The latest chapter of the Gaines design universe is not a client commission or a network mandate, but a deeply personal retreat in the Rockies that pulls their five children into the creative mix. Instead of treating the “Colorado Mountain House” as a distant project, Chip and Joanna Gaines have turned it into a working…
New homesteaders get sold a fantasy: one rifle that handles predators, puts meat in the freezer, stays by the back door, and somehow does it all with no downsides. That’s how people end up buying rifles that sound right on paper but don’t fit how homestead life actually works—close-range problems, awkward angles around buildings, limited…
Southern mamas may keep a lot, but they do not play when company’s coming for Christmas. There’s a mental checklist that kicks in the second someone says, “We’ll be there around lunch.” It has less to do with having a perfect house and more to do with clearing the stuff that makes a home feel…
Putting up the tree in a cluttered living room feels a little like trying to decorate a storage unit. The lights and ornaments might be pretty, but everything still feels crowded and stressful. Clearing out a few things before you haul in the tote stack makes decorating a whole lot more fun. You don’t have…
A lot of people assume a shotgun is “forgiving.” Point it in the general direction and the pattern will cover your mistakes. Then the first time you’re trying to deal with a raccoon at the coop, or a coyote slipping the fence line, you realize your pattern is way wider than you pictured—and now you’re…
By the time Christmas is over, you’ve got new toys, new clothes, and maybe a few new kitchen gadgets. If nothing leaves when all that comes in, your house starts feeling tighter fast. Donating a few things before the New Year doesn’t just clear space—it makes January feel less heavy. You don’t have to empty…
Smart grandmas don’t have to say much about clutter—you can tell by the way their houses feel on Christmas morning. There’s room for kids to spread out, a clear place for coffee, and a spot for every casserole dish. That doesn’t happen by accident. A lot of little things get cleared out in the weeks…
A Christmas house isn’t about looking fancy—it’s about feeling open, warm, and easy to be in. But even in the best families, a few habits can slowly fill every flat surface and corner until the tree and stockings are fighting for attention. If your house feels crowded instead of welcoming this time of year, it…