I get lots of design questions from you guys, but I actually get questions about a lot of other things happening in my life as well, like marriage, blogging, motherhood, fashion – really every single category! So, I tackle your inquiries in my “Ask Casey” blog post series, answering your questions every month or so.

Ask Casey

If you want to check out previous “Ask Casey” posts, you’ll find them all right here.

The Google form at the bottom of the post has helped me keep everything organized so I can slowly make my way through your inquiries.  So, if you have another question today, be sure to submit it below.

All About Moving

Are you already moving? Why are you taking listing photos if you plan to stay in your home for a while?

Oh boy, I’ve been getting so many questions about moving. In this blog post from August, I talked about our future plans and how we’ve been scoping out some new neighborhoods for our family. I also recently took you behind-the-scenes as I prepared our house for listing photos. I feel like I should have kept all of this to myself because my community is more confused than ever!

So what the heck is going on? First up, we’re not going anywhere just yet. We absolutely love our home and our neighborhood. We could be happy here for another year or two. Our main reason for eventually moving is that we would like more space for our family and ideally we would like to make that change before our daughter enters Kindergarten. We’re lucky that our neighborhood school is amazing, so if she ends up going there for a few years that would be totally fine. We just like to plan ahead, so we’ve spent some time keeping our eyes peeled for potential properties.

Our home is officially done and I figured now was a good time to document our home for an eventual real estate listing. I wanted to get the pictures done while our yard still looks green and lush from the summertime. I know a lot of people like to list their homes during the spring market and the last thing we would want to do is photograph our home in the winter. Our backyard is a big draw for potential buyers, so we wanted to showcase it at its best! Hence, the reason to get the photos done early!

We’re not ready to list. We just want to be prepared in case the perfect home pops up and we need to move quickly.

For moving to a new house, are you waiting for mortgage rates to fall? Will Jan move too? Will you be moving closer to her?

It is a bummer that interest rates are so high right now and we’re locked in at a great rate in our current home. We might be waiting a long long time if we wait for rates to fall. So we will play that by ear.

I was laughing at all of the inquiries about my mom moving with us. Everyone is concerned about the Janimal! Right now, we live pretty close to her (about 10 minutes). If we move, we will likely go closer to my brother, Ryan, and his family. If we moved, then I imagine she would want to buy something near both of us. But, she loves her place so we certainly wouldn’t pressure her!

Why do you want to leave your house when it’s already all done and perfect? How do you feel knowing future owners may change all of the upgrades you worked hard on?

Yes, it would be tough leaving behind our home that we’ve customized from top to bottom. However, my job and my passion are all about transforming spaces. I absolutely love what I do and I wouldn’t want to just stop with our current home. It would be exhilarating to do this process all over again! I know that’s hard for a lot of people to wrap their head around. In the meantime, we’re giving ourselves time and space to enjoy all of the hard work we’ve put into this home.

Our current home is move-in ready, so I don’t think buyers would have to change too much. But, I’m all about people creating a home that reflects their style and personality, so of course they would make changes. That’s a-okay. I’m just happy we’ve been able to bring this 100-year-old home back to life!

Motherhood Right Now

What’s the best part of motherhood right now? And the hardest part?

When we went from one to two children, it was a doozy. Now that Ellis is two, I feel like we’re coming out of the fog of those wild couple of years. The kids don’t need quite as much supervision, they can play together, and we can be out and about doing fun things together as a family. We’ve hit a nice sweet spot where we are completely out of the baby stage.

A few weeks ago, we were at dinner on the patio of a local brewery. Finn and I were eating dinner and drinking our cocktails while our kids were playing with other kids nearby. We looked at each other like, “Wow, this is getting better and better isn’t it?!”

They also keep us laughing constantly with the things they say. Rory is super chatty and Ellis has followed in her footsteps. They are always asking such hilarious questions and we’re always talking about something funny at the dinner table.

Rory (age 3.5) is also at a great age, where she is awesome company and fun to bring along for errands or coffee dates. Before this age, it was always more work to bring a kid along. Now, she makes everything more fun!

Okay, onto the not-so-good parts. Ha! We have a lot of big feelings going on in our house. Developmentally, they’re still not at the age where they can regulate their feelings and emotions, so we certainly have tantrums around here. Some moments can be exasperating, but Finn and I do our best as parents.

They really are buddies and enjoy playing together, but as with all siblings, they fight and bicker from time to time. It’s been interesting watching their relationship ebb and flow throughout the various stages.

Choosing The Right Rug

Rugs in dining rooms…yes or no? And how do you choose the right rug pattern for a room that’s already decorated?

Personally, I’ve never had a rug in a dining room, but that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to them. I think it totally depends on the space. If you do choose a dining room rug, make sure it’s low-pile and easy to clean. You’re just asking for crumbs and stains if you go with a rug that doesn’t clean well. As for size, make sure all chairs can be pulled out and in and still be on the rug.

In terms of choosing the right rug, I never want it to be too matchy-matchy with a space. For example, Ellis had dark green walls in his room. To complement those, I chose a rug that has some deep maroon and bits of green in it. I wouldn’t want to go with something too green or it would be overload. If you want to add color/pattern, then try to choose a color that works nicely with the main colors of the room, but doesn’t match it.

On the flip side, sometimes a rug is a good opportunity to tone down a space. You could go with a jute rug to add texture instead of color or pattern. It all depends on how you want the space to feel and the other decorative elements of the space.

You can read this blog post for all of my best tips when it comes to choosing the right rug!

Sharing My Kids Online

How come you stopped showing your kids’ faces online?

This was another popular question I’ve been getting lately. At the start of this year, I decided to stop showing my kids’ faces here on the blog and on Instagram. As much as I love sharing adorable photos of my kids, it just didn’t feel good anymore to share it with the entire world. Even though I live a public life, I want to respect their privacy and keep them as anonymous as possible.

While this community feels very safe and you are all incredibly supportive of me as a mom, there are always strangers who come to my content to lurk. I don’t want them to have any access to my children. It just felt safer to keep them off the internet. Maybe someday, when they’re older and can consent, I’ll show them again. But that will be their call!

Helping New Parents

What advice do you have for friends without kids wanting to support new parents? I want to help in any way possible, but not intrude or overwhelm.

First of all, you’re an amazing friend for even thinking about how you can help. In those early baby days, I loved it when a friend would just stop by and bring lunch, coffee, or even sit on the couch and drink a glass of wine with me. As a new mom, I didn’t quite feel like myself, and I loved any social interactions that made me feel like the old Casey again.

If you’re not able to be there in person (maybe you live far away), our go-to gift is a DoorDash or GrubHub gift card. Chances are they have enough baby crap and could use some takeout on a hard night.

I think it’s also important not to get too upset if your relationship changes for a little bit. New parents are overtired and overworked and catching up with friends is often not on their priority list. So hang tight, they will come back around once they get out of the newborn fog!

Submit Your Questions!

Have a question for me? Submit it using the form below.