As we continue on our journey to up the curb appeal of our home, we knew we needed to address the giant pine tree in the front yard. It's one of those trees that you can tell by the trunk size that it's been there for many decades. I also probably hasn't been trimmed in that long either, and the branches hang VERY low. Like a tent. *This post is sponsored by Stihl. Thank you for supporting ... [ Read More ]

Over the years, I've picked up cute vintage hankies at thrift stores, yard sales, and antique stores (when they're cheap). I didn't ever consider myself a 'collector' of vintage hankies, but I've accumulated quite a few over the years. I always knew I would make something with them eventually, because it's beautiful fabric! And the colors and patterns are just so vintage and charming. I ... [ Read More ]

I'm weirdly excited for this school year, and it's not because my kids are going back to school and I will have 5 days a week to myself. NOPE. One of my 3rd grade twins goes to the local private school, and the other one is homeschooled... by me... at home. Insert wide-eyed-deer-in-headlight emoji. This was my face LAST SUMMER at the thought of homeschooling. I was definitely a 'hesitant ... [ Read More ]

Nick and I have been talking for awhile now, how we need need to get family pictures taken again. Life just kinda gets away from us, and our kids are growing soooo fast. *insert weeping emoji* The last family pics we had taken were when Cypress was just a baby, and SISTER IS 4 NOW, sooooo... Some friends of ours, Dan and Alex McClanahan, own McClanahan Studio in Ames, IA. Dan's dad was ... [ Read More ]

It's been two months since a devastating EF3 tornado hit our town, and I finally feel like I'm ready to talk about it. Inexplicably no one killed, but it's still painful to see your town shredded down to the nubbins. When the Today show talked about our little town, they said it best when they said 'widespread and catastrophic destruction'. Image Via It was a bright sunny day, and the sirens ... [ Read More ]

Here's a thing I never thought I would say... I'm officially a homeschool mom. And if you've been following my blog for awhile, you might remember how I used to be homeschooled myself as a child and had strong feelings about the matter (I lamented about it in this post). My strong feelings revolved around the fact that HOMESCHOOLING IS GOOD FOR SOME KIDS AND ISN'T GOOD FOR OTHERS. And I ... [ Read More ]

I have great news! After lots of inquiries, we're reopening our Etsy shop for a limited time, and accepting pre-orders for our signature Wooden State Ornaments through the month of September. And then we're slamming those doors back shut! Are you ready to knock out some early Christmas shopping?! Each state (or country!) is cut by me and my scroll saw! And each one has it's own unique ... [ Read More ]

I’ve noticed something about myself, and I have a sneaking suspicion I’m not the only one that struggles with this.Are you ready for my big confession?Sometimes I start projects and DON’T FINISH THEM.Or I put off even starting projects that I know need to be done.Nick is the same way. So we’ve been troubleshooting ways to help us identify WHY, and just get the thing DONE already. We’ve noticed ... [ Read More ]

We live in a really old drafty house, so winterizing is pretty important for us. But most of these tips we’ve gathered for winterizing your house before the cold hits are relevant for any homeowner! I thought about titling this post ‘crack is whack’ because drafty gaps and cracks will have you shivering and wasting money through the whole winter. So let’s take these simple steps and make our homes ... [ Read More ]