Hello, folks! Welcome to another Happy List! In perhaps the most happiest news of all, I have a haircut scheduled for next week! I warned my stylist that I’ve been cutting my own hair, but I don’t think she fully understands that I ventured past the bangs this time. This week on the blog I shared the new way I’m storing books and progress on our front yard. Here’s the Happy List! AN ARGUMENT FOR USING THE GOOD PLATES Don’t save the fancy dishes for special occasions is the argument of antiques dealer Ajiri Aki. Basically, life is too short. Read all the reasoning in this Veranda article. (image: Ajiri…

Happy early Father’s Day to all the dads and dads-to-be out there. My own dad is pretty fantastic! Definitely a keeper. You might even say I take after him in the fantastic category. 😉 This week on the blog I shared our one year house-iversary and the microwave station I created in the hall off our kitchen. If you follow along on Facebook or Instagram stories, you’ll know I also started work on our deck makeover. Just one time I’d like a project to hum along without any glitches. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, it is. Ha! Here’s the glitch-free Happy List. TENNIS RACKET ART This is CLEVER. Artist…

Hey, hey! Welcome back to another edition of the Happy List! Our summer has officially begun now that the kids are out of school! Usually we have a plan for what we’ll be doing with our summer: play dates, BBQs, community events, travel, visitors coming to stay with us. This summer we have none of that planned and I’m thinking, “Now what?” Ha! Even venturing out of our state becomes tricky with the various quarantine rules for out-of-state travelers. No matter what we decide to do or not do, this will definitely be a summer we’ll remember! Speaking of memorable moments, on Monday I shared a long post about all…

Hello, friends! I’d like to thank you for being here today. This blog is my happy place. I keep coming back here becomes it makes me happy to write and engage with you and sometimes to take a break from the hard stuff that’s happening in life. To that end, this week I shared updates on our front yard landscaping. I’m happy to share that I have made progress since Monday on that project! I also shared a bunch of collapsible bags and baskets that I’ve been using for years and years. There’s a certain irony in the fact that we need storage space to store these storage related items.…

Hello, hello! How was your Memorial Day Weekend? Does it feel like summer now? It does feel like early summer in New Jersey. It’s not so overwhelmingly hot yet that I feel like I’m living in the devil’s armpit, so I’m enjoying it while it lasts! It’s also fun to discover all the flowers that are growing that we missed last year like the yellow irises and the wisteria. This week I shared my musings on an old cemetery located near our house. I also revealed my newest furniture creation – a milk can side table. I do have fun with these projects. Here’s the Happy List! DREAMY I’d like…

Hello, hello! In case you missed it, this was birthday week in our house. My kids were born three years and one day apart. Emphasis on the ONE DAY part. Back-to-back birthdays means a lot of cake. On the blog this week I shared the 13th birthday tradition that I had the extreme privilege of carrying on with my daughter. I won’t divulge the details of our conversation, but I’m pretty sure, in good mom fashion, I embarrassed her with my speech. Ha! Any embarrassment aside, it was a beautiful moment and I will treasure it forever. I also shared the vintage game gallery wall that I worked up for…

Hey Everyone! How are you? I only ask that question when I really want to know, so lay it on me. We are still firmly in quarantine lockdown in New Jersey. The only significant restriction that has been lifted is in regard to being able to walk on trails at state parks. However, exercising with a face mask doesn’t seem super fun, especially as the temperatures increase, so we haven’t done it. We will be able to do curbside pick up from non-essential retail businesses starting on Monday. All I really care about is getting a haircut, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. This week I shared the…

Hi! Happy May Day! Thank you to everyone who reached out to wish Handy Husband a happy birthday. He was thoroughly embarrassed and secretly delighted! Someone asked me about his favorite cookies – they are these Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies. It is a recipe that uses a cake mix and they are always a hit. This week on the blog I shared the wood backboard we made for our son’s over-the-door basketball hoop. It has been seeing a lot of action while we’ve been hunkered down at home. Here’s the Happy List! PLINK, PLANK, PLUNK If you watch one thing today, it MUST BE this video by the…

Here we are again! How are you this Friday? We had a trip planned to see family this summer, but ended up cancelling our flights this week. That was hard, but we needed to take advantage of the free flight cancellations being offered. We can always rebook because we have a flight credit now. I’m going to hang on to the hope that it will be safe to travel later this summer, but I’m also not going to hold my breath. In happier news, I published photos of our daughter’s room on Monday. She’s a super chill individual with a bit of an old soul, so a calm, vintage-inspired bedroom…