We're Back - And Building (Again)

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Hi. Remember me?

If you’re new here, welcome! If you’ve been around since the early days, thanks for sticking with us through a very long quiet season. I stopped blogging in 2019 (ok, probably more like 2015) and a lot has changed since then. Most importantly, we’re building a house. Again.

This will be our third home build and it already looks and feels a little different!

The Lot That Kept Calling Us

Our new home will sit on two acres. It’s in the country but still part of a neighborhood. It’s the perfect mix of privacy and community which is something we’ve always wanted but have never quite had.

The new lot has lots of pros:

  • Five minutes closer to the kids’ school (which strangely adds up)

  • Right on a walking and biking path that stretches for miles. SO EXCITED FOR THIS!

  • The lot is flat. Perfect for backyard baseball, sprinklers and kids being kids. Let’s not forget plenty of space for our new pup, Mabel, to run off leash.

  • Surrounded by the prettiest view. Iowa weather isn’t for the faint of heart but the sunrises keep me going.

  • No neighborhood covenants!

Why Build Again?

Short answer?
We like houses. A lot.

Designing a home is something we genuinely enjoy. We’ve had our eye on this area for years but the timing never felt quite right. When the lots originally came up for sale, we had just finished a major remodel on our current home after a water disaster (Long story short: our reverse osmosis system leaked while we were on vacation and a remodel followed. Consider this your push to install a leak detection system in your home RIGHT NOW).

At that point, we were not mentally prepared to build again.

Fast forward about a year.

We kept driving by. Kept checking listings. Kept dreaming. Then we found out there were only a couple of lots left and neither of us could shake the feeling that this was something we were supposed to do.

The Practical (and Slightly Scary) Part

We reached out to a local realtor to get an estimated listing price for our current home. She told us inventory in our area is incredibly low (homes & residential lots) and things sell quickly. We watched multiple houses go under contract within days after that conversation.

Next, we contacted the builder who handled our remodel and asked for a very rough cost estimate based on a floor plan we had in mind.

At that point, we took a deep breath… and decided to go for it.

It’s a huge decision. A scary one. But also one that feels exciting and right.

This will be our third build but our first time working with a general contractor from start to finish. We’ll share more about that choice later.

A Little About This Space (Again)

When I last blogged, the kids were tiny. Now they’re 10 and 7 and life feels very different. I’m no longer drowning in diapers and baby gear and I finally feel like I have the mental space to enjoy this kind of project again.

Our OG blog dog, Ike, was with us through so many chapters and has since passed away. Last year, we welcomed Mabel to the family — and she’s already made herself right at home. 🐾🤍

I’ll be honest: I feel like a dinosaur trying to relearn social media. (I’m accepting applications for mentors.) I’m excited to document this build but keep your expectations low. I’m all about that 2010 style of blogging. Too many words. Blurry photos. Take me back!

Here you’ll find:

  • Home build updates

  • Room inspiration and mood boards

  • Bits of real life along the way

  • And maybe some favorite books, outfits and seasonal things too (because I can’t listen to the experts that tell you to niche down)

Slow and steady is the rhythm I’m aiming for. I’m going to try to be more active on Instagram and hope to post on here on couple of times a week. Sometimes an Instagram caption can’t handle all of the things I feel I need to word vomit. You know?

Thanks for being here. I’m really glad you are.

— Michelle 🤍

Holiday Books for Kids

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Holiday Books for Kids

I love Christmas. I love children’s books. Combine those together and you have some of my favorite things. Most we own. Some we borrow from the library (and most usually end up in our collection the following year.) This year I started doing a “December box” that includes a holiday book for each kiddo and matching pajamas. I hope to continue you that for years to come.

If you’re looking to expand your holiday book collection, here’s a peak into ours! There’s still time to get a ton of stories in before Christmas is over (thank you, Amazon Prime!)!

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How to Build a Dining Table (& Decorating with Kids!)

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How to Build a Dining Table (& Decorating with Kids!)

I occasionally get questions regarding how our kids have changed our home decor.

Honestly, not much has changed. This is mainly because we’ve been too sleepy to tackle home related projects. I haven’t had the energy to dream up crazy ideas. Nate hasn’t had the energy to make my crazy ideas come true. Our second baby is now one and we are finding ourselves with a smidge more free time (and definitely more restful nights).

I have been wanting a new table in our breakfast nook. Nate previously built our first table for this space back in 2011. (I had to look it up on the blog. Time flies!) We loved that table…until we had kids. The old tabletop was not smooth. Every crumb, spill, sprinkle, piece of craft paper, Play-doh, etc ended up in the crevices. Prior to having children it was not a big deal to vacuum the top every now and then. Post-children is another story. There are now so. many. crumbs. I don’t really care to spend my precious free time vacuuming a tabletop. Like I could think of 87 million better ways to spend my time. I could summarize this entire paragraph with “Our old table was gross. The end.”

We are now the proud new owners of a table that has a smooth top and wonderfully curvy legs!

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