Hurricane Isaias was the first major hurricane to hit our area since we moved here 6.5 years ago. We followed our county's mandatory evacuation orders and drove many hours away to an unaffected part of Florida (Ocala). As we hunkered down at an Airbnb with our friends, kids, and pets, we watched as the hurricane became a Category 3 and turned towards our area back home. Luckily, our house and most of our neighborhood sustained only minor damage, relatively speaking. A few trees down, a scratch in the painted top piece of our fence (can see the tree leaning on it below?), and a LOT of leaves and sticks to clean up. Continue reading How We Made Our House More Hurricane Safe at Young House Love.

As a former professional product namer, I've named everything from cheeseburgers to cell phones. And you might think... she also probably wants to name my baby. Well, you'd be right. I LOVE brainstorming name ideas, researching meanings, and test-driving name pairings. I also get the sometimes daunting pressure of it all. It can be stressful, and there are tons of factors to consider, endless options to sift through, and somehow even more opinions. Hint: do not ask everyone you know for their opinions - it can make it so much harder. Continue reading How To Choose A Baby Name at Young House Love.

For the last six years, having one bathroom worked surprisingly well for our family of four. But this year, as part of our recent renovation, we finally added another bathroom - and boy does it feel luxurious after so many years without it! Today we'll share why, where, and how we finally added a second bathroom to our smaller home. We've also got not one, but TWO video tours below. There's a quick walkthrough of the bathroom (plus a peek at the rest of the downstairs renovation). Plus a longer, no-detail-spared tour Sherry recorded for Instagram. Continue reading Well Look Who Has A Second Bathroom at Young House Love.

It's no secret that I want to name your baby (I've loved sharing name ideas - and John and I even pitched a pet naming book before starting this blog). And the topic of celebrity baby names has always fascinated me. From whatever "off the wall" name a famous person has chosen for their offspring (Surie! Apple! Blanket!) to the way that celebrity baby names have real impacts on naming trends (if a popular celeb names her son something, that name can soar to the top of the charts). It really is intriguing to me that beyond the gossip factor, celebrity baby names introduce new names to the lexicon, boost the popularity of others, and can even steer people away from choosing a name that's in the headlines... which actually happened to us! But more on that in a minute. Continue reading 100+ Celebrity Baby Names at Young House Love.