May 14, 2020

5 Years Of Home Makeovers and What I Have Planned for the Next Five + Lots of Before and After Pictures!

May 14, 2020/ Ashley

We just celebrated the five year anniversary of buying our house. FIVE YEARS! It feels like time has flown by yet it also feels like we’ve been here forever. I get nostalgic about it and I like to take trips down memory lane, so I thought I’d share some Before, Progress, and After photos from that last five years. Plus I’ll share what we have planned for the next five!

May 12, 2020

Kitchen Renovation Update 6: A New Dining Set, Insulation, and Underlayment + A Video

May 12, 2020/ Ashley

We’re getting closer and closer to the renovation feeling less like a construction site and more like a room. We’re not quite there yet, but insulation and new flooring underlayment has me seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Plus, we added a fresh outdoor dining set that has me itching to eat oodles of meals out there!

May 06, 2020

How (and Why) To Install Rockwool Insulation: A DIY Step-by-Step Guide

May 06, 2020/ Ashley

The crew has left so I’ve taken over the renovation project and my first task was insulation! The process was very easy and actually quite enjoyable. I can already feel a difference in the temperature of the room and how the space sounds, so I’m a happy camper. Let’s get into it!

April 17, 2020

12 Craft Kits By Independent Makers You Can Get Online

April 17, 2020/ Ashley

I’m a sucker for a good DIY and have always been a fan of craft projects that keep me busy, teach me something new, and give me something to enjoy or gift when I’m done. During the kitchen renovation and the pandemic, when things feel out of control and I crave the satisfaction of a job well done, so crafting is something I’m itching to do. Perhaps you are, too?

April 16, 2020

Kitchen Renovation Update 5: Electrical, Venting & Inspection + A Video

April 16, 2020/ Ashley

Electrical went in last week! As did HVAC and venting! And we had our first inspection! While it was stressful for me to make decisions (that’s just not my strong suit in any application), the installation was free of drama like plumbing week! Let’s take a look at what happened, shall we?

April 13, 2020

A Free Downloadable Coloring Page or Paint-By-Numbers of My Tree Mural

April 13, 2020/ Ashley

I’ve converted my tree mural into a paint-by-numbers coloring page, just for you! It’s totally free, of course. You can color it with markers, paint, colored pencils, or just a plain old pencil. You do you.

Every once in a while we crave a mind-numbing activity. And I’d vote that during a pandemic is one of those times. Some folks are sittin’ around looking for things to do and others are working five jobs instead of one. So, may I interest you in some brain-less coloring to take your mind off the stress for even a minute or two?

April 08, 2020

Kitchen Renovation Update 4: Plumbing + A Video

April 08, 2020/ Ashley

I used to write these renovation updates in terms of weeks, but things are just so. slow. moving. So instead of a week 4 update, it’s just the 4th update in the series because it’s actually been 7 weeks of renovation. But, we’re making progress, and in this post, I’m here to chat all about plumbing! Spoiler: things started to suck this week.

April 03, 2020

Weekly Roundup

April 03, 2020/ Ashley

The things on my mind this week including a DIY sink stand, comparative suffering, checking privilege, a philosophy for maintaining calm during the chaos, spring cleaning, blogger visits, a cool candlestick, recreating artwork at home, the end of an era, the teeny renovation decisions, y monthly playlist, and more.

April 02, 2020

Renovating During COVID-19

April 02, 2020/ Ashley

There are a lot of times I’d recommend not renovating a kitchen and during coronavirus is one of those times. We’ll work it out, and we’re grateful we have the privilege we do right now, and this will all be over one day (hopefully). But It’s still less than ideal. Many of you kindly have reached out to ask how things are going, so I’m here to share with you what’s going on and how we’re moving forward with this project.

March 30, 2020

Springtime Deep Cleaning Checklist

March 30, 2020/ Ashley

It’s springtime and that means clean time! As your resident clean freak, I’ve compiled a list of deep cleaning activities for you to tackle throughout the season. Some will take a few minutes, others will take an afternoon, and some are set-em-and-forget-em then wipe-em-clean a day later.

March 27, 2020

Weekly Roundup

March 27, 2020/ Ashley

This week’s inspiration including a scullery DIY makeover, how to help during the coronavirus crisis, what I miss most not having a kitchen, what to do if you’re itching to do projects at home, a crafting kit I’m eyeing, where to get home improvement resources when stores are closed, 25% off cashmere sweaters, urban homesteading resources, Daniel’s entryway makeover, and more.

March 25, 2020

Kitchen Renovation Week 3: Framing Continued + A Video!

March 25, 2020/ Ashley

This kitchen renovation and bathroom addition are still cruising. Kinda slow, often uneventful, sometimes thrilling. This past week the guys have been wrapping up framing and that included cutting a hole into a perfectly good wall, removing a door, adding two doors, and adding two walls!

Backyard Renovation Report Card: Four Years of Tree Growth (Wins) and Decomposed Granite (Losers)

Welcome to a new series: Report Card. I'm going through (nearly) everything in a space and telling you how it's actually held up. The backyard's first up, and spoiler, I did not ace this one.

How We Live Here Now, Vol. 2: The Backyard

The plants finally filled in, the veggie beds are in the wrong spot, and I've learned that the yard you design and the yard your kids actually use are two very different things.

How We Live Here Now - Volume 1: Introduction

Hi. It's been a while. I've missed this. I took a longer break than I planned. Life has gotten full. I've been developing film and knitting at soccer practice, attempting to garden with the girls and fussing around with furniture layouts. I’ve also been scheduling summer camps, refilling the watercolors multiple times a day, and trying to keep the toys tidied. Around the house, I’m adding color wherever it fits and making some changes to the overall function and feel.

How We Turned a Garage into a Living Room, Laundry Room, Office, and Storage Space

My friend Martha had a vision for this garage conversion: to turn her unfinished catch-all garage into a beautiful, hard-working space that could function as a living room, media room, playroom, laundry room, home office, and storage zone. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely convinced all of that could fit. But somehow(?!), it absolutely does and it turned out even better than I imagined.

What I’ve been up to - from gardening, to film photography, and the books and shows we’re enjoying. Plus a house tour that requires a closer look, grass seed to always have on hand, cedar shake excitement, historic window screens, and the privilege I’m reminded of daily.