Here we are, on the verge of Halloween, which means Christmas everything will be starting as soon as the trick-or-treaters are off the street.  I don’t know how it’s happened, but I’m not ready!  The time change, the weather change, all of it.  There just is never enough fall for me.  We’re headed to Scottsdale to celebrate our anniversary, and I can’t wait to spend some time out there, I love it so much. I promise I do have some house project stuff coming your way soon.  I’ve kept things under wraps a bit because we had a situation in our basement that took forever to figure out, so my cute little office area was down to the studs and concrete floors for awhile (more than two years).  But it’s coming back to life, and I look forward to sharing the progress and where I’m going with it.  It’s going to be better than it started by the time it’s all said and done.  In the meantime, a 5+1 post is here to fill the void. This post contains some affiliate links.  See full disclosure here. Wrong Place Wrong Time I just wrapped up a large kitchen project, so I had a […]

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I feel like we are snowballing towards the holidays, and really am not ready for that just yet.  The weather has settled into a beautiful pattern, and I’m in no hurry for it to change just yet.  Fall in the midwest is one of the best things about living here. Winter, not so much, but fall is a winner.  We had homecoming last week – my daughter is a senior, so this is my last homecoming – and her senior pictures are next week.  Again, I’m in no hurry for things to move any faster than they already are.  Let’s get on with a Friday 5+1 and stop with all of this leaving the nest stuff, shall we?  This post contains some affiliate links. Peel and Stick Towel Holders After installing towel holders and toilet paper holders, I’m left wondering where these peel and stick ones have been my whole life.  So modern and cool, with none of the hassle of normal installations.  Smart for home, college kids, first apartments, you name it! Vuori Joggers I am a subscriber to the Trendsend clothing box (love it, and I’ve gotten lots of great things that I would never have tried, or even […]

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I’m super late in sharing this year’s 2023 Homearama trends, and I apologize.  Lots going on around here – namely, my parents are downsizing from their home of 40 years, and it’s been stressful.  The end is in sight though! They are officially living in their new place, and close on their old place in the next two weeks.  Such a bittersweet thing – so many memories in that house, and it’s hard to say good-bye.  But their new place is great – brand new, beautiful finishes and low maintenance.  But it is really eye opening to see what you have to deal with when moving from a larger home to a smaller one.  Makes me want to purge and keep my stuff to a minimum. In fact, a guy who does junk clean outs in the area posted his dumpster trailer for rent for a weekend, so I snatched up the opportunity and did a major purge of our basement storage room.  It was (and still sort of is), bad.  Just a dumping ground for everything people don’t want to deal with.  We filled the dumpster and could quite honestly, rent it again. Let’s get on with highlights from this […]

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I have blog posts in my head that I have not yet put to “paper” yet, so in the meantime, I figured I’d share a 5+1.  It’s during the week, yes, but sometimes you just have to go with it.  The weather has been garbage (I don’t know where the summer went, but I want it to come back).  It takes awhile to pull things together that I like, so when it happens, I like to share them.  Let’s get to it.  This post contains some affiliate links. The Whispers I have been lacking in the book sharing department lately, but this one is a goodie.  If you ever read The Push, you’re sure to love this one.  Ashley Audrain, the author of The Push, is out with a new book, and I’m happy to report it’s another page turner.  I always love it when an author is able to put out another book that exceeds expectations.  The Whispers is a book that features several different couples and how they intersect (oftentimes in dark ways).  Audrain is adept at capturing and keeping your attention early on, and does not disappoint! The Best Pillow Inserts If you’re like me, you’re a […]

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Things have been a bit crazy over here for the past month or so.  We went to Scottsdale for spring break at the beginning of April, my daughter had her junior prom in the middle of April, and my middle son graduated from college at the end of April!  All good things, just a jam packed month.  I’ve squeezed in a couple of cabinet jobs in there as well, so it’s been busy.  Now with May, we have lots of birthdays and Mother’s Day thrown in for good measure.  How about a weekend 5+1?  This post contains some affiliate links. Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes One upside about working on cabinets is that I have more time to listen to books, and Someone Else’s Shoes is one that grabbed me early and dragged me in.  It’s a story of how a mix-up brought together two lives in very different ways.  It’s fast paced and funny, while also telling a great story of two very different women. “Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, […]

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I’m groggy today, adjusting to the dreaded time change, and we were greeted with a coating of snow this morning, which is a bit depressing since the added daylight always feels like warmer weather is around the corner.  I’m sure it will pass, but that’s par for the course for this time of year in the midwest, I suppose.  But, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a 5+1, so let’s get to it.  This post contains some affiliate links. Social Media Detox First things first, I decided to do a social media detox for Lent this year.  It was kind of a last minute thing, but I am so glad I gave it a go.  I do still answer messages for work stuff, since I’m sort of tethered to social media for that, but it’s been minimal.  I also save recipes on Instagram, so I allow myself to go on to grab those if need be.  I found that I was just wasting too much time mindlessly scrolling and it left me feeling … bad, for lack of a better word.  I can’t say exactly why – maybe because I felt like I should be doing more, posting more, putting myself […]

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This post about choosing the best white oak floors has been a long time coming.  As part of our kitchen remodel, the project snowballed into unifying the flooring throughout our main level, with the exception of the bedrooms, which remained carpeted.  I tried to convince my husband to do hardwood in our bedroom, but he couldn’t buy into the logic of putting in hardwood floors, only to have them covered by a big rug.  You have to take the wins when you get them, right?  That said, I knew what I wanted when it came to flooring – I’ve seen it all over Instagram and Pinterest.  White oak hardwood flooring.  Wide plank.  Natural color.  A pretty white oak grain.  However, finding and choosing white oak floors, was much more difficult than I expected.  Having gone through this experience, with more flooring samples than I care to count, I thought it would be worthwhile to share what I’ve learned, and the floors that we ultimately chose. This post is sponsored by Cochran’s Lumber who provided me discounted floors for this project.  As always all opinions are my own. Color In choosing white oak floors, I knew I wanted a light stain, […]

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Since it’s a holiday weekend, I’m sending this out on a Monday and still calling it the weekend. Over the past few weeks I’ve cobbled together some finds that I think you’ll find useful (I did at least).  Let’s get on with this 5+1!  This post contains some affiliate links. The New House I’m trying to get back into a good book reading mode, and The New House helped me kick off the year on a high note.  If you like the psychological thriller genre (and I think this one falls under “domestic thriller”, which I like), this book should be on your radar.  It starts out as a book about three different couples who are entwined as a result of real estate transactions.  Couples are buying homes from other couples.  But there ends up being much more to the story – situations and circumstances going on between the couples spill over and turn it into something so compelling it’s hard to put down. Customizable Light Bulbs You all know my frustration with the state of the light bulb market right now.  It’s overwhelming, expensive and confusing.  Too many options, and it makes me nuts when I go to change […]

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I’m a little late, but I’m excited to share my favorite books of 2022!  I’ll admit, I read less this year than usual, in part, because I wasn’t working as much (and I listen to books a lot while I work).  That said, I still did a lot of reading this year – about 30 – but a far cry from what I have read in previous years.  I need to get back on track and find some new books, as I’ve been in a bit of a book rut as of late.  I’m all ears if you’ve read something recently that you’ve loved. This post contains some affiliate links. The Last House on the Street The Last House on the Street is another home run from Diane Chamberlain.  If you haven’t read any of her books, I can honestly say to pick one and get started, as I’ve never been disappointed with anything she’s written.  She’s extremely versatile as well – a quality I admire so much in good authors, and the subjects of her books are equally diverse.  Since I’m not always great at giving the plot of a book in a succinct matter, I’m going to rely […]

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We’re trucking right into the holidays – are you ready?  I’m making some great progress – my daughter is the easiest out of everyone since she’s great about giving me a list, or when we’re out shopping, it’s easy to pick something up and stash it for Christmas.  My boys are much more difficult and not as good with their lists. But, we’ll figure it out. First world problems.  In the meantime, let’s have some fun and check out a Friday 5+1. This post contains some affiliate links. The Best Boots I recently bought these Skechers booties, since I wear boots much of the winter, and was looking for something new.  I love the look of them, but they’re also super comfy, which is a big win in my book.  I can attest to taking three college visits in these boots, and they carried on without a peep.  They’re my new favorites, and I wear them all the time. I even pulled them out for our family photo shoot and got a new head shot while I was at it. (It’s only about um, 12 years overdue…). Ask my family, when I find something I love, I wear it out. […]

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