This week we’re sharing the curious story of how half the power in our house went out just as we were about to leave for vacation. We’ll also bring you up to speed on the highs and lows of finishing our bathroom: the progress we made, the setbacks from the flu and a surgery, and how an unexpected deadline pushed us into fast-forward. Plus, we’ve got an update on the upstairs hallway and some practical lessons we picked up about managing “life admin” more calmly and efficiently.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast listening app, like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, or Spotify.
What’s New
- If you missed last week’s episode and our big duplex announcement, you can listen to the episode or read the full transcript on our site.
- Sherry also referenced a previous episode about reducing the stress of a bathroom renovation — one helpful strategy being not to lock yourself into a rigid deadline (easy to say, harder to do).
- To illustrate why our plumber’s sudden deadline felt like a jolt: this was the bathroom’s condition when we learned we effectively had three days to make it ready before he went in for surgery. It looked close, but we hadn’t even planned our box molding treatment yet.
- We’ve posted a detailed update about the mostly-finished bathroom and a separate post that walks through how we installed the decorative wall molding.
- Because timing mattered so much, we were constantly juggling mortar, grout, caulk, and paint drying times — essentially racing the calendar while trying to keep quality intact.
Can We Just Talk About Life Admin?
- We discussed the book Life Admin and how small, recurring tasks can accumulate and create stress. We also mentioned an NPR Life Kit interview that helped clarify the topic for us and offered practical ideas for staying on top of paperwork, appointments, and household repairs.
- If you listened through the episode outtake, you heard a bit of silliness that led us to share an old photo of Sherry with a well-known personality — a lighthearted reminder that things don’t always go perfectly on the first take.
We’re Digging
- We swapped the old flush-mount lights in the upstairs hallway for new drum-shade fixtures, and the ceiling instantly felt higher. If you have a basic “boob light” in a foyer, hallway, closet, or entryway, replacing it with a low-profile drum shade is an easy upgrade that makes a big visual difference.
- For context, we also shared photos of the original light fixtures that came with the house and the larger black lanterns we used previously. Those changes came alongside our board-and-batten and crown molding updates that gradually transformed the space.
- We also highlighted a personalized “Where’s Waldo?”-style book made for pets that a friend gave our kids; it can be customized for many dog breeds and makes a fun, memorable gift.
If you’re trying to find something we’ve featured in a past episode but don’t remember which show notes to check, we’ve compiled a master list of everything we’ve been “digging” across past episodes. We also keep an updated page of the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.
Finally, a quick thank you to our sponsor for this episode. We mentioned a mattress deal and a promotional code that some listeners may find useful — keep in mind details like promotional dates and discounts can change, so check current offers before purchasing.
Thanks for listening and for following along with our projects and life updates. We appreciate every comment and message — you make this all worthwhile!
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