Ep. 466: Trials and Triumphs

Summary

Podcast Summary: How to Decorate – Ep. 465: Trials and Triumphs

Release Date: May 20, 2026
Hosts: Caroline (Marketing), Taryn (Product Design), Liz (Creative)

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Episode Overview

This lively "Trials and Triumphs" episode features Caroline, Liz, and Taryn from the Ballard Designs team swapping real-life home decorating successes and mishaps. With practical insights, engaging anecdotes, and suggestions for listeners, the team covers updates from their own spaces, gardening adventures, tech tips to cultivate home atmosphere, and even a few cautionary tales. The conversation is candid, warm, and full of creative problem-solving—perfect for anyone looking for authentic, actionable decorating advice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Caroline’s Updates: Bedroom Projects, Tech Tips, and a PSA

Birdie's Big Girl Room & Birdie's Bed

• Finally completed her daughter Birdie’s room with a cozy daybed and decorative wall sconces.
• The swing arm sconces from Lamps Plus are a favorite, with plug-in installation, an inbuilt dimmer, and high versatility.
• Memorable moment: Birdie’s pride in showing off her room to every guest.

  “Everyone that comes to our house, she's like, can I show you my big girl room?” — Caroline [01:20]

PSA – Beware of Laundry Mishaps

• Caroline shares an amusing but important warning: don't keep fish oil vitamins in your pants pocket—unless you want your entire laundry to smell like fish!
• Removing the smell required repeated washes; scent beads and vinegar were discussed as possible remedies.

  “Do not put vitamins in your pants pocket, intending to later take them because you will forget. And then all of your clean laundry will smell like fish.” — Caroline [04:15]

Tech Tip: Automated Atmosphere with Sonos

• Caroline sets up Sonos “alarms” so playlists automatically play at set times, improving her family’s morning and evening mood without any extra effort.
  • She was inspired by a friend’s hospitality and a TikTok tip for setting the day’s tone with music.
  • Liz shares a similar trick using Google Home routines.

  “If anyone…has a Sonos system already…go into your settings and set an alarm and you can create all your different vibes. Set a mood.” — Caroline [09:27]

Home Resolutions Progress

• Opted to swap her ailing ottoman for a Ballard Sabine coffee table instead of costly reupholstery—offers practical storage and a fresh styling opportunity.
• Two ongoing upholstery projects: a living room ottoman (now at the shop) and a beloved chair soon to be reupholstered in a punchy sunshine-yellow velvet.

  “It would have cost probably three times what I paid for the coffee table to reupholster it.” — Caroline [13:29]

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Liz’s Updates: Graduation Prep & Outdoor Projects

Garden Upgrades for Graduation

• Motivated by hosting a high school graduation party, Liz embarked on various “small projects to get to a bigger goal.”
• Installed raised corrugated metal garden beds from Vega Garden—flexible, colorful, and easy to assemble.

  “Highly, highly recommend. The construction is so good. They're easy to put together.” — Liz [18:38]

Indoor Decor Touches

• Refreshed a Conley bench with clearanced performance fabric featuring hot pink stripes—a simple way to add a fun accent.

Kitchen Woes: Plumbing Problems

• Discovered a major sink leak (found by her husband spotting water pouring out of the house siding), reinforcing the urgent need for the long-awaited kitchen renovation.

  “Buddy, this is not a cosmetic redo. Like, this kitchen has not been done in almost a hundred years.”— Liz [23:00]

• Awaiting permitting and repairs—emphasizes that water issues are always high-stress.

  “Literally anytime I see water in a place that it's not supposed to be, my…blood pressure goes up.” — Caroline [24:21]

Design Philosophy

• Slow, mindful progress—Bench fabric choice, playing with color pops (hot pink, yellow), and sharing that Margot Shaw’s encouragement turned Liz into a proud “gardener.”

  “Ever since we had Margot Shaw on the…show…she told me that I was a gardener and I am taking that.” — Liz [19:53]

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Taryn’s Updates: Garden Learning & Indoor Plant Triumphs

Outdoor Planting Experiments

• Swapped out struggling pear and peach trees for statement olive trees in large planters—learning by trial which plants withstand Georgia weather.
• Learned that patience (and moving failing plants) pays off; some revived after being relocated.

Indoor Plant Care Routine

• Passionate about houseplants; regularly rotates and tends to various indoor species, especially tricky maidenhair ferns and reblooming orchids.
• Shared her thrifty plant-care hack: buying clearance orchids and nurturing them back to bloom.

  “It's been so rewarding…You, you're doing great, plant.” — Taryn [33:56]

• Recap of watering techniques: different watering cans for different plant needs; Friday is water day.

  “Otherwise you end up just with water everywhere.” — Taryn [35:37]

Decorating Dilemmas: Repurposing & DIY Woes

• Ongoing project: refinishing a bed frame using a spray gun—ran into challenges with setup and an unfortunate bird trapped in her improvised “spray booth.”

  “I murdered a bird, but it's still alive. But I murdered a bird.” — Taryn [44:54]

• Shopping for new pots to better display thriving but mismatched orchids.

Inspiration & Motivation

• Reflects on the emotional aspect of plant care (including mildly personifying them!) and on lessons learned from failed—and recovered—projects.
• Balancing personal style (not needing uniform pots, happy with variety) and practical plant placement.

  “I don't know. I need to move them all right now. I found a happy spot…looks like a hoarder.” — Taryn [37:08]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On fish oil laundry disasters:
  “Don't do that. It's bad idea.” — Caroline [04:30]
• On automation and mood:
  “It really does make our morning feel better.” — Caroline [09:00]
• On trials with kitchen leaks:
  “This is not a cosmetic redo. Like, this kitchen has not been done in almost a hundred years.” — Liz [23:00]
• On learning to keep plants alive:
  “Some [plants] just want all the moisture they can get…it's a wonderful patience game.” — Taryn [33:15]
• On family chore motivation:
  “If you fold and put these clothes away…I’ll pay you $2. And she does a pretty good job.” — Caroline [27:15]
• On childhood science lessons:
  “My third grade science fair was what happens if you have two plants and one plant you talk to and the other plant you don't talk to?…BA Baracas did really, really well.” — Liz [39:28]
• On branding family routines:
  “It's all about the branding. Homework Cafe, instead of go do your homework.” — Caroline [53:04]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Caroline's Bed/Birdie's Room Update: [01:00 – 03:25]
• Laundry Mishap / PSA: [04:15 – 05:27]
• Sonos Playlist/Mood Setting Tip: [07:50 – 09:47]
• Coffee Table vs. Upholstery Decision: [13:28 – 14:38]
• Liz on Garden Beds & Graduation Prep: [17:08 – 19:51]
• Liz on Major Kitchen Leak: [22:18 – 24:14]
• Plant Parenting, Chore Rewards: [27:15 – 28:23]
• Taryn’s Outdoor Planting & Indoor Plant Revival: [29:14 – 34:57]
• DIY Bed Project & Bird Drama: [42:07 – 45:12]
• Wallpaper Installer Anecdote: [47:22 – 48:15]
• End-of-Spring Project Motivation: [49:00 – 49:42]
• Creating Home Atmosphere/Branding Family Routines: [50:12 – 53:21]

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Hosts’ Vibe and Tone

Friendly, candid, and humorous—with moments of comic exaggeration (traumatizing fish oil smells, “murdering a bird”) alongside sincere reflections on family life, routine-building, and the challenges of maintaining a stylish, comfortable home.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Embrace both the wins and flops in home decorating—every update brings learning.
• Automate what you can to make creating a welcoming home atmosphere easier.
• Don’t underestimate the power of playfulness—brand your family routines!
• Be flexible—sometimes getting something new is more practical than refurbishing.
• Outdoor and indoor projects require patience and adaptability.
• Don’t put fish oil in your laundry. Ever.

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Happy decorating!

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to how to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home. I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team.

[B]

And I'm Taryn, and I'm a product designer.

[C]

I'm Liz. I head of the creative team.

[A]

We're your hosts. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world.

[B]

Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.

[C]

We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email [e-mail] now, on with the show.

[A]

We're back for trials and triumphs. Who's excited?

[B]

I am excited. I need the updates on your homes. I feel like it's been a hot minute, so I want all the updates.

[A]

I know we said we were going to be doing this more, and then we haven't done one in entirely too long, but that should mean that we all have great things to talk about.

[C]

All right, who's going first?

[A]

Okay, I'll go first if y' all want.

[C]

Okay, thanks, Caroline.

[A]

I think I went last last time. I have lots of updates, so a few I'm just gonna rattle through. And then I have a PSA warning. I have a recommendation, and I have some things in progress that hopefully I'll be able to report next time. There's a little synopsis of what I'm gonna cover in my time. I'm gonna try to get things. Okay. So I think last time we talked, we had not gotten Birdie's bed. We've gotten her bed. We got it, like, four months ago now. But it's great. It's so cozy. Looks good. I'll post a picture. But anyway, finally happy to see that sort of project. And does she love it? Space. Oh, she's so proud of it. She's so. Oh, my gosh. Everyone that comes to our house, she's like, can I show you my big girl room? You know, I love that it's always the cutest. So. And she. She has fallen out of the bed twice. But at this point, it's been a few months since she fell out. And so we're good now.

[C]

Okay, good. We learn by doing.

[B]

It's fine.

[A]

Well, one, she was, like, trying to crawl out, and so, you know, but.

[C]

But she's okay.

[A]

The good news is that we have so, you know, it's like a daybed with a trundle, so sometimes it' if she gets Worried about it, which hasn't happened in a while, but we would just pull the trundle out. So at least if she fell out

[B]

of the bed, she's smart.

[A]

Yes, that's. I will say that one time she did fall. This is when she was trying to get out and she fell and she fell face first and got a bloody nose. So woke us up in the middle of the night literally screaming bloody murder. And we find her like, we run and we like find her in the kitchen and there's just like blood everywhere. Oh my gosh. It was terrifying. You know how nose.

[C]

Oh, that's hor.

[A]

Nothing is actually wrong. It's just scary because of how much and how.

[B]

My gosh.

[A]

Anyways, that was a little traumatizing, but she was fine and it was. All was well. But anyway, so Birdie's bed check. Yay. That room is done. I will say that I added my favorite. My favorite plug in swing arm wall sconces from Lamps Plus. I now have five of them total in our house.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

And it is, I think, the greatest product ever. It's literally just a swing arm sconce, but it plugs in so you don't have to have an electrician. And the best part about it is that it already comes with a dimmer. So the switch itself is a dimmer. And it just feels so luxurious. It's great. I'll try to put a link to it. I mean, if you look up. If you go to Lamps plus and you look up swing arm sconce, then

[B]

it's like the one.

[A]

No, no, there. There's. There's lots of options. Like a ton of things will come up and there's probably 10 different varieties, but I put each of those on either side of this big diptych painting that we hung over her bed. And it just looks so cozy. Tim and I put a little. Two little pookie lampshades on it and it's really. Yeah, it's really pretty together. So that was that. Okay, Here is my PSA/ WARNING. Do not put vitamins in your pants pocket, intending to later take them because you will forget. And then all of your clean laundry will smell like fish.

[B]

Oh.

[C]

Oh, that's terrible.

[A]

Literally, a few weeks ago, I was. I had met a friend. We were going to a sale, like a little sample sale. And I kept thinking, why do I keep smelling fish? And then I went home and I was getting laundry and I was like, why does our laundry room smell like fish? And I just kept thinking, am I going insane. That I just keep smelling the smell over and over again. And then I realized, no, it's me. I smell like fish. Because I had put my vitamins for the day, which included omega fish oil in my pocket and then forgot about them and then washed those pants and then that entire load of laundry. And the washing machine smells like fish. So just. PS say to everyone, don't do that. It's bad idea. So how'd you.

[C]

How'd you get it out? How'd you get the smell out?

[A]

Just had to wash it, like, again and again and again.

[C]

Again?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it was like sheets. There was two shirts in there. I mean, I know it was really. But the worst part is that I fully wore the shirt out before I realized, like, it wasn't so pungent, that

[C]

it was just that underlying stank.

[A]

Oh, isn't that lovely? That is pretty bad.

[C]

Do you ever use those scent beads thing in your laundry?

[A]

No.

[C]

My family calls them blue nerds. And then they. They tease me that they're going to eat them with the tide pods, but.

[A]

Great.

[C]

Yeah, it's good. They. They work.

[A]

I probably should. I do sometimes add vinegar, white vinegar to my laundry to cut odor, but I don't know. I think my skin is sensitive and I don't. I try to avoid laundry items.

[C]

Yeah, then that's a great way to.

[B]

Omegas.

[A]

Yeah,

[B]

that's a good thing.

[A]

The fish oil did not appear to irritate my skin. It just irritated my nose. Okay. And then, see, here is my recommendation. So I don't know about either of y'. All. I have a Sonos system, and that's kind of like just what we. We've had it for years, and that's kind of how we play music around the house. Well, I discovered. Well, hold on, let me back up. So, Taryn, I don't know if you remember, but whenever we used to record at Karen's house, she used to always have, like, we would come in the door, you know, we would record after hours. We record like 6 o' clock, and we would invite our guest to Karen's house and we would record at her dining room table. And I always loved how every time we would go over to her house, there would be candles burning, there would be, like, vibey music playing. She would have a water, like a pitcher of water on the table. And she's just always such a great host. But part of that vibe that she creates is always having music playing. And she, I think, always has music playing at her house. She would even Bring a speaker and sometimes play music really quietly in her office. So I always aspire to have a playlist playing, say, at night while I'm cooking and even in the morning. I had seen this TikTok video about a woman who tries to set up like a nice, relaxing, vibey playlist in the morning when her kids are waking up and eating breakfast to try to create a good mood to set their day off on the right path. So I've always aspired to do that, but I can never actually remember to turn. That's just the last thing on my mind when I walk in the door is to go on my phone and click, you know, pick out a playlist. So I never actually did it. Well, I discovered that on Sonos you can set an alarm that plays a playlist. And so I set a morning alarm which plays like instrumental pop. Like it's like a piano or piano version of pop music. And then I set an evening playlist too, both of different vibes. It automatically plays and I don't actually have to think about it. So 6:30 in the morning. Our morning playlist kicks in 5:30. I don't. If I'm not home, it still plays anyway. That is a recommendation to anyone out there who aspires to create a mood in their home, but, like me, can't actually pick out sounds.

[C]

Has it shifted your day?

[A]

It's never on my list. It's wonderful. It creates a. It really does make our morning feel better. And on the. More on the days where it starts playing before I've even gotten home, it's so nice to walk into the house and there's already a great, you know, relaxing playlist playing.

[C]

How welcoming. That's so great.

[A]

Turning. I know. And it's wonderful. So if anyone is out there has a Sonos system already, I'm sure there are other ways that you could do this with whatever sound system you have. I just happen to have Sonos. But go into your settings and set an alarm and you can create all your different vibes. Set a mood.

[C]

I love that.

[B]

That's like Liz taught me about how you could have all these different modes on your iPhone that, like, it's not just the focus one. Like, you can make specific. Like, I was like, oh, I didn't know you could do that. Which is fantastic.

[C]

There is a masterclass on how to change the focuses on your iPhone and it changed my life.

[A]

I need to. I need to dig more into this to.

[C]

To the point where I have one that's just for my nephews so when they take my phone and they're. They're five so they, I switch it to their focus and it just shows the play apps, the game apps that they use all the time.

[B]

I was like, that's what I need too. And my kids are on it.

[C]

So I did something similar, Caroline, with a setup on our Google home system where you tell it good morning and it says, you know, good morning, it tells you the weather, it turns on certain lights around the house, and then it plays some like, I have it set to play John Coltrane, which honestly makes sense why my Spotify end of the year thing said that I was 93.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm like, okay, great. Because every morning playing John Coltrane. But we did just recently change it up. But yeah, so that's, that's like another, another tip of just like, just automating those things that you don't have to think about. Yeah, it's really nice.

[B]

Yeah, that is really nice. And like you said too, it's something that changes your mood. And so like, to put it as a to do thing only adds anxiety. But to have something like that that could automatically influence how you feel. Yeah, that's wonderful. It's very wonderful.

[A]

I'm jealous. I will say that Will at one point was like, okay, I'm sick of this playlist. Can I change it? And he chose some other playlist that was playing like really aggressive Beethoven, like, dun dun, dun. I was like, okay, this is. No, this is not the vibe we're going for. So you might have to play a little bit and see which playlist makes the most sense. Okay. And then before I. Real quick, before I wrap up. We spoke at the beginning of the year about our goals and our house related resolutions. So a little update on mine. I believe I had mentioned that there were some reupholstering projects that I wanted to do. One of them was the storage ottoman in our living room, which has really been in bad shape. Like the pop. The. The hinges all broke. It was not looking good. Well, I had always thought like, I could repurpose it. I could just reupholster it and do a new fabric and maybe put a skirt on it and it would be really cute. Well, I priced out the fabric that I wanted. I looked into how much it would cost to reupholster it and ultimately just kind of felt like I could buy a new coffee table for like half of this. And I think a coffee table would better serve the purposes I want in that room, which is. That's our room. For entertaining. When we have people over, I always have to, like, put a tray on the ottoman for, like, snacks. And I also. I'm starting to run out of storage space for all of the books that we have and get. Got a lot of coffee table books, so I could use a little bit more coffee table storage. So I got our Sabine coffee table, which. Oh, that's a good one. I've always loved. And it has two shelves, so I can put all of my books on the lower shelves.

[B]

It has a nice top, so it's

[A]

easy to wipe down. And it has just totally changed the vibe in our living room. And I'm so pleased with it. I, you know, kind of went back and forth on whether I should try to repurpose what I already have or get something new. But I think ultimately it would have cost probably three times what I paid for the coffee table to rephrase it. And it really just kind of serves. Serves us better anyway, so I've been really happy with that. And. And I have a new styling opportunity in my house. I got one of those little tortoise candles with the little. Remember we were talking about the candle with a hat? Yeah, candle with a hat. I have some little tchotchkes, a bowl of shells we picked up at the beach. And so it's been fun to kind of play around with styling. So that's update number one. And then update number two was two other reupholstered reupholstery product projects I wanted to do that are not complete, but they're underway. Taryn, I went to your upholstery shop that you recommended to me where you got your chairs done. And I took the ottoman from our TV room, which was just a gray velvet, and it just. It's gotten marker, it's gotten stains, milk spills, bottle, like, all the things. It's just not hot. And so the turnaround time they gave me was, like, two weeks. It was crazy. So it might be done soon. We'll see. And then I haven't taken it to the upholstery shop, but I also am getting my striped bridge chair that lives in my L reupholstered, and I got some.

[B]

What are you gonna do? I feel like you've had that chair forever in the stripe.

[A]

I have. Well, the funny thing. Okay, the funny thing is anyone who. So my old roommate will remember, but before it was a stripe, it was a yellow sort of pique, like lemon yellow. And I think I'm gonna take it back to yellow.

[C]

Oh, that's gonna be so fun in there, girl.

[B]

You know I like it.

[A]

I know. Well, so, you know, that's the room. This is the room where I have that big yell painting that Will did. And yellow just looks so good in there. And so I kind of was playing around with. Well, I have thought for a long time, should I do a pattern? And, you know, maybe I do a big floral or something funky and organic. And I think ultimately I've just decided I want. I think I just want to do a solid but, like, a punchy color. And so I sort of was playing around with all the different colors, and so I just feel like yellow, and it echoes off the painting, and it was just kind of a new color to add in there. So I ordered my fabric. I've gotten it. I just have to actually take it to the upholstery shop. But it's kind of a sunshine yellow performance velvet. Yellow is a hard color, by the way, to find the right swatch of. I probably ordered 15 different performance velvets from all various companies before I found one that was right. But anyway, so tbd, hopefully, next trials and triumphs, I'll have a finished.

[B]

That is very exciting.

[A]

So, yeah, I've been, like, rocking and rolling.

[B]

Girl, that is awesome. Yeah, you've made some. Like, you've been. You've been moving for sure. Now I'm like, man, I don't feel like I've been moving as much as you. All right, Liz, you want to go?

[A]

Well, you had a lot of action, you know, maybe the last six months. So that's your own upholstery projects and some curtains. So, you know. Yeah, that's fine. All right, Liz, you're up.

[C]

All right. So I have been doing just tons of small projects to get to a bigger goal of graduation parties. So, yeah, we are at high school graduation time, and, um, we're having a graduation party here. So it's just figuring out, like, okay, getting the yard together, getting the interiors together, just, like, small projects everywhere just to be house ready. Um, but the. So the biggest shift has been outside. I bought some raised garden beds, love. So we had. We had a tree taken out last fall that changed the ecosystem out there. A lot more sunshine. So I'm doing garden beds. I'm really excited. I haven't done any, like, vegetable gardens in some time, so trying that out. So I bought these raised garden beds from Vega Garden, and.

[A]

Oh, the colored ones.

[C]

Yes, yes.

[A]

Those are so pretty.

[B]

I don't know what those look like.

[C]

Oh, they're so pretty. They got, like, corrugated they're corrugated metal. And then they're, they're.

[B]

You showed us these.

[C]

They're painted. I probably did. They're great. And I got the, the ones that are kind of a dark green, but they come in like powder blue and cream and white and coral and all these like different great colors.

[B]

Amazing.

[C]

Highly, highly recommend. They're. The construction is so good. They're easy to put together. They come with like a little lip that goes around the edge that kind of protects you after you've put them all together so you're not cutting yourself on the corrugated metal. Highly recommend. But we did that. We did. And I. So I did them in different configurations too, because they can come in a bunch of different configurations. Like you can do them in nine different ways. So I've got two, two beds that are 2ft by 8ft with a trellis that goes up, arch trellis that goes up and over. So we'll see how fancy. How things grow up and around that this summer.

[B]

Amazing.

[C]

And then the other two, I did five foot by five foot square beds. So those. I think I'm going to do some flowers and herbs and things like that. So things will be growing like crazy. So I've just been doing a whole bunch of things like that. Prepping, mulching, moving plants, kind of getting all of that together so that people can hang out in the yard.

[A]

And this is the time to do it. Yeah, yeah.

[C]

And honestly, ever since we had Margot Shaw on the, on the show and she, she told me that I was a gardener and I am taking that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm like Margo Shaw. She would know.

[B]

She would know. Yeah.

[C]

So, yeah, so I've been gardening up like a storm. It's been really great. And putting in more flowers, wildflowers that are native to Georgia. So, yeah, we'll see how that all goes. And then inside, just kind of small, small changes. Like I have one of our Conley benches, which is a metal framed bench, and you can pop the seat off and, and do a slip seat on it. So I bought some fabric and I'm recovering that and something really fun. Yeah. So those are. I am using. It's actually in our clearance section right now. It's the. It's a really great fabric. It's a Sunbrella fabric. It's either sunbrella or inside out. I know it's performance, but it's kind of a natural tone. And then it has a stripe of hot pink.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that one's fun.

[C]

It's really, really good. It's really, really good. Highly recommend it. Don't sleep on it because it's in the clearance section right now. It's such a great fabric, and I really love a pop of hot pink.

[B]

I love a pop of hot pink and yellow.

[A]

So you guys are, you're rubbing on.

[B]

I'm honored if you, if you would, like, think that I rubbed off on you. I think we all rub on each other as constantly.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

As we constantly are talking about home decor.

[A]

Right, Liz?

[B]

Such fun things.

[C]

So those are good tryouts.

[A]

Those are good. Okay. Satisfying to do that kind of thing.

[C]

So, so my trials, though. But we're still, we're still.

[B]

I like the voice change there.

[C]

We're still, like, working in the kitchen to get our details right before we kind of go and into construction in a few months. But I've got to tell you, like, I had this conversation with my husband the other night because I was, I was doing dishes because as you all know, we don't have a dishwasher. So I'm at the sink doing dishes. He's walking outside, taking the trash out, and he notices water coming out the side of our house. Right at the sink. No. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So just coming out, you're like, sighting.

[C]

Oh, yeah. It's real good. And so there. I mean, I don't know where it's leaking. We've got to have somebody come in. This is just, this is like, no new release, hot off the press. This is what's happening at the house. But because we have this sink that's kind of this big, built in, freestanding sink that's huge, I think that it's leaking somewhere in between there and the wall and the wall and down to the basement. So, so my husband comes in and he's like, yeah. So, you know, I, I, he's like, it's a good thing we're doing the kitchen because, you know, I, he's like, this really, you know, this is really something that needs to get done now. And I was like, buddy, this is not a cosmetic redo. Like, this kitchen has not been done in almost a hundred years. Like, like, really?

[B]

That is insane.

[C]

It is a 1930s kitchen through and through.

[B]

So I, that part alone is insane. Like,

[C]

oh, my God, bonkers.

[A]

But so is that changing your timeline at all?

[C]

Is that, um, it's definitely going to up our timeframe a little bit, but I mean, we're pre. Permitting phase, so our next step is once we get all the, the drawings completed, we have to go into permitting. So that's up to the city.

[A]

I'm sorry. That's a bummer.

[C]

To be determined. I mean, at least we know it's going to get fixed and. But yeah, I hope it's.

[A]

Do not wish plumbing or water issues on anyone.

[C]

It's such a drag.

[A]

The worse.

[C]

Such a drag.

[A]

Literally, anytime I see water in a place that it's not supposed to be, my, like, heart pressure goes up, you know, like.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

It's just so damaging and.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. The build for whatever it is, it's going to be more.

[C]

It's going to be more than you want it to be. It's going to be more than you estimate it to be. You know, I mean, part of. Part of what we need to do to the house, too. It does have some structural stuff on the facade of the house, on the exterior of the house. So I'm trying not to stress about it too much because I know we're going to need to do work and we're going to need to do pin tucking and we're going to need to go in with the brickwork anyway. Yeah. So, yeah. Latest trial for sure. Yeah. But I. But I did. I did love how he. I did love how he was. I did love how he was like, oh, yeah, you know, now we really need to do it. I was like, no, that's as if this whole thing was cosmetic. I'm like, no, no.

[B]

Yeah. Now the water house, as you're doing dishes again and, like, still no dishwasher. I still am like, man, it's impressive. I'm still impressed by you. Every time you're like, I'm doing the

[C]

dishes, I'm like, oh, they're still not done. I mean, it just takes time.

[A]

Yeah. They never get finished. I will say there have been a few sections where our dishwasher wasn't working. And sometimes when I can't. Or like, if your dishwasher is full and you still have dishes to do and you're. I'm just like, I'm just gonna do them. Sometimes I'm like, okay, this. You know what? I thought this was catastrophic.

[C]

It doesn't take that long.

[A]

Actually. It's not that bad.

[C]

No.

[A]

I mean, it's definitely irritating.

[B]

Well, yeah, because you prefer to have a dishwasher.

[C]

Yes. Right.

[A]

Yeah, Right.

[B]

You are correct in that. Because it. I know with my dishwasher, we don't. It runs like, every three days, so you're not leaving gunk. Like, so you still have to wash them off prior, you know, but it is nice to know that I'm not, like, scrubbing I'm not the final.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's also the stack of dishes in the like then you have to like dry and put away. It's. It's like laundry. I don't mind starting the washer. It's almost really like. It's the whole thing. It's putting the clothes back in the drawer for me. That's like. I don't know why. It doesn't take that much time, but it's like the.

[A]

I have started to. Not a lot, but I will. I have a few times paid Blair to put her clothes away. Like $2. I'm like, if you fold and put these clothes away, this. This load of your own laundry, I'll pay you $2. And she does a pretty good job.

[B]

That's amazing.

[C]

That's amazing.

[A]

I'm like, I need to just like keep this going. I only, I only ask her to do her own laundry, but get those boys working. Darren.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

That.

[B]

That's on me right there. I just need to put work.

[A]

If she ever kind of asks, sometimes she'll be like, I want to buy such and such. And I'm like, well, do you have enough money for that in your wallet? And she's like, no. I'm like, okay, you gotta make some more money. I mean this is one of the avenues she has for that.

[C]

But honestly, if you don't have cash on you too, because like I feel like we live in such a cashless world.

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

That's been part of the problem. Yeah.

[C]

I used to make. I used to make things called special treat tickets. And so that would be. And honestly, it was just a slip, a piece of paper. Special treat ticket. You know, you did good on your chores. You know you did good on whatever. You know you got a good grade, like whatever. And you just toss one of those in.

[A]

Yeah, that's smart.

[C]

I mean the teachers are.

[A]

Teachers are giving play money that says money.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And have that fill in when I don't have cash. Yeah, good.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

I have thought like, I need to just go next time I'm at the store, get $20 in dollar bills and just have that as a backup. But yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She keeps being like, oh well, I'll get some tooth fairy money. I'm like, girlfriend, you ain't got no loose teeth left. You've lost them all. I wouldn't wait for that tooth fairy. No teeth left. That's molars aren't coming out until you're 10.

[B]

So that's really funny.

[A]

Oh, sweet babe.

[B]

All Right. So always. I know you guys have found our rhythm of the year. It's spring. So minor. I have a lot, kind of like Liz, where we did a lot of.

[A]

We've.

[B]

We've had some planters that we've been refilling. Anyway. We have two of these big planters that we sold. They're beautiful. They're very pedestal, like potato maybe. I think you're right. And then we have two sizes of them. But anyway, we had the bigger ones and we had put a pear tree and a peach tree. Why? David wanted one of each. Put one in each. So we had them right on the edge of kind of our partridge and a pear tree.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

So they're right on the edge of our kind of endless little, like, stoop in the back. So it's a nice kind of visual to have them on both sides. So anyway, the pear tree got scorched in the summer. And, like, we lost half of its limbs. But right now you wouldn't know it because we, like, cut them back. And it's doing well, the rest of it. But the peach tree did great last summer. But I think the winter scorched the sweet peach tree because half of its branches, like, did not come back this spring. So they were looking a little. Not cute anymore and poor things. So we have scooted those out into the backyard. Not in the visual space, but over behind, kind of the one car garage area. Because you put them in jail, basically. I. Well, hopefully it won't be jail. Hopefully they'll thrive better over there away. We'll see. They're in a humor.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But David had ordered two large olive trees. And he put those in. And they look so good. So that was. I think we're learning. Like, we did all lavender around the pool and that got scorched the last few summers. We were like, all right, we can't do all lavender around the pool. Cause these little beds dry out or get super wet. It's gotta be, like a really resilient plan in here. And so we're it. I think these trees were another one where it's like learning, but they weren't totally dead. And on that same note, I'm a plant lady, but mostly interior plants has been my 2020 and on hobby, as you guys all know. And so I have quite a few indoor plants. Well, there were a few that just weren't thriving. So, like my maidenhair fern, I had a huge one and she started to die back. And, like, I couldn't get her to come back to life. I put her outside in the ground. She's doing great. So I bought another one. And so I'm on the learning curve. Still on, like, my maidenhair ferns, because ferns really like to stay damp.

[A]

Oh, and those maidenhair ferns are so sassy and persnickety.

[B]

They are, they are. But worst case scenario, you shove them in the ground outside, and it seems like they're like, all right, I'm fine now, thank you. Or at least mine have been. So anyway, I think I've. I've brought them back to life by putting them outside.

[A]

Go live in the wild plant.

[B]

Anyway, so I repotted one of my maiden hair ferns in the house because she was. I was like, all right, I've had her in something that has a hole in the bottom. And I was like, no, no. And then I. So I did a swap because I had another holder.

[C]

I.

[B]

Very particular. You know, Like, I want my holders to be pretty too, my pots. But certain plants don't want a hole in drainage. Some want to stay, you know. So, like, I know you're making a

[A]

face, but, like, for instance, I'm not a plant lady. So I'm like, I thought they all

[B]

had to have holes, one would think. But no. Some just want all the moisture they can get. So obviously you can't over water them or you'll still kill them. Yes. But some like to keep that moisture. So I've swapped a few plants recently, and so. And then the other last one of my plants is I had orchids that were just kind of chilling, and I've decided to take those on as well as a challenge. So I've been buying up. When I walk into Kroger, there's a discount floral section, and there are always orchids that have just finished blooming or their blooms are about to drop or something like that. Well, the plant is still fine.

[A]

Like, yes, Smart, Taryn, that's so smart.

[B]

Yes. But it's like a wonderful patience game because you're just buying an orchid with, like, either dead flowers or. Yeah.

[A]

Like, how much is the. How much is a clearance orchid?

[B]

Like, $5. So you're not. Yeah, yeah. So you're. You're spending the price of a Starbucks coffee or getting an orchid. So they're not a big. So anyway, I've been bringing a few back to life, and they've been like, it's been so rewarding. You know, those simple things where you're like, yes, I can see things growing. I had one rebloom recently, and I'm like, get it, girl. To my plant, not me. But I've been like, you, you're doing great, plant.

[A]

So I've been like, go self. I'm so thrifty and like, yes. Turning nothing into something.

[B]

Yes. Except I do feel like I've taken on, like, having another pet based on how many plants I have in the house that I'm like, how are you doing today, plants? Like, one got lost in a corner, and then I saw it, and I was like, oh, he was way dead. He got forgotten. And I was like, ah, well, this is what happens when you're a plant, mom. You gotta, like, remember all the plants you have. And I've told you, David, who has a greenhouse, is not. He has a system in place. But, like, he'll definitely get, like, busy and forget to water said things in the greenhouse. So then I'm out there visiting the plants in the greenhouse to be like, hey, y' all still alive out here? Because I gave him my gardenias over the winter. That was dumb. Not my gardenias, my geraniums. So I kind of. I only have, like, a piece of one of the geraniums or piece or two that came back and the rest all died. And I was like, ugh. Because sometimes I. I get those to come back. I've talked about that on here. Yeah.

[A]

So anyway, guys, for you, what is your watering system? What kind of watering can do you have? What?

[B]

Oh, bots. Lots. Fridays are my water day. I find it best to do, like, right after I finish work and before I pick up the kids, I like to circle or Saturday morning if it's not busy. I. I like to do it to make sure everybody's getting the right amount. And no one's sitting in water. No one's dried out too much. So. But big watering can for, like, the fiddle leaf figs, because they're usually huge pots and, like, lots of water, but then something.

[A]

One watering can.

[B]

You take no.

[A]

To room or do you have one in each room?

[B]

I have two cans because you need a teeny one for all your little pots. Otherwise you end up just with water everywhere. All over your floor, all over your. I don't know, tray, whatever. It's on bookshelf. So I. I actually have three. I lied. One's just a jug. It doesn't have any, like, actual holes. It's literally just a. Those are for the heartier plants who are like, we don't care. And then you have the. A nice big one watering can that the water comes out like rain for the more finicky. But need lots of water. And then for the delicate ones, you want to, like, get with just the little spout. So. And then David does have one of the little. Little perfume spray. A little sprayer misters. I don't know what he's misting, though. It's a great question. Anyway, we've talked way too much about plants, but I'm in the market now because I've bought so many of these orchids. They come in a ceramic pot with no holes, but then they're in a plastic container. And that's what's so great. And a lot of people treat orchids a different way, so it'll be interesting to hear if anyone writes in to be like. Like, some people just have theirs, like, floating in water. Like, some. They do them all sorts of ways. Yeah. No soil at all. Well, I might try that later. But for point is, is right now, the pots are all not super attractive. So I'm slowly trying to find containers for the orchids to sit in that aren't. So that's on my, like, shopping list recently. Because now I have all these pots that aren't as attractive, that I'm like,

[A]

do you want them all to match? Do you want there to be some variety? No.

[B]

No. I don't know. I need to move them all right now. I found a happy spot that they're happy in one window, but it looks like a hoarder. So I gotta, like, I need to start finding other windows, stay happy, but in rooms that I visit so that they don't die.

[A]

So it's a fact.

[B]

It's a hard point. Needs to be where I can see them.

[C]

What direction does the. What direction does the window face?

[B]

West.

[A]

West.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

So I can find another west window. It's just truly, like, me sticking with it. So, like, knowing again, what I like right now is they're by my kitchen sink. And so, like, they're getting very tended to because you're there all the time, every day. So they have a great spot, but they're also taking up counter space. So I'm like, all right, girls, we might have to, like, split up now that you all seem to be doing. Okay. Okay. So that was my.

[A]

Do you name plants?

[B]

No, I don't.

[A]

Some people do, Obviously.

[B]

The orchids are definitely girls. I feel like Maidenhair Fern is definitely a girl, too. She moody.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, you're right. Where like, a Pythos is like, whatever. Drown me out, Olive. So maybe that's a. Yeah, I guess the low. That is interesting. I hadn't thought about the gender of my plants. Maybe they're genderless. Yeah, I should probably go with that.

[A]

But if you don't name them, then you. You refer to them somehow. I don't know. No, I think just non.

[C]

Binary. They. Thems.

[B]

Yes, exactly.

[A]

True. There you go.

[B]

Exactly. It's like I could have done cats and I did plants instead.

[A]

Right.

[B]

No kidding. I just love a plant.

[A]

I just think it's fun that you're, you're, you're obviously personifying them. If I were to use it right. A lit term.

[B]

Yes, I am. You are correct. And I, I shouldn't.

[A]

But it doesn't. Yes, you should. No.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Keep them alive. They're children. They're your children.

[B]

I really do want to, like, show them I can keep them alive. Like, I, I feel accomplished by keeping my plants alive.

[C]

Listen, as I learned in my third grade science fair project, they respond well to being personalized and talked to.

[A]

I didn't.

[B]

I didn't know you did that in third grade.

[C]

I did that in third grade. So my third grade science fair was what happens if you have two plants and one plant you talk to and the other plant you don't talk to? And the one that, the one that I named, I named it BA Baracas, who is Mr. T's character on the A team, for those of you who watched in the 80s. And BA Baracas did really, really well. I talk to him all the time. Um, you know, I gave him a little. I. I pitted fool. It was great.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Wow. I did a whole post on it. It was great.

[A]

Maybe that's you in the science fair.

[C]

No, I think I did. I think I did all right. I know I got a good grade. I did not win the science fair that year, but I did. I did get a prize a couple years later when I did a potato clock. Years later. So there you go. So there are some science fair tips

[A]

for Appreciate scientific evidence for.

[C]

Yes. Okay. Yeah. And you all can take those and give those projects to your kids to use for their future science fairs.

[A]

Amazing. Well, we did. We did give our fiddle leaf fig that I've kept alive for. Oh, does it have a name and months now? Yes. Her name is Taylor.

[C]

Oh, nice.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. So maybe that's my problem is that I haven't named any of my other plants. So I'm going to try this now. I did just get a new. You know, my other. My other resolution was to get another plant and keep it alive. And I did get a fern. So we'll see what kind of fern. I've only had it for like two weeks now, so. Okay. I'll have to take a picture and send it to you. It looks pretty though.

[C]

I do like good.

[A]

But I think so far so good. Too early really to tell, but yeah.

[B]

Well, that was all my plants and then my bed. I'm still not finished with my bed. I was refinishing. Guys. It is the most slow rolling project I've ever started. That's a lie. But I am. I've been priming it now and I've been spray priming it versus just like paintbrush priming it. And so that was something I wanted to do. And it's of kind going terribly. The spray gun. I've worked. I've been working with my woodworking teacher again, texting him back and forth and being like this feels like it's running a lot. But the main part of this story is I decided to. Because I'm Spray gun. There's obviously spray paint. Paint is everywhere.

[A]

Spray.

[B]

Yeah, it's like a. But it's a spray gun. So it's up to the compressor and stuff. So it just can get everywhere. So I have to set up like a backdrop and make sure that like all the drop cloths all around. So when it. When I'm spraying, I'm not spraying the house. So I was trying to decide where to do it because moving a wet bed in and out every time it rained because I was doing it up in my garage. But I have moved it to the little extra part of my foundation that I had to put a roof on. If you guys might remember, it's like my basement door. There's an exit from our basement and it has a cover. It actually has a roof over it because it was this little chunk that shouldn't have been part of our foundation. This is how they like fixed. Kind of fixed it. So it has stairs up and out and there is a. The French drain is in there and. But otherwise it's just a concrete like block. And then house on two sides and then housing or like the house siding on the other two sides. So I decide I'm going to do it under there because it's covered. Great. So sweep all the leaves out, like because it's not been used. And I like vacuumed up the dirt that was in there with the shop vac and I got it all clean and ready and I was like, all right. So I hang up all my plastic on the railings of it because it's railings. And then it goes into the like, actual concrete. That's the foundation. So I'm, like, taping up high for the railings so I can spray up high and not spray the railings. And I do a layer, and then, you know, it dries, and I flip it over, and I'm doing the other side. And I didn't go down there for, like, two days after that layer just because, you know, it's just down there or whatever. And it's drying. It's just drying. It's covered. It's all I can do is let it dry out. Well, I go down there to work on it this past week, and it was. It had only been two days, but I go down there, and I'm like. Like the wind had blown and, like, it had come off the railing or what? I thought, like, the wind had blown the plastic all off and kind of covering the bed. And the bed had fallen, and I was like, okay, let's see how much it, like, dinged up or how much paint came off or what point did it fall over? And I'm lifting it, and I'm putting it all back, and I see, like, bird droppings everywhere, too. And I'm like, did birds get down here? Like, trying to figure it out. So then I'm taking the plastic, and all of a sudden, something's moving in this ball of plastic I had trapped. A bird had gotten stuck in it. I guess he was, like, flying and, like, somehow hit my plastic, got himself tangled. So he's like, but he's still alive. Yes, I was that my. I screamed bloody murder. So the boys and David came down. They were like, what?

[A]

And I was like, I murdered a bird, but it's still alive. But I murdered a bird. And he's like.

[B]

David's like, go inside. He's like, I'm gonna get it out. So, like, me and the boys are inside. There's a window right there. So we're, like, watching David try to,

[A]

like, untrap this poor bird that got

[B]

stuck in my plastic. Ah, I was so devastated. So then after I was like, was it still alive? And Dave's like, he was still alive. I put him out there.

[A]

Let's just hope for the best.

[B]

I felt so awful. So awful, guys. But, like, I'm like, I can't spray inside my house, but you got to put up some kind of tarp. And I know the. I did the plastic cheap tarp, because I figured I'd throw it away. But now I'm like, had I done a real tarp, maybe he wouldn't Gotten stuck.

[A]

Oh, was that sad?

[B]

That's my depressing bird story for you guys. That I was just like so sad

[A]

to say that you like had accidentally sprayed your house the wrong color or. No, that's paw prints going through your. Your fresh paint job.

[B]

That would have been also happened instead. I like tried to murder a bird is what I.

[A]

And I well, accidentally set a trap for a bird.

[B]

Yes. One that I did. Yeah. So then there's like all this like just bird poop everywhere where there's like, poor thing. I guess. Well, trapped just like. I know.

[A]

Poor thing. That was my sad, like, do you think he lived?

[B]

Yes. The answer is yes.

[A]

I'm.

[B]

I'm putting that out into the universe with my living plants. I obviously want the bird to live, so we're going to hope he. He is off flying around, got a good meal and hopefully he's back energy wise. Poor thing. So I am a smarter bird. And so I haven't really worked on the bed since because I've been sad. But I'm also like, I need to finish it so that I don't leave up the plastic because I don't want to kill anything else. Like I know I should just sprayed my railings. I should have just sprayed my railings and been like, whatever. It's a spray booth now.

[A]

No, it's fine.

[B]

Yeah. So that was my like drama. This like. Yeah. And then I bought some side tables, some antique side tables, rattan for my room. I'm excited about downstairs, but I am still like slowly putting that room mentally together in my head, like scooting things around my house. And so it's still slow coming. I'll have something soon. I gotta make some moves soon because I have nothing extra to share.

[A]

So what did you decide on your wallpaper that you were gonna do upstairs?

[B]

I've chosen one I'm just trying to find. I'm getting a quote from an installer.

[A]

So did you call me and Liz's guy, Nate, our wallpaper guy? Yeah. Yeah, Nate.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay, good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, I'm. Yes. He's now a bigger team, so now I'm waiting for a official call for him. Like, I feel like you used to just text him and be like, hi, Nate, can you hang wallpaper?

[A]

He's official now. He only wants to communicate via email. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So I respect it. I'm glad he's professional, but boo to us who. Who knew him.

[A]

When did I tell you guys that

[C]

I saw him on this old house?

[B]

No, no.

[C]

Yes. A few years ago. They did In Atlanta, this old house, and he installed some wallpaper that surprised me.

[B]

He's official.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Good for him. Anyway. Yes. I'm waiting on a quote, which we'll see, but I still like that wallpaper, so I'm still going forward. I just have to, like, get someone to put it up and find out

[A]

how much you need and all that stuff.

[B]

Yeah, that will help, too.

[A]

So.

[B]

Okay, those are my updates for the week.

[A]

Nice. Well, happy trials and triumphs day, everyone.

[B]

I know we. I have to. I feel like I owe you guys better ones, but it was a lot of. I felt like I did a lot of planting and scooping and replanting and.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Moving things around recently.

[C]

It's kind of what happens this time of year, though.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You've got. And you've got to do it now, because come June. July. I don't want to do it. It's too hot.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I don't want to do anything out back.

[A]

Plus, I always forget, like, outdoor projects are harder than you think. I don't know. They just take. I feel like they require a lot more effort.

[C]

They do.

[A]

Or what you think it would.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, you'll be like, oh, I'm just gonna weed this little area. And then, like, it takes all day. Yeah. And then you're like. And I'm still not done. Like, exactly.

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Thank you. That. That was.

[C]

I'm kind of taking it, you know, as like a 30 minutes a day after work during the week to try to help mitigate some of that.

[B]

That's pretty good. I think a little, like, timer of 30 minutes is probably actually a really good one.

[C]

And, you know, get out there, touch some grass. It helps.

[B]

Guys. That is. I know that was the major theme of Milan week or what our Milan show that just happened was like, again, just like grass. I mean, it wasn't those words, but that was the vibe. Everything was about being in touch with your. Yourself and, like, nature and noise and, like, getting away from the hustle and bustle, so.

[A]

Love that.

[B]

We all need it. Supposedly sound baths as you've started with your Sonos in the morning.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Y' all try it. You're right. I love that home thing. Makes sense. And, Taryn, you use Google home, don't you? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Maybe I'll try it. I love it.

[C]

Figuring out how to. How to get a different playlist in there. So I think I need. I think I need to go in and, like, make a different playlist for, like, every day of the week or something.

[A]

You could do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

You could do that way. That way. Spotify won't tell me I'm 93.

[A]

Yeah, well, the. There. There were two different TikTok videos that sort of inspired me. One of them was someone talking about trying to create a calming atmosphere for mourning, which, you know, Liz, you might be out of this, but, Taryn, I bet you have a similar experience to me, which is. It is chaos. There's fighting, there's whining, there's yelling. Get out the door. You know, it's.

[C]

It's a lot. It's a lot.

[A]

So I was really in a place where I was like, I need to do anything I can to make this a better morning so that I'm not sending my kids into school frazzled all day. And what's happening is not working. Like, what we're doing now is not working. So. And then the other person did this, which I think is so cute. I'm not quite there yet, but they did homework cafe, where they would set up a homework cafe for their kids after school, where they would put on, like, good loaf and they would put out a snack plate and they would set candles and they would make this sort of enticing experience to encourage their kids to do their homework. And I thought that was so cute.

[C]

Taryn, I love your face. Taryn is just shaking her head. No, not.

[B]

Caroline does have two sweet girls. I can see this working for her. I just feel like we have bats and. Yeah. Legos being chucked at each other. I can't imagine.

[A]

Well, we're not quite. You and I are not quite at the real homework phase yet. I mean, Blair has, like, a worksheet, maybe two worksheets that she finished in 10 minutes. So it's not.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To where she needs a full homework cafe set up. But I do anticipate that being a need in the future. And so I'm kind of storing it back in my mind, you know, I love it.

[B]

I do like the whole idea, again, of just, like, trying to make the best of what you can't, like what you can control, which, again, is the sound, the smell, the, like, amount of focus. I love all of that. So, yeah, I report back. I am excited to hear about this.

[C]

I love the full sensory experience. That's great.

[A]

And the branding. It's all about the branding. Homework Cafe, instead of go do your homework.

[B]

Right. Yeah. Welcome to homework Cafe.

[C]

You're probably setting them up for a stronger habit of, like, oh, okay, if I do. If I do put on some chill music or get a snack while I do my homework. Like, it's gonna. It's gonna go. Better keep those blood sugars I'm dreading.

[A]

Yeah, it's not something I'm dreading. It's something I'm looking forward to. All right, until next time, everyone. Yeah, that's our show. And that's our show. You can find all of the show notes on our blog, howtodecorate.com podcast to

[B]

send in a decorating dilemma, email your questions to podcast Ballardesigns.net so we can help you with your space.

[A]

And of course, be sure to follow us on social media at Ballard Designs.

[C]

Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, so, you know, never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.

[A]

Until next time, happy decorating.