We are antsy to get projects done at our house! I have a motto I like to say, when life and projects seem overwhelming… "just do one thing!" So the one thing we wanted to do was get our front porch and back porch ready to enjoy. Plus, doing this simple project helped us get a vision for the entire exterior. We are at the house often and having a few places to sit would be appreciated by all! Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post The first thing we wanted to change, besides the doors, was to add some tongue and groove wood to the ceiling of the front and back porch. The wood ... Read More
How we Made Basement Windows Bigger and Our New Windows
When we first saw our 1970's Ranch home, the first thing I knew I wanted to do was to make the windows bigger in the basement. It felt very dark and dated. I had researched how to make basement windows bigger awhile ago, I can't remember why I did…but I knew it was possible! I asked our contractor about it and he mentioned he didn't think the current windows would even pass code because they were too small and too high off the ground. So there were two reasons to make the basement windows larger. When you pull a permit to do work you typically have to bring everything up to code. (Egress ... Read More
Colorful Fun Family Room- Vintage Inspired
I have a friend, Stacy, who has loads of personality and is so much fun! Unfortunately her home wasn’t reflecting her and she was ready for a change. Back in March, she was over at my house and mentioned she wanted a new sofa and rug for her family room. I like to start with a rug, and I was happy to find one that coordinated with the wallpaper we just added to her kitchen. And our go-to for decor, Target has a new Opalhouse collection, designed with Jungalow, that looks like it was curated specifically for this family room! Ready to see the before and after of her family room?? Thank ... Read More
Basement Plans, Curve Rock Wall, and Rock Fireplace
I read a statistic that 32% of stand alone homes in the US have basements. Do you have a basement?? In Connecticut we had a basement in our 1950's home, but we lived near the beach so it couldn't ever be finished, just used it for storage. We have owned two previous homes in Utah and both of them had full basements. We actually didn't spend a lot of time in either of the basements. The first one we finished right before we sold it, wish I had pictures of it, it was really cute. The second one had a small kitchen with a big family room, we really only used it when we had parties. My kids were ... Read More
Our Shed Plans- AKA Home Gym or Pool House Plans
Remember our shed we built in the backyard of our Connecticut home? We used it as a workout shed and now the new home owners are using it as a home office. It has a floor heater, a ceiling fan, but no air conditioning...the new home owners want to eventually add it. We had plans to build this home gym in our Utah home, but we are having issues with restrictions with our water easement. We had our architect put together plans that we sent to the town. Thought I would share the plans here with you incase you want to make something similar! We did have our contractor build this shed. It is ... Read More
Bear Lake, Travel Bags, Salad Dressing, Charcuterie and More
Instead of Christmas gifts my parents gave us a trip to Bear Lake with our entire family. I am 100% on board for experience gifts. Anyone else?? Experience gifts don't have to cost more than presents. They got us an Airbnb, we cooked all our meals at the rental, packed lunch for the lake, went on hikes, played lots of games (ok, just one game, Nertz) and spent two days playing at Bear Lake. It was so much fun. Thought I would round-up things I shared on Instagram in one post. From what we did in Bear Lake (two years in a row), our new Travel Bags (and bag we used for the top of the car), ... Read More
Toxic-Free Mattress and Bedding Round-Up
I shared our bedding in our rental a couple weeks ago, we are still loving it! And just ordered a couple more toxic-free mattresses from Tuft & Needle for the rest of the beds in our new home. I honestly haven't slept on a mattress that I liked right away like Tuft & Needle. Right now they are having a big sale. Linking up some of my favorites below and WHY I picked them! When budget allows, you may consider making the switch to a non toxic mattress and non toxic bedding. We spend 8 hours out of every 24 on our bed. Some mattresses are made with things that when our skin ... Read More
Affordable Backyard Ideas- Hanging Chairs, Sectional and More
My sister and brother-in-law have a great backyard, lots of time spent back there with both our families. It was already a great space, just needed some comfortable seating. We ended up adding a sectional, hanging chairs, and larger dining table. Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post Backyard Before- Backyard After- They have a great cobblestone patio with a pergola covered with gorgeous grapevine garland, perfect for gathering! My brother-in-law just extended the patio with a nice rounded edge so there was enough space for a larger outdoor dining table that could ... Read More
Mudroom and Pool Room to Solve Pool Towel Saga
We do have a basement in our Utah home. I haven't shared much of it…today I wanted to share our mudroom that has a basement entrance to our backyard, which leads right to the pool. It will be a great space for pool goers to access a bathroom, a place to grab towels, shower and grab a beverage. Figuring out the towel situation was probably the only annoying thing about having a pool…I know, first world problems. But having a pool in our previous home made me aware that towels need to be part of the pool plan!! Let me elaborate on the towels. One too many times kids would get out to the pool ... Read More
Amazon Prime Deals 2021
I wasn't planning to do this post, but I had so many requests for it and lots of favorite things are on sale. But hurry, it ends soon, midnight the 22nd! 10 Pack Glass Meal Prep Containers- we ditched all our plastic containers for our food and only use glass. Read why I ditched plastic and other things to ditch HERE.GreenLife Soft Grip Healthy Ceramic Nonstick- I actually gave my sister this set for her Birthday a couple years ago. She has liked them, held up well (make sure to hand wash). Comes in lots of fun colors!Set of Mixing Bowls- could always use a nice set of mixing bowls! Lemon ... Read More
