Posted in Nesting on February 8th, 2010 by Domestic Nest – Be the first to comment
Thanks to all those who stopped by unannounced in January! You kept us on our toes and we’re sticking to our goal to have a house tidy enough for surprise visitors.
We appreciate your help, but friends and family are not invited along for February’s nesting goal. We’re making our bedroom a place of refuge. If I’m to be honest, our bedroom is often the last priority when cleaning. It’s a room rarely seen by visitors and we have a pretty small boudoir, making it a challenge to organize and declutter. But no more excuses, February’s all about the bedroom. Got any tips or strategies for how to make your bedroom a place of zen? Please share!
Posted in Nesting on February 3rd, 2010 by Domestic Nest – 3 Comments
We’re excited to have house guests again this month. It’s always a great excuse to indulge in a few things to make being at home a little more like vacation. Here are some things we do to make our house guests feel welcome & relaxed…
We provide lots of empty hooks, shelves, baskets and drawers and set out yummy snacks so they don’t have to travel to the kitchen to indulge. We pile enough pillows on the bed so watching TV upright is comfy. We make sure there’s a nice place for a lady to get ready (we’re still looking for the right full-length mirror.) Super fluffy towels are a must. We even have the sheets professionally pressed. It’s surprisingly inexpensive and makes crawling into bed feel just like being in a hotel.
Confession: We don’t have a TV in our own room & I’ll admit to occasional piles of laundry that stifle relaxation (ahem, time for a new nesting resolution.) So, sometimes I slip into the guest bedroom and watch cable while lounging. Add a sweet husband, a bowl of popcorn or ice cream and, wallah, I got myself a mini getaway.
Posted in Interviews, Nesting on January 31st, 2010 by Domestic Nest – 3 Comments
photo courtesy of Sharisse Coulter Photography
Have you ever walked into someone’s house and immediately felt at home? Did you sense that everyone who entered suddenly let their guard down, put their feet up and became family with the strangers around them? Did you find their house by following the distinct aroma of smoked ribs? Then maybe you’ve been to Chad & Gina Howlett’s house. They’re known for hosting laid-back parties complete with the best food and entertainment in town. Chad’s a member of the hot band, Brodeeva and their living room is home to a stellar array of local musical talent. If you were to stake out Chad & Gina’s house on any given weekend (not that I have), you’d witness hippies, rockers, artists and regular folk of all ages and cultures flocking to sit a spell, drink a beer and indulge in mouth-watering soul food. I recently interviewed them on what nesting is like as they balance day jobs, rocking out, and raising two teen boys. Here’s how the Howletts roll…
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Posted in Fun Times, Travel on January 28th, 2010 by Domestic Nest – 4 Comments
We had guests of honor staying with us over the weekend. My parents came all the way from Virginia!
It gave us an excuse to do some things we’ve never done before in San Diego. We crossed the bridge and entered another era on Coronado Island. There’s a certain magic about that place. It just has the air of old time fun. And something about being with Matty feels kinda timeless. I don’t know, maybe it’s the just his vintage hats.
Anyhow, Coronado may be the best place we’ve found here in San Diego to just kick back and relax. No matter the season, I’m pretty sure it’s always summer break on Coronado Island.
We had diner-style eats at Clayton’s Coffee Shop and then just mosied. I sure wish we’d brought the bikes to cruise around and slowly take in the beautiful, diverse neighborhoods. No two homes looked exactly alike and the old craftsman style held strong, assuring us at every turn that we were in the Golden State.
And then there was ‘The Del’. Oh me, oh my.
This place just whisked us back through decades of rich, luxurious history.
The Hotel Del Coronado is well worth the trip over the bridge.
The whole day had me humming “Swing it like they used to do…” by Lee Coulter. Go ahead, click. You’ll love it.
What a splendid day. Let’s do it again.
Posted in Etsy stuff on January 17th, 2010 by Domestic Nest – 1 Comment
This week has been full of intense news. Snippets of horror, death, bravery, and hope are flooding my thoughts. The internet, the blogging community in particular, is offering such a tremendous opportunity to be aware and enabling people to unite in a way never possible before now. We can witness what happens when countless contributors each give what they can to a conglomerate of money and hope that will and must make a difference to those who need it. Hopefully, our unprecedented access to information will inspire masses of people to give what they can, no matter how little. Maybe all some have to give is hope. Well, I believe every tiny bit matters.
Here’s our tiny bit. Bookmarks. Bookmarks won’t save the world, but if we all really combine what we have to give, our efforts will make a difference. We will donate to the Craft Hope for Haiti etsy shop. Those amazing ladies are posting new items around the clock so we have no idea when our item will be added. So, we have some available in our shop too.
Wanna learn more about their shop or donate your own handmade goodies? Visit their website here.
Do you sell a service? Do you want to consult top notch professionals who are donating their proceeds to Haiti relief? Sign up for the Help Haiti Blog Challenge here.
Happy Find, thanks for the tip.
Posted in Interviews on January 17th, 2010 by Domestic Nest – 2 Comments
We’ve had fun making nesting goals for 2010 and we’ve actually done well holding to our January challenge. Thanks to all those who’ve surprised us with a knock at the door! It’s working, keeping comin’ by.
One thing we especially enjoy is learning from others who are making their way in a modern world as they balance work, play & nesting. In a search for advice and examples beyond The Cleavers and other iconic nuclear families, we’ll be interviewing modern nesters and posting their stories. We’ll delve into their passions and challenges regarding making a house a home, keeping organized, and pursuing creativity.
If you happen to be reading and know of someone who may want to be in the spotlight (perhaps even yourself), you should e-mail us at info{at}DomesticNest{dot}com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Posted in Nesting on January 5th, 2010 by Domestic Nest – 1 Comment
He installed this…
And cleared space on this…
So that I could have this…
I’m sorry ladies. He does not have a brother, cousin or best friend just like him.
Posted in Nesting on December 31st, 2009 by Domestic Nest – 5 Comments
Our first nesting goal of 2010 will probably be the loftiest of the year. We like a challenge, obviously. Here it is…
We will have a house tidy enough for guests to feel welcome on any given day, at any hour.
This challenge is not posed to ourselves only. Do you know us? Do you know where we live? We want you to stop by our house, unannounced, some time during the month of January.
We have honored guests visiting us at the end of the month, so please help us stick to our goal! See you soon…
Posted in Fun Times, Nesting on December 30th, 2009 by Domestic Nest – 3 Comments
It’s been a good year.
Matt built a fence, took a Spanish class, switched offices, caught a mako shark and got a dental cap. Ouch.
I stopped dying my hair, hiked “the bluffs” in Newport with my family (truly monumental if you know the Wilsons), completed a full body detox, and inherited a cherished autoharp.
Together we saw a live volcano, adopted two li’l trash hounds, hosted the first of many neighborhood parties, learned how to tool leather, and began Domestic Nest.
In 2010, we will both officially begin our third decade of life and we will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Wow. We’re looking forward to enjoying the coming milestones with verve and presence of mind. 
Lovely memories and enthralling tales will come to follow, no doubt. And hopefully one of us will learn to play that autoharp.
Each month in 2010, we’ll make a nesting resolution. Blogging about it will either broadcast our failure, or help hold us accountable. Hopefully the latter.
Here’s a toast to mark the end of a fabulous year and the beginning of a new 12-month journey full of change, celebration and love.
From our nest to yours…chin chin.
The Domestic Nest Blog
