It’s harder than you might think to name a child. We had plenty of time—9 months to be exact—to name Hannah, but it wasn’t until about four hours after her birth that we chose her name. A name defines a person, and it sticks with them for the rest of their life. You don’t yet know this […]
A few years ago Leslie asked if we could replace the stodgy-looking brass chandelier in our dining room. Lucky for her (me?), she filed her request during my Christmas break. I’d never made a chandelier, so I exhausted an entire day researching and hunting down lamp parts online. When Leslie returned from work, she found […]
Each fall, our neighborhood hosts a mass, coordinated garage sale. For one day, fifty-plus families throw their garbage in the yard instead of the dumpster, and people pay them for the opportunity to haul it away. We’ve become garage sale connoisseurs since Hannah came along, because children’s toys a) cost a fortune and b) should […]
It was a year ago today that this happened: Being a parent is the craziest thing. Never have I loved/hated something so much in my life. Having a baby absolutely ruins your life (your freedom, your spontaneity, your sleep, your showers, your meals, your everything), and there is no option to take it back. And here’s […]
We love October in Missouri. The air is crisp, but not too cold. The trees are turning the most beautiful browns, reds and golds. It’s the perfect time to be outdoors. We do our best to be outside as much as possible in October. It. Is. Wonderful. One of the best weekends in October is Applebutter Weekend. Every […]
There’s never enough money. Our dreams are fatter than our wallets. It’s easy to overextend—to throw a few extra bucks on the credit card—when embarking on a project. Here are a few quick tips that help us keep our budget in check: 1. Make automatic transfers to a home improvement savings account We have a savings account designated for […]
Last year, we built a privacy fence at Leslie’s old house (at the time a rental property) to keep the neighbors’ brood of urban chickens at bay. On a deadline, but hoping to avoid mid-July heat and humidity, we picked a late-August weekend. It was 105º. This year, we built a privacy fence at our house. […]
“We’re going to keep things simple,” said the reasonable bride and groom. Reality, however, is complicated. Add the word “wedding” or “bridal” to anything you’re trying to sell, and you can up the price at least 10%. Do it yourself, and that’s money in the bank. Right? Right. We should have known we had our […]
RETROSPECTIVE: This kitchen remodel preceded Hammer & Moxie, so we don’t have comprehensive, quality photos of the step-by-step process. We’ve attempted to recount the experience in as much detail as possible, but we’re relying on fuzzy memories and fuzzier cell phone photos. Though this isn’t intended to be a tutorial, please feel free to ask how-to questions in […]
How it went down By Peter I’ve known Leslie for a long time. She has always wanted me. Actually, she doesn’t even remember the first time we met. We were in college at the University of Missouri, at a meeting for a missions trip to Jamaica. We were asked to partner up for a game […]
