small improvements

  • baby proof: newborn essentials, revisited.

    Last week, as I tend to do regularly and especially anytime I’m feeling stressed, I spent some time rearranging our linen closet. This time, instead of only folding pillowcases into neat rectangles, I also…

    January 29, 2020 43 Comments
  • tidying up, together.

    Last week, James finished a box of chocolate-covered salted caramels I’d slipped into his Christmas stocking. I fished the small cardboard box from the recycling basket we keep by the front door and, after…

    January 16, 2019 77 Comments
  • life in a tiny apartment.

    Tip #178: Look around. I’ve been dragging furniture into new spots around the apartment all morning. Must be January. Or maybe I’ve been inspired by my kids’ new dollhouse and the daily—even thrice daily!—ability…

    January 7, 2019 22 Comments
  • life in a tiny apartment.

    Tip # 166: You don’t get what you don’t ask for. Ask and ye shall receive (sort of), but more than that, you don’t get what you don’t ask for. In even the best…

    June 12, 2018 52 Comments
  • life in a tiny apartment.

    Survival Tip #160: Revisit the spaces you’ve resigned yourself to. Next month, it will be four years since we first rented this apartment. Four years since, while pregnant with Faye, I climbed onto the…

    January 18, 2018 40 Comments
  • checking chores off the list with taskrabbit.

    This post is sponsored by TaskRabbit, an online service matching freelance labor with individual demand.Painting the nursery that we’ve been rearranging to accommodate two kids has been high on my list of things to do this fall.…

    October 11, 2016 31 Comments
  • doing it yourself.

    I’m an irresponsible DIYer. No. I’m a foolhardy DIYer. No. I’m a happy-go-lucky DIYer. Yes. That’s it.  When I notice that something needs fixing, I like to try to tackle it myself. And I’m usually…

    May 9, 2016 14 Comments
  • dresser drawers in a tiny apartment.

    This isn’t a post about babies sleeping in dresser drawers, but you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking so. It’s still the first joke people make when talking about welcoming a child into a small…

    May 2, 2016 11 Comments
  • simple matters 03: camille storch.

    Camille Storch | Wayward SparkThe tagline of Camille’s blog is “Genuine, seasonal Americana” and it’s one of my favorite spots on the internet. If you’ve ever wanted to know the ins and outs of…

    November 16, 2015 8 Comments
  • life in a tiny apartment.

    Tip #125: Give yourself five minutes to make a teeny tiny fix.  On the face of it, this is a post wherein I encourage you to trim a little piece of paper down to…

    June 24, 2015 11 Comments