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All Things Home

1970 home renovation

progress on the custom A/C surround

When I last shared about the custom A/C screen/surround we’re building, it looked like this… My dad came over on Thursday to help me with turning those primed and painted pieces into finished panels.  My dad and I are a good building team because we have a similar approach – done is better than perfect.  Several times, we said something like, “We’re not sending anyone to space in this thing, so it’ll do.”  Even Jeff, who usually brings more perfectionism to the table, said it doesn’t have to be perfect.  It’s just hiding an A/C unit.  No one is hanging from it or living in it. That being said, now that we’ve built two of the panels, I can see some minor flaws in my design!  Perhaps they are not so much flaws as things that could be improved upon.  My design allows for access to the A/C unit for

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1970 home renovation

DIY Custom A/C Screen

After having the lumber on our garage floor to season for a few months, we are finally building the DIY custom A/C surround.  I am joking about letting the wood season.  I bought the material without consulting my building partners, and we were not all on the same page regarding starting this project in the fall.  That meant we were stepping over it and tripping on it for a few months because I put the cart before the horse.  Now, the supplies are off the garage floor and we are making the plans (sketched on a now crumpled piece of paper) come to life.  You might be wondering about the A/C screen we already have… I bought it when we opened the pool a couple of years ago, and it does a pretty good job of hiding the A/C unit.  THIS is the one we have. Here’s the thing: when

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a slice of life

summer simmer pot recipe

A couple of weeks ago, there was an unfortunate accidental popcorn burning incident in our kitchen.  If you’re familiar with the smell of burnt popcorn, you know how unfortunate that can be.  Not only did it stink up the house, but it we had to clean out the entire cabinet that houses the microwave and clean everything the burnt popcorn smoke wafted through.  I even had to buy new air filters for our Dyson air purifier that we moved from the studio to the kitchen to help clear out the smoke.  The fortunate thing is that the weather was beautiful, so we opened all of the windows and let fresh air blow through the house for a couple of days.  There was still a tinge of the burnt smell lingering, though, so I decided to make a simmer pot.  I have always made simmer pots in the fall or winter

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All Things Home

opening the pool & back patio

Yesterday was the kind of day that I love.  The weather was just to my liking: overcast, dry, breezy, and warm enough to work outside, but not too hot.  And everyone in our family worked together to get things ticked off the to-do list.  Marshall power-washed the front walk, Calvin mowed, and Jeff and I worked together to trim hedges, weed, mulch, and tidy up the back yard.  Since the temperature is still to my liking today, I’m going to work on painting the back trim.  Since I don’t enjoy working on ladders, Jeff and I will work on the gables together, but I’ll take care of all the lower parts of the trim, priming, and painting them. For today, I am sharing the work I did last week to get the patio cleaned up and looking nice for pool season.  Here is how the pool and patio area look

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All Things Home

how to get rid of bishop’s weed | goutweed update

It’s time for the highly anticipated update on my war on bishop’s weed/goutweed!  I’m kidding, but I know some people are looking forward to an update and some advice on how to get rid of goutweed (or at least get it under control).  Before I get into the different methods I’ve tried and which have been most effective for me, I want to share a fresh perspective on this aggressive ground cover.  While searching online for advice and support can be a good thing, I’m not sure it’s always 100% helpful (except this blog post, of course!)  It’s sort of like Googling a surgery you’re about to have or an appliance you want to buy.  The majority of the stories, reviews, and advice you find will be negative, especially on open forums.  People who are upset about something have a more compelling reason to get online and share their misery

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1970 home renovation

progress on the front garden bed

I’ve been chipping away at gardening projects this week and have most of the front garden bed planted. After looking at black plastic for a year, it’s nice to see plants and mulch out there.  As a reminder, I laid down black plastic to smother some weeds and get a fresh start with this bed.  A couple of weeks ago, I started lifting up the plastic to plant a boxwood hedge along the house.  I received several comments from experienced gardeners, encouraging me to move the hedge away from the house and porch… As I started spacing out the rest of the plants, I decided it would be best to listen to seasoned advice and move the hedge. I removed the plastic section-by-section, planting, laying down cardboard as a weed barrier, and mulched.  I planted a small square boxwood hedge around the birdbath and surrounded that with English lavender.  I’m

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All Things Home

mock orange blossoms

We bought our house in the late summer, so it wasn’t until the next spring that I was surprised by the beautiful white blooms on an overgrown bush in our side yard.  To say it’s overgrown would be a bit of an understatement because it’s literally falling over to one side under its own weight.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but my keen-eyed Instagram followers told me it is a mock orange bush.  They are apparently prized bushes for their fragrance and beautiful blooms, and I can see why!  I feel like having a mature one in our yard is such a gift.  Jeff wanted to take it out, but I am willing to lie on top of it in protest to prevent that, if need be.  It won’t be necessary, though, because he has heard my pleas to keep it, but it does need to be trimmed back. 

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All Things Home

Lucketts Spring Market 2025 Purchases

I must say, I was pretty proud of myself for the restraint I showed while shopping the Lucketts Spring Market.  With the exception of one piece, I stuck to my list (you can find my list HERE) and didn’t buy small things that would add clutter to collections I’ve been trying to thin down.  I had the perfect spot for everything I purchased, and I didn’t regret leaving things I felt tempted to buy at the market for others to enjoy. But, here is what I did buy… As I shared yesterday, I made a beeline for these antique oil paintings.  First of all, I just love portraits and the character they bring to a home.  Second, I love that these are old, likely from the mid-1800s, based on the clothing and date of their restoration.  While I can paint pieces to hang on the wall, I can’t paint 150-year-old

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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