Picking the perfect white paint can be a mind-numbing process. But after trying several, we’ve gone ALL IN on our one true favorite: Sherwin-Williams Pure White. It’s got all of the things you’re probably looking for in a crisp white, without any of the pitfalls that you run into with others (too bright! too gray! too yellowed!). Plus, it’s versatile enough to work on just about every surface of your home: walls, doors, trim, ceiling, cabinets, and more. Is Sherwin-Williams Pure White the best white? Anybody who has looked for white paint knows finding a “true white” is nearly impossible. Whites vary greatly depending on their undertones, often skewing yellow, pink, violet, or even green.
Two Days In St. Petersburg Florida With Kids
Rather than take one big vacation this summer, we opted instead for a few short trips so we could experience more new places. We kicked things off with a 3-night trip to Charleston, SC, we met up my parents in the Georgia mountains in July, and then capped off the summer with a getaway to St. Petersburg, Florida. Sherry and I had only been there very briefly during this 2008 beach vacation, so we were excited to spend more time there and explore it with our kids. So here’s a quick recap of what we did, where we ate, and why we’re excited to go back. Where Did We Stay In St. Petersburg? St. Petersburg
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray: The Perfect Greige
We’ve used Edgecomb Gray in nearly every room of our home because it’s a warm, inviting, and versatile neutral. You might even call it the perfect greige paint color! It’s popular with designers and DIYers alike, whether you’re painting a living room, bedroom, kitchen cabinets, or even your siding. Let’s show you why. When should you use Edgecomb Gray? Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) is one of the best greige paint colors. It should be high on your consideration list if you’re looking for any of the following: We go could on and on about why we fell in love this near-flawless color, but by the end of this post you’ll see for yourself! When
Aura Quartz: Crystal Meaning & Properties
Aura Quartz is a special variety of quartz known for its vibrant iridescent coloring. It’s found under many names and varieties, like rainbow quartz and angel aura quartz, depending on its coloring. These quartzes can be somewhat controversial among crystal collectors due to how they get their iridescent coloring. But I own several of them because they’re beautiful. Even more so in person! What is Aura Quartz? Aura Quartz is a natural quartz crystal with manmade modifications to create its signature iridescent appearance. This “aura coating” is created by fusing precious metal particles like gold or platinum to the surface of the crystal in a high-heat vacuum chamber. Some believe this enhances the quartz’s metaphysical
#183: What’s Next, House Vibes, & Yet Another Embarrassing Moment
We’re dropping this random pop-in episode to share one of the most embarrassing tales Sherry has ever told on this podcast. Of course it had to happen in the nicest house we’ve ever been in (in front of one of Sherry’s personal heroes). We’re also listing what’s left on our to-do list, and answering the much-asked question: what’s your next big project? Plus, we break down what feels different to us about this house compared to our last one (and the varied impressions you might get about us if you walked in without us being there). Lastly, we each share some recent home-related purchases and the books & tv shows that are keeping us laughing
Adding Poured Concrete Walkways & A Driveway
As we mentioned in our post about making a bigger backyard pool area, we’ve also made some big changes out front. Namely, we now have a legit front walkway and driveway! Break out the champagne! Release the doves! Rewatch the #Scandoval episode of Vanderpump Rules (or whatever else people like Sherry do to celebrate). I know this may seem unworthy of celebration – a driveway? cool story, bro – but when you live without one for THREE YEARS, it feels like a major win. Why We Needed Parking & Pathways I know most houses come with a place to park your car and some sort of path to the front door. Every other house we’ve
Ocean Jasper: Crystal Meaning & Properties
Ocean Jasper is a beautiful stone known for its rarity, soothing powers, and colorful spherical patterns. It’s prized by collectors due to its unique history and limited availability since the one and only place it exists on Earth is closed to future mining. Ocean Jasper comes in a variety of colors including green, gray, pink, blue, yellow, and white. Its patterns range from wispy banding to bold colorful orbs, meaning no two pieces are alike. It’s typically sold as polished stones, crystal towers, or jasper jewelry. I have both a large tower and a small polished heart. What Is Ocean Jasper? Ocean Jasper is a rare form of jasper found only on remote coastlines in
How We Doubled The Size (And Function!) Of Our Backyard Pool Area
For nearly a year, we’ve been in the process of reimagining our pool area as a bigger, more multi-functional space. You first saw it two years ago when we posted this behind-the-scenes of putting in a pool, along with lots of before & afters. We LOVE our pool and this area quickly became our go-to outdoor family hang-out spot. So back in Spring of 2022, we realized we could make it work even harder for us if we did one somewhat simple thing… moved one section of fencing back (thereby doubling the size!). It ended up being a bit more than just that, so I’ll take you through the various steps we took to maximize
A Weekend In Charleston, SC With Kids
Last week our family took a last-minute, 2-day-3-night trip to Charleston, South Carolina and it was *chef’s kiss*. It was our first time there, and we arrived having done zero planning and no itinerary with the goal of exploring, enjoying the sights, and eating some good stuff along the way (spoiler: we achieved all three!). Honestly, it might have been our favorite weekend trip yet (tied with New Orleans). So here are all the places, activities, and meals that made our trip so great. Why We Picked Charleston As A Spot To Visit? Ever since we moved to Florida three years ago, our family vacations have changed a bit. We used to almost always pick
Free Summer Reading Printable
With our kids’ summer break kicking off this weekend, we came up with a fun twist on our usual summer reading goals. We had the idea while playing “would you rather” on a family walk this morning, came home and whipped up a paper template, and an hour later Sherry mentioned it in passing on Instagram. Then Sherry’s DMs filled up with people asking her to share a copy of the bracket or tell them where we got it (we whipped it up in Photoshop), so we decided to drop two free printable options of it here in this post. I even had some fun myself, as a 41-year-old man, making this filled-out sample above
Adding Ikea Floating Shelves In Our Bedroom
For over a decade, one of our renovating mantras has been “the middle makes no sense.” Basically, don’t fret if your house is mid-reno, not fully furnished, or otherwise in limbo. Take your time, try something out, and just course correct as you go. See what you like and what you use. Live with something for a little while (or a long while). Take the expectation of having a finished perfect house right away and throw it in the trash (it always takes us years to get to that point!). Just keep letting spaces evolve in ways that work for your family and make you happy. And eventually, you’re very likely to end up with
How To Build Easy Laundry Shelves
Storage is useful in any laundry room, but it’s especially important in small ones like our laundry closet. That’s why we built some suuuuuuper simple floating laundry shelves right as soon as we moved in. It’s an easy DIY that anyone can tackle! They require very few materials, take only a few hours, and can be customized to fit your space and needs. And as a bonus, we’ll even show you how to build a counter that matches your shelves. It’s even removable so you can easily access your washer and dryer when they need servicing. Our shelves have been going strong for nearly 4 years now and they look & function just as well