Around this time of year when I was little, the occasional bug would attempt an escape from the falling temperatures outdoors and wander into our home. If said bug was a spider, I would shriek and my mother would say something like, “Oh look! It’s a Halloween spider!” Maybe this was her attempt to make something scary seem cute, but years later, I remain unconvinced. I hate bugs. Continue reading
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Returning to Stalled Projects
There’s a room in our house empty of furniture, its walls displaying patches of tested paint color and spackled over imperfections. It’s the first of several interior painting projects we planned in winter and started to work on in late spring. Since then, other events and projects have taken priority and the room has sat, prepped and full of potential, awaiting a fresh coat of color with an eggshell sheen.
It’s become a bit like this blog. Continue reading
Why I Can’t Wait for Spring
I’m noticing a trend here, as I write yet another seasonal blog post. No matter, I’m over winter a month ago, and every day it persists I’m reminded of what I’m looking forward to when it’s finally over.
Warmth. (Pardon me for stating the obvious.) I don’t ever like being cold. Spring, for me, is ideal because it’s that blissful time without need of the extra layers essential to survive winter’s drafts and summer’s air conditioning. Continue reading
Lessons in Domesticity
Like most kids, my mother enlisted my free labor to help with household chores. Most of the time, I was happy to help. If happy to help meant I sighed and declared I was Cinderella.
Owning a house now, I realize I owe my mother a lot more credit. We’re talking major regret for all my griping. (She’s loving this post right about now.) Nonetheless, to honor Mom and her life lessons, below are five ways I manage domestically. Continue reading
Our Homeowner’s Association: Serious, or Suburban Formality?
My husband and I come from rural roots and now live in a housing development. Suburban life isn’t so drastically different though, as our home design caters to privacy and we have a decent yard.
Completely new to us, however, is the existence of the Homeowner’s Association for our neighborhood. I admit we were amused by some of the “regulations” when we skimmed read the bylaws the first time. After a few months in our new residence, we are still unclear about how serious they are since (don’t tell) some of our neighbors appear to be rule breakers. Continue reading
The Right Tools
Earlier I said I’m not dedicating my blog to chronicling all the DIY projects my husband and I do around our new house. This example from a couple weeks ago is kind of why.
Our bedroom gets a lot of afternoon sun through it’s two windows which, naturally, can make it uncomfortably warm. Solution? Shopping for thermal curtains! My husband, like most men, loves shopping for window treatments, so we spent some time at his favorite hardware store first to be fair. He had a list of things in mind that he needed for projects “in the coming year,” so he thought it would be a good idea to stock up. Plus, he had two coupons. We’re savvy shoppers that way. Continue reading
Amidst the Babble 