Spare Room Conversion

spare room redo

Brown or Purple?

You be the judge. We really love this paint color, but everyone seems to have a different take on it. Depending on the lighting and time of day, it looks either brown or purple. Or both! For the record, it was in the brown section of Pittsburg Paint, but it must have some purple undertones.

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Concrete Jungle

Concrete Slab

It’s a Jungle Out There

And by out there, I mean in the back yard. Hey life is what you make it – maybe it’s just a simple pile of hardened dirt, but it’s pretty darn exciting to us. The yard is really coming together! And you may even notice a new addition out there…

This task involved a lot of 2×4’s, H₂O and this:

DIY concrete slab

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Good Things Come in 3’s (Part 3 of 3)

zucchini banana bread

 

Zucchini Banana Bread 3 Ways

I had a baking party not long ago and whipped up a bunch of bread. Ever since I tested my hand baking bread, I’ve wanted to expand my bread skills. I had a few types I wanted to try and just about enough zucchini for an army, thanks to my parents’ compulsive garden giving. I manage to wind up with a bag of vegetables after every visit. Thanks guys! But what to do with them all?

how to make zucchini bread banana bread recipe

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Labor Day Weekend

lake life is the good life

Laboring Days

Did you have a restful weekend? As much as Joe tried (or I tried to coax him) to relax, he found ways to work. We snuck away to my grandparents’ cabin in Wisconsin for a couple days and soaked up the summer/fall goodness.

Activities included the mandatory games of Phase 10, walking around the lake, boating, giant garage sale in the city of Siren, Shell Lake Days, and plenty of stories and laughs. But by Sunday afternoon, we were right back to fixing up the yard and boat.

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S’more Summer Ventures

summer

Hold on!

It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

These days, we’re trying to get the most out of each summer night. We’re on the lake 2-3x/week and squeezing in any and every outdoor activity possible.

Although I love summer, I love fall just as much and can’t hold back my excitement for all things autumn. Look, the foreign exchange students are already back in my building! Saint Paul Prep School is now in session.

foreign exchange students

I got the first day of school jitters this morning just seeing them 🙂

Back to summer…

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July Updates

Goodbye July

Hello August

July has been fun, but August looks just as bright! This week we’ve got some legitimate updates, some random things, and some cute things… So let’s just dive right into them, in that order.

Plant

I’ve purchased a lovely new plant. The YMCA was selling them for charity, so I picked it up for $10. I seem to do ok with tropical plants, and nothing else.

Sago Palm

It’s called a Sago Palm and is not really a true palm at all! It’s doing well so far. (2 weeks)

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Friday Fun

So Handy

Yep, we’ve done most all of these fixes. Clean the gutters is on my to-do list this weekend. Along with pretty-up my car and do some lawn care. Ahhh this weekend is a projects weekend at last. We’ve been crashing company picnics, family parties and obstacle courses this past week. Here are some fun highlights:

Curio

My Grandma Sally gifted me this beautiful corner curio! I’m so happy to take it to a good home (Joe’s!) I’ve put a couple things in it so far, but still need to acquire some worldly treasures to display inside. I know these pictures are sub-par, but hopefully my new phone will help with future photo quality.

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Inspiration

daily inspo DIY inspiration

 

Inspire the Spirit

That’s really what inspiration is, right? Something good for the spirit? This post is another roundup of things that have visually stuck with me over the past couple weeks.

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Life Hacking

Life Hack header

Lifestyle Design

Aren’t there things you wish you had a say in designing? Like your office chair that never reclines far enough, or your quirky front door that needs to be shut just right for it to lock. Or that your coffee pot would start brewing your morning mocha (aka starter fluid) on a schedule each morning? Maybe it’s just for your family to have access to one calendar; everyone can update it on-the-go.

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