• fruit and veggies things I'm enjoying now
    Family

    5 Things I’m Enjoying Now

    Every once in a while I have something I’d love to share with you, but it doesn’t warrant a full blog post or even fit in with my usual blog post topics. So, I’m rounding them up today and sharing 5 Things I’m Enjoying Now! Let’s do this! Things I’m Enjoying Now: Second Chances at Childhood Rituals Tip of the hat to Harry Potter! Thanks to those books, I’ve been given a second chance at reading to one of my kids at night. My kids both grew out of bedtime stories when they reached middle school age. It’s natural and to be expected, but it still made me a little…

  • main staircase makeover curved stair tread colonial house stairs
    colonial farmhouse,  DIY

    The Most Satisfying Staircase Makeover You’ve Seen Today

    There has been a major oversight on this blog documenting the fixer-upper projects of this money pit Colonial Farmhouse. I never shared the staircase makeover of our main stairs. Can you believe that? Me. A chronic over-sharer forgot to tell you about one of my projects in excruciating detail. You had one job, Annisa. One. Job. How is this even possible? Well, it’s possible (cue the justification) because I lumped the staircase makeover in with the music room makeover when I wrote about it two years ago. But that post just glossed over the details. You need the details to appreciate what will be the most satisfying staircase makeover you’ve seen today…or…

  • riveter flower pot on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #247

    Hello, hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List! The world feels HEAVY right now, so I’m going to keep things light. This week on the blog I shared our 2022 House Project Goals. Nothing like a little goal-setting to keep things light on the blog. Ha! I also shared how I’ve been utterly charmed by a woven basket plant stand. I don’t try to explain these things…I just go with the flow at this point in my life. When I’m not hanging out on the blog I usually find time to share a project or idea on Instagram and Facebook stories. I’d love it if you joined me there and please tell your friends…

  • vintage woven basket plant stand
    decorating

    The Charm of a Woven Basket Plant Stand

    I recently became acquainted with the charm of a woven basket plant stand in the dark, dusty corner of an antique mall and I haven’t stopped gushing about it since I brought it home. I’m not joking. It’s my new favorite thing and you need this type of simple joy in your life too. I fully acknowledge that the charm of this particular woven basket plant stand is multi-faceted. First, I got a screaming deal. The basket did not have a price tag on it. The store worker had to call the owner of this particular antique booth to get a price. When she reported back to me that the basket…

  • colonial farmhouse in snow 2021
    DIY

    2022 House Project Goals

    We’re a full two months into 2022 and I’m finally writing about our 2022 house project goals. Who’s on top of things? Not me, I guess. Ha! Here’s the deal. I feel like we’re in a bit of a rest period. Or perhaps a bit of a dread-the-rest period. Hahaha! We’ve spent the last two and a half years tackling the low-hanging fruit around here. There was a lot of it, so it kept us busy. That wallpaper removal alone…phew. The projects we need to tackle next get a little more involved than a can of paint on a Saturday afternoon. They require some planning, some budgeting, and some crossing…

  • colonial farmhouse barn spring on the happy list
    Crafts

    3 Easy Ideas to Get You in the Mood For Spring

    Hello! Today I’m sharing 3 easy ideas to get you in the mood for spring. Plus, I have a housekeeping announcement. My kids have a couple of days off of school for a winter break of sorts, so I’m going to take the rest of this week off the blog to chill out with them. You can still catch me on Instagram and Facebook stories this week though. Not sure what I’ll be up to, but we’ll find out together! In the meantime, here are those 3 easy ideas to get you in the mood for spring. Easy Idea #1: Plop some grocery store potted flowers in a basket. It will take approximately 7 seconds…

  • roses in galvanized planter
    happy list

    Happy List: #246

    Hello and welcome to the Happy List, a collection of random things that inspired me this week! Earlier this week on the blog I wrote about the silly couples thing Handy Husband and I do and about the wood trinket box that I’ve been carting around my whole life! I hope you were able to read those posts. If not, go ahead and click on those links. I’ll wait… When I’m not hanging out on the blog I usually find time to share a project or idea on Instagram and Facebook stories. I’d love it if you joined me there and please tell your friends too! Also, I love to see what you are making…

  • wood trinket boxes
    decorating

    In Praise of Wood Trinket Boxes

    When I was a kid, a family friend gifted me a personalized wood trinket box. They built it themselves and it had my name on it! My uncommon name. As a kid whose name never appeared on any of the pins or magnets at the touristy gift shops, I relished the idea of having something with my name on it. I felt so special…and normal. This wood trinket box has been a secret keeper and a memory holder through all the phases of my life: teenage angst, falling in love, getting married, and so on. What sorts of things have this wood trinket box held over the years? When I…

  • DIY rustic wood hearts
    Family

    The Silly Thing We Do That I Love So Much

    On this Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share the silly thing Handy Husband and I do that I love so much. Often, Handy Husband and I will both exercise during the lunch hour, but not together. He runs. I walk. We run/walk the same loop on our country road but in opposite directions. We usually pass each other in roughly the same spot. When I see him coming toward me, I automatically get this huge grin on my face. I can’t help it. I’m just excited about what comes next. As soon as he’s approximately 20 or 30-feet away from me, I fling out my arms wide and begin one…

  • living room with sunporch view
    happy list

    Happy List: #245

    Hello! Welcome to the Happy List! Do you have Valentine’s Day plans for this weekend? If you do, I hope you have the best time. I don’t know how to elegantly transition out of that to tell you I wrote about pests and pest control on the blog this week. I will definitely buzz with excitement if you read all about it. How else did I illuminate your life this week? Well, on Wednesday I wrote about the new light in our son’s room. If you like the farmhouse style, that post will surely shine bright as one of the best things you’ve read this week. When I’m not here…