This feels like an age-old question for anyone that's a homeowner. When should we hire a contractor? And in what situation should we DIY? There's a lot to unpack here! But there's also no right or wrong answer. So today we're going to talk it out with you, and help you determine what the best choice is for your particular project! *This post is sponsored by our friends at Ferguson, who ... [ Read More ]

Hey buddies! Nick here! It's been almost 4 years since we purchased this home. And while we love the character and charm of owning a historical property, it comes with lots of little maintenance needs that sometimes fall to the bottom of our to-do list. Today, we're going to tackle one of those line items, because we've had rainwater occasionally leaking through the solarium roof since we moved ... [ Read More ]

Every spring, I have grand plans of having the most epic vegetable and flower gardens! And I usually lose motivation at some point, or life just gets in the way. But this year, I chose to really make it priority. And I'm so glad I did! There's something so therapeutic about working in the garden and getting lots of dirt under my fingernails. Especially when the weather has been as glorious as it ... [ Read More ]

Is it too early to call this spring cleaning? The truth is, we've been planning to do a major organization haul to our garage since last summer, and just haven't gotten around to it until now. The reason is that it really needed more than just organization... we wanted to insulate and drywall it first! Here's a before shot (don't mind all the stuff in the middle of the garage... we had to move ... [ Read More ]

It's been called the 'Carmean Mansion' and the 'Hatcher Mansion', but since we can call it what we want, we're calling it the Queen of Hearts Mansion for now ('The QUEEN" for short)... because we can! It's SUCH a well-loved landmark here in Marshalltown, Iowa, and we're so honored to be sharing this ongoing story with you. Believed to be built around 1902, this unique historic mansion has a ... [ Read More ]

Hey friends! Nick here... I think I can speak for the entire world when I say... I'm glad 2020 is behind us, of all the things that went horribly wrong in 2020. The rare 'inland hurricane' (Derecho) that hit our Midwestern state of Iowa with zero notice and 140 mph winds is what sticks out in my mind. *This post is sponsored by DAP. Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make ... [ Read More ]

Howdy friends! We've been using and abusing our Sven Sofa and Armchair from Article for for several months now, and we're excited to share our thoughts! *This post is sponsored by Article! Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream possible!* I must admit the idea of welcoming some boujee velvet furniture into our home full of wild youngsters and cats and ... [ Read More ]

As if we don't have enough on our plates right now, we thought it sounded wayyyy too much fun to start documenting our adventures in the form of a VLOG! (Video-Blog) ...it's basically a reality series on our historic home renovation! This first video is an intro to our Story, or new (OLD) home, and what we've gotten accomplished so far. CLICK HERE to subscribe, and you'll be the first to ... [ Read More ]

As I'm looking back through the pictures from the Derecho in preparation to write this post, it's bringing back all those heavy feelings again. If you're not aware (because it was discussed very little in the media) our town (and most of our state of Iowa) was hit by a Derecho. I had never heard this word before. But we're familiar with the word Tornado, because our town was hit by an EF3 ... [ Read More ]