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While on spring break we had a real “a-ha” moment that sparked a major whole-house purge — yes, we cleared out lots of toys — and the kids’ reaction surprised us in the best way. This week’s episode explains what motivated that makeover and how it changed our perspective going forward. We also talk about the simple steps that helped us become closer with our neighbors and offer tips for creating a friendlier, more social vibe in your own neighborhood. Plus, we discuss why paying attention to home staging ideas can be useful even if you aren’t planning to sell. Sherry shares inspiration from the success of one of her favorite accessory designers, and I admit to getting a bit of people-watching inspiration at the beach. Honest, relatable stuff — no pretense.
You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio — or listen using the player below. Use this page to find the links, notes, and photos we mentioned. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to see the audio player.
What’s New
- For those asking, here’s the listing for the rental we stayed in at Cape Canaveral during spring break. Airbnb includes more photos, but we’ve shared some of our favorite shots on this page.
- More importantly, Sherry keeps recommending the book Simplicity Parenting — she’s read it twice and still raves about it. Even if you don’t have kids, it offers thoughtful reminders about how “stuff” affects our lives and provides practical steps to simplify day-to-day living.
Also, Burger had an absolute blast.
Updates
- If you enjoyed my odd vocal resemblance to someone else, check out the full six-episode run of the S-Town podcast — it’s available on their site and wherever you get podcasts. Heads-up: it contains some adult language.
- I also can’t stop listening to the S-Town soundtrack — it’s been on repeat more than once.
- We also linked to episodes in which we previously mentioned S-Town: Episode #42 (budget-friendly projects), Episode #43 (our not-so-spoiled escape room birthday) and Episode #37 (what to do with paint sample cans).
What’s Not
- We referenced an article titled “How to Stage Your Home For Living” by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist — a helpful piece we confused earlier with a different Joshua featured in The Minimalists documentary. Both are advocates of minimalism, but they are not the same person. The article and Becker’s book offer useful ideas for living simply and making your home feel more intentional.
- For additional context on staging a home to sell, see our Episode #41 where we talked about preparing an older home for market.
- And because this episode circles back on itself a bit, Episode #33, “In Pursuit of Doing More & Buying Less,” pairs well with many of the topics we covered this week.
Listener Question
- Below is a photo from our neighborhood thrift-store “date night,” which inspired one listener’s question. We originally discussed that night in Episode #39 about house cleaning. In the picture we’re the couple in green and yellow.
- We also linked to an older post about the moving sale we held that turned into an impromptu neighborhood meet-up — a reminder that small events can build community.
We’re Digging
- One beach find we mentioned is the Fatboy Lamzac inflatable lounger. There are more affordable alternatives like the Air Lounger and the colorful Chillbo Baggins. Important safety note: use these loungers on sand or land only — not in water — as there have been reports of accidents if they deflate while afloat.
- We used a beach cart at our rental that made hauling gear much easier; there are also versions that convert into a small table, which can be handy at the shore.
- We’re also impressed by the so-called “quicksand” beach blanket that lets sand fall through rather than collecting on top — it really does make beach cleanup simpler.
- If you like entrepreneur stories, try the podcast How I Built This; we especially enjoyed the episode featuring Kendra Scott, which Sherry mentioned as inspiring.
- Sherry also promised visuals for Kendra Scott earrings — she loves them and wears them often — so we included a few photos of her favorites in the show notes.
Psst — Looking for something we’ve mentioned in a past episode but don’t remember which show notes to open? Here’s a master list of everything we’ve featured in previous shows.
Visit thomasavenueceramics.com/YHL to browse tile for your next project, and get 20% off your next purchase with the code YHL20.
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