2025 Update – Every few days, right around dinnertime – my doorbell was ringing. And nobody was there. It wasn’t a repetitive ring, or a ring followed by the sound of laughter and kids running away; it was a very sensible single ring – beckoning for an answer. But nobody. While I wasn’t really sure […]
Electrical
Grouting Hell – For a Natural Stone Mosaic Backsplash
If there’s an afterlife, and if I somehow end up in hell – I’m certain I’ll be grouting for all eternity. Grouting, for me, combines the worst of all things: the time crunch, a horrific mess with risk of ruining all the tile work you spent hours (or days) doing just prior, and the nightmarish […]
Hygge: The Art of Making Winter Bearable
2025 Update – This one’s for the deep winter dwellers, those of you who live where it’s not unusual for your eyelashes and nose hair to freeze as you make your frigid way from front door to driver’s seat each morning. And hopefully that’s a heated (and massaging) driver’s seat because little creature comforts are […]
DIY Outdoor Playhouse Part 3: Lighting, Decor & Monkey Bars
2025 Update: In the initial installments of my DIY wooden playhouse adventure, we covered the first four steps of building a backyard playhouse from scratch. First, imbue yourself with self-confidence. Then imagine, plan, gather your materials, put on your work pants – and start building. At the end of Step 4, we left the playhouse […]
How to Replace a Ceiling Fan
2025 Update… Sometimes, you just need something new – and for me, it was my bedroom ceiling fan. A 52-inch, LED light replacement for the Hunter ceiling fan I had installed when we first moved in almost 20 years ago. That’s a pretty impressive lifespan, and while I probably could have fixed the Hunter – as […]
Quick & Easy LED Light Fixture Installation
It took me about 25 minutes to install a new LED light fixture in my bedroom walk-in closet. I’ve been converting each of the fixtures in my house to LED lighting over the past few months. Lower electricity bills. Less maintenance. And crisp, clean light. This closet, though? This closet had the original fixture from […]
My DIY Powder Room Rehab
My DIY powder room rehab took time out of every weekend over the past 4+ months, and I think it came out great. (Far better than I expected, actually!) Imported beveled subway tile halfway up the walls, topped with a mitered glazed ceramic chair rail. A colorful, but not overwhelming, floor tile from Spain – […]
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