Watching a former home change under new ownership can be surprisingly emotional. This week we talk about how we worked through those feelings and found the silver lining when someone undoes your design choices. Back at our current house, we finally made the driveway kid-friendly — a project that was long overdue and easier than we expected. We also cover what items you should avoid buying secondhand, why Sherry’s orthodontic treatment has been extended, and a fascinating true-crime-adjacent book that connects to our beach house area.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio — or listen to it below. Use this page to check any links, notes, or photos we mentioned. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader you may need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- Hallelujah — our driveway is finally paved. Ignore the lighter and darker patches in the photo (it had just rained). Below is a snapshot of how unruly the weeds had become at the front of the driveway. The kids were eager for a smooth place to scoot and ride bikes, so making the driveway safer and more usable felt like an obvious win.
- The crew we hired worked quickly, and the whole family enjoyed watching the transformation unfold in an afternoon. If you want to entertain the kids and improve your curb appeal at the same time, paving the driveway is a surprisingly fun option.
- And yes — for anyone wondering about Sherry’s extended Invisalign treatment, here’s a GIF from an Instagram story she shared. She used a dog filter to distract from the elastics, which made us laugh.
What’s Not
- Apartment Therapy published a helpful list of things you should never buy used — good to keep in mind when shopping secondhand.
- Kiplinger also has a list of things that are worth buying used, which inspired a prop I referenced in Sherry’s quiz.
Listener Question
- If you want to revisit projects we mentioned from past homes, you can tour our first and second houses in the photo galleries for reference.
- Sherry reminded me that we talked about our first house being for sale again way back in Episode #13 — I can’t believe I forgot!
- Below is a photo of our bedroom as we used it, showing the built-in closets on either side that gave the room much-needed storage. We don’t have a photo of the room after the new owners removed those built-ins, but it essentially returned to the pre-built-in look (you can see the original state in the linked project post).
- Here are a couple of shots showing the fencing at our first house. On the left is how we had it: low-profile and open, keeping the yard and driveway feeling connected. On the right is a photo from a visit a few years later — the new fence is nicely done, but it does create a stronger separation between yard and driveway.
- Sherry and I have also had second thoughts about some kitchen choices in our former home — particularly the opening to the dining room that created a “P” shape kitchen. If we did it over today we’d tweak that layout; you can see the original post for more context.
- I also mangled a recap of Kristen Bell’s advice to Chris Pratt and Anna Faris in conversation, but the gist was there — sometimes the sentiment matters more than the exact quote.
We’re Digging
- I’ve been reading American Fire, a gripping account of a string of arsons on the Eastern Shore of Virginia — an area just north of our beach house. The book gets deeper and more compelling as you go; I’ve become more absorbed since the recording.
- The photo above isn’t from the book; it’s a shot Sherry took earlier this year in the county where those fires occurred. It evokes the abandoned homes and the sadness of that episode in the region’s history.
- Also on our radar: Sherry’s current favorite drink. Is it as healthy as it’s touted or slowly doing her in? We’re still debating — let us know what you think.
If you’re trying to find something we’ve mentioned on past episodes but don’t remember where, we have a master list of everything we’ve featured in the “We’re Digging” segments across episodes.
Finally, thanks to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. They’re offering $20 off your first order of $40 or more, plus a free bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Spray with qualifying orders.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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