Sometimes the junk gods grant you a gift – an old, nasty wood ladder that’s covered in dirt and spiders that you have to drag out of the trash. Gee, thanks, junk gods. It’s the thought that counts, right? Well, I thought I could turn that old wood ladder into a blanket ladder. The problem with an actual wood ladder that was used for actual laddering to reach high places, is that it just looks like a work ladder not a blanket ladder. This is fine if that’s the look you’re going for in your home. Throw a blanket on it and call it good. No judgment here. I used my…

Hi! This week we are taking time off of actual work to do some work on the house before the winter weather blows in. We’ve been waiting half a lifetime (exaggeration is my specialty today) for materials to show up and they finally arrived last week. That means we can dive into fixing something that’s needed to be fixed for ages. Will we get it done this week? Hmm… Well, it’s always good to start out with an optimistic spirit, right? If we don’t encounter anything unexpected then I think it’s possible to get it 95% done. We’ve never started a project here where we haven’t encountered something unexpected, but…

I have learned a few tricks to give my home cozy, fall vibes without using fall-specific home decor. It’s a subtle, but surprisingly effective approach. Other than Christmas, I don’t keep much seasonal-specific decor on hand. I’ve never had room to store those items and tend to skew a bit more minimalistic on the decor spectrum anyway. It’s a good thing for me that there are some easy tricks to make my home look and feel ready for fall without having to hang an “it’s fall y’all” sign. (No shade intended.) In fact, you might like these ideas so much you use them all year. That’s what I do. My…

Hi! I’m taking a vacation week to spend time with family before school starts! I can hardly believe how fast this summer is flying by. Before I know it we’ll be back to our school routines and we’ll be missing these carefree days of summer. I’ll be back next week with fresh new blog posts! Until then, please follow along on Instagram or Facebook to see what we are up to this week. If you’d like a few things to read while I’m away, try one of these favorites: Copycat Dave’s Killer Bread Recipe Living in Ireland: Practical Advice for Americans How to Make a DIY Brass Pumpkin How to Remove Ring Around the…

Hi! I’ll be off the blog this week because we have family coming to visit! How fun is that? It will be the first time we’ve seen one of our siblings in years. YEARS! I’m sure I’ll have something to post on social media stories this week, but I don’t know how that will play out yet because the week is unplanned. We do hope to show them some of the local New Jersey sights though. Yes, my deliciously snarky readers, there are cool places in New Jersey to check out. At least one or two. To see what we are up to this week, please follow along via Instagram or Facebook.…

Hi! I hope you had a lovely Easter if you celebrate. This is finally our Spring Break week! Does our Spring Break feel late to you? It feels late to me. I’ll be taking this week off the blog to do some fun stuff with the family. I’m not sure if I will be posting stories every day to Instagram and Facebook this week, but I will if the mood strikes! In the meantime, if you’d like something to read, here are some light-hearted blog posts from the archives that you might enjoy. Bird Nest In A Shoe How I Accidentally Got My Kids Excited For College 7 Funny Truths…

Aren’t bedside wall sconces the best? I’m not speaking from personal experience so much unless you count hotel stays. It’s probably why I like staying in hotels so much. Those rooms have something my bedroom does not have – bedside wall sconces. When I say bedside wall sconce, I don’t care much about the actual location of the wall sconce as long as I can reach it with my arm without moving any other part of my body. Yes, I’m that lazy. Above the bed or next to the bed is all fine for me when thinking about bedside wall sconces and their location. The beauty of bedside wall sconces…

Does anyone else feel like 2021 has flown by? Perhaps it is because the first half was just a blur as we slogged our way through the Covid-19 pandemic. I’d say we are still slogging our way through it, but with many more tools in our toolbelt. Thanks, science! This week I’ll be taking time off the blog to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family. One of the things I’m thankful for is that you have spent time engaging with us over the blog and social media during this last year. The DIY rollercoaster is always more enjoyable when our online friends (Yes, you!) can join us for all the ups,…

Hey folks! I’m taking a mid-October blog break because rest is important. Handy Husband and the kids are off of school and work parts of this week for Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I’m joining them in doing…I’m not sure what. Ha! I’m sure it will be fabulous though. If you’d like something to read from the archives, I suggest one of the following: Travel: Opus 40 in New York  (The Opus 40 folks shared what I wrote when it was published.) How to Fix the Waistband “Gap” of Your Jeans Turn Old Board Games Into Coasters I’ll see you back here next week with fresh, new blog posts.…

I’m taking this week off the blog to take a DEEP BREATH before school starts. My daughter starts high school later this week. My son starts middle school next week. You can bet we’ll be celebrating the start of those milestones! But maybe not the early bus schedule. Lord have mercy. My kids were not in a classroom at all last year, so this is a big adjustment back to whatever we are calling a return-to-school these days. The real world? Our new normal? At a bare minimum this adjustment is going to involve my kids wearing real pants and not pajama pants to school. It’s a real bummer when…