I usually am not much of a commenter on blogs but I just felt like I wanted to tell you how much I love yours! You’re so inspiring and seem so down to earth! I’m totally #drunkcommenting. Blaming my husband for dragging me to bars to watch college football all morning :) Also, the corn hole bag made us BOTH laugh – they are the perfect size for corn hole. And the lavender would make it all so much more refined – don’t you think?! Happy weekending!

Thank you for #drunkcommenting! Love it. Is there such a thing as “refined corn holing”??? I’m picturing polo-esque uniforms. Haha. Enjoy your weekend and tell your husband he owes you a foot rub later.

I absolutely love your blog and I love your house. I was a bit nervous for you when you first bought this house but you have made it a dream home. My husband and I are currently trying to buy a split level built in 1969. It is in rough shape. And it will be on a budget. We will only be able to do a few things to make it livable before we can move in then the rest will be slow from there. Tell me it’s worth it! We can’t wait to have our own home, our current place is a nightmare, but I’m so afraid we will be trading one nightmare for another.

Dana, have you ever tried the Burt’s Bees Rosewater Toner? I love it–also non drying and smells great (and it’s natural!). Yes, my husband worked for the company for 5 years, but I do genuinely love it!! And I love your Made Me Smile posts…look forward to them!

Oh PLEASE post pictures if you access pictures of that home for sale in your neighborhood. I just spent the last 20 minutes looking on area realtor websites trying to find it. Love, love, love!

I need that kale salad recipe-I just can’t quite get it right

Corn hole bags, that’s hilarious!

OMG! Kathy – I just did the same thing, looking for the house! I want to see inside it!!

Make that three votes for interior pics of the home for sale next door! Also, I’d love to have the ribs and salad recipe if you feel so inclined to share. :)

I look forward to reading all the links you post each week! (even though it sometimes results in 10 minutes of me lusting over pictures of exorbitantly expensive French stoves…) Thanks for the effort you put into these, and for making all of us smile too.

Killer kale salad recipe, please?

Yes, recipe please!

Please, please share your easy recipe for your Grandma’s baked ribs!!

Please post the baked ribs recipe!

I hope your neighbors have an open house and you can get some pics.

I’ve tried looking for images online, too! They must not be promoting it online (yet). I’ll keep searching…

Not gonna lie…renovating (while exciting and intoxicating) is exhausting. We feel like once the second bathroom is finished we’ll finally be able to sit back and enjoy it! But, to us, it has been very satisfying to bring new life to an old home. We’ve loved putting our spin on it. We’ve made some mistakes along the way and learned a lot. It’s been a great experience. Having neighbors, the UPS man, the mailman and the kids’ school bus drivers compliment us on the improvements feels good because we know the changes have impacted the neighborhood in a small way, too. But the best part is that our downsizing efforts will help us to soon realize the mortgage-free dream we’ve been chasing.

That is so awesome that you included that Remodelista link! Beth is my cousin and as soon as that article on her kitchen remodel was (finally!) posted I thought “Dana should totally put a link to this in her Made Me Smile post this week!” Great minds think alike – that’s what I’m telling myself anyways :)

Love your links.

I’ll add one: more modern cat furniture: http://shoeboxdwelling.com/2014/09/17/architects-design-cat-shelters/

I saw that, too!

I saw that one-month kitchen as well, and was blown away. I wish we could see the rest of her house! That stove slays me.

Thanks for the toner recommendation. Do you have a favorite facial cleanser that you could suggest?