Hey guys! Did you know us Allens are the Kings and Queens of grilling and backyard parties, respectively? I'm sure you had no idea. Anyways, I know it's kinda cliche for dudes to be super into grilling and babes to be super into entertaining and throwing parties, and at our house we usually kind of pride ourselves on going against the gender role flow. But Jeff and I fall right into those stereotypes READ MORE

Guyses! Earlier this spring I made the biggest easiest improvement to increase our nighttime backyard chill vibes, and it was so incredibly simple. I'm unlocking the mysteries of landscape lighting for ya. I command (yep, command) you all to follow my lead and do the same with your outdoor spaces! So, I always thought you had to have tons of money and an electrician to enjoy a nicely lighted READ MORE

Gardening budz! I'm popping in to share a shade loving favorite and a recent bloomer from my yard, Solomon's Seal. This one is rather new to me, I took my first little shoot from my mom's house two growing seasons ago. Since then, it has become one of my favorite signs of spring, and I enjoy it's variegated foliage and staggered leaves in my shady garden all summer long. I have my Solomon's Seal READ MORE

I took sometime to think about what I needed and came up with this basic plan (above) before I went out shopping. Alright, so my spreadsheet-obsessed-husband is rubbing off on me, I've been wanting to put a 'zone 4' plant database together, including all of the crucial info such as their height, width, color, water needs, sun needs, etc. Guess what you guys? Monrovia already did that! I actually READ MORE