Seeing former homes altered by new owners can sting more than you expect. This week we talk about how we coped with those feelings and found the silver lining when someone undoes your design choices. Back at our current house, we finally made the driveway more kid-friendly—a project that was long overdue and surprisingly easy. We also cover things you should avoid buying secondhand, why Sherry’s back in “tooth jail” with extended Invisalign treatment, and how our beach house has an unsettling connection to a real-crime story.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio—or listen to it on the page. Use this post to find any links, notes, or photos we mentioned. If you’re reading in a feed reader, click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- Hallelujah—our driveway is paved. The photo above shows lighter and darker patches because it had just rained, but the pictures below show how overrun with weeds the front of the driveway had become. The kids were desperate for a smooth place to scoot and bike, so paving felt like a necessary upgrade for both safety and play.
- The crew we hired worked fast, and it was actually entertaining for the kids to watch. If you want to keep them engaged for an afternoon, consider scheduling driveway work.
- And yes, for those waiting: Sherry’s Invisalign extension means more elastics and more orthodontic fun. Here’s a GIF version of a video she posted—she’s using a dog filter to distract from the braces.
What’s Not
- Apartment Therapy has a helpful list of things you should never buy used—good advice when you’re thrifting or garage-saling.
- Kiplinger put together a list of items worth buying used, which inspired the fake item I included in Sherry’s quiz.
Listener Question
- If you want to see projects we mentioned, you can tour our first and second houses in the photo galleries.
- Sherry was right—we did mention our first house being for sale in Episode #13. I can’t believe I forgot that detail!
- Below is how we used our bedroom, including built-in closets on either side that added much-needed storage. We don’t have a photo of the room after the new owners removed those built-ins, but it essentially returned to how it looked before we added them.
- Here are a couple of views of the fence situation at our first house. On the left is how we had it: low-profile, keeping the yard and driveway feeling connected. On the right is a photo from a visit a few years later. The new fence is nicely done, but it does create a stronger separation between yard and driveway.
- We also reflected on one kitchen decision from our last house: the opening to the dining room, which created a “P” shaped layout. In hindsight we’d arrange it differently. You can see the original layout in past posts.
- And I mangled Kristen Bell’s advice to Chris Pratt and Anna Faris on-air, but I was aiming for the spirit of her point even if my rendition was a little off.
We’re Digging
- I’ve been reading American Fire, an engrossing book about a series of arsons on Virginia’s Eastern Shore—an area just north of our beach house. The further I read, the more compelling the story becomes.
- The photo above isn’t from the book; it’s a picture Sherry took earlier this year in the county where those fires occurred. Some of the abandoned homes that were burned look hauntingly similar. It’s heartbreaking.
- Also on our radar: a new drink Sherry loves. Is it secretly unhealthy, or as wholesome as people claim? She’s curious—and maybe a bit paranoid—so we’re weighing the pros and cons.
If you’re trying to find something we’ve mentioned on past episodes but can’t remember which show notes to open, we keep a master list of everything we’ve dug into across past episodes.
Finally, thanks to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. They’re offering $20 off your first order of $40 or more and include Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Spray as a free gift with qualifying orders.
Thanks for listening!
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