Now that we showed you what our garden looks like in the daytime, I thought it would be fun to take you on a tour at night. Being out here after the sun goes down is pure magic. The owls and frogs start their serenade, the stars shine so bright (as they only can away from the lights of the city), and it’s a perfect place to linger over a beer or cup of tea.
Read MoreThese Friday posts are fun for me. You too? But occasionally I forget all about them until Thursday night when I’m pulling out our old copy of ‘The Hobbit’ for story time, preparing to re-read the same pages I did two nights ago (my darling husband struggles with the use of a book mark 😆), and then bam! It hits me. It’s Thursday night!
And I get all excited to sit down at my laptop, open a beer, and have a little ‘me time’. I’m here for Friday. Let’s make it a good one!
Read MoreOur live-in kitchen remodel is underway (!) and I can’t tell you how excited we are. But of course remodeling a kitchen while you live in the house is a wee bit disruptive no matter how excited you are. Especially with 3 young kids at home. We’re currently in the no-sink-or-dishwasher phase of this remodel, and I thought it would be a good time to show you our progress and explain how we’re phasing this project in order to minimize disruptions. And by ‘disruptions’ I mean minimize the length of time we can’t use the kitchen.
Read Morepure country magic ✨
Read MoreHappy Friday! It’s our oldest kiddo’s 6th birthday today and with our kitchen under construction, we opted for a simple family get-together at Nana’s house. And as for the homemade birthday cake that I always make him, well that got simplified too with a quick stop at Costco.
In the end, Wilder’s never going to notice who made his cake and regardless of the size of his party, he’s going to feel loved and celebrated on his birthday. So I’m washing the guilt right off. Here’s a gentle reminder to myself (and to you too if you need it): it’s okay to shorten your to-do list. Even throw it out entirely. Say ‘no’ to something instead of being busier. Get a book out and read for an hour. Play hooky on a Thursday and take the kids to the water slides. Stop and smell the roses. And then cut some for your nightstand so you can smell them first thing in the morning. It’s summer after all, so cut yourself some slack. Costco sheet cakes taste just fine, too.
Read MoreBrass was the metal of choice in most turn-of-the-century homes, at least the ones I’ve seen, and not surprisingly our Farmhouse is full of it. Doorknobs, sash locks, cabinet latches…it’s everywhere! And I’m so glad because it’s my favorite metal finish.
When it came time to pick the hardware for our Farmhouse kitchen renovation, there was no question it would be brass too. And to be sure the new brass ages well and patinas like the old brass, I picked out an unlacquered finish (also called living, unfinished, or raw).
Read MoreAfter months of planning and years of waiting, we’re finally renovating our kitchen! And goodness are we excited! We’ve moved 6 times over the past decade and renovated 8 kitchens, so it feels kind of surreal to finally get to do our kitchen.
Read MoreHappy Friday! And welcome to June. We started work on our kitchen renovation this week and I’m pretty sure we’ll never move, ever again. Because I am in complete love with this house. Even with no countertops. 😝 The weather doesn’t hurt either. Actually, I *may* profess my eternal love for this house every year around this time (and revoke it in January when our $800 electrical bill arrives 😕)!
In my defense, the summer truly is magical out here in the country. Windows flung wide open. Dinners eaten outside. The natural air-conditioning of our century-old Elm trees. The kids coming in to bath-time with wind-swept hair and dirt between their toes. The chorus of frogs and owls lulling us to sleep. Pure magic!
Read MoreWe’re the proud owners of a new (old) rental!!! I really can’t put enough exclamation marks on that sentence, because I’m that excited about this cute little house.
The Poplar Cottage is tiny (575sf) and quaint and just feels good. It was built in 1940 according to city records, but I suspect that at least part of it is older. It’s located in our small town (Ellensburg WA), which is a college town with a pretty robust rental market. Of course the house needs a little work, too. But you probably already guessed that.😉 Before we kick off any renovations I wanted to give you a little tour of this little house.
Read Morelet’s run through the numbers…
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