Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

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An Ode to Green Carpeting

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We’ve been remodeling our home since January. And by “we,” I mean Michael and I had the good sense to hire some very talented people to tackle 99% of the work.

This project was major. Our stairwell was demolished and replaced with a totally different layout. We now have wider, sturdier steps and a railing that does its job. As for the bathroom, it was absolutely gutted and then expanded slightly.

I knew from the jump that this remodel would completely change our home. Functionally and aesthetically, it would be a big improvement. And with many home improvements, one job begets another. We knew that part of shifting the footprint of our bathroom meant getting rid of our green carpeting.

And at the time, I was OK with this. I figured that this rug had a good run (at least 40 years) and that despite my affinity for its Kermit color, it was probably time to say goodbye. After all, there were hardwood floors hiding underneath! I told myself this over and over and over again.

Black kitten on green carpet

So one day after work, I pulled up the carpet in the hall. Some of the work had been started by the crew and I just had to finish the rest. The wood wasn’t as pristine as I expected, but I was happy with the progress.

A few days later I moved into the den, the room I use as an office and sewing space. As I started to work, I was glad the floors underneath were in better shape. But as I started to hack into the carpet so I could roll it up and cart it out in smaller pieces, I panicked. I realized that I really didn’t have to tear up the carpet. I could have ripped up the stuff in the hall and left the living room and den as-is (with some cleanup, of course).

So I sat there on my den floor utility knife in hand asking myself what the hell I’d done. Why did I want to tear up this carpet so badly, especially when I found out the wood wasn’t some hidden gem just waiting to be uncovered? Why did I insist on making light of ditching one of our home’s most prominent features?

But in the end, the carpet went. Yes, I did cry and tell Michael that our home was losing a statement piece. Michael is kind and thoughtful; he reminded me that yes, the carpet was a statement, but our whole home is full of wonderfully weird statements like the original rock garden, cone fireplace and cedar-planked walls. And we’re adding statements all the time like a 60s-inspired light fixture above our stairwell, the giant tree painting in the entry and, of course, my favorite Green Lady.

Wood paneled living room with hardwood floors, area rug and black cat

So I cut myself a small piece of rug to cling to as a memento. I fully intend on using it somehow—maybe as a mat for a photo. And until then, I’m going to do my best to weave some much-needed olive green into our decor.

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What We’re Planting This Year

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I look forward to planting our garden like it’s a special occasion. I just love picking out new plants and seeing them grow. For someone that’s very much an instant gratification sort, I do love the steady creep toward blooms and harvesting.

This year, we made some (small) shakeups with our garden. First and foremost, we transitioned a smaller flowerbed into a food-focused garden. There are still a few perrenials there, but now instead of being mostly hostas and autumn sedum it’s home to our blueberry bushes and a new asparagus plant. And the hostas? They’re living next to our neighbors’ shed.

I also planted a climbing rose bush to creep up a trellis on our archway. I had a handful of rose bushes before we dug up our yard and did pretty well with them. Since sending them off to a new home (my parents’ house), I’ve really missed having roses. They didn’t really mesh with the all-native, pollinator plantings we planned for our main flower area, so I just did without. But I really missed them! So I thought this little creeping rose would be a nice addition somewhere else in the yard.

Here are all the flowers we’ve planted this year. I try to stick with native species, but I think a few stray annuals in pots are a good exception:

  • Begonia: Michael likes the song “Scarlet Begonias” by the Grateful Dead so I buy him a scarlet begonia every year.
  • Climbing rose: We got this Crown Princess Margareta variety and I’m really excited to see how these Juliet-style roses look in person.
  • Decorative cabbage
  • Irises
  • Marigolds
  • Moss roses
  • Pansies
  • Snapdragons

We’ve also added a few plants to our vegetable beds. It’s only the beginning of June, but we’re already seeing some good returns here! Our lettuces are nearly out of control and our herbs are looking great. Here’s what edibles we’ve got going:

  • Asparagus: In retrospect, I should have bought more than one plant, but I’m still excited to see how this one shapes up.
  • Blueberries: We’ve got four different blueberries growing (you need multiple varietals in order for them to fruit—just FYI!).
  • Cucumbers: Last year I made pickles for the first time and was so happy with the results. I’ve planted a few cucumber plants this year to keep us in pickles for a good while.
  • Hops: My mom picked up a hops plant for us at MATC’s plant sale. We are not homebrewers nor do we aspire to be them, but I’m excited to see how this plant grows.
  • Arugula
  • Basil
  • Beets
  • Chives
  • Dill
  • Lettuce
  • Mint (the pineapple variety)
  • Parsley
  • Pattypan squash
  • Peppers (jalapeños and Candy Cane)
  • Radishes
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Strawberries
  • Thyme
  • Tomatoes (cherry and Roma)
  • Zucchini

This is all on top of our native plantings. That’s a lot for the city’s tiniest yard. Small space planting is possible, folks. Pots, planters and raised beds are your best friends. And don’t be afraid to mix edible plants with flowers!

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30 Days of Thanks // Week 4

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Welcome back to the last installment of my 30 Days of Thanks! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Day 23: Animals

I am thankful for these two tabbies every single day.

Zara and Mukki keep me going. Their habits and patterns are reliable and really comforting. They keep me on track and they provide me with a lot of love and joy. These two are the lights of my life and I’m so grateful for them and their hijinks.

Day 24: Humor

This September I went to see Rachel Bloom in concert with two friends. It was the best $60 I spent all year.

I truly don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. So thanks to Rachel Bloom for being a hilarious genius (and to Nicole and Katie for having great taste in comedy!).

Day 25: Snacks

I take snacking fairly seriously. It’s part of my job after all. And I’m so thankful for that!

Day 26: Earth

The past few years, Michael and I have taken transforming our yard pretty seriously. We’ve planted all native flowers and shrubs—all of which are pollinator-friendly (we’ve even registered our tiny yard with the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge). It’s one small thing we can do to help our planet. I’m thankful I’ve got a partner that’s on the same page as me with this.

Day 27: Merriment

I can’t tell you how thankful I am for family and friends that know how to have a good time.

I’ve got a crew that knows that the simple joys—like pull tabs (see above), bar trivia and bottomless chips and salsa—are where it’s at.

Day 28: Family

I’ve got an amazing family. I don’t know a group of people that manages to be so incredibly thoughtful and so absolutely funny. I’m thankful to the Brannans, Michaleks, Kaminskis and Stocks who make this fam so wonderful.

Day 29: Dreams

Running my own business is my biggest dream. I daydream about it a lot.

I’m not sure that Kaminski Handicraft is the business that could ever take me there full time, but I’m thankful I’ve got something of my own on the side to satisfy me.

Day 30: Self

Always a journey here, but this year has been a good one for me. Always room for improvement, but I’m thankful for a good year in personal development.

Also thanks to my mom for snapping this photo which is pretty much the ideal version of myself.

• • •

Thanks for sticking with me during this gratitude challenge. I’m thankful to everyone that peeks at this blog every now and again.

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5 Years of Homeownership

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Exactly five years ago today I bought our home. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I jumped into a big purchase like that at 25 and that I did it solo. But I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. So here’s a little story about where I’ve been with this home, what’s been absolutely maddening and why I love my house so much.

Let’s Flashback First

Before I get into what I’ve learned and loved about my home, let me give you a bit of background for any new readers (though it’s mostly just my mom who reads this).

My tiny house belonged to my great-aunt Mary who lived there for 40+ years. It was the closest thing to Grandma’s House that I knew, and I always loved visiting. Even when I was young, I dreamed of living there. I was just so drawn to the cone fireplace, the rock garden, the open staircase – all of it. Not to mention, that my aunt knew how to entertain, so the house always felt warm and welcoming.

When my aunt passed away, I moved in to keep an eye on things. The first few weeks were difficult. I lived without internet or cable in a home filled with my loved one’s things. It was isolating. But I moved my cat in, got internet installed and never looked back.

After living there for seven months (and some negotiations with my family), I signed on the dotted line. 10 months later, Michael and Mukki moved in.

The Highs

Our house is one of our greatest sources of joy (besides the cats). It’s been so satisfying over the years to put our stamp on this house while still retaining some of its original funky charm. I love bringing home new-to-me-vintage pieces and seeing them look totally at home alongside our families’ own relics and our own. I love how all of Michael’s favorite artwork fits in seamlessly with the decor. These sorts of things totally reaffirm our choice to live in this home. Not to mention all these additions serve to make our home more comfortable.

And that’s huge for us. Our home is definitely our retreat. It’s a great atmosphere for us both to settle in with our creative projects (Michael has music, I’ve got too many crafts). It’s also a great space for just relaxing. At night with the string lights on and the record player going, it’s an oasis from the world, and I’m certain I couldn’t get that exact feeling anywhere else.

Of course, we love to share our home as well. It’s a great place to entertain and a wonderful place to just relax and hang with some friends. The house, while small overall, is perfect for entertaining with the large living room that’s open to the kitchen. I absolutely love hosting people, especially around the holidays. It’s all these feelings that make me feel secure and happy to own our home.

The Lows (AKA #HomeownerProbs)

Of course, owning a home is more than nights in and decorating. Since moving in, I’ve experienced my share of #homeownerprobs, the kind that were uninteresting five years ago, but now are a staple of party convos with other 30-somethings.

My homeowner problems have been many, including needing to install a new roof just a month after buying the house and totally digging up everything to repair the foundation. These improvements have been absolute and utter drags. And there are many more to come. Owning a home is nothing but signing up for a never-ending and expensive to-do list.

Despite all these repairs and inconvenient projects, I never seriously regretted jumping in with both feet with this house. To me, all these improvements are an act of love for our home, the people that lived there and ourselves.

Looking Back

Looking back at the past five years of this house, I regret nothing (nothing major anyway). It’s been a heartwarming and eyeopening experience moving into a family home and making it our home for years to come. I hope that when I’m old, I’ll have young relatives that look at our space with such fond memories.

Anyways, cheers to five years! I love you, you Cabin in the City.

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KonMari Part 3: Crafting Komono

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It’s been a while since I’ve tidied up, but in April, I decided it was time to recommit to the process after taking a month or so off after tidying up paperwork (I’ll leave that undocumented because it was very boring). It was time to tackle the category I was dreading most: komono or miscellaneous items.

This is a huge category, so I decided to focus on one subcategory: craft suppplies. To me, this was the komono that was really standing in the way of my original intention, which was to make my hobbies and everyday chores easier and more joyful. 

Despite loving embroidery and most every other craft, I just wasn’t finding those hobbies so joyful wading through old papers, overstuffed baskets and disorganized threads. So in the midst of prepping for all my spring fairs, I decided that I had to clean up my act Kondo-style.

And, yes, this is what it looked like before. I was in full craft fair production mode but it’s still hugely shameful. However, for the sake of a good before and after, there it is.

Prepping for a KonMari Craft Closet

The first step of the KonMari method is to gather all like items together. Then after going through them all, you organize. However, since I started with almost no organization and zero suitable containers, I broke one of Marie’s rules and bought containers in advance. For a project like this, I recommend it. I’m also not an organizing guru, so take that with a grain of salt.

I also bought a label maker. It is my new best friend, and it makes me feel very put together.

Onto the Purge

OK, so I broke a rule by buying containers in advance, but I did follow through with Marie’s grab-everything-and-put-it-in-one-spot rule.

Hauling out my fabric, floss, paper and all the rest was pretty overwhelming and incredibly messy. Michael, of course, came home right in the middle of this process. He was kind enough to ignore it.

Going through crafting supplies was relatively easy. It wasn’t emotionally draining the way clothing was and it wasn’t as tricky as books. To me, craft supplies are mostly about utility. Is that pattern the right size? Do I use those pens? Is that pincushion the most functional? Questions like that helped me power through fairly quickly.

Because I was dealing with a lot of small odds and ends, I decided to start to organize as I went along. Yes, this is not very Kondo-like, but the way I saw it, if I had all of my thread in one spot, I may as well box it, label it and get it out of the way of the mess. Seeing what I thought would be an untameable pile turn into a small stack was encouragement enough to keep me going.

In the end, I got rid of about three shopping bags full of supplies and miscellaneous tchotchkes. Not a major dent, but still a lightening of the load.

The Perpetual Hiccup

The only hangups with this session of getting my sh*t together was coming across a lot of mementos. I’d pull out a box and find it was full of recipes or old photos. After the memory pile reached a small but critical mass, I decided just to put all those family history bits into one box. And then I labeled that box with the label maker, of course.

Having a dedicated and conveniently located home for these photos and papers is actually really nice. Now, whenever I come across something meaningful, I know where to stash it. And when my family wants to see something or reminisce, I can just grab one box.

I ended up doing this for modern-day mementos, too (though they are in another closet). It’s good to have a home for nice letters, photo booth pictures and the like.

The (Almost) Finished Product

It turns out that actually putting away my junk made a huge impact on this space – who knew? My desk looks clean, the closet drawer closes and I only have one basket of miscellany to deal with (this will likely sit in the den for too long because, as always, I’m the worst).

But really, the place looks pretty good. The closet is pretty well transformed in my opinion. Everything in there has a home and is tucked away inside a labeled container (the organization inside the floss container is not great, but it’s finally all in one place). The only thing I really want to change is to build some shelves so I don’t need to unstack every container to get to the things on the bottom.

The unexpected bonus of Kondo-ing this space was that I got my desk back. It was previously home to my sewing machine and the drawer was filled with random stationary and manuals. Now the sewing machine is in the closet, which makes me kind of sad because it reminds me that my regular sewing days are gone. But it also gave me plenty of room for my computer and a nice empty drawer to hold my light table and stitching papers.

Overall, I’d say that my hobbies are more joyful now and putting things away a bit easier, which was my original intent. So I’m going to call this one a win and definitely on par with my closet transformation-wise.

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KonMari Part 2: This Is Too Easy

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Let’s be real, part one of the KonMari method was rough. Really rough. After that, step two seemed easy. I could certainly thin my book collection.

First of All

Once the internet got wind of this step and how Marie Kondo only keeps about 30 books, things got pretty intense. Book-lovers were up in arms over this.

To this I say, hold your damn horses. If you think that the KonMari method is about throwing away books, you’re not listening. If your books spark joy, great – keep them and enjoy them. If they don’t, donate or sell them and don’t feel any guilt. That’s the method.

Also this tweet:


Don’t @ me on that one. You are not meant to keep every book you’ve ever read like some trophy.

Our Book Situation

OK, enough with my BS explanation of this books controversy (I have lots of opinions that you probably don’t care about). Let’s move on.

At home, we’ve got three dedicated book areas. This is, I realize, pretty scattered and kind of a lot. Running the width of our living room and dining area is a shelf. It’s home to my cookbooks, a few household resources (like my sewing bible) and plenty of knick-nacks. The rest of my books live in a cheap bookshelf in our bedroom.

Michael’s books are an entirely different story. He’s got three shelves full in his office that he’s not touching (yet). He’s a teacher with lots of textbooks and resources to manage plus a decently sized personal book collection. I’ll give him a pass for now. His book shelves are kind of the least of our clutter problems.

Overall, I think I have a fair amount of books. More than a lot of folks, but probably not as many as a lot of regular readers. I credit this to the library and a self-imposed limit. I never want more books than I can fit on my shelves – though, how they fit on that shelf is sometimes questionable.

To me, decluttering my collection isn’t high priority in terms of my clutter issues, but if Marie Kondo says books go next, well, books go next.

The Main Event

Now that you know my book sitch, let’s get to the main event, shall we?

I wanted to follow the method to the letter, so I started by pulling all my books off my bedroom shelf. It was hideously dusty because I’m a slob. I thought to myself even if I didn’t get rid of that much, at least I’d be rid of a mountain a few dust bunnies.

Taking the books out didn’t take long – maybe 10 minutes – but it was enough lifting to make me rethink grabbing all the cookbooks from the living room shelf. Getting a stepladder to reach them all and then carrying them across the house seemed like too much. Too much considering that I use most of those books regularly. As much as I wanted to follow Marie Kondo to the letter, I let the cookbooks stay. I’ll deal with the karmic consequences of that another day I’m sure.

Looking at my stacks of books, I was kind of underwhelmed by the amount. After being overwhelmed by Clothes Mountain last time, this was a good feeling. Before keeping and discarding, I tapped each stack to wake the books up energetically as Marie instructs. Does it do anything? Who knows! But it was kind of a happy way to start things off.

I worked my way through the piles fairly easily. My favorites were quick to spot and spark joy. I’m talking books by Lauren Groff, Louise Erdrich and Zadie Smith, my collection of scary stories and some reads I picked up on vacation this past year (and have yet to get to– oops). Also, you can pry my complete Calvin and Hobbes collection from my cold, dead hands.

As for the non-joyful books, I put them into two piles: one to sell now and another to pass along to my mom who called me asking for some books. I’ll be honest, having that “for Mom” pile was kind of a nice way for some books to get one last hurrah.

What Books Went?

After all this sorting, I’d estimate that I rid myself of 10 to maybe 15 percent of my books. That’s nothing to sneeze at, in my opinion.

So what books did I say sayonara to? Well, those fell into a few categories.

  • Books that have served their purpose: Books I needed for school, books that I read and thought were OK (looking at you, airport reads).
  • Books that had no purpose: The best of intentions here! I bought plenty of books thinking I’d get into a certain hobby or become a fan of an author only to realize that I wasn’t that interested at all.
  • Books that I’m over: Jack Kerouac? Overrated. I don’t need a physical reminder of the time I wasted on every twenty-something-year-old bro’s favorite author. Same goes for an excessive amount of cupcake cookbooks. 2006 called – it wants its food trend back.

Putting It All Back: Book Edition

Unlike clothing, Marie Kondo doesn’t really specify a way to organize books post-tidying. That’s fine by me. I generally organize by theme.

Looking at the keepers, I wasn’t too daunted by putting it all back. I feel like I’ve reorganized this bookshelf a lot (but apparently not lately because of all that dust). Since the bookshelf is broken up into nine sections, I started to group books to fit into each cubby.

I’ve got a few compartments dedicated to fiction. My favorite contemporary authors share a shelf. Classics and older books go together. I’ve got another section dedicated to spooky, supernatural and otherworldly topics. That’s the most fun one to me.

I had expected some gaps after putting everything back but had none. Kind of a letdown, but I realized I shelved some books that had been sitting in a stack next to the shelf, plus I gave my old yearbooks a home there. Overall, though, it’s organized and dust-free, so that’s not so bad.

How Does It Feel?

Honestly, this didn’t feel like the triumph of KonMari part one. That being said, it wasn’t nearly as difficult and didn’t require nearly as much time or effort. I’m not disappointed.

Like last time, I think I could have been a bit more ruthless, but I’m still happy with the progress I made. In all, I got rid of 28 books. And I made $10 at Half Price Books. It’s tempting to scoff at offers like that, but the way I see it, it’s $10. That’s more than if I dumped them off at Goodwill and it took infinitely less effort than me trying to shop around to sell them.

I’m still appreciating the slowness of this process. It is so so tempting for me to just rush through things and organize hastily for a short-term fix, but knowing that I’ll get to craft supplies and kitchen gadgets in their own time is a good thing for me.

The next step is paperwork. I’m not so sure if that needs documenting, but maybe I’ll run into some juicy stuff!

• • •

Like last time, you can see how I faired in real-time on my Instagram stories. There were some good finds!

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KonMari: Step 1 (AKA Why Do I Feel Like Crying?)

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After a few episodes of Tidying Up, I decided I was going to KonMari my life. I was 100% on board. I bought the book. I told everyone I knew about the life-changing magic of Marie Kondo. I picked a day to kick the project off. I was in it.

Kicking Off KonMari

I was so jazzed about the first step of tidying up (going through clothing), that I started two days early. Snowed in on a Saturday morning, I took all the clothing out of my closet and the coat closet and heaped it on my bed. I was already embarrassed for myself and I hadn’t even emptied out my two dressers yet (yes, two – totally shameful).

I knew I had to commit, though, so I pulled everything out. It was pretty horrifying. But I decided to jump in and ask myself if each item brought me joy. My Jessica Lange-esque witch dress? Absolutely. All joy. My new winter coat from my sister? So much joy. The skirt I wore as Bonnie Parker last Halloween? Not really. Thanks for helping me make a costume. Bye.

Hitting a Roadblock

After 90 minutes of sorting (that’s on top of about an hour of just pulling stuff out of storage), I was having a hard time. Did a pair of sweats bring me joy? I mean, they were cozy. Is coziness joy? What about a skirt I made (but hadn’t worn in years)? It made me feel proud. But was that joy? Or satisfaction masquerading as joy?

I had to take a break. After an episode of Gilmore Girls, I came back refreshed. I plowed through the rest in another 45 minutes. But I kept tripping up on the same things: my makes (though they didn’t still fit).

Originally, I tossed a few dresses and skirts into the bag. If they didn’t fit, they weren’t really joyful, right? After all, I felt a lot of relief getting rid of other clothes that didn’t fit me well. But seeing pieces that I worked really hard on tossed in a bag with old band tees and too-tight skirts felt wrong. Or at least it made me feel really sad. More so than when I released some other old favorites.

Right about this time, Michael came home. I have to give him so much credit, first and foremost because he came home to our bedroom turned upside down and didn’t bat an eye. But he deserves even more credit because I had a meltdown (why do I have so many of these?) about saying goodbye to my handmade clothes. And he just said, “Why don’t you keep them? Even if they’re just examples for yourself?”

That’s when I pulled my favorites out of the bag – two skirts and two dresses. I folded them neatly, KonMari-style, and placed them in a basket in the basement. No, it’s not a perfect solution, but I’m happy with it for the time being.

With those items in a new home, going through the rest of my odds and ends was easy. In the end, I had four garbage bags packed full and ready for Goodwill (not to mention a half garbage bag of unrepairable and worn garments to toss).

Putting It All Back Again

Even though looking at four bags of donations was satisfying, looking at the keep pile was still overwhelming. Time for another Gilmore Girls break. If you are tacking this project, I highly recommend decompressing occasionally. Lighthearted TV, an easy read or a walk would all be welcome.

Returning once again to Clothes Mountain, I developed a bit of a game plan. First, I’d hang up what needed hanging. Then I’d deal with the folding – first basics like shirts and sweaters and then moving onto less regular things like tights.

Hanging clothes was fairly simple. Marie writes in her book that her preference is to fold clothes, but some clothes are happier on hangers – dresses, skirts, things that are light and airy. She also specifies that clothes should be hung rising left to right – meaning the longest dresses on the left and short top on the right.

I followed Marie’s directions as best as my closet would allow. In the end, it looked much nicer visually (to me at least). I was hoping that I’d have a wardrobe with some healthy gaps in it to really show me how much I improved. I didn’t quite get that. Instead I got a closet that was mostly full, though, most importantly, not overstuffed. I’d take it.

The Folding Method That Didn’t Make Me Hate Folding

After a low-key win in the closet, I turned my attention to everything remaining. I’d have to KonMari fold it all? I saw how long it took people to do it on Tidying Up. I figured I’d be there all night.

But after watching a quick YouTube video, I think I got the method down alright. After 90 minutes, everything was folded and put away. I even ended up with one empty drawer! And the rest looked near-picture perfect.

After all that work, being able to pull open a drawer and see everything was a huge reward. No longer would I be surprised by that sweater in the bottom of the drawer. My pajama drawer wouldn’t be overstuffed. All my pants could live in one spot! Getting dressed was easy!

What About Shoes and Bags?

I like my shoes and I like my bags, but I don’t have an outrageous collection of either. Thank goodness because I could not handle another tidying session like the one I did with clothing.

Because the first part of tidying was so exhausting, I admittedly half-assed the bag and shoe part. Or maybe it just felt that way because it didn’t take very long. Going through both took 10 minutes. I filled up an entire bag.

An Unexpected Stumbling Block

Along the way, though, I ran into sentimental items. A lot of them. My closet’s top shelf is apparently prime real estate for mementos of all kinds. High school yearbooks? There up there. Ticket stubs from all the concerts Michael and I saw while dating? They’re old and curled now, but yes, they call the top shelf home. Letters my great-grandma and great-aunt wrote? They’ve got their own shoebox there.

This felt like a pretty big stumbling block to me. Part because I was tempted just to deal with those items right there and then. Part because putting them back on the shelf felt like I wasn’t tidying right but leaving them out as clutter didn’t feel right either. I put them back – just for the time being.

How Does It Feel?

I couldn’t feel better about my drawer situation. It looks so darn good. My closet didn’t provide me with a dramatic transformation, but I’m thinking that’s fine for now.

In general, though, I’m really trying to learn. Pinpointing what sparks joy for me comes and goes, but Marie writes about how you develop this sense more as you go. I’m hoping that comes in subsequent steps.

My biggest takeaway so far, though, is to work methodically and not to rush. Yes, she describes the process as quick, but she clarifies that means about six months. As someone who is more a hare than a tortoise, this is a big lesson. So I’m trying my best to go by the book, to work one section at a time and resist the urge to tidy things before their time.

For me, this is very big since I love working on a handful of projects at once. But I think it’s time I try something new (like slowing down).

• • •

P.S. If you want to see how I really felt in real time, check out my Instagram stories. I was a disaster.

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The Life-Changing Magic of Getting Your Stuff Together

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Like most everyone, I got sucked into Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up on Netflix. After a single episode, Michael went through his closet. I cleaned up our kitchen. After the second episode, I bought her book.

I’m still working my way through the process, but the one principle that really help guide my way is visualizing the destination, which Marie writes a lot about.

Before you start getting rid of things, take the time to think this through carefully. This means visualizing the ideal lifestyle you dream of… The whole point in both discarding and keeping things is to be happy.

– Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

What Is Our Dream Lifestyle?

Hoping to get Michael fully on board, I asked him what his picture-perfect version of our home would be so I could combine my vision with his.

His answer: I want our home to be cozy.

I agree with that 100 percent. And I think it’s very achieveable. After all, our home is, at its best, very cozy. Probably the coziest. Physically, our house is comfortable and small. Our sofa is layered with the softest blankets (and, consequently, cats). The light is soft, the living space is open and ready for visitors, though it feels full with just us. And most nooks and crannies are full of mementos that make us nostalgic and happy.

Of course, this cozy vibe is often harshed by clutter – I’m talking mail, laundry, craft supplies. So it’s not always the picture of comfort and warmth. But we try. Maybe after going through the full KonMari method, we could be consistently cozy (or mostly). I feel like coziness, as a goal, is definitely within our grasp.

My Ideal Vision of Our Home

When I asked myself what my ideal lifestyle in my home would be, though, I paused. Yes, absolutely, I want a cozy, comfortable and welcoming home. But what else? A creative space? I mean, sure. A place to entertain? Yes, we like to host parties and get-togethers. A retreat from stress? Yeah, that’d be pretty good. But these didn’t really fit.

But then it hit me. What I really wanted on a practical level was for those things – creating, baking, entertaining – to be easier because – clutter or not – I’m going to do those things. But as it stands now, working on projects and entertaining aren’t really effortless (or at least as easy as they could be).

Baking means having to clean off the counter, dragging the heavy KitchenAid from the closet. Crafting means pushing aside all the coats and digging through drawers. Certainly, those things aren’t that hard, but they weren’t really that easy, not for something fun, at least. It was like my old light table. Sure, it worked fine, but the process of using it made the project – something I should love – a chore.

So this is my goal: To make my hobbies and everyday chores easier and more joyful. This means reconfiguring my home to be more functional. Does that mean that where I store my food and where I keep my cooking gear should swap? Maybe! Does that mean that I have to reorganize the coat/craft closet. Oh, it sure does. Does it mean that I need to sort through everything I own so I can identify what’s really important? Most likely.

And that really doesn’t bother me too much. I’m looking forward to a life where baking is a joy, not a pain in the butt. A life where I manage to keep my craft supplies organized because putting them away is simple and not some outsize task that requires me to rearrange the whole closet.

And with all that stuff working for me on a functional level, maybe I’ll be able to reduce the clutter so I can be ready to entertain or just stay in and be cozy at any time.

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Going Native

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Photo via Ebert’s Greenhouse Village where I got all my plants!

When we started reimagining our yard, the part I most looked forward to was planting. I love plants and flowers. I don’t keep any houseplants (thanks to our cats), so outdoor plants are my bread and butter.

At the beginning of the summer, I thought I’d made my plant decisions (it was a goal of mine all the way back in May!). With the help of my mom and a few ideas from a landscape designer, I scoped out beautiful hydrangeas, boxwoods and mock orange. They all seemed so elegant, plus I’ve dreamed of having hydrangeas for ages. But as the summer went on, my plant order (yet to be placed, thank goodness) didn’t sit quite right with me. So I started making a few tweaks. And a few more. And I started to notice that the only plants that I felt really confident about were the native plants I had selected.

That’s when I decided to go 100% native with our plantings.

Really, it made the most sense to Michael and me. These plants would naturally thrive and wouldn’t require a lot of extra care the way something exotic forced to grow in Wisconsin would. So now, we’ve got a small garden full of native plants, most of which are very attractive to pollinators, butterflies and birds. It looks great and it’s good for the environment, too! That last part was pretty major for us. If you want to improve the world – even if that just means making life better for bees or helping a tiny lot in the city become more natural – you gotta start at home.

Here’s what we planted this year:

I’m hoping to add a few more perennials next spring to fill it out. I’ve got my eyes on lupine especially – we saw so much in Bayfield and we fell in love with it.

If you’re interested in planting native species at home (and home is Wisconsin), the DNR has great resources like this guide!

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Oh Make Me Over // A Bathroom Mood Board

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For months (and months and months) now, I’ve been brainstorming a bathroom makeover for my home, and it’s time to put a few of those ideas to paper screen.

Now, I’m a firm believer in not updating homes just for the sake of updating – house flipping makes me so so sad – but sometimes updates need to be made to improve a space’s functionality. That’s where this bathroom update falls. Right now, our bathroom has the original tub, sink, vanity and fixtures. But these are all very worn and in some cases, just downright broken. Combine that with some iffy wiring, a hole in the drywall and peeling wallpaper and you’ve got a solid case for renovation in my book.

I’m in the earliest stages of this project now, but before I got ahead of myself I wanted to make a mood board to help guide me along my way (and to help me visualize if what I’m thinking of is not a good look).

And while I do have quite the cabin on my hands, I wanted to take this room in a bit of another direction – a tropical one. While that doesn’t exactly suit the rustic vibe of my house, I’m OK with it since the major parts of the room – the tile, vanity and fixtures – will be pretty classic.

mirror // palm photo // vanity // subway tile // rug // plant // faucet // shower curtain

drawer pulls // hexagon tile // towel // tray

And there you have it! This is something I should have tackled ages ago! But ages ago Target’s new Opalhouse line didn’t exist (and I want it all).