It’s that time again—our monthly roundup, where we pause to review what we tackled over the last few weeks and gather all the links in one convenient place. We also threw in some never-before-seen moments because, well, we’re a little over-sharing. This month felt scattered in the best way: we hunted for secondhand nightstands, began stenciling walls, built a 13-foot desk, altered a light fixture, framed a mirror, whipped up free art, and tackled a handful of other projects. Let’s stroll down memory lane with a few yearbook-style superlatives to highlight the month’s highs and oddities.

Most Pro-Banquette: We kicked things off with a half-formed idea to add a kitchen banquette, which generated plenty of brainstorming and chatter.

Most Pro-Banquette (Runner-Up): Conversation continued in this follow-up post, where a reader’s rendering even included a charming receptionist-like sketch of me.

Least Pro-Banquette: By month’s end we admitted we’d moved on from the banquette idea in favor of a peninsula—sometimes the best ideas reveal themselves after a few detours (the full update).

Weirdest Giant Metal Chicken: We spotted a quirky statue of a metal chicken (nicknamed Beyoncé) on a trip to Delaware. If you’re curious how she got her name, this post is a must-read—warning: it contains profanity but is wildly entertaining.

Best Deal: Two $11 yard sale nightstands we rescued and integrated into our bedroom, complete with a faux gold banding treatment on the bedposts.

Least Appetizing: Our empty refrigerator after Hurricane Irene—an inconvenient but teachable moment. We restocked with a savvy, coupon-heavy grocery run (see the before-and-after) and even filed a $250 spoiled food claim with the electric company so we didn’t have to touch insurance or a deductible.

Most Improved: A pair of orange secondhand cabinets (just $1 each) that we transformed into taller, white office built-ins with a little wood and paint (details here).

Most Long, Dark & Handsome: The 13-foot wood tabletop we made for the built-in desk using framing lumber and a dark stain—an economical and dramatic upgrade (read about it).

Most Inebriated: The office walls looked tipsy after we painted them in a shade we jokingly call Moonshine. It’s the paint color name—and yes, the pun was intended (paint post).

The Josh Groban “You Raise Me Up” Award: Our office light fixture got an upgrade: hung higher to eliminate head bumps, given an indigo spray paint makeover, and fitted with a discounted drum shade (project recap).

Most Grounded: We added trim to the bottoms of the desk to reinforce that built-in look—small details can make a big difference (more).

Most Secretive: We shared some never-before-seen corners of the house, like the spaceship-esque roof line of the sunroom.

The “You’ll Be Missed… But Not Much” Award: We finally removed a small tree that had started growing into the house to prevent foundation problems, and trimmed back overgrown shrubs nearby (outdoor update).

Most Persistent: The bathroom mirror framing project tested our patience—after a false start and a collapse, we kept going and saw it through (read the saga).

Most Photogenic: Our television, because we apparently love photographing screens to capture decor inspiration (gallery).

Easiest: Creating a quick and free food-coloring print for the hallway frame gallery—simple, cheap, and cheerful (how-to).

Easiest (Runner Up): Sherry’s faux cross-stitch piece, a sweet handmade anniversary gift for her brother and sister-in-law (tutorial).

Most Likely To Result In Claw-Hands: Stenciling the office walls—tedious work that requires patience and precision, but we’re hopeful the finished room will be worth the effort (stencil post).

Best Sentence Ever Uttered By A Sixteen-Month-Old: “Iss my hoo hat.” Clara declared this after insisting we help her put a jacket and a crocheted owl hat over her pajamas—she’s already a confident little dresser.

Most Three-Dimensional: My rundown of three different 3D interior design tools—pros, cons, and how they compare (tool comparison).

Most Intense: Blogiversary week, which included a flurry of posts and extras. If you missed anything, here’s a quick recap of what we covered:

• An hour-by-hour day-in-the-life of the Petersiks
• Pie charts showing how we spend our time and how the blog generates income
• A breakdown of interesting numerical stats about YHL
• A video response to reader questions from Facebook
• A reader poll so you could share your own story
• Goal-setting for year five and a look back at year four’s progress
• Practical tips and advice on the technical side of blogging
• A step-by-step on how a blog post goes from idea to published piece
• Ten lessons we’ve learned during four years of blogging

That’s September in a nutshell. What have you been working on this month? Do you ever compile a list of accomplishments to look back on? It’s nice to pause, celebrate what we finished—even briefly—and then get back to tackling the next project (like that stubborn stencil).

Psst—You can check out July’s superlatives here and August’s here.

We’re also excited about the curated collection we created for Joss & Main, launching this Tuesday. Sign up to be alerted when the sale goes live!(sign up)