This past weekend was THE weekend where we got the outside of our home ready for spring and summer.
It started on Friday when we had our roof professionally cleaned (we did this 7 years ago and it needed it again) and our home’s exterior power-washed (we do this every year). I washed all our windows immediately after they were power-washed because they were still wet and the process goes so much faster.
On Saturday, we power-washed the decks and some of the concrete, and totally cleaned out / power-washed the garage.
I rolled out the new welcome mats I purchased for the exterior doors, hung our new flags, set up the porch and patio furniture we store in our outbuilding for the winter, and planted my favorite Costco ferns in wash tub planters.
I told Nora, “No one else will notice the difference, but it feels like a brand new house to me!”
And it does.
In 2 weeks, the windows will be dirty again, the rugs will be smeared with dirt, and the porch will be filled with helicopter seedlings… but for now, it feels clean and new and fresh for spring.
FAVORITE MOMENT = Windows Open
I mentioned all the outside work we did over the weekend — and that’s because it was unseasonably warm for late April / early May.
In fact, it was so warm that we were able to sleep with the windows open 2 nights in a row!
I love having all the windows open, especially at night, and waking up to that cool crisp morning air.
Unfortunately in Michigan, there are only a few weeks of the year when we don’t need our heat or AC, so I don’t get to open my windows as often as I’d like.
This past weekend was a treat and I enjoyed every minute of that fresh air blowing into my bedroom at night (especially since the windows were squeaky clean!)
FAVORITE ROUTINE = Year End
Yes, I know what you’re thinking… it’s only May!
However, I’ve lived my life on a school schedule forever… first as a daughter of a teacher and student myself, then as a wife of a teacher, and now as a mother of 4 students.
As a result, the month of May always feels like my “year-end”, my finish line.
I’m almost there!
May feels like a literal breath of fresh air for me as all our church and school programming winds down for the year and we look forward to a low-key summer at home.
Currently, we’ve wrapped up Sunday School, Children’s Choir, playgroup, GEMs, Cadets, and Bible studies. I had my last school committee meeting this week and my other volunteer duties are almost finished.
My June and July calendars are mostly empty and I can’t wait!
Yes, I’ll likely be a bit stir-crazy by the time mid-August rolls around, but closing up another school and church year in anticipation of a 10-week summer break is one of my favorite things.
Only 20 more days of packing lunches (not that I’m counting 😉).
PAST FAVORITE = Electric Griddle
Oh, my beloved Presto BIG griddle — I’ve used it multiple times each week since right after Clara was born (when I upgraded to the larger size).
A full pound of bacon, 16 pancakes, a dozen scrambled eggs, 9 grilled cheese sandwiches… and (count ’em) 20 slices of French Toast!
Truthfully, the only reason I purchased this griddle was because it was a square, not a long rectangle, so it fit in the cabinet above our refrigerator.
At the time, I had no idea if it would actually be a quality griddle or not… but 6 years later, I can confidently say it’s definitely one of “my favorite things”! Whenever this one finally bites the dust, I will purchase another one if it’s still available.
RELATED READING: How we organize everything in our kitchen.
FAVORITE SNACK = Yogurt Parfaits
I’ve been a huge fan of plain Greek yogurt for years now (ever since I experimented with making my own yogurt WAY back in the day.)
We always have several tubs of it in the house as it’s my go-to snack, sometimes breakfast if I’m in a rush, or even dessert if I need a little something sweet.
My favorite way to eat Greek yogurt is as a “parfait” with blueberries, granola, and a drizzle of honey.
It’s also very good with granola and mini chocolate chips if you want to go the dessert route! 😉
RELATED READING: Yogurt Parfaits with Fruit Compote
FAVORITE BOOK = 2-Year Pocket Calendar
I know it’s only May, but I’ve started to schedule things for next year already — so purchased my 2025-2026 pocket calendar this week.
After faithfully using a daily planner for over 20 years (since high school), I switched to a pocket calendar at the beginning of 2023 and I absolutely love it.
It’s so small and portable — just enough space for me to write appointments, games, practices, meetings, etc. and I can see an entire month in one glance.
I still use a little pad of paper for my daily and weekly to-do lists, but the pocket calendar “runs my life”. 😂
If you’re interested, a bunch of the 2025-2026 monthly pocket calendars are less than $4 on Amazon right now!
RELATED READING: How to plan monthly with a pocket calendar.
FAVORITE SPLURGE = Keurig K-slim
No, I still don’t drink coffee — but Dave and I decided to add a Keurig K-slim to our kitchen around Christmastime, AND I even let it sit out on the counter (see it tucked there right next to the fridge?)
So why does a non-coffee-drinker splurge on a Keurig?
Well, since I don’t drink coffee, I also don’t make coffee either — which isn’t always ideal for entertaining…
I was never sure if my coffee was too strong, too weak, crappy, etc. And nowadays, everyone likes specific types, brands, and flavors of coffee.
So instead of feeling inadequate in my coffee offerings, I can now open our drawer of pods, let them pick a favorite coffee, tea, mocha, or hot chocolate, and in less than a minute, they have their favorite hot drink ready to go.
The Keurig was also super fun for our kids this past winter — they could make one or two cups of hot chocolate for themselves and a friend or sibling without needing me to boil water, measure the powder, etc.
Thankfully, we got a really great deal right after Christmas — and it came with a whole bunch of free pods (we’re still using our stash of free pods).
I know Costco sells pods, so I’ll keep an eye out there for deals when we need to purchase more — for now, it seems to be a quality investment for our kitchen, our family, and our entertaining needs.
RELATED READING: my Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
FAVORITE CRAFT ITEM = Paper Cutter
I don’t drink coffee and we buy a Keurig… I don’t do crafts and I love my paper cutter… seriously, what’s going on here!?!
Truthfully, I don’t do crafts, but I’ve always had a paper cutter and I use it ALL. THE. TIME!
I can’t cut a perfectly straight line to save my life, so my paper cutter has come in handy hundreds of times over the years.
My paper cutter is over 20 years old, so I can’t find the exact one online anymore — but this one is close, and the same brand.
With so many end-of-year celebrations and Teacher Appreciation Week (next week) I’ve had the paper cutter out every afternoon, working on little projects or cards.
That’s about as crafty as I get — but the kids use our paper cutter a bunch too. In fact, I’ve thought about buying another one since they are so cheap and hardly take up any space in our craft cabinet.
RELATED READING: A few clutter-free teacher gift ideas.
FAVORITE RECIPE = Strawberry Pie
As strawberry season comes around, do yourself a favor and add my recipe for Strawberry Pie to your list of must-try recipes!
It’s so fresh tasting as you only bake the crust, not the filling, so the fruit is still crisp — perfect for spring.
This pie pairs best with whipped cream (not ice cream) and it’s really difficult to just have one piece!
TRY THE RECIPE: My Favorite Strawberry Pie.
FAVORITE ARCHIVED POST = Candy Countdown Chain
Are you counting down to a birthday, anniversary, or the last day of school? Make a simple candy countdown chain to mark off the days until the BIG day.
My kids LOVE candy countdown chains, and it’s such a simple, frugal, and fun way to anticipate a special day or upcoming event.
Read the full post: How to Make a Candy Countdown Chain.
That’s all for this month. 😆
If you’re interested, you may scroll through all my Favorite Things posts HERE!
Pascale says
Hello Andrea,
Like you, I’ve used Bend Soap for our soap bars and lotions for years and loved their products. That being said, I have been looking for goat milk liquid soap for guests and workers who don’t feel comfortable using bars of soap, but Bend Soap doesn’t carry that product. I did some research and found the Jonas Family who make goat milk products including goat milk liquid soap. The name of their company is Goat Milk Stuff. Right now, they are offering 20% off for Mother’s Day. I placed a large order and was truly impressed by the quality of their service, the fast delivery and the vast array of products that they offer. I even bought a lotion stick bug repellent that contains dehydrated goat milk to try it out. They give you a free gift for every order over $65 and another free gift for every order over $100. Therefore, I received a free lip balm that contains goat milk powder and a lotion stick that contains dehydrated goat milk.
Andrea says
yes, I’d love a great liquid soap option too (so I will definitely be checking out the company you mentioned — thanks for that!)
JJ says
Great inspiration! We have end of the year stuff coming up, and the teachers’ ideas are helpful for all our extra curricular stuff! Do you have links to the tags you used? Where did you get the lemon soap from? Thanks so much!
Andrea says
Hey there — I make my own tags for everything (so they say exactly what I want).
I got the hand soaps from Bath and Body (they were only $2 last weekend as opposed to $10!!!) They are lemon and say “citrusly my favorite” 🙂
JJ says
That’s awesome!
Debbie says
Our weather is still pretty chilly and seems to look like it will rain. Yet I’ve been dying to power wash our porch and back patio and outdoor furniture too. The sad thing about working is we can only do it on a weekend in between all the other appointments and commitments we have. We haven’t power washed our house, but did have the windows cleaned professionally a few years ago. We haven’t used them since. It must feel good to have all the tasks done and that you’re ready for summer to begin.
Andrea says
yes, it feels so good to cross so many seasonal projects off our to-do list already. Of course, we still need to do all our mulch, which is a huge project, but at least things are clean and it feels like we’re sort of ready for spring and summer entertaining!
Chris says
So fun to see you enjoy the same strawberry pie my Grandma was known for. She has been gone since 1987. I enjoy making it and eating it too.
Andrea says
it’s the BEST strawberry pie! glad you enjoy it too!
Julie Freeland says
question: Why do you “clean” your roof? Is it because of mold? I am questioning if we need to do the same thing as our north side roof looks darker/discolored. Do you power wash it? Because it seems like that would be too harsh for the shingles.
Thank you,
Julie
Andrea says
Hey Julie,
The North side of our roof gets lots of “moss” on it, and also the black streaks. We only do it every 5-7 years but it is supposed to help prolong the life if your roof (and it just looks A LOT nicer). They don’t power wash it as that would be too harsh for the shingles. They spray a plant/pet/child safe chemical on and then use this long-handled wand with a brush on it to scrub stuff off. It looks so great when it’s finished.
You should look into it — your house looks like new!
Christina McAndrews says
We inherited a Kuerig a few years ago and don’t drink much coffee, but do love it for entertaining! I have found some of the best deals on coffee at Big Lots. I think the closest to you is in Gville, but they ship as well and have amazing sales for when you are up for new Kcups.
Andrea says
Thanks Christina — I’ll have to look into BigLots for pods eventually 🙂
Kim says
Hi Andrea, what happened to the 2024-2025 pocket calendar? Maybe you had to get that one a long time ago?
Long time follower here. Thanks for writing.
Andrea says
Hi Kim — I purchased a 2023-2024 pocket calendar at the end of 2022. So since 2024 is almost half over and I’m starting to schedule things for 2025, I just went ahead and bought the next 2-year planner. Does that answer your question? Or am I misinterpreting your question?
Kim says
That answers it, thank you
Bonnie (Cummings) Boylan says
Hi Andrea,
After all these years I still love reading your blog and recommend it to others, as you are a fount of wisdom & information. I’m not sure if you know, but Cathy (my sidekick) passed away 2 years ago, and I miss her so much. We had such fun, and learned so much when we took your class so many years ago. Also, my husband passed away almost 5 years ago, and 2 years ago God brought me a wonderful Christian man and we were married a year and a half ago and we’re so happy! I’m Still living in Whispering Springs Condos and really enjoy it here. I wanted to let you know I have used a two year pocket calendar forever and love it. Like you say, “I love seeing my week at glance.” You should come to the Grandville Farmers market in the summer on Tuesdays from 9-1 and visit my cookie booth. I would love to see & the kids.
Bonnie
Andrea says
Hello Bonnie! I’m glad you put your old last name in the comments otherwise I wouldn’t have recognized it!
Yes, I still have very fond memories of those classes I taught (almost 18 years ago now!!)
I do remember you telling me about Cathy and your husband — so sorry to hear about both of those losses. It’s been a hard few years for you — so I’m thrilled to hear that you’ve gotten remarried! What a lucky guy!
We will definitely try to make it out to the farmer’s market this summer — and we will certainly need to buy some cookies!
Thanks so much for saying “hi” again!
Donna Marie says
I just love all the info you provide and I don’t have small children!!! It applies to this 70-year-old!!!
Andrea says
haha — thanks Donna Marie 🙂
Jen says
These are my “favorite” posts! It’s always so good to hear from you on the first of each month! Not surprisingly, I am also not a coffee drinker but, also not surprisingly, we got a Keurig slim last Christmas for the exact same reason-so our guests could have coffee. I love the smaller Keurig, but since I don’t really like ANYTHING on my counters, it bugged me that the huge plug stuck out so far. I found these flat wall outlet extenders on Amazon, and they really made a difference! Just FYI! Happy May to the Dekkers!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096SNTF25/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Andrea says
Oh wow — where have those outlets been all my life? Yes, the bulky plug on the Keurig (and anything else) bugs me. Although, our Keurig does have a recessed area in the back that the plug sort of “fits” into so it really doesn’t stick out that far from the wall. However, those outlet things are already in my Amazon cart (thanks so much for sharing)!
I love that we are basically the same person with a ridiculous number of similar likes, interests, preferences, etc. We must meet up someday 🙂