Random thoughts on a bright shiny new Saturday morning: 1. Have you seen the new way to hem your jeans? You keep the original hem and just fold it over and sew it in place. It’s kind of a game changer. 2. I just finished the BEST book. It’s called A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen. She was a new author to me and I love the way she writes. The book is a true rags-to-riches story set at the turn of the century about a woman who creates her own haute couture brand. There’s a love story and a story involving the Titanic, too. You can see more about it here. 3. It was a great week on the b ..read more

Looking for the perfect gift idea for Father’s Day or a wedding or anniversary? Here’s how to turn a photo into a watercolor painting with one click. I was shopping for artwork for my walls. And then I remembered something amazing. Instead of shopping artists and canvases and wall art and paying a lot of money for art? What if I just shopped myself instead? I remembered I have an app on my phone that I installed zillions of years ago that turns any photo into a watercolor. I know, right? It’s literally amazing. And then my brain started hopping around full of brilliant thoughts. Wouldn’t thi ..read more

Random thoughts on a Saturday morning full of sunshine: 1. We worked out in the yard and my husband’s allergies are acting up. He has a runny nose and his voice is a little hoarse. But in amazing news? He sounds just like Kenny Rodgers. I told him that you got to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. 2. You know the Colleen Rothschild skin care products that we all know and love? I always try to let you know when they go on sale so you can stock up. Here’s my routine I use and all my favorites. Everything is 20% off this weekend with my code THISTLEWOOD20. You can see all my favor ..read more

Looking for a way to light up a closet or other space, but you can’t wire a light there? Here’s how to light a closet without wiring. If we are keeping it real around here? My children are much less impressed with me than I think they should be. Much of what I do is greeted with a smile and a shrug of the shoulder and the occasional dismissive sniff and eye roll. Sigh. No ticker tape parade around here. But yesterday? Yesterday was one for the record books. I finished a fun project and showed the twins. I couldn’t believe it. They cheered and high-fived me and exclaimed with excitement that ..read more

Random thoughts on a weekend full of sunshine: 1. I’m so excited about Mother’s Day. I’m treating my mother and then the kids have planned a full day of events including board games and cooking supper. 2. The twins are finished with school for the semester and we are going to have a movie night tonight with the new Anne Hathaway movie, “The Idea Of You.” Has anyone else seen it? 3. National Sunscreen Day is coming up. Please make sure to add sunscreen to your Memorial Day weekend if you are spending any amount of time in the sunshine. 4. In amazing news, Buddy has rallied. He still has to be ..read more

Have a large tray and trying to find ways to use it? Here are nine different options for how to decorate with a basket tray. You all asked? And today? I’m going to deliver. When I posted all about how to remodel a kitchen on a budget (and every time I post a kitchen post) I get asked about this basket. Whenever you’ve asked in the past, I’ve looked for a similar basket. I got this one over 10 years ago at Hobby Lobby and I should have bought a gazillion of them because apparently, they are rarer than a solar eclipse. But this time? I was NOT going to be defeated. I took it on as my personal ..read more

Random thoughts on a Saturday morning that’s full of joy: 1. I’m in the middle of planning a graduation party for my nephew. We are having a giant dessert charcuterie table (but no balloon arch—he was not about it). 2. Everyone is all about the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks around here. Both Dallas teams are in the playoffs right now. Both my sons went to the playoff game last night. I cheered from home—better snacks and no traffic. 3. On Thursday night, I hosted Mah Jong. I absolutely love the game. It was so hard to learn, but now slowly I’m learning it with each game. I think I ne ..read more

Random thoughts on a stormy Saturday morning: 1. I made chicken wraps with lettuce last night for dinner (remember I’m a cook, now). They were so good. I added that chicken that I love and then black beans and sour cream and salsa and avocado. Someone suggested cabbage wraps to me. I’m going to try that next. 2. In exciting news, we just got invited to a fancy party for my aunt’s anniversary up at the Cape. Time to start planning the outfit. 3. Looking for a fun way to make your room feel like summer without spending a dime? Here’s a tip I use all the time. 4. It was an amazing week on the b ..read more

Looking for decorative bowl filler ideas? There are so many inexpensive ideas to fill a bowl in minutes. Here are 25 of my favorites. Can we unpack a decorating challenge? You know. You have a bowl or a tray or an oversized vessel. It’s beautiful and decorative and stylish and incredible and and and and…. …empty. Maybe it’s empty because you like it empty in which case this might not be the post for you (totally understand and absolutely no decorating judgment here). Maybe it’s empty because you are waiting for a special occasion to fill it. Or maybe? Maybe it’s empty because you can’t think ..read more

Have you ever been so excited about two things and you can’t decide which to be excited about more? That’s me. I want to share this entire taco bar and how I made it and all the ingredients (and how you can make it gluten-free). And then? I want to share with you all how I conquered my fear of meat. Seriously. I think that’s where all my entire non-cooking thing started all those years ago. Remember the roast? Remember the chicken fiasco? Remember my macaroni and cheese kitchen? I think everything started because literally cannot figure out meat. How to prepare it? How to fix it? What type o ..read more