With only two weeks until school starts (?!), we’re trying to soak up what’s left of summer. Last week we cooled off at the pool, hosted a sleepover, met up with old friends, took slow family walks, slept in, lounged on the back deck, caught fireflies and harvested two cucumbers from our garden (if you can call it that). Our breakfasts and dinners have been later than usual. Breakfast tacos are on heavy rotation because they’re so easy and no one whines. On a whim, I had six inches of hot, sweaty hair lopped off. And after a year of teasing from my dad (oh, have you been painting stuff white again?), I had my grays colored. I’ve never really had a hairstyle per say. It’s been long – too long – for years. And I’ve never done more than subtle highlights every few years. So this new lob + root color + balayage combo is quite the change but I LOVE IT. I think I’ll actually keep it around for a while…and maybe even go shorter next time.

More things to love…

*A DIY garage door before-and-after. Yowsas!

*A 5-month renovation. The white cork flooring is a unique yet practical choice.

*This amazing family home. (Final reveal by Amber Interiors coming soon.)

*American-made warm LED work surface lighting.

*Please tell me you’ve already seen this.

*I will never tire of small space renovations. (Note the top shelf extending above the sink window.)

*A hilarious account of taking your kids with you to the gynecologist. It’s been more than 4 years since I survived a very similar experience. One day I’ll share but I’m not there yet.

*The magic of not trying so hard is a very real kind of magic. (Psst…Holly is writing a new book!)

*This adorable book light is saving my marriage.

*My hair stylist recommended using this dry shampoo to stretch the time in between washings and preserve my new color. So far, so good.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

images: 1-3) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 4 & 5) Heather Jennings for Make+Haus

After two months of jam-packed weeks and weekends, we enjoyed some much needed down time last week. The seemingly never-ending rain let up just in time for the holiday weekend so we hit up the pool, ate burgers in our swimsuits, went on family walks, watched fireworks and roasted s’mores. It was simple and perfect.

A few links…

*“Let’s sell the house, sell the car. Sell all of that baby stuff, the garden and kitchen stuff, all that extra stuff. What is all that stuff anyway? Let’s take the kids out of school. Escape the rat race and disappear for a year.” AMAZING.

*My latest architect crush.

*Modern outdoor furniture made from recycled milk jugs.

*Jessica Helgerson’s new farmhouse was recently shot for…the firm’s portfolio? a magazine pitch? an upcoming feature? Whatever the reason, I CANNOT wait to see it. Psst…a sneak peek of the master bedroom.

*Daydreaming about this creative lady’s cozy courtyard and vintage Shasta camper.

*My go-to cookbook these days when I don’t feel like thinking about dinner. We had the aloha sliders with pineapple relish and Szechwan peasant pork over the weekend. So easy! So tasty!

*After extensive “research,” I’ve concluded that these vanilla marshmallows and this dark coconut toffee chocolate make the perfect s’more. Trust. Oh, wait. Did you think I was paleo? Nope. That cookbook above is excellent whether you follow a paleo diet all of the time, some of the time or never.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

images: 1 & 2) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 3 & 4) Amber Thrane of Dulcet Creative