Lots of us want a more organized home, but are we going about it the wrong way? Today we’re talking with a home efficiency expert about how rethinking our approach to organizing could end up making us all happier – and maybe even help us be more patient partners and more present parents. She also explains why we should treat our kitchen like an operating room, how Sherry’s minimized closet could be better, and why garages are so hard to keep under control. We’re also sharing how a random phone call and a dicey forecast sucked the momentum right out of our duplex progress, but we’re still finding some silver lining in the news. Plus

Our holiday was full of fun, family, and a freakish amount of Ikea boxes filling the duplex. So this week we’re sharing how we navigated the task of installing not one, but two kitchens over winter break – including how things got off to a rocky start – and when we actually saw the light (both literally and figuratively). We also got AN AVALANCHE of feedback from you guys on the small sleeping nook we debated filling with various bed layouts in our last episode, so today we’re sharing how we’ve adjusted our plans to make the room work for as many families as possible. Plus, we tried out a new money-saving trick (why haven’t

Today we’re talking about a small space that’s stumping us at the duplex and we’d love to hear what your family would like to rent most. You’ll also hear how an unexpected Christmas request from our daughter sent us on quite the hunt for a house-related gift – and how we stumbled across a new 4-in-1 tool that’s extra handy to have in your junk drawer. Plus we’re asking the hard-hitting questions, like can your astrological sign really help you decorate your home? You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to

We recently realized that storage baskets may be simultaneously helping AND hampering our home organizing efforts (and yes, hampering was a pun). Also, the duplex has passed an important renovation milestone: floor refinishing! But even though we had planned for it to go a certain way, we were thrown an extremely last minute curveball and our entire plan changed in the final hour. Plus, a compelling counterpoint to one of our “must have” home features (thanks to you guys and your feedback from last episode!) and some simple tips for how to use decor to de-stress your home. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Note: If you’re

Whether you’re house hunting, building new, or just daydreaming, you’ve probably got a mental list of favorite home features that you either love having already or really want in your next home (or a little bit of both). So today we’re sharing our seven favorite home features based on what we’ve liked (and not liked) about our current and previous houses – along with our experiences working on new builds with a local builder and renovating two beach houses. You can hear our very favorite ceiling heights, where we actually don’t like to go “open concept,” and we lay out two things that we wish our house had – but probably never will. You can

It’s a question we’ve gotten a lot over the years: are you doing this for you or for the blog? It’s even one we’ve asked ourselves – and it hasn’t always always been easy to answer – but it’s a lot clearer in hindsight. So we’re diving into what past projects we would’ve done differently without an audience watching and we’re sharing how we keep ourselves in check these days. Plus, Sherry is finally getting the chance to realize a makeover she has fantasized about for five years and we talk through how we decide what home maintenance tasks to tackle ourselves and which to hire out. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn

Remember when we got into it over a refrigerator back in Episode #74? Well, the location of an appliance recently had us battling over two different kitchen layouts – this time for the duplex. So this week we’re sharing our competing perspectives on form versus function, and how we finally came to a compromise that checks both boxes (but not until I spent a few days cooling off). We’re also sharing why this stage of the duplex renovation is especially brain-bending, and what we’ve come to realize about hitting a wall… and then getting yourself over it. Plus, a solution to an age-old problem in our home office, an update on Sherry’s weighted blanket, and

Now that we’ve completed our big brick house painting project, we’re sharing all the behind-the-scenes twists & turns of the previous week (believe me, the hits kept coming). A big task like this can veer off course pretty quickly… which it did… more than once! We’re also sharing why it turned out better than we expected and what’s next on the list. Plus, John needs advice from other gadget lovers out there and we’ve got more info about our upcoming furniture line launch. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in