Since we always share our road-trip adventures with the Bowers — like the times we visited for house-crashing, hotel-decor inspiration, and table-setting — here’s a long-overdue recap of our most recent visit. It was full of kid-friendly fun, a fair amount of antiquing and crafting, and even a little luxurious mom time. There was also a really cute, thoughtful gift that I’ll tell you about. Let’s jump in.
Before I get into the visit, a quick update on our own house project: if you’re wondering where all the hammering and sawing photos are, that’s happening now. We’ve started a big board-and-batten project and the soundtrack around here is a steady bam-bam-bam. Our goal is to finish the installation, fill all the nail holes, prime, and paint — plus paint the hallway walls — by next Wednesday. We’re moving fast and can’t wait to share the progress and details soon.
Back to the Bowers: one night around 11pm Katie and I got restless and decided we needed to make something, so we grabbed a couple of old terracotta pots and an impromptu supply of craft materials. We had faux-wood patterned wrapping paper, pom-pom fringe, and craft paint — a late-night crafting session was born.
We painted the inside of each pot and the lip around the top with craft paint — Katie chose red and I picked a soft blue. Then we cut the faux-wood wrapping paper into a curved, C-shaped sleeve to fit around the tapered base of each pot. After testing the fit, we used Mod Podge to adhere the paper to the pot and sealed the top of the paper with another layer of Mod Podge so it would be durable. That simple process produced two cute countertop pots that are now perfect for holding pencils, keys, or spare change.
We briefly considered adding pom-pom fringe around the lip, but the look felt a little too showy for these tiny planters, so we left it off for now. I did pick up some fringe later because I have another DIY planned where those pom-poms will fit in perfectly.
Our days with the Bowers weren’t all glue and paint. Katie and I have a special bond — we were pregnant together with Clara and Will — so we love doing outings where the kids can run free. We spent time at the playground and backyard, and we visited a children’s museum in downtown Atlanta called Imagine It. Clara and Will loved exploring the trains, water and sand tables, and a big play kitchen where Will “fried” strawberries and Clara ceremoniously “microwaved” cereal. The kids had a blast.
We also lucked into an overlapping naptime where all three kids slept at once. Katie and I snuck out for pedicures and a quick Starbucks run — a rare treat that made us feel like queens for the afternoon.
Antiquing was another highlight. Katie has photos of everything, so I’ll just list what I brought home: two small wooden doll chairs (a great size for Clara’s larger dolls), an old metal moose hook, and a tiny red wagon for the dollhouse with wheels that actually turn. The prices were surprisingly reasonable — the chairs were about four dollars for both, the moose hook around three dollars, and the wagon three dollars — so I ended up leaving with a handful of treasures for roughly ten dollars total.
The moose hook now hangs in the hall bathroom, which is where we bathe Clara, so it’s both decorative and functional as a towel hook. It pairs nicely with an old metal horse I previously repurposed into a towel holder, which made me oddly delighted.
I considered painting the doll chairs bright colors, but after a good cleaning they looked charming as-is and fit perfectly in Clara’s play space. And the little red wagon quickly became a favorite; the morning after I found it, Clara had staged a whole story with plastic animals where a big pig was pulling a little pig while other characters watched. It wasn’t posed — she actually set it up herself — and it was one of those tiny, humorous moments that made me smile.
We spent much of the visit eating, chatting about blog life and regular life, and letting the kids play in the house and yard. We also made a short video while we were there and took lots of adorable kid photos.
On Monday morning we published the usual post and then made the long eight-hour drive home, answering comments along the way. Clara even treated us to a great nap during the trip, which felt like a blessing.
It’s hard to believe Katie and I have been friends for almost four years. When we first met we did everything from weekend trips to late-night sushi runs. Now we collectively have three kids under three — a big change, but a wonderful one.
Before we left, Katie surprised me with a thoughtful gift box left outside the guest room. The handwritten note acknowledged how big and exhausting the tour had been and celebrated the end of it. Each item in the box had a small note explaining its meaning: a box of chocolates labeled “sweet and refreshing,” a notebook labeled “a fresh new start,” and a mug with herbal tea labeled “soothing and calm.” It was exactly what I needed after months of living out of a suitcase and it was so meaningful.
Huge thanks to the Bowers for hosting us and for the great company. The boys even went to a movie together while Katie and I stayed home with the kids, which made the whole weekend feel cozy and domestic. We love that our partners are friends too — it makes planning future visits even more fun. What road trips have you taken lately? Have you received or given any gifts that were so thoughtful they deserved a shout-out? And what about crafting and antiquing — anyone else finding treasures and making little projects with friends?
P.S. Clara is getting funnier every day. You can hear some of her hilarious takes on baby naming and escaping from a yogurt raisin on Young House Love.