It’s that time again — a look back at everything we tackled this month, bundled into one easy-to-skim roundup (with links collected for convenience). We also sprinkled in some behind-the-scenes moments, because oversharing is our specialty. This month felt especially busy: we painted, organized, built, rearranged, crafted, made art, upholstered, installed light fixtures, coded, tended to ORB projects (yes, that’s a thing here), and broke a few things along the way. Here’s the month in yearbook-style superlatives.
Most Illuminating: We clipped 320 clothespins to create a laundry-room clothespin chandelier for our first-ever Pinterest Challenge. The full project post shows the build process, and at the bottom you can browse over 500 other Pinterest Challenge submissions from readers — so much inspiration.
Most Spoiled: Potato-stamping a playful pattern inside Clara’s closet to create a cozy reading nook. It felt delightfully indulgent — a small, whimsical touch that made the space special.
Most Likely to Win Mariah Carey’s Approval: Free butterfly art crafted from a flier we picked up on a trip to Natural Bridge, VA. It’s a simple, joyful project with big personality.
Most Likely to Win Carrie Bradshaw’s Approval: Adding shoe storage to the laundry room using Ikea recycling bins. Stylish and functional — though Carrie might need about a hundred more for all her Manolos.
So Fresh & So Clean: Completing the laundry room makeover — one room down and feeling great.
Most Likely to Be Committed for a Pillow Addiction: Me, thanks to some striped pillows scored for $9 each at HomeGoods. Also, turning paint chips into free artwork may count as therapy.
Clumsiest: John, who managed to break a light fixture cover while swapping out a hallway fixture. Oops.
Most Hard-Working: Our new Effektiv storage unit from Ikea, now doing the heavy lifting of housing files, the printer, and other office supplies.
Most Debonair: Dressing up the Effektiv unit with black glass handles for a polished, sophisticated look.
ORB of the Month: Giving our mailbox an oil-rubbed bronze finish while tackling other outdoor maintenance projects — the yard is looking a little less neglected now.
ORB of the Month (Runner-Up): Updating several door handles, including the front door hardware, for a quick, effective refresh.
Most Cheerful: Painting the front door yellow — it’s like our house smiles when we arrive home.
Most Likely to Stockpile Swedish Things: Us, after our first Ikea trip since John’s parents moved away. A run to Ikea suddenly feels much more sentimental.
Worst Dressed: A video tour of our not-so-clean house, complete with some old photos. Real life, captured.
Most Likely to Get Worms: Building a compost bin from leftover shipping pallets — our backyard soil game is strong.
Most Likely to Rock: The rocking chair that I finally painted and reupholstered after letting it sit unfinished for nearly a year.
Most Pictures in a Single Post: Our new house vs. our old house comparison, which featured so many photos it briefly took the site down. Lesson learned about bandwidth.
Best “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day” Reminder: A look back at our first house, eight months in, showing how much (or how little) we had accomplished at that point.
Best Moves: Switching up Clara’s furniture arrangement to solve a crib-in-front-of-vent issue — a small change with a big impact.
Worst Moves: Rearranging the office furniture in preparation for a makeover, which initially made things worse. Fortunately, we’re back on track.
The “Thrill of the Hunt” Award: Scouring stores for the perfect cabinets to convert into a built-in office desk — shopping with a dog and a baby in tow made it memorable.
Petersik’s Believe-It-Or-Not! Award: Finding six cabinets at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore for about six dollars total (six dollars and some change, with tax). A total score.
Most Destined for Greatness: Our office cabinets, which we sanded and primed in preparation for glossy white paint. We’re excited to finish them and will share photos soon.
Most Likely to Be From New Jersey: Me — I couldn’t resist glittery pinecones used in leaf-themed decorations for my cousin’s bridal shower, and yes, I sorted M&Ms by color like a lunatic.
Biggest Jerk: Hurricane Irene, which caused serious damage in our neighborhood. Update: the tree was removed from our neighbor’s roof and they’re coping, but repairs remain. Please keep them in your thoughts.
Most Overdue: Redesigning our blog theme for the first time in over three years. We experimented with a few initial designs before landing on a simplified look with a gray heart background that felt right.
Cutest Couple: Clara and her cousin John snuggled up after Hurricane Irene — a tender moment in a hectic time.
That’s August in a nutshell. This recap was as fun to put together as last month’s inaugural superlatives post. What about you — what did you accomplish this month? Do you ever make a list of wins to remind yourself of progress? It’s nice to pause and celebrate what’s already been done, even if only for a minute. We hopped around the house working on nearly every room, so let’s call it spreading the love rather than a lack of focus.
Psst — you can check out July’s superlatives here.