That Yellow Springs listing!! I’m so completely envious of these huge, beautiful (or potentially-beautiful) midcentury homes — I’m in Los Angeles, where they’re asking $600,000 for an 900-square-foot bungalow in an iffy school district. And a-renting we will (continue to) go….

Hi Dana. I’m your long time reader from Estonia. Today when reading your post and saw you wrote about Estonia, I wasn’t sure I read correctly and made me check twice :) So nice of you to mention our little country. Have a great week! Regards.

Okay, I grew up in Yellow Springs, and I miss it ALL the time! (My family no longer lives there.) Scott and I always say that if we ever needed to move back to Ohio, YS would be the place. I looked through that listing, and I kept thinking, “I’ve BEEN in this house, I just know it…”, but there are some hazy memories in my teenage years. ;)

That’s so smart to anchor the tree to the mantel! That Yellow Springs house is so awesome, and what a cool town! I love it there

Same here! Even if we were to find a house that looks like that on the outside, chances are the interior will be cheaply “upgraded” and stripped of all retro glory! Hashtag SoCal problems.

Ahh Estonia I went there after Christmas when I was in 4th grade. Most of our week was spent in Finland and then we took a boat over to Estonia. I remember it very well. I saw a travel show the other day about Estonia and was amazed how much it has changed since I was there 24 years ago. I plan to go back again and look forward to seeing all the changes in person.

Thanks for the shout out, lady! Your house is looking SO ready for the holidays – love the sheepskin around the base of the tree!

May I ask where you got the sheepskin for beneath the tree? It’s looks so cozy!!! How do you know what to buy? Im afraid of buying one online that ends up looking “cheap” or not very soft….

#socalproblems . Perfect. LOL. :) (A fellow south lander)

Yep, I’m in Brisbane Australia, and our house prices are ridiculous too. Love looking at these listings that cost next to nothing! Sigh. Guess we’ll continue renting too…

I’ve been to Estonia and it’s great! I have family in Lithuania (two countries south) and spent some time in college over there. We’ve done a bit of traveling throughout the Baltics – such a great little region that is largely unknown to us Americans. So much to see from the seaside to the forests to the cities.

Exactly what I was going to suggest! Helsinki for a week, and a two-day trip to Tallinn. It has a very interesting mix of medieval, Soviet and modern architecture. And it’s quite cheap, esp compared to Finland!

Ikea! I use them all over the house but during the holidays I gather them up and put them under the tree as a makeshift tree skirt.

Whaaaaaat?! Small world! LOVE Yellow Springs. And, yes, we’ve probably all been in THAT house at some point or another during our teenage years, haha ;)

I’m so happy you brought it to my attention. A visit to Estonia is on my bucket list now! It looks lovely.

If it makes you feel any better, it’s been gray, cold and rainy here ALL DAY.

I completely understand anchoring the tree to something! Quite a few years back it was almost Christmas time and my family and were walking in the door after a long day when we found our Christmas tree on the floor and many of our precious ornaments (which had been collect over time through travels and gifts) broken. Our cat had tried to climb the tree and it didn’t work! Ever since we have anchored our tree to the ceiling as well :)

Also, the villa is beautiful! I’ve never been to Estonia but would love to go.

And I love the kitchen you shared. The hard worn wood floors are amazing! I feel like a felt ball rug would be beautiful on top of them! Don’t you agree? Here are some examples: http://www.feltballrug.com

OMG I looove that house with all the potential. I cant believe its only listed at 199. We paid that for our tiny bungalow. In my neck of the woods that house would easily be upwards of 4-500 thousand! Alison’s shelves were great, right?

Hi, I hope you don’t mind a totally practical / mom question. But how do you keep those fab black white zig zag cushions clean? I think my kids would trash something like that in days… Do the covers come off?

I love the idea of a makeshift tree skirt! My tree doesn’t have one right now and I have been looking for something clean + simple – barring all the red + green. Love it!

We are going to Grayton Beach this Spring Break. After reading your suggestions about checking out the towns around Rosemary Beach, I got a much better deal there. Did you happen to check that town out? Thoughts on that beach town?

As a Finn, I think you would really enjoy your time here in Finland. Helsinki is a real design city! A day in Estonia would be enough :D Tallinn is only four hours away by ferry. Feel free to ask if you need any tips or guidance.
I have followed your blog for years but never commented. Its unbelievable how similar can our lives seem with same interests, even when we have thousands of kilometres between us. I am a mother of four kids, love interior design and we also have a kitten – and the same problems, as he wants to play with the christmas deco. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Thank you Kirsi! It sounds like visiting Helsinki with a day trip via ferry to Tallinn would be the way to go. It might not happen for a year or two, but I would love to make that trip a reality. I will definitely be asking you for suggestions! I think my favorite part of blogging is connecting with people all over the world who share similar interests ranging from interior design to family-friendly topics to cute kitties ;) It makes the big, scary world feel less so. Even with different lifestyles and addresses, we’re all in this together, aren’t we? I think it’s fascinating.

Unfortunately, we were only able to drive through Grayton on this trip. However, I’ve heard good things about it – especially The Red Bar.

The covers are removable and made of thick, kilim-like fabric. They say “spot clean.” I’ve used OxiClean on them then hosed them off outside and let them air dry. Worked like a charm! We only allow water and popcorn in the living room and it keeps messes to a minimum.

YES! Alison can do anything. She has such a great eye and her execution is always spot on. I think she’s convinced me to try DIYing raised garden beds next year.

Ha! Me too! Ive loved following along and seeing her gardens each year:) And don’t even get me started with that horizontal fence. I die.

Hello,

Tallinn is beautiful. It has such a colourful and tragic history. We visited a graveyard in the woods, went onto a British built world war 2 submarine which was taken and modified by Russia, we visited a museum, walked by a KGB house and had some great pastries. It was such an interesting place with lots of educational based tours and attractions.