four things | forty-eight
This week has been all about prepping and packing for my upcoming trip to England and Italy. It’s sort of wild to me that I’ve never been to England, given that I lived in Germany as a child. We traveled all over the place, but never made it across the English Channel. I know this […]
Europe shopping list 2025
Before my last two trips to Europe (in 2018 and 2019), I made a shopping list of things I wanted to look for. I thought it would help me focus when I felt like buying everything! It also gave us specific destinations to visit, which is always a great way to get off the touristy […]
how to install vinyl shutters on brick | tutorial
Over the weekend, we installed shutters on the left side of the house. That was the last side of the house that needed shutters, so I can finally check that project off the list! This home had wood shutters on all the windows originally, but they had rotted and were removed. Before we bought the […]
my capsule wardrobe for Europe
I leave for England in less than a week, and I thought I would share the clothes I pack for a trip like this. Most days, I am a sweats & hoodie girl. It really is my uniform. I often work on potentially messy projects, so I prefer not to wear nice clothes. I also […]
four things | forty-seven
I’ve mentioned before that sometimes, around the dinner table, our family shares our highs and lows for the day or week. It’s a good way to get kids talking beyond the typical one-word answer. “Fine.” This week, we have a big high. Calvin, our youngest, got his driver’s license. He was the last person in […]
hard pruning a mock orange bush
One of my favorite things in our yard is an old mock orange bush. I had no idea what it even was when we moved in, since it had bloomed months before the home was put on the market. I was surprised our first May in the house when the large bush was dotted with […]
small guest room updates
Painting the guest room is still on the to-do list, and it might be there for a while. As is often the case, decorating the guest room isn’t usually a top priority. I’ve always loved working on the guest rooms in our homes, though. Since I’m not in these rooms daily, I feel I can […]
how to paint vinyl shutters
When I shared the installation of the new vinyl shutters along the back of the house, several people asked if I could share the specific products, tools, and techniques I used, so here is a post all about how to paint vinyl shutters. When we moved into our PA house way back in 2006, there […]