related). Shorter, co ..read more

This post was sponsored by STIHL because they supplied the chainsaw (STIHL’s MSA 120 C-BQ) and sharpening equipment. The content itself is my own. It’s no secret that I advocate for homeowners to try battery-powered tools. Everything I’ve purchased and tested is pretty awesome, and the STIHL Lightning Battery System® line of products does not let down. There’s a definite intimidation factor when it comes to buying a chainsaw, especially if you’ve never owned one before or you’re not sure you know what to do with one. For me, even the most ordinary maintenance ..read more

This post was sponsored by STIHL because they supplied the chainsaw and safety equipment. However, the project is my own and Swedish cut fire logs really are things we make and use at home. I figured it was about time you learned how to make your own too, and am happy STIHL partnered with me on the project! We’ve been making our own Swedish torches for a few years after having noticed them for sale–in exchange for real money–at local stores. “I have a chainsaw, I can totally make those,” I thought, and that’s how it started. Due to having an inordinate amount of firewood and a family with ..read more