So… suddenly it’s December. Before the month slips away, here’s a concise look back at what we tackled in November—all the projects, highlights, and a few surprises—gathered in one place for easy browsing. We covered a lot, from exteriors and nursery updates to office touches, ornaments, place settings, and a big focus on the kitchen. Below are month-end superlatives to sum it all up, with links to the full posts for details.
Oddest Pairing: Sherry and the tall built-in we added beside the fridge to give our new kitchen a more finished look. We still need to add doors and paint, but it’s already shaping the space.
Cutest Find: Me and the oversized “7” (actually an “L” from a Dollar Tree sign) that a kind reader picked up for us in Maryland after we regretted leaving it behind. Best $25 purchase—thanks again, Lesley!
Most Surprising: How green and leaf-free our lawn looked only a month ago when we added mums around the mailbox. Fast forward to now, and everything has gone decidedly wintery and brown.
Handiest New Addition: The newest member of Sherry’s ceramic-animal collection: Henrietta, the multi-armed ceramic figure that’s basically every DIYer’s dream for holding tools and supplies.
Most Pin-Worthy: Our Fall Pinterest Challenge. We shared 38 DIY ornaments and were blown away by the 800+ projects readers linked up—so much great creativity.
Easiest Task: Painting a few test swatches on the front porch—and then pausing for the season. We picked a color but decided to wait until warmer nights to finish the job.
Strangest Before-and-After: Photos from when the opening between the kitchen and dining room was only outlined in green painter’s tape. Now that the cut is complete, it’s hard to remember the room any other way.
Creepiest Prep: My cheeky Dexter impression while prepping the house for wall demolition. Yes, I really did put on my best serial-killer-actor face for the camera.
Biggest Wow: A couple of posts that felt particularly rewarding to share—projects that made us gush a little and that felt like real milestones in the renovation.
Minor Setback: A small hiccup with drywalling the doorway, which was frustrating in the moment but turned out fine once we worked through it.
Back On Track: Installing trim around the doorway made the space finally feel finished and intentional—a deceptively small step with a big visual payoff.
Milestone Moment: I crossed off several items from a high school list titled “Things to Do Before I’m 30” right before turning 30. Yes, it included some silly pop-culture goals, but it felt good to check things off the list.
Most Likely To Say Thanks: Everyone who printed and shared our free Thanksgiving card download. We offered two versions—one to personalize and one to pass along blank—so readers could easily pay the gratitude forward.
Most Procrastinating: Our last-minute table-setting ideas for Thanksgiving, thrown together just in time before we drove up to New Jersey for the holiday.
Most Mischievous: Burger, our resident baguette thief, who starred in a tiny Thanksgiving greeting and reminded us that pets always make holidays more entertaining.
Most Misread (and Disgusting to Imagine): The headline “We’re Now Officially Sinkless,” which some readers misread as “skinless.” Terrifying mental images aside, it was just a kitchen setback we worked through.
“It’s the Little Things” Award: Small but important kitchen tweaks—filling gaps beside the stove and adding a panel to the back of the peninsula—so that countertops could be templated accurately.
Least Accurate: Clara’s measuring skills when it came to counter templating. Fortunately the professionals from the fabrication company came out and made sure the final measurements were perfect.
Most Musical: Our ceramic pig speaker from West Elm, which was one of several small finds we rounded up in a recent post of favorite little things.
The “Here We Go Again” Award: Just as things started to come back together in the kitchen, we removed the upper cabinets to prepare for new countertops. Renovation is never a straight line.
Class Crybaby: A tongue-in-cheek video tribute bidding farewell to the tile and the plywood walls we demolished—overdramatic, but fun to make.
Most Awkward Moment: Buying a giant piece of retro wood paneling in public. People gave us looks, but we needed the paneling to replace missing sections around the old tile and cabinets, and it will be painted to match the room.
Most Demonstrative: Burger again—posing admirably in our post about how our book deal came together and the progress we’ve made on the project so far.
The Daddy’s Girl Award: A nursery frame-collage update sparked a chorus of comments that Clara looks a lot like Sherry. I’m thrilled—though part of me suspects the resemblance is more flattering to Sherry than to me.
The Momma’s Girl Award: Clara’s surprisingly enthusiastic love for pickles—she recently devoured a whole oversized pickle during dinner. Sherry was impressed; I was, predictably, disgusted.
That’s a wrap on our November highlights. What did your month look like? Any big projects or memorable holiday moments? We’re aiming for more progress and more celebrations in December. Happy (almost) holidays, everyone!
Psst—If you’d like more month-in-review posts, check out our previous superlatives: July, August, September, and October.