Ack — it’s August. That means September is approaching, summer is winding down, and before you know it the holidays will be on the horizon. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but August always catches me off guard. To keep the momentum going and avoid burnout, it helps to pause and look back on last month’s highlights (plus a few behind-the-scenes moments). It won’t stop the Earth from spinning, but it’s a great way to celebrate progress and find motivation to keep going. Also, it makes navigating our archives simpler—if you want to browse past months, you can hop back to January 2011 in only a handful of posts instead of sifting through hundreds.
Most Likely To Go Mad: Me. Digging all those holes for the deck has been driving me a little crazy, especially after our second round of digging when the county inspector failed our first attempt.
Best Lungs: Katie Bower, who belts it out in this video announcing the Summer Pinterest Challenge. She screams on a tractor, cheers down a waterslide, and still somehow gets drowned out by “The Winds of Africa.”
Sexiest Accent: The bold black window sash in Jae’s kitchen, which we admired when we crashed her Atlanta home. That high-contrast detail was such a striking, smart touch.
Most Shameless: Sherry and Katie Bower, who didn’t hesitate to film a video in the middle of a Goodwill while shoppers browsed and occasionally wandered into frame.
Modern Shakespeare Award: Sisqo’s “Thong Song” got a playful shout-out when we found a crayon-holding truck at Goodwill. Since many readers enjoyed that earworm before, we couldn’t resist bringing it back for a laugh.
Oldest: A Craigslist sideboard we scored for $150, which confirmed our belief that every room benefits from a meaningful vintage piece (and happily, this one’s mold-free).
Most Challenging: The Summer Pinterest Challenge results—our fourth round—where Sherry tackled some abstract DIY art and readers submitted more than 600 creative projects.
Least Challenging: The simple wood frames I made to showcase Sherry’s Pinterest Challenge piece—quick, basic, and practical.
The Math Geek Award: The arithmetic-inspired artwork we spotted while window shopping at the Pottery Barn Outlet and Mary Jo’s fabric store. Not the only neat find, but certainly the nerdiest.
The Zoology Award: For the readers who kindly corrected me: the critters I rescued from the deck holes were toads, not frogs. Technically toads are a type of frog, so apologies to the toads for my earlier generalization.
Most Welcoming: Julie’s bright, breezy entryway that we admired when we stopped by her Atlanta home—no wonder it caught everyone’s eye.
Grossest: Me again, after climbing into the sweltering attic to center the bathroom light fixture. I’ve never been so sweaty and exhausted.
Most Improved-ish: Our bathroom mini-makeover, completed with small, budget-friendly updates that totaled $230—including a new toilet, lighting, and accent tile. It’s a nice interim fix until we’re ready for a full renovation.
Sneakiest: Us, for slipping away for a week at the beach earlier this month. Blogging from an iPhone? Totally doable and strangely liberating.
Biggest Heart: A tie between Sherry’s Aunt Kay Kay and all of you who left kind, comforting comments after Sherry wrote about her passing. Your support meant a lot.
Most Angelic: Clara, who looks luminous in a photo Sherry took while styling our Craigslist sideboard. Such a sweet shot.
Most Decisive: Us again—we picked our favorite of two gray paint swatches for the bedroom almost immediately. Moonshine was lovely, but it ended up being too light for the look we wanted.
Most High Tech: Our improvised time-lapse setup for repainting the bedroom Rockport Gray—laptop teetering on a stack of furniture and all. Oscar-worthy cinematography in our book.
Thriftiest: Sherry, who found great thrift-store treasures while we were on vacation in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
Messiest: My sister and I after running the Color Me Rad 5K in Richmond. While we were coated in colored cornstarch, Sherry turned some of it into a colorful canvas.
Most Unusual: An egg-chair–style swiveling papasan we found at the Salvation Army for $30. Cheaper than retail and definitely in need of a little TLC.
Most Secret-tive: Our post about design foreshadowing in the house sparked a lively discussion—some readers called it the “law of attraction,” others saw it as subliminal decorating or simply personal taste. It was fascinating to read all the different takes.
Best Moves: My little victory dance on the newly joisted deck—finally able to stand on it felt like real progress and absolutely called for a jig.
Most Animal Friendly: The egg chair Sherry painted white, which has become a cozy perch for a parade of furry friends in our photos—rhino, pig, chihuahua, rabbit, and even a dog with sunglasses.
Most Tedious: The small, necessary preparations for the deck—like adding blocking for posts—before the actual deck boards could go down. Not glamorous, but essential.
Most Likely To Make You Crave Waffles: A post about what to register for when getting married sparked a big waffle conversation. We skipped adding a waffle maker to our registry, but the comments had everyone craving them.
Most Stylish: Whoever wins Monday’s giveaway. We’re keeping the prize a surprise, but here’s a little hint in the image below.
How was your July? Any highlights, challenges, or unexpected moments—toads included?