family portraits by Cedric Hi friends! I'm probably showing up to our coffee date just a tad late, which is unlike me, but that's just how life is lately. Since it's the afternoon I'm having a steaming Yeti travel mug of tea: one bag of Candy Cane Lane and one bag of Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride. Because the holidays are over but the holiday tea doesn't have to be. So, let's catch up! Thin margins I am operating with what I'm calling thin margins lately. For a few different reasons life just feels too full and too busy. Chris and... Read more →

In sync on finances and sweater color. I've missed writing about our personal finances and today have a post sharing a snapshot of how we manage our finances right now. So let's get into it! Getting back into our finances One reason I haven't written about finances as much is because over the past few years I've taken less of an active role in managing our day-to-day finances. Chris and I have continued to have regular budget meetings and conversations about our finances but Chris has been the one to keep an eye on exact dollar amounts, what bills are... Read more →

Nearly every morning for the past many months, Chris has made himself the most admirable quick breakfast saute of greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, and an egg. I'm quite jealous because I've been trying to increase my veggie consumption and would love to consume a heaping portion of vegetables so regularly. And Chris would be happy to double the portions and make some for me. The only problem is that Chris's breakfast looks entirely disgusting to me. Watery, wilty greens? Nope. Mushy, burst cherry tomatoes? No and no. The mushrooms sound okay but not enough to redeem the dish as a whole.... Read more →

Somewhat similar to Thursday House, Chris and I noticed another phenomenon that seems to indicate how busy we are and how tidy (or untidy) the house is. We call it bedroom corners or just corners. I bet you have something similar in your life. Here's what we noticed: each of us tend to accumulate stuff to be dealt with in the four corners of our bedroom. I accumulate things in the corner near my side of the bed and next to the chair (which is in a corner). Chris accumulates things in the corner next to his side of the... Read more →

I love that our xeriscaped front and back yards don't require a lot of water. What they do require, however, is vigilance when it comes to weeds. Unwelcome green leaves pop up throughout our gravel landscaping during the spring and fall. Without attention they can quickly take over. And then the dreaded letter from the HOA will follow... For years we've used weed killers like RoundUp to kill weed sprouts. I've never felt great about using RoundUp but for a long time didn't know what else to do. The weeds can be so abundant that physically removing them was too... Read more →

On our annual podcast retreat this past weekend, Erica and I took a walk through the woodsy neighborhood where we stayed. During the walk I asked, "So what's the rock in your shoe lately?" We had a good conversation, each answering the question and brainstorming solutions to our own rocks. I liked the question so much I wanted to share it here. Here's the thing about a metaphorical rock in your shoe: it's not an emergency but it causes just a bit of friction or discomfort on a daily basis. You can get by with a rock in your shoe... Read more →

It's February, we're settled into a rhythm that feels pleasant most of the time (except from about 4–6 p.m. everyday when it's barely contained chaos), the weather is chilly (for Gilbert), and I'm feeling energetic and optimistic. In January I cleared many to-dos from the deck which opens up time and brain space for writing, podcasting, and looking ahead. We also had a great month of mostly sticking to our budgets and saving. Getting back involved with our everyday personal finances (one of my goals this year) has already really made a difference! In February I'm hoping to keep all... Read more →