We were recently filmed for an upcoming episode of Rate My Space. Congratulations to Shaina, Layers of Meaning, Abbie in Co, Elizabeth, and Heather for correctly guessing after our earlier hint. Unfortunately, we can’t share many details about the taping yet because we promised the crew we wouldn’t reveal anything before the episode airs. What … Read more

We’re a little behind schedule since we didn’t have internet at home until late yesterday, but here’s a look at how things stood on Tuesday — our first full day in the house — with boxes piled in every room. Goodbye to the clean, blank slate. Hello chaos. Nothing is permanently placed yet; we just … Read more

Paint has been one of our biggest learning curves at Casa Petersik. We’ve tried nearly every approach: painting trim with flat paint right after moving in (not recommended—use semi-gloss), and assigning a different color to every room (not great for a small house). Over almost four years our walls have evolved as we learned what … Read more

Can you believe it’s been nearly five months since we last shared a house tour? I grabbed the Flip cam and wandered through the house to show how each room looks on a typical day. This is raw and real—no tidying beforehand (evidence includes my embarrassing bra draped over a bedroom chair, so let’s all … Read more

You might as well call us Mr. and Mrs. Puerto-Retersik—we recently slipped away for a few days to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary in Puerto Rico. Puerto-Retersik does roll right off the tongue if you try hard enough. Promise. As we mentioned on last week’s podcast, we wanted to share pictures and details from our … Read more

It’s amazing how placing a table and chairs at one end of an underused living room and adding a centered light fixture instantly created a dining area that feels like it has always belonged there. When we first moved in, we had no idea what to do with the long, narrow space and no budget … Read more

Before we get to the Reader Redesign content, a quick Burger story. Yesterday was a terrifying day for us. Burger was sitting on Sherry’s lap when Clara and I came home. He got excited, jumped off her lap as he’s done countless times, but this time he lost his footing, flipped in the air, and … Read more

Yes, I spray painted upholstered chairs. It sounds odd—and if you’re sane, it’s probably not your first choice—but when you’re desperate and determined, unconventional solutions happen. These were the Craigslist chairs we scored last March. They came from an old hotel and showed it: faded, stained eighties-patterned upholstery. We paid $25 each and thought they … Read more

TGIF… or more accurately, thank goodness it’s February. With the start of a new month came another bouquet from my husband’s thoughtful Christmas gift — a promise of one bouquet a month for a year. This time we snagged a cheerful bunch of white daisies at the grocery store for just $4. I split the … Read more

As we mentioned yesterday, it’s Blogiversary Week — can you believe it’s been four years? Since we’ve shared a “day in the life” during previous celebrations, here’s this year’s version. Life is similar in that no day is ever exactly the same; different because now we have a toddler running around and a 260+ page … Read more