If family gatherings are stressful—here’s what to do
Growing up, holiday parties were always big family affairs. I have a large extended family, with a dozen aunts & uncles (and even more cousins). Think standing room only in the kitchen, kids weaving through…
Families shouldn’t be afraid to host dinner parties — here’s why
Parenting can be tough, and it can also be lonely. It can be hard to find time to go on a much-needed date night, let alone get together with other couples, and sometimes the idea…
We live over 9,000 miles away from family—here’s how we stay connected
I never imagined that on the day I became a mother, I’d be living 9,928 miles away from family. We live in Australia, and we have a one-year-old daughter. We love our life here—my husband…
The reality of raising a family away from family
I currently live 700 miles from my family, but I have never felt more at home anywhere else. It didn’t start out that way, though. Because of my husband’s job, we had the choice of…
We Can Do Hard Things, and Other Lessons From Farm Life
When I was a young girl, I always dreamed of living on a farm. Even though I had never lived on one before, I just knew I always wanted to—someday. Little did I know that…
Beauty and Function In the Melding of Old and New: Our 1940s Historic Home Tour
When we bought our home four years ago, it was in bad shape. It was over 70 years old, a vacant, leaking, neglected foreclosure, filled with dirt, dog hair, and junk. But it was on…
Flooring Renovation: Asbestos Removal and Choosing the Perfect Floor Stain
We finally completed the renovation of our first-floor flooring, and like most renovations, it was a bit more involved than we initially hoped for. When we bought the house three years ago, we knew the…
Roses are red: 8 beautiful shades of a paint color you might not realize you love
Lots of us love blues, greens, whites, and greys. And if neutrals are more your thing, you might think you need to stay far away from a color like red. But we think it’s worth…
