How Our Landscaping Survived A Dry Summer
Our neighborhood group chat discusses things like power outages, bear sightings, contractor recommendations, and how our landscaping survived or didn’t survive a long, dry summer. So, the usual. Most people I know would categorize New Jersey summers as hot and humid with plenty of rain. That combination lends itself well to New Jersey being nicknamed the Garden State. Fess up! You were thinking of a not-so-nice nickname for New Jersey, weren’t you? It has plenty of those too. Ha! New Jersey has certainly been hot this summer, but also very, very dry. We started the summer with everything looking lush. Yes, it really was that electric green. Then we ended the…
5 Fun Labor Day Facts
It’s Labor Day in the USA and many folks, including us, are enjoying a day off from school and work. Here are 5 fun Labor Day facts that I found interesting and I’m sure you will too! After all, who doesn’t love a little drama and glass-ceiling breaking with their history? On second thought, I think we could all use a break from any drama. How about we all try to get along? Folks 100 years from now will thank us. Here are the Labor Day facts I found interesting. Fun Labor Day Facts: The Founder of Labor Day Is In Dispute Two men, Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire,…
Happy List: #269
Hello! Welcome to today’s Happy List. I’m glad you are here. In case you didn’t know this, I publish blog posts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. How in the world I keep up that schedule is a mystery to me because I’m pretty much convinced every week that I have nothing else to say. If there’s something you’re curious about, you’ll have to let me know. This week on the blog I shared how we turned a piano into a kitchen bar. Spoiler: it doesn’t look like a piano. I also shared 5 tricks for decorating your home for fall. The over-arching theme of that post was just to never…
5 Fall Decorating Tricks To Give Your Home Cozy Vibes
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…
Reclaimed Kitchen Bar From An Old Piano
We created a reclaimed kitchen bar from an old piano. Yes, a piano. Are you surprised? No, the kitchen bar doesn’t look like a piano. Are you disappointed? If you’ve ever had the fortune (please note I did not say if it was good or bad fortune) to dismantle a piano, you will discover there’s a surprising amount of high-quality lumber inside. Old pianos are SOLIDLY built and typically made with gorgeous hardwood. Below is a picture of how our old piano started out. Please note this piano came with a house we purchased. We already owned a piano. There are a lot of things we need, even want in…
Happy List: #268
Hi! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m delighted you are here. This week on the blog I shared how I upcycled an antique farm implement into a rustic towel bar. I also went on a deep dive researching the trending return of patchwork quilts. We are also on Day 2 of the new school year for one of our kids. The other kid is gleefully rubbing it in that they have another week of leisure left. Sibling love at its finest. Ha! Thank you for your continued support of this blog in all ways, shapes, and forms. Even engaging with us on Instagram or Facebook is important to us. Your support truly…
In Praise of Patchwork Quilts
Suddenly, I’m seeing patchwork quilts everywhere. Have you noticed this trend too? If nothing else, we can always count on everything old eventually becoming new again. Well, everything except us. I am not a quilting expert, but I do know that the patchwork part of a patchwork quilt simply refers to pieces of fabric that are stitched together in a pattern. This can also be called piecing. Quilting refers to the process of stitching a top layer, batting, and backing together to make a bedcovering. You could have a quilt that’s not patchworked or pieced. For instance, some coverlets that are solid colored are technically quilted because they have a top…
DIY Rustic Towel Bar From An Antique Harness
Who needs a rustic towel bar? Me, apparently. And maybe one of you. One of the things we found on our property was an antique harness that would have been part of the connection between a horse and a buggy or horse and a farm implement. At least, that’s what I think it is, but I could be wrong. From what I can tell, these harnesses go by different names: Singletree harness, Whiffletree harness, Whippletree harness, and leader-bars. Ours seems to be missing the center connection though. It looks like it could have been there and broken off, but that’s the only thing that makes me question whether or not…
Happy List: #267
Hi! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m glad you’re here for a dose of light-hearted inspiration. This week on the blog I shared my 4 tips for using a headboard as a room divider. It’s a very niche topic, I know. Niche topics are my specialty around here. Ha! I also shared some meaning behind my favorite candid photos of our house. That post seemed to really resonate with you all. Thank you for messaging me about that post and sharing your feelings about your home with me. I’m honored to be the recipient of those sentiments. Thank you for your continued support of this blog in all ways,…
Candid Photos of Our House That Give Me Warm Fuzzy Feelings
I’m one of those people who will walk through our house on a mission to get coffee, do chores, etc., and then some amazing scene or moment will catch my eye and the mission will be abandoned. Poof! Just like that, my easily distracted squirrel brain will be compelled to stop and snap a quick candid photo of the amazing scene or moment. Do you do that too? This situation occurs often enough that I need a sign on my back that says, “This person makes frequent stops to snap photos. Do not follow closely behind.” It’s probably also why I can’t find things (scissors, Kindle, laundry basket) because in…
